He has witnessed some of the most momentous moments in the history of Scottish football.
Now, in a new book, football commentator Archie Macpherson has revealed his own most memorable goals going back almost 80 years.
In “It’s a Goal!”, published by Edinburgh-based Luath Press, Scotland’s “voice of football” recounts 57 goals he has witnessed in the course of his life.
He starts with the one that changed his life as a nine year old boy standing on the terrace at Hampden Park in 1946 and continues through European glory nights and World Cup woes.
Included are Jim McCalliog’s goal that clinched a famous victory against World Cup holders England in 1967 and Stevie Chalmers’ historic European Cup winning goal for Celtic against Real Madrid the same year.
Archie Gemmill’s effort against Holland in the 1978 World Cup, considered one of the best ever on the global stage, also features.
Alongside these are the famous “toe poke” by David Narey that gave Scotland false hope against the might of Brazil in 1982 and even an own goal – scored by Tom Boyd in another memorable World Cup defeat to the same opposition in 1998.
Archie insists each was equally memorable for their own reasons. Some made him leap out of his seat with joy, while others filled him with disappointment as he feigned impartiality while describing them to listeners from the commentary box.
Archie said: “It would be impossible to rank all the goals I have been witness to in my life. Instead, these are the goals that stayed with me, and rendered their worth in my mind forever.
“I was fortunate to have experienced six World Cups and they stick out obviously, most majestically Archie Gemmill’s goal in ’78.
“Some of my inclusions are obvious – who could forget David Narey’s goal against Brazil — others may be memorable only to me.
“One such goal came when Rangers and Kilmarnock played a 6-4 League Cup semi-final (in 1965) — ten goals but if you watched the programme that night we only captured two of them, one of which was a penalty taken by Tommy McLean.
“It’s the only goal I can recall in this match so it sticks in my mind for totally absurd reasons. I got pelters in the Co-op queue the following morning.”
Archie said the assistant cameraman at Hampden Park that night — a young Bill Forsyth — went on to greater things, adding: “I am convinced Gregory’s Girl was inspired by his trying to make amends for the missing goals of Hampden that night. In that film at least he made sure we saw the football.”
To a generation of Scottish football fans, Archie was the presenter of Sportscene, from its first programme in 1975 until the 1990s, and he was inducted into Scottish football’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
Archie, now 87, says his long term memory remains “vivid, especially when it comes to goals”.
In his book, to be officially launched later this month by Edinburgh publishers Luath Press, he clearly recalls being one of 139,466 fans at Hampden when Scotland defeated England 1-0 in the “Victory International”, played shortly after the end of World War Two, and the ball being “crashed into the net” by Jimmy Delaney of Celtic..
The goal, he says, sent him berserk, and has lived with him ever since: “That small Hampden boy was with me every time I raised a mic to my mouth… He was inside me, kicking every ball for Scotland as I tried to maintain professional objectivity.”
He also recalls when the legendary Alfredo Do Stefano scored for Real Madrid against Eintracht Frankfurt in the greatest of all European Cup finals at Hampden Park in 1960, and when a 16-year-old Derek Johnstone scored the winner for Rangers against Celtic in the 1970 Scottish League Cup final at the same venue.
And he was present when historic goals by Stevie Chalmers, Willie Johnston and John Hewitt delivered European glory for Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen.
Archie also includes Joe Harper and Eric Black of Aberdeen, Denis McQuade of Partick Thistle and Willie Pettigrew of Dundee United for their cup winning goals.
Meanwhile, Albert Kidd of Dundee remains in Archie’s memory after nearly 40 years for the goals that denied Hearts an historic League title on the final day in 1986.
Amongst names like Kenny Dalglish, Ally McCoist, Joe Jordan and Charlie Nicholas, Archie revealed that only one goal is included for its sheer brilliance alone, that of Celtic’s Shunsuke Nakamura against Manchester United in the Champions League in 2006.
Another, Davie Cooper’s penalty for Scotland against Wales, which clinched qualification for the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, is most memorable for its association with tragedy as it came on the night that legendary manager Jock Stein died.
Archie said: “As soon as you mention goals, people think of their own [favourite] goals. There are great goals people will have in their mind’s eye, that are simply not there. These are “my” goals.”
* It’s a Goal! is published by Luath Press, priced £11.99.
SOME MEMORABLE GOALS
Third Lanark v Hibernian 1962
This tie played at Cathkin Park was the occasion of Macpherson’s very first TV commentary. He was familiar with the ground as his grandfather had taken him “there every second Saturday “on a long bus trip” nearly every Saturday to see the man his grandfather thought was the “greatest player on the planet” – inside forward, Jimmy Mason. Sportsreel that Saturday evening included a Hibs goal that ranked in the club’s history – although the team only finished 16th in the league that season. He explains in the book how describing that goal which Scott took from the centre circle to the net (having “decided any useful help was not going to be forthcoming”) made him feel that he had arrives as a commentator and he gave it “laldy” from the commentary box.
Scotland V England 1946
Jimmy Delaney’s goal which gave Scotland a 1-0 win over England at Hampden in the 1946 ‘Victory International’. Macpherson was in the crowd as a nine-year-old boy and recalled: “That small Hampden boy was with me every time I raised a mic to my mouth. He was inside me, kicking every ball for Scotland as I tried to maintain professional objectivity.”
Shettleston Juniors V Vale of Clyde, late 1940s.
Doc McManus scored the winning goal in a juniors local derby witnessed by Macpherson when he was a child, and it remains lodged in his memory to this day.
