Billy Bremner
Revie's red-haired enforcer
| Full name: | William John Bremner |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | December 9, 1942 |
| Date of death: | December 7, 1997 |
| Clubs played for: | Leeds, Hull, Doncaster |
| Clubs managed: | Doncaster, Leeds |
Club Career
If it is possible for a manager to pick a captain in his image, then Don Revie found his in Billy Bremner at Leeds. Spiky and confrontational, but blessed with talent, Bremner captained the best Leeds side in history.
He joined the club in 1959 and made his debut a year later at the age of 18. Tough in the tackle, with unstinting stamina, precise passing and an eye for goal, Bremner soon established himself as the first name on the team sheet.
He helped Leeds to promotion to the top-flight in 1964, which proved the springboard for their glory years under Revie. The Whites won the League Cup and Fairs Cup in 1968, before the League Championship arrived in 1969.
The next year Bremner and his team-mates were chasing an unprecedented treble, but lost the League to Everton, a feisty FA Cup final to Chelsea and exited the European Cup in a semi-final with Celtic.
Bremner tasted FA Cup glory in 1972 and added another Fairs Cup and League Championship to his honours list before the fiery Scot's glittering Elland Road career came to an end in 1976 when he moved to Hull.
He retired in 1978 upon joining Doncaster as manager but later made a brief playing return before hanging up his boots for good in 1981.
International Career
Bremner made his Scotland debut in 1965 against Spain and two years later skippered his country to a famous 3-2 victory over world champions England at Wembley.
He appeared at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany before his Scotland career came to an unsavoury end in September 1975, when an incident after a match with Denmark resulted in Bremner and four teammates being banned from international football.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-75 | Scotland | 54 | 3 |
Managerial Career
Bremner took over the managerial reins at Doncaster in 1978 and led the club to promotion to the Third Division in 1981. The club were relegated in 1983 but immediately bounced back as Fourth Division runners-up.
He returned to his beloved Leeds in 1985, tasked with improving the Second Division side's fortunes. They narrowly missed out on promotion in 1987 and reached an FA Cup semi-final but after those near misses it all turned sour for Bremner and, with the club in 21st place, he was sacked.
He went back to Doncaster for a second spell in charge, but was unable to match his previous success and was ditched in 1991.
Key Games
Leeds 1-0 Manchester United (FA Cup semi-final second replay, March 26 1970)
Revie's swashbuckling Leeds faced fierce rivals Manchester United for a place in the FA Cup final. United, who were European Champions two years previously, could boast the likes of Bobby Charlton and George Best. But there was little to separate the two sides and it took three matches to determine a winner. Bremner would eventually prove the hero, his ninth minute goal ending 219 minutes of goalless football and sending Leeds to Wembley.
Liverpool 1-1 Leeds (Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties, Charity Shield, August 10, 1974)
This match will forever be remembered for the extraordinary fracas that broke out between Bremner and his opponent Kevin Keegan. Players had already clashed when Johnny Giles floored Keegan near Leeds' area. Unaware who his attacker had been, Keegan became embroiled with Bremner and the pair's scrapping earned them both a red card. Keegan and Bremner tossed their shirts to the pitch as they departed the arena, an ugly ending to an infamous afternoon. Bremner was later fined and banned for 11 games.
Bayern Munich 2-0 Leeds (European Cup final, May 28 1975)
The last hurrah for this Leeds side and yet another near miss, but this time in the most controversial of circumstances. Leeds had beaten Barcelona to get this far and dominated for long periods. In the first-half, the referee refused to award Leeds a penalty for a blatant trip by Bayern's Franz Beckenbauer as Allan Clarke loomed large on goal. Then in the second half with the scoreline still barren, Peter Lorimer's fine volley seemingly put the English side ahead before it was controversially disallowed. Deflated, Leeds conceded late goals to Franz Roth and Gerd Muller. The club were later banned from Europe for four years (reduced to two on appeal) after their fans furiously rioted, but at least the match spawned the defiant chant of "We are Champions, Champions of Europe!"
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds | League Championship | 1968-69, 1971-72 |
| FA Cup | 1972 | |
| Fairs Cup | 1968, 1971 | |
| League Cup | 1968 | |
| Second Division Championship | 1963-64 |
Did You Know...?
Bremner was rejected by both Arsenal and Chelsea as he was not deemed to be big enough
Only Jack Charlton played more games for Leeds than Bremner and he is still the fourth highest goalscorer of all-time for the club
Bremner was awarded £100,000 damages in 1982 over allegations that he was offered bribes to fix matches
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