“Peter Weir came into his own … he was the deciding factor. When Peter played, Aberdeen were a top side.”

A quote from Sir Alex Ferguson, a number of years later, talking about the Cup Winners Cup Final, paying the ultimate compliment to Peter Weir. No one did more on the night to ensure that the trophy was won 37 years ago tonight.

“It meant a lot.

“It was a great thing for him to say. When I went into the Hall of Fame, he came on over satellite and he mentioned that I was the last piece of the jigsaw. It did put pressure on me but that is life. You always want to do your best. And there was a lot of pressure on me from the moment I signed for Aberdeen.

“It was nice of him but at the same time if I hadn’t of produced, I wouldn’t have been in the team, we had a very good squad. We had 17 or 18 very good players so if you were injured or not playing well then someone would take your place and it was up to you to fight to get back in. and he would drop you. He would drop you to the bench.

“It was a psychological thing – would you fight for your place back? Were you a fighter?

“All the players recognised that.”

St Etienne

Peter of course seemed to keep his best form for the European stage.

His first experience of European football actually came in 1980 in St Mirren. The Paisley side had still been in with a chance of winning the title in 1979/80 until late into the campaign and although they were pipped by Aberdeen, Peter and his Paisley team mates were rewarded with a place in the UEFA Cup the following season. After beating Swedish side Elfsborg in the first round they then came up against French outfit St Etienne.

“It gave me a taste for the big European nights, very much it did.

“We got through against Elfsborg and we drew against St Etienne at home 0-0 in the first leg. We did very well and should have won the game at Love Street, in front of a great crowd.

“That was a good result because I think for all the players, it was our first experience of competing against a top side in Europe and they were a great side with seven or eight Dutch and French internationals including the likes of Patrick Battison and Michel Platini.

“We were very unfortunate not to take a lead with us but we knew how difficult it would be going to France for the second game and that was proved to be the case because we got well beaten. We were hardly in the game, they had the ball all night. We did well to get out with only losing 2-0, it could have been ten! And I honestly mean that. To prove how good they were, they beat SV Hamburg 6-0 over two legs in the next round but interestingly Ipswich on route to winning the trophy beat them comfortably. Which highlights just how good Aberdeen’s result was against Bobby Robson’s side the following season.

“It was a very good St Mirren team I was part of. I came in from Neilson Juniors in 1978 when Alex Ferguson signed me although I never actually played under him because he left and then a couple of months later he went to Aberdeen.

“I was playing part-time and was working as a green keeper on a golf course. Jim Clunie then came in and asked me to go full-time so I left my golf job and took the gamble of being a professional footballer, even although I was losing money! With my two wages combined I was better off but money was not a big thing for me, or for any of the players at that time.

“Fortunately it was a gamble that paid off.

“It took me a year and half to be a regular, I played in the reserves at first. I played very well in the reserves but at that time St Mirren had a lot of very good experienced players – good professionals who I learned a lot from. So although it took a while for me to get my chance it was a good club to join.”

Move to Aberdeen

“The move completely came out of the blue. I had signed a contract at St Mirren. They liked what they saw and felt I had lots of potential, so I got a three or a four-year contract. Although the money was not great, it was a guaranteed income.

“I got a phone call one night from Hugh Keevins who I think was working for the Daily Record. He said ‘I hear you are going to Aberdeen tomorrow’. It was the first I had even heard about it! He told me the deal had been agreed and Ian Scanlon was going in the opposite direction so in total the transfer was about £300,000.

“It was a complete shock to me.

“I could not sleep that night because I was an Aberdeen supporter.

“I had been at the 1970 Scottish Cup final when I was 12 years old with my dad and ever since that day I have supported the club. As a teenager I would travel up to many games on the train.

“Sure enough I got a phone call the next day from the new St Mirren manager Ricky McFarlane. He said there was a deal and did I want to take it?

“I think the next day I then went to Perth with the manager in his wee car to meet Sir Alex. It was the Wheel Inn at Scone, Perth. When I walked in there was a mix up and I actually met Ian Scanlon!! So we had a chat. He told me he was asking for this and asking for that! There were no agents in those days so you had to negotiate your own contract. I did not have a clue what I was walking into.

“After 15 minutes they realised there had been a mix up and Alex walked in. I never had a chance to talk about money after listening to him for 20 odd minutes! I said I would sign, I promised him that, but I would not do it there and then. I had a lot of thinking to do regards moving.

“I had only been a professional for two years at St Mirren so it was all very different. And only six months playing for the first team. And then I was moving to Aberdeen in what at the time was a record transfer between two Scottish teams. It was the highest transfer for a good year or two.

“It was a shock to me and also a bit of pressure.

“Also the house prices in Aberdeen were very expensive and I had no money!

“But it was an opportunity I could not miss because it was the team that I supported. I could not turn it down and I did not want to turn it down. It was too good an opportunity for my wife and my family.

“St Mirren were a good club but Aberdeen, with the size of the city, the number of fans, the stadium which was great, the south stand was being changed around that time – and a great group of players, in was a wonderful time to join the club.”

Ipswich

After a difficult start to his Pittodrie career, not helped by the pressure put on him by the record transfer, Peter came of age when Aberdeen met Ipswich Town in the UEFA Cup in 1981/82. Bobby Robson’s side were the cup holders, filled with Internationalists, and after the Dons had been well beaten by Liverpool the season before in the European Cup, the tie had a real edge to it.

“With it being Scotland v England the game was hyped up massively in the press but actually for the players the build up in general was much the same as the build up to all our games. We had our routine. There was not any additional pressure put on us by Sir Alex at that time.

“We managed to go to Portman Road, get the away goal and come away with a draw. We then realised we had a chance in the second leg if we could perform to our best and also have a bit of luck on the night, which everyone needs.

“The tactics were never about me (running at Mick Mills). The manager never changed the tactics too much, just altered bits and pieces but in general we would stick to a pattern.

“On the night it went for me and for the club. It was never about Peter Weir. It just happened for me, as it does other players in certain games.

“The most important thing was the result but for me personally getting the two goals made it a wonderful wonderful night. Not the best, but one of the best in all my time in football. People still ring me up to speak about it and it is a great pleasure to do that.

“Although the team had won the league before I joined, I think that night was the start of something big, realising we had a very good young team and could build on that over the next couple of years and win things. And it was big night for me because I had been under pressure from the money side of it.”

1982/83

Although Peter’s Aberdeen career was affected by injuries, in 1982/83 he made 48 appearances, the most during any of his seven seasons at Pittodrie, and scored 11 of his 38 goals, his best return in one campaign.

“I was never a great goalscorer and it is something I wish I had worked harder on. If I was playing now I would be back every afternoon practising but in my days it did not happen because we had so many games and the manager was all about rest, rest rest.

“Confidence was a huge thing for me. It is a huge thing in football. You ask most players and they would say the same. Especially for attacking or wide players, guys who can make the difference in a game. It is a hard position so when you are playing well and getting assists, scoring goals, you are confident. I had played in most of the European games leading up to the final so I was feel good.

“Going into the final we thought we could handle the pressure because we were used to playing in big games that season. We had games every Saturday – Wednesday – Saturday.

“We had beaten Bayern and it was after that game we believed we could win the competition. That is my opinion. We beat Celtic in the semi final of the Scottish Cup when I scored. We were still doing ok in the league and in a three way fight with Celtic and Dundee United.

“So the confidence was high.

“But it was only after we played Kilmarnock at Pittodrie the week before the final, in a game that was brought forward to allow us extra time to prepare, that we started to speak about the final and playing Real Madrid. It hadn’t been mentioned, and quite rightly, because we had so much pride in ourselves that every game was there to be won as that was the way it was done at Pittodrie.

“So there was no real pressure until five or six days before.

“We always got dossiers on all the teams that we played against, there was always handouts two or three days beforehand after Archie had been to see them. We would then sit and speak about it in the dressing room.

“It was great information that we got because in those days we did not have as many games on the TV as you do now. But we all knew who Real Madrid were of course. We knew about their history. When I was growing up they were the side who often won the European Cup.”

Travel

“If I remember correctly, we flew over to Gothenburg on the Monday. We had trained at Pittodrie in the morning, flew out in the afternoon and the manager named the team on the Monday night. That was different for us because when we normally played European games, we would fly out the day before. On the Tuesday we trained and got a look around the stadium. We thought the grass looked a bit look long but I it was not pelting with rain at that point!

“We went back to the hotel at night and we had a quiz. That was different because when we usually travelled, we would just go to our beds.

“The quiz was going great, Alan Ferguson who did the media stuff for the club at time, if I remember correctly, was the compare, then all hell broke loose after the last question! Alan asked, who has the longest name in Scottish football?

“Willie Miller’s team were winning but there was an argument when Willie put Hamilton Academicals instead of Academical! Fergie caused a riot! It is still something that is spoken about when the players meet up!

“But it was all deliberate by the manager, the quiz took our mind off the game a bit and we were able to have a laugh and some patter.

“We went off to bed and began to prepare for the biggest game of our lives the following day.”

Pre Match

“Before the game, the dressing room was pretty calm.

“Nothing much changed. There were four or five quieter guys, including myself, and then there was the likes of Gordon Strachan who would not stop talking, Stuart Kennedy was the same, Alex McLeish would join in, Mark McGhee would have a few jokes, Neil Simpson would enjoy the banter and Neale Cooper was always great before a game. He was always laughing, telling jokes, telling everyone what he got up to at the weekend.

“But there was never really any shouting or bawling before a game. Different a half time when different things went on, but pre match we tried to follow a similar pattern and routine that we would do for most games.

“We would do our warmup and then Fergie would have a chat with us and remind us to stay to in the game, to keep our discipline, make the right decisions. Words like that. He did also say that night to remember that the game could go to extra time.

“So nothing really changed at all in the preparations.

“The one thing the manager did was bring Jock Stein over with us. It was a clever move. Jock Stein had won the European Cup. He had this presence about him, and it was great to have him with us.”

The game

One of the most noticeable things about watching a rerun of the final, is the energy the midfield brought to game that night. Despite the conditions and heavy pitch, the work rate and speed from Simpson, Cooper, Strachan and Weir could not be matched by the Spanish side.

“We were a very fit team.

“You wouldn’t believe the pre-season that we used to go through every year with Alex and Archie. It was cruelty! But I do not think there was a fitter team, certainly in Scotland.

“The fitness came into it. We knew that we could run all day and play all day. As long as we had the confidence and the belief in ourselves then we always had a chance.

“The first half wasn’t a great game, if I am being honest.

“There was a bit of respect from both sides. We scored early from the corner that we had rehearsed. Then we conceded the penalty. We mentioned before the game about the rain and to watch the passing and not to pass back because the ball would get held up in the water.

“But we did not let that affect us. We knew the longer the game went on that we were up for it and we were fitter than them. And that is the way it went. We played very well in the second half and were very unfortunate not to score. There was only one team who deserved to win it and fortunately it didn’t go to penalties.”

Change of tactics

The manager had deployed Peter in a deeper role in the first half, but during the interval told his number 11 to play as an out-and-out winger.

“The first half it was dog eat dog, it was a European final, don’t give anything away, keep your discipline, don’t show your hand. We went in at half time at 1-1 and Fergie started shouting and bawling, he had a go at me. He told me to push further forward but at the same time to keep doing my defensive duties.

“The first half was a bit of a non-event but the second half I thought ‘let’s push forward and have a go and show the real Aberdeen.’

“The whole team responded.

“They started to get the ball to me and I started to get running and take on the right back. Neil Simpson and Neale Cooper did a great job in the middle of the park, feeding the ball out wide to me and Strachan and we created numerous chances by getting balls into the box.

“During the game I didn’t think about all the chances we missed. it was only after the game did I really think about it so we did not let it worry us. Your whole concentration is just on the game and your concentration has to be enormous. You have to stay at it. We never thought that we would lose the game.”

The Winner

Hewitt’s brilliant header, McGhee marvellous cross, but sometimes it is easy to forget the role Peter played in the winning goal with his tackle and pass.

“That is not something that bothers me. I am quieter guy and happy to be part of a team.

“For the winning goal, from quite deep I beat a couple of their players and then I played the ball with the inside of my left foot through to Mark who had made a great run. It was an excellent cross because he didn’t have a great left foot, Mark would be the first one to admit that! It was a beautiful cross, a great height to it and John Hewitt guided it home with his head, what a feeling that was!”

Post Match

“The celebrations