Former Manager Remembers: Jock Wallace
These interviews are now part of the Club’s oral archive, which provides a fascinating insight into the Foxes’ history. Last month, John came across a 45-vinyl rpm record from 1980, containing an interview with the charismatic Jock Wallace.
He was the larger-than-life Leicester manager at that time. Jock sadly died in 1996, but having transcribed and edited this interview, we are now in a position to publish it for the first time.
In June 1978, after Wallace had resigned from managing Glasgow Rangers, he took up the post of manager at Leicester City. The move came as a huge surprise to the football world. Wallace’s stock at Ibrox, where he had been manager since 1972, could not have been higher.
In 1975, he had ended Celtic’s run of nine consecutive league titles by leading Rangers to their first league title in 11 years. He followed this up by securing the domestic treble of the league, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup in 1976, and then repeated this feat in 1978.
It was at this point that Jock decided to leave Rangers. The contrast between the successful Glasgow club and the struggling side he joined at Filbert Street could not have been greater.
City, after the successful and entertaining Jimmy Bloomfield years, had just been relegated from the top flight following a disastrous season under Bloomfield’s successor, Frank McLintock. Home crowds had sunk to 17,000. Jock was taking on a huge rebuilding job on limited finances.
The interview took place in the 1980 close season, just after his Leicester side had been promoted to the top flight as Second Division champions at the end of Jock’s second season at Filbert Street. This success hadn’t come straightaway. In his first season, the Club had finished 17th in the old Second Division.
In his broad Scottish accent, he began by explaining why he came to City two years earlier.
“I came to Leicester having won the treble twice as Glasgow Rangers manager even though Leicester City had just been relegated from the First Division. I came here because I’d resigned from Rangers and was out of a job. Leicester City were the first to come for me. They made me a good offer and I took the job. It was as simple as that.”
Jock was taking on a huge challenge at Filbert Street, but he set about the task with great determination and with a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve.
Giving an insight into his methods, Jock continued: “Leicester City was at rock bottom when I first came here. The Club needed to be rebuilt and get promoted. My philosophy is to tell the truth, all the time. I work hard. I know how to judge a player and judge a man.
“If players are not working hard for me, they’re out. I pruned a lot of good lads out of here. I wanted players who understood my long-term policy and vision for the future.
“When I came to Leicester, the attitude and the atmosphere in the town was terrible towards Leicester City. I had to give the people of Leicester something to believe in, so I gave them Jock Wallace to believe in. I don’t think I’ve let them down. We’ve won a championship and I hope they go on and win another championship or a cup.
“We are a young team. The supporters have come back to the Club. They were disillusioned but they’ve seen a lot of effort and a lot of honesty and a lot of good-class football. Pride has taken over from apathy. I’ve given this town back pride in itself, pride in the team’s performance and a lot of honesty.
“When I go round the ground at Filbert Street, I take an interest in every player from the youngest player to the senior professionals. I take an interest in the work that everyone is doing, around the bars, cleaning staff, everybody. I’ve always worked like that. I don’t believe in just dealing with those on the pitch. I believe in the workers who come in here, like Clarisse, the office cleaner, Mrs King, who helps on a Saturday and Gordon Clarke, who gets the ground done. These are the people who work all the time for Leicester City. I respect them and I think they respect me. Whether I respect them or not, if they do something wrong, I’ll tell them! We’ve got a great team spirit here within the Club, from the Chairman downwards.”
This approach to management was certainly noticed by the directors.
Eleven years ago, the late Tom E. Bloor, who was one of the directors who appointed Jock, described the impact that the new manager had on Filbert Street. “He was a hard man,” Tom said. “He believed in direct talking. His nature of play was direct. He trained the players by running them up sand hills at Wanlip with 20-pound packs on their backs. Jock had been in the army fighting in the Malayan jungle. He trained the players the same way he’d been trained in the army. He brought in young players like Dave Buchanan and Gary Lineker. He was a great believer in homegrown progeny. He said: ‘I know them. They know me’. He felt that they appreciated the Club more than purchased players.”
