Source: Manchester_EveningNews
Lawman turns 70
On this day 70 years ago a King was born, although no-one outside the immediate family was aware of it. You see, the child born in Aberdeen on February 24, 1940 was not of royal descent. He was the son of George, a simple fisherman, and his wife Robina. The new born boy was the youngest of seven. The baby had no crown to wear nor a country to rule over. But for a glorious decade he reigned alright - over a football club. That club was Manchester United and it was Denis Law who was that King of Old Trafford. And today the one true King - in the eyes of the United faithful - celebrates his 70th birthday. He has taken on and beaten cancer and he remains the only footballer I can think of who is idolised by the fans of both Manchester clubs. As a youngster in the late 50s, I watched Denis playing for City, who forked out a then record British transfer fee of £55,000 to bring the young Scot from Huddersfield Town. At that time he looked like a gust of wind would blow him over. But when you saw him in action you knew you were looking at something extra special. He had the X-factor. We City fans knew, of course, that we wouldn't be able to keep him because he was on a different planet in playing terms. But we were still grateful for the wonderful year he gave us before joining Italian giants Torino in the summer of 1961 for a fee of £110,000. Law's career in Italy was a brief and unhappy one and only 12 months after his move to Italy, United manager Matt Busby relieved him from his torment by bringing Law to Old Trafford for a new British record fee of £115,000. The record books show that Law was worth every penny - 237 goals in 409 senior appearances tell their own story. No wonder the Old Trafford fans dubbed him The King. United's great Irish midfielder Sammy McIlroy was a wide-eyed teenager when Law arrived at the Theatre of Dreams and vividly recalls the impact the Scot made. "I had learned so much from watching Denis," said McIlroy. "He had learned how to master every aspect of scoring a goal. Danger "Scissor kicks, tap-ins, clever goals, scrappy goals. He could spot a goal-scoring opportunity long before the opposing defenders knew there was any danger. "He wasn't particularly big but his heading ability was absolutely amazing. Never in all my career have I seen a player who could jump so high from a standing start. "He wasn't strongly built but Denis knew how to look after himself. "His legs seemed like elastic. A big, beefy defender would chop him down but Denis would simply bounce right up again. "But within a few minutes he would have his revenge on that defender who, I'll guarantee, wouldn't bounce back up like Denis did. "There's not the slightest doubt that at the peak of his United career Denis was one of the greatest strikers in the world - if not the greatest. "People ask me if he would have the same impact if he was playing today and my answer is always the same. "He would terrorise Premier League defenders if he was wearing his overcoat. And you couldn't even put the figure on his transfer value in today's markets. But there would be a lot of noughts on that fee - that's for sure." City's long-serving defender Tommy Booth "enjoyed" many fiery encounters with Law during the 60s and early 70s without ever realising that one day they would be team-mates. "Denis was a nightmare to play against," admits Booth. "I think it was his razor-sharp reflexes that made him such a great player. He always seemed to be one step ahead. "You didn't see him making long surging runs, but in and around the penalty box he was absolutely lethal. He really was the original fox in the box. One sniff of a goal and he was onto it in a flash. "But like all great strikers he had a devilish streak to his nature. He certainly gave as good as he got - with a bit more added on in interest. "I remember one derby in particularly when, in the run-up to the match, our United hater Mike Doyle had been winding up the Reds in the newspapers as he always did for those matches. "There were only a few minutes to go and we were winning 4-0. "In a break of play, I had a chat with Denis who said he just wanted the referee to blow the final whistle and put him out of his misery. The match restarted and I had the ball at my feet when one of their players from behind scraped his studs right down the back of my leg. "I turned around to have a go at him and there stood Denis looking sheepish. `Oh, I'm sorry Tom,' he said, `I mistook you for Doyle.' "Of course Denis was past his prime when he moved back across to Maine Road but he was still a good signing. "He had a great, dry sense of humour and he was always there if the younger players wanted any advice. "Although I've always been a City fan, I used to go to Old Trafford a lot as a youngster so I had the chance to watch Denis in his prime. "And he was quite simply magnificent. A world-class striker who scored goals which other strikers could only dream about. "It was a privilege to get to know him and, on behalf of every City fan, I'd like to wish the great man a happy 70th birthday."