Archie said: “I have no idea what the rest of life had in store for Doc. But although the name Shettleston Juniors is now defunct, Doc is still an image that pops up occasionally to remind me of halcyon days when junior football seemed like one of the essential building blocks of nature.”
Kilmarnock V Rangers 1965
A penalty taken by Kilmarnock’s Tommy McLean in a 6-4 defeat by Rangers in the 1965 League Cup semi-final. It was one of only two goals BBC cameras managed to capture in the thrilling match.
Macpherson, who presented the TV highlights, said: “It’s the only goal I can recall in this match so it sticks in my mind for totally absurd reasons. I got pelters in the Co-op queue the following morning.”
Scotland V England 1967
When Scotland beat England 3-2 in 1967, Jim McCalliog famously scored the third goal on his international debut. The result saw the Scots declare themselves “unofficial world champions” as England had won the World Cup the previous year.
Archie said: “The youngest player on the field, the exile, the gamble, enlightened us to his quick feet. McCalliog’s slick give-and-go in tight space before he struck, oozed of maturity. It was an achievement because it overshadowed the (Denis) Law goal for me and I said so in my summary, almost feeling guilty about turning my back on my hero… For the first time in decades you could feel the eyes of the world were on us.”
Celtic V Inter Milan 1967
Celtic’s Stevie Chalmers’ winning goal in the 1967 European Cup final against Inter Milan in Lisbon. Chalmers diverted the ball past the Inter goalkeeper with just five minutes to go to give the Lisbon Lions victory. They became the British club to win European football’s top prize.
Macpherson, who was a school headmaster in 1967, commentating for the BBC part-time, told how his local MP had to pull strings for him to get three days off to attend the final in Lisbon. His experience would alter the course of his career.
He said: “Celtic were now European Champions… But I was fortunate to be a witness at all, of course. I knew part-time with the BBC was no longer viable. I returned to Glasgow with a resolution on the back of that triumph which had altered my view on life. Shortly after, when the opportunity came along, I joined the Corporation full-time and years later thanked Stevie Chalmers for helping to change my career.”
Rangers V Dynamo Moscow 1972
Willie Johnstone’s winning goal in the 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final. Johnstone’s goal after a long clearance from goalkeeper Peter McCloy put Rangers three goals ahead. The Russians pulled two goals back but Rangers held on for their only European trophy to date.
“It was almost like you could lie back and think of words for the end that would convey a night of historic triumph. That was the chasm created. The Russians at that stage looked like stiff robots.”
Scotland V Holland 1978
Archie Gemmill’s solo effort for Scotland against Holland in the 1978 World Cup, which is considered one of the best ever on the global stage. Macpherson’s commentary of the goal was famously used during a sex scene between Ewan McGregor and Kelly Macdonald in the 1996 film Trainspotting.
Archie recalls: “In the 68th minute came a goal that inspired Renton in the film Trainspotting to shout out ‘I haven’t felt that good since Archie Gemmill scored against Holland in 1978… Myself? Yes, it felt a bit like that on the platform at the time.”
He adds: “We were out. The 3-2 victory simply a forlorn statistic. But not the Gemmill goal. For me it remains the Pole Star in the galaxy of goals — permanent, incandescent, but also informing us through cinema that in Mendoza the scoring of a goal had found its rightful place in erotica.”
Scotland V Brazil 1982
David Narey’s long range effort which gave Scotland the lead against Brazil in the 1982 World Cup. The goal, which gave the Tartan Army false hope as Brazil won 4-1, was infamously described by English pundit Jimmy Hill as a “toe poke”.
Archie writes: “As it rocketed into the net I think incredulity was present in my mind before I reacted. We were one up against Brazil.”
Scotland V Wales 1985
7) Davie Cooper’s penalty for Scotland against Wales in Cardiff, which clinched qualification for the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. The goal is most memorable for its association with tragedy as it came on the night that legendary manager Jock Stein died after collapsing on the touchline shortly after it was scored.
“Later, with camera, interviewing supporters, the Scot I singled out in Cardiff Street said simply to me, ‘I’d rather be out of the World Cup and have big Jock back’. It was the perfect summary of how the fans felt about the tragedy.”
Rangers V Celtic 1989
Mo Johnston’s winning goal for Rangers at Ibrox with just two minutes left to play came against the backdrop of one of the most sensational transfers in Scottish football history. The former Celtic star had seemed certain to return to the club following a spell in France with Nantes, only to instead become the first high profile Catholic player to sign for Graeme Souness’ Rangers. By scoring the only goal against Celtic in the Old Firm derby he won over many Rangers fans.
Macpherson says: “Spielberg would have rejected the ending as too preposterous to put on film… Rangers have won the game and the stadium’s reaction is as near to mass astonishment as I can ever recall.”
Celtic V Manchester United 2006
Celtic’s Shunsuke Nakamura stunning free-kick which gave his side a 1-0 win against Manchester United in the Champions League in 2006. Macpherson said the Japanese star’s 30-yard strike is the only one included in the book for its “sheer brilliance alone”.
“I recall the ball leaving his foot, ascending quickly to clear the wall, then dipping and curving and like threading the needle swept in that minutest space between the outstretched left hand of Van der Sar in goal and the crossbar. In an instant both Andy (Walker, his co-commentator) and I for the first and probably only time I can recall left our seats in a mix of astonishment and bewilderment as the skies were rent assunder by the eruption of noise from below us.”