In exclusive interviews for previous editions of CITY Matchday Magazine, many of these young Leicester City players from this time have paid great tribute to Jock. These players included Tommy Williams, Larry May, Andy Peake, John O’Neill, Peter Welsh, Gary Lineker, and Dave Buchanan.
Centre-half May recalled: “Jock Wallace was brilliant. He wasn’t the best coach, he had others to do that, but he was a great motivator. He made us work hard. He had great passion and determination. He gave us a great will to win.”
University student, centre-half and future Northern Ireland international O’Neill, who was given his first team debut by Jock remembered: “Jock was 6ft 2in tall and a dominating presence. Everyone was scared of him, but he had a soft side to him and a dry sense of humour.”
Jock was also an astute operator in the transfer market, signing players such as Martin Henderson, Bobby Smith, Ian Wilson, Alan Young, Kevin MacDonald, Jim Melrose, Steve Lynex, Ian Andrews and Alan Smith – his last signing for Leicester City.
He also relied on experienced players such as Mark Wallington, Dennis Rofe and Eddie Kelly, who have all spoken of their high opinion of the manager.
Goalkeeper Wallington told us: “When Jock arrived at Leicester, he went for youth. I had the utmost respect for Jock. He was the best manager I had the privilege of working under. He had such great belief in what he was doing.”
In the interview, having just been promoted as Second Division champions, Jock then went on to consider the future prospects of his Leicester City team.
“In terms of football, Leicester City is still a small-town club compared with the Manchester Uniteds the Liverpools and Derby who won the league not so long ago,” Jock continued. “Do I think Leicester City will be able to match these teams in the future? Well, Liverpool was taken out of the doldrums by Shanks (Bill Shankly). Don Revie took Leeds out of the doldrums and Cloughie (Brian Clough) took Derby and Nottingham Forest out of the doldrums. I hope that I can do the same for this Club. If honesty and endeavour mean anything in this game, then we have a chance. The players have got it. I think I’ve got it. My coaches have got it. I think this Club is heading for a great future. I really believe that.”
Despite this optimism, things didn’t quite turn out as Jock had predicted.
The following year, despite defeating Liverpool at Filbert Street and at Anfield (ending the Reds’ run of 85 home matches without defeat), Jock’s young side were relegated after one season back in the top flight.
They reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup the season after that, but missed out on promotion. Then, at the end of that season, in a shock move, Jock left Leicester City in controversial circumstances to manage Motherwell.
Bloor remembered: “Jock leaving the Club was a shock. I was vice-chairman of the board at the time. I remember taking a telephone call whilst I was walking around our factory floor. This gentleman with a Scottish accent introduced himself as chairman of Motherwell. He wanted permission to speak to our manager. I said: ‘I can talk to you but you can’t talk to the manager until I’ve spoken to the other directors. The chairman (Terry Shipman) is on holiday’. This rough voice said: ‘I’m not waiting for that. I want to get on with the business. I’ve got permission in any case’. The conversation finished. I phoned each of the directors. None of them knew anything about this. I tried to get Terry twice that night but couldn’t. Anyway, Jock left. I didn’t plead with him. I saw him at the ground. I just told him that I thought it was an unfair way to do business. He said: ‘Well the chairman had got permission to speak to me’. I don’t know who from! So that was farewell to Jock. We felt a little sore about it. When Terry arrived home, we said that if that’s the way they want to play the game, there’s no point in trying to claim huge amounts of compensation.”
Jock’s stay at Motherwell was short. He returned as manager to Ibrox between 1983 and 1986, before being sacked in April 1986, to be replaced by Graeme Souness.
Despite his controversial and contested defection to Motherwell, 12 years later, Leicester City arranged a testimonial dinner for Jock, who was now ill with Parkinson’s Disease.
To hear his voice again in the interview on the 42-year-old vinyl record reminds us of Wallace’s impact on Leicester City. He is still fondly remembered, even today, by players and supporters alike.