Lou Macari - Football, My Life

I was instantly delighted and enthusiastic when Lou Macariapproached me with the request to contribute the foreword forhis autobiography. We Scots have to stick together!

I'm immensely proud to say that Scotland has produced someterrific players over the years and that Lou Macari can counthimself among the very best to have represented our country.

The fact that he played at the very top with Celtic andManchester United is sufficient to confirm that he was aperformer of the highest ability. Celtic and United are two of thebiggest clubs in football with towering standards and both arefollowed by huge numbers of knowledgeable and passionatesupporters. There is no place to hide at Parkhead or OldTrafford, they know their football and expectations are alwayssky-high. Becoming a crowd hero at both clubs, as Lou did,further emphasizes the lofty status he attained during his career.

I was in the later years of my playing days when our pathscrossed at Old Trafford and with the national team.

I was, in fact, in my last season with United when Lou movedsouth from Glasgow to Manchester. He was also wanted byLiverpool, managed at the time by the incomparable Bill Shankly my boss when I was with Huddersfield Town which musthave made Lou's decision about his future even more difficult.

He eventually resolved that his best option was to ignoreLiverpool's overtures and take up United's offer of employment.I think he made the right decision, but we must take into accountthat I'm totally biased.

Lou's arrival at Old Trafford pretty well signalled the end of mytime with United. I was in the side the day he made his debutagainst West Ham United, but that was the only occasion weappeared alongside each other in the famous red shirt. I washanded a free transfer at the close of that 197273 season whilstLou went on to become a great favourite amongst the Unitedfaithful.

Our international careers also overlapped, but only just, withthe two of us playing together five times in the Scotland team.

Therefore we played in the same side barely half-a-dozentimes, but I saw enough first-hand during those games to realizethat Lou was a top-class operator. He proceeded to enjoy almosteleven years at Old Trafford, helping the club to work theirway back to a position of strength following the ignominy ofrelegation to the Second Division in 1974.

He later played briefly for Swindon Town before going intomanagement, firstly with the Wiltshire club and later with majorclubs such as West Ham United and Celtic.

All in all it adds up to a fascinating and colourful career infootball which is more than worthy of the autobiographicalrecord contained in these pages.

Lou Macari thoroughly deserves his place high on the list ofall-time great Scottish players and the famous names who haveworn the distinctive hoops of Celtic and famous red ofManchester United.

Denis Law, July 2008

Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, AC Torino, Manchester