In the second of our series from Derek Giles we  feature a Don from the early 1970s.

 

The nickname ‘Back Seat’ for a modern footballer would probably conjure up a lurid front page headline for one of the nation’s tabloids.

However, in the 1970s as in the case of Steve Murray it was what he was known by his team mates as while studying at Stirling University.

To and from away games he would be found to be swotting on the back seat of the bus. It gave some clue to Murray as a player, intelligent, mobile and capable of strong tackling, but possessing fine passing skills and having a good eye for goal. Steve had made his Dundee debut in March 1964 against Airdrie and he would continue to be influential figure in the Dundee midfield for the next six years.

Captain of the Dundee side that had reached the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic in March 1970, there was a shock for The Dees fans who had travelled to Hampden only to discover their skipper had failed a late fitness test on a shin injury that required stitches. Dundee went on to lose 2-1 but there was more bad news for their fans when within hours of the final whistle rumours abounded that Murray was about to leave the club.

Despite having signed a new two year deal the previous summer Steve was being actively pursued by Aberdeen. To the Dundee supports consternation the indication was that the Dundee board would let him go.

He was promptly sold to Aberdeen for a then Dons club record fee of £50,000. Manager Eddie Turnbull saw Murray as the player required to turn his inconsistent Dons side into winners. He clearly identified that the Dons inability to gain command of the midfield had been one of their main problems that season.

Turnbull also saw Murray as the man to provide the necessary composure and power in the middle of the field “I’m very pleased the deal has gone through as I consider Steve can do a great job for us.”

Signed in a Dundee hotel Steve said at the time, “This is a great move for me I’m sure I will enjoy playing at Aberdeen and I know I will learn a tremendous amount under Mr Turnbull.”
Steve made his debut almost immediately against St Mirren at Pittodrie and was soon showing confidence on the ball. Within a couple of games as he was moving the ball quickly and intelligently and it was then obvious why Murray had been purchased.

In his third appearance in March 1970, the Dons travelled to Celtic Park not having won there since the 1962-63 season but Murray brilliantly set up Arthur Graham to score the winner in a 2-1 victory.

It was unfortunate that after only five League games Steve was forced to sit out the biggest game in his Aberdeen career as he was ineligible to appear in the 1970 Scottish Cup Final, having played for Dundee in the previous rounds. Murray started the following season as a key member of the Dons midfield in a team that Eddie Turnbull felt could challenge Celtic’s dominance. An indifferent start was soon forgotten as Aberdeen went 15 games unbeaten with Steve ever present and scoring five goals along the way.

The Dons then travelled to Hibernian four points ahead of Celtic but minus Steve who was out through injury. With an inevitability about the game, the returning Joe Baker scored the winner to give Hibs the points and in the end Aberdeen would finish the season two points behind Celtic. Steve had been near ever present having appeared in 33 League games and scoring six goals. In Europe, trailing 3-0 to Honved in Hungary and heading for Euro exit, Steve scored the 77th minute to take the tie into extra time.

The Dons reprieve was short lived as they would go out on penalties, the first team to do so in European competition. Although the loss of manager Eddie Turnbull in the summer to Hibs was perhaps most keenly felt amongst players such as Steve who had been signed by him, there was little impact to his on field performances. Again he was a driving force in the Dons midfield and almost ever present, scoring 10 times.

His performances had been such that he would win his one and only cap against Belgium at Pittodrie in a 1-0 win in November 1971. He would also find himself being made captain on the sale of Martin Buchan to Manchester United in February 1972. Despite the arrival of the enigmatic Zoltan Varga to partner Steve in midfield, the 1972-73 season proved somewhat of a disappointment with Aberdeen finishing only fourth in the League and knocked out of both Cups by Celtic. Murray was again almost ever present and by now he was well aware of his value and refused to accept the new signing terms on offer from Dick Donald and the Aberdeen board.

The board were undeterred and were so convinced were they that Steve would sign they knocked back a £100,000 offer from Sheffield United. It was at this juncture that Steve put forward a fairly radical idea to the Pittodrie board to end the impasse, that they pay him a bonus anytime crowds rose above the average gate of 7,500.

It was an idea that the Aberdeen board were reluctant to agree to and the rejection of the idea convinced him that it was time to leave. He then proceeded to call a press conference to tell the media that he was leaving Aberdeen – a radical thing for a player to do in the 1970s. It was after this that he received a phone call from the journalist Jim Rodger, who was a confidant of Jock Stein.

His conversation in code about the ‘Duke’ and the ‘Bishop’ initially had Steve somewhat baffled and it was only after he told him that it was a great press conference and the ‘Duke’ would be in touch did he decipher he was talking about Jock Stein. Within weeks Aberdeen had accepted a £50,000 offer from Celtic and Steve was on his way to Parkhead. Signed to replace Bobby Murdoch with Stein looking for a more mobile midfield player Steve seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

In his first season with Celtic he would score a 98th minute header against Basle to put Celtic into the European Cup semi-finals, claim a Championship medal at the end of April and then in May help Celtic to defeat Dundee United 3-0 in the Scottish Cup Final. Disaster struck however in October 1974 when Steve damaged an ankle against Hibernian in the 6-3 League Cup Final win, the injury was compounded the following week against Aberdeen when he damaged his right big toe.

Despite training being agony he kept playing to win his second Scottish Cup medal against Airdrie in May 1975. It was to be the final act of his first spell at Parkhead as he retired almost immediately. At the request of Sean Fallon he returned to Celtic in the middle of the following season. Appearing against Motherwell in December 1975 he looked back to the player he had been but he then cracked a bone in his right foot in training in January 1976 and he retired for the second time. Steve would launch himself into an accountancy degree but four years later in September 1979 he would find himself back in football. This time as a coach at Dundee United and two months later after acupuncture treatment he was back playing and claiming a League Cup medal after playing against Aberdeen in the drawn League Cup Final at Hampden.

On the 18th August 1980, Steve would take over as manager of Forfar Athletic in a managerial stint that lasted only 72 hours. Montrose were able to tempt him back as their manager in April 1982 but in on the 18th January 1983 he resigned after a disastrous Scottish Cup defeat against Brora Rangers.

By now involved in the banking sector it appeared that his career in football was well and truly over until Jim McLean sprung something of a surprise on the Scottish football public on the 20th July 1989 when Steve was announced as his assistant manager.

A huge bust up was to follow and Steve left the club on the 15th November 1989 but the matter was not ended there as he took Dundee United to court for unfair dismissal and would win £55,000 from the action. Football career over Steve would focus on his banking career spending over 20 years at the TSB and then Lloyd’s TSB. Now living in Dundee, Steve is a well-respected artist who rather writing about his football career visualises it in his art.

Stephen MURRAY

Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust profile click here

Role: Midfielder (1969-73)
Height – 5’ 9” Weight – 11st 3lbs
Born – Dumbarton, 9th October 1944

CAREER: St Patrick’s School, Dumbarton/Dundee 6th August 1963/Aberdeen 16th March 1970 £50,000/Celtic 1st May 1973, Retired – 6th September 1975/Celtic 27th December 1975, Retired – 22nd January 1976/Dundee United scout August 1979, player – 17th November 1979/Clydebank 1979 (Trial)/Retired –April 1980/Forfar Athletic manager – 19th August 1980, Resigned – 22nd August 1980/Montrose manger – 17th April 1982 – 17th January 1983/Dundee United assistant manager – 20th June 1989, dismissed – 15th November 1989

Aberdeen v St Mirren D1 18th March 1970 D1-1

Aberdeen Career

	League		SC Cup		LG Cup		Euro		Total
	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls
1969-70	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
1970-71	33	6	4	0	5	1	2	2	44	9
1971-72	32	10	3	0	6	0	4	0	45	10
1972-73	29	4	3	1	11	0	1	1	44	6
	101	20	10	1	22	1	7	3	140	25