Jock Wallace
Encyclopedia
John "Jock" Martin Bokas Wallace (6 September 1935 – 24 July 1996) was a professional Scottish
football
player and manager. His father, Jock Wallace, Sr.
, was a goalkeeper
for Raith Rovers
, Blackpool
and Derby County
.
Wallace has the unique distinction of being the only player ever to play in the English, Welsh and Scottish Cups in the same season. This was set during the 1966-67 season where he played in the FA Cup
and Welsh Cup
for Hereford United
, and in the Scottish Cup
when he moved to Berwick Rangers.
Wallyford
-born Wallace, as manager of Rangers
over two spells in the 1970s and 1980s, was to become one of Scottish football's best-known and most successful coaches.
, but rekindled his career by signing for Workington
in 1952, dovetailing football with work in the local pit. National Service with the King's Own Scottish Borderers afforded Wallace the opportunity of signing for the local club, Berwick Rangers
. After character-defining military service in Northern Ireland
and - famously - the jungles of Malaya
, Wallace's playing career extended to Airdrieonians
, West Bromwich Albion
, non-league Bedford Town
and Hereford United
.
in the Scottish Cup
, providing one of the most famous cup upsets in Scotland. That achievement in turn propelled Wallace into a coaching job at Hearts
in 1968. In addition Wallace set a unique record of being the only player to play in the Scottish Cup, FA Cup
and Welsh Cup
in the same season - having played in the latter two competitions for Hereford United in the early part of the 1966-67 season.
, as coach of Rangers under manager Willie Waddell
. The partnership with Waddell was one that helped Rangers win the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup. After the European triumph, Waddell left his post as manager to take a behind-the-scenes role and Wallace was appointed as manager. In his first season in charge - the club's centenary - he won the Scottish Cup
. In 1974-1975, it was Wallace who presided over the Rangers team that finally ended Celtic
's nine-year period of dominance and won the League championship for the first time in eleven years. In seasons 1975-1976 and 1977-1978, Wallace was to capture the treble of all three Scottish trophies on two occasions.
Wallace's managership of Rangers in the mid-1970s saw the club regain the ascendancy it had enjoyed throughout much its history. But just as the prospect of further sustained success beckoned, Wallace unexpectedly resigned as manager in 1978. The precise cause was never fully established, as Wallace maintained silence until his death in 1996. Most of the speculation centred on alleged disputes with the Rangers board (and with Waddell in particular) about transfer budgets or Wallace's own salary.
in England. Wallace steered the club to Football League Second Division
title glory in 1980, and took them to the FA Cup
semi-finals. In January 1981, Wallace made an audacious attempt to sign three-time European Footballer of the Year
, Johan Cruyff
. Despite negotiations lasting three weeks, in which the player himself expressed his desire to play for City, a deal was never agreed.
. In 1983 he returned to manage a Rangers side that, under John Greig
, had consistently under-performed since Wallace's departure. In spite of capturing two League Cups, Wallace's second spell with Rangers was a frustrating one as the club failed to dent the dominance of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United, and offered only sporadic challenge to Celtic
. Wallace was sacked by Rangers in April 1986. He then had short spells in Spain, with Sevilla
from 1986-87, and England with Colchester United
from 1988-90.
Jock Wallace died from Parkinson's Disease
in 1996, aged 60, and is still widely remembered by Rangers fans as one of their club's greatest ever managers.
, renowned for their ability to lose their temper and terrify players who are not trying their best. Gary Lineker
, the broadcaster and former England captain, recalls the terror he felt when Jock Wallace, then manager of Leicester City, "pinned me against the dressing room wall at half-time and called me a lazy English this and that. We were 2-0 up and I'd scored both goals. I didn't score in the second half - I was still shaking!"
Rangers
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and manager. His father, Jock Wallace, Sr.
Jock Wallace, Sr.
John Martin "Jock" Wallace was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper. His son, Jock Wallace, Jr., managed Rangers, Leicester City and Sevilla....
, was a goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
for Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
, Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
Wallace has the unique distinction of being the only player ever to play in the English, Welsh and Scottish Cups in the same season. This was set during the 1966-67 season where he played in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
for Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
, and in the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
when he moved to Berwick Rangers.
Wallyford
Wallyford
Wallyford is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the larger town of Musselburgh and approximately 7 miles east of Edinburgh.-Amenities:...
-born Wallace, as manager of Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
over two spells in the 1970s and 1980s, was to become one of Scottish football's best-known and most successful coaches.
Playing career
Wallace's playing career began inauspiciously. A goalkeeper, Wallace was freed by his first club, BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, but rekindled his career by signing for Workington
Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
in 1952, dovetailing football with work in the local pit. National Service with the King's Own Scottish Borderers afforded Wallace the opportunity of signing for the local club, Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers F.C.
Berwick Rangers Football Club are a football team based in the English Border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, although they play in the Scottish Football League Third Division...
. After character-defining military service in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and - famously - the jungles of Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, Wallace's playing career extended to Airdrieonians
Airdrie United F.C.
Airdrie United Football Club are a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. They are currently managed by ex-Airdrieonians player and former Airdrie United Under 19s coach Jimmy Boyle. They are members of the Scottish Football League and play in the...
, West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, non-league Bedford Town
Bedford Town F.C.
Bedford Town F.C. is an English football club based in the Borough of Bedford. The club are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division and play at The New Eyrie in Cardington, a parish on the outskirts of Bedford....
and Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
.
Berwick Rangers and Hearts
Wallace's managerial career began in 1966 as player-manager of Berwick Rangers. His rise to national prominence came in 1967, when he played for and managed the Berwick Rangers side which defeated RangersRangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
, providing one of the most famous cup upsets in Scotland. That achievement in turn propelled Wallace into a coaching job at Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
in 1968. In addition Wallace set a unique record of being the only player to play in the Scottish Cup, FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
in the same season - having played in the latter two competitions for Hereford United in the early part of the 1966-67 season.
Success at Rangers
It was in 1970 that Wallace arrived at his spiritual home, Ibrox StadiumIbrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, as coach of Rangers under manager Willie Waddell
Willie Waddell
Willie Waddell is a former professional footballer who played as a defender for Aberdeen and Kettering Town. Waddell played for Aberdeen in the 1947 Scottish Cup Final victory against Hibernian.- Notes :...
. The partnership with Waddell was one that helped Rangers win the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup. After the European triumph, Waddell left his post as manager to take a behind-the-scenes role and Wallace was appointed as manager. In his first season in charge - the club's centenary - he won the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
. In 1974-1975, it was Wallace who presided over the Rangers team that finally ended Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
's nine-year period of dominance and won the League championship for the first time in eleven years. In seasons 1975-1976 and 1977-1978, Wallace was to capture the treble of all three Scottish trophies on two occasions.
Wallace's managership of Rangers in the mid-1970s saw the club regain the ascendancy it had enjoyed throughout much its history. But just as the prospect of further sustained success beckoned, Wallace unexpectedly resigned as manager in 1978. The precise cause was never fully established, as Wallace maintained silence until his death in 1996. Most of the speculation centred on alleged disputes with the Rangers board (and with Waddell in particular) about transfer budgets or Wallace's own salary.
Leicester
Wallace's subsequent career spanned an eclectic mix of clubs. His first post was as manager of Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in England. Wallace steered the club to Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
title glory in 1980, and took them to the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finals. In January 1981, Wallace made an audacious attempt to sign three-time European Footballer of the Year
European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
, Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
. Despite negotiations lasting three weeks, in which the player himself expressed his desire to play for City, a deal was never agreed.
Return to Scotland
He returned to Scotland in 1982, taking charge of MotherwellMotherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
. In 1983 he returned to manage a Rangers side that, under John Greig
John Greig
John Greig MBE is a Scottish former professional football player who, despite his boyhood allegiance to hometown team Heart of Midlothian, spent his entire career in Glasgow with Rangers as a player, manager and director.Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the Rangers supporters...
, had consistently under-performed since Wallace's departure. In spite of capturing two League Cups, Wallace's second spell with Rangers was a frustrating one as the club failed to dent the dominance of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United, and offered only sporadic challenge to Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. Wallace was sacked by Rangers in April 1986. He then had short spells in Spain, with Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
from 1986-87, and England with Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
from 1988-90.
Jock Wallace died from Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in 1996, aged 60, and is still widely remembered by Rangers fans as one of their club's greatest ever managers.
Management style
Wallace was a classic Scottish manager of the type familiar to modern fans in the guise of Manchester United's Sir Alex FergusonAlex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, renowned for their ability to lose their temper and terrify players who are not trying their best. Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
, the broadcaster and former England captain, recalls the terror he felt when Jock Wallace, then manager of Leicester City, "pinned me against the dressing room wall at half-time and called me a lazy English this and that. We were 2-0 up and I'd scored both goals. I didn't score in the second half - I was still shaking!"
RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
- Scottish League Division OneScottish Football LeagueThe Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
: 1975, 1976, 1978
- Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
: 1973, 1976, 1978
- Scottish League CupScottish League CupThe Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
: 1976, 1978, 1984