Supermac hailed as Cherries' greatest

IT might be 40 years since he first signed for Cherries, but the achievements of Ted MacDougall are far from forgotten. The Cherries legends standing as a Dean Court hero was given further credence this week when he was named as the clubs greatest player of all time. In a list compiled by long-time supporter Neil Gardner and published on The Times website, MacDougall ranked at number one. Despite heading the 50-man list and beating the likes of current favourite Steve Fletcher to the top spot MacDougall remains refreshingly modest about his fine career. The man held in such high regard by generations of Cherries fans admits his achievements would not have been possible without the help and hard work of his team-mates. Speaking to the Echo from his home in Atlanta, America, MacDougall said: I think its a great honour and Im very, very flattered. I did a specific job. I wasnt the best player, but I wanted to be as good a goalscorer as I could possibly be. I was very fortunate that certain things came into play, i.e. John Bond as a coach, and I had great players around me that appreciated what I did and gave me the service. Certainly, I couldnt have done it without any of them, thats for sure. The one thing that fans can relate to is goals and goalscorers, so they (team-mates) did all the work and they did all the running, and I took all the glory. I was just the end product of something that was worked on every day in practice and training. I couldnt have done what I did if I didnt have the service or if I didnt have the people who appreciated what I was doing. I wasnt going to go and beat two or three people and sprint past people to score goals, I was going to get all my goals from things that happened in and around the penalty area. The 62-year-olds legendary status is backed up by a formidable set of statistics, including 144 goals in 223 appearances during two spells with Cherries. His stint on the south coast has left him with many fond memories. I remember the games against Aston Villa, some of the nine goals against Margate and I think my biggest memory of Bournemouth was the whole environment, he said. There wasnt a day when we wouldnt be in the national press or on television. We went from news programmes to Panorama, Bournemouth was big and everybody knew who Bournemouth were. We were getting similar crowds to what Southampton were getting. We played Southampton with Mick Channon and I remember beating them. We played Manchester United in a pre-season friendly with Denis Law and Bobby Charlton and beat them. We were a good team with good players. I just remember the excitement of the whole place. It was electrifying to be part of that whole thing. Bourne-mouth was a great place to be and its still a great place to be. Despite his many years in the game, MacDougalls interest in football has not waned. He coaches for the Atlanta Spurs club and his passion for his sport is stronger than ever. Soccer over here is growing leaps and bounds, he added. I watch a lot and take an interest in it because I probably love football now more than Ive ever loved it. I think its an unbelievable game, I really do. Gardner, who produced the top-50 list, has been a Cherries fan since 1975. When asked about his selection, he said: As for Ted, my favourite Cherries player of all time is Ian Bishop, but I dont think you can ignore Supermacs claims to be the greatest. The nine goals against Margate, the telepathic relationship with Phil Boyer, his flamboyant style and extraordinary scoring record make him stand out from the rest. To view the full list, click the related link below.

Source: Bournemouth_Echo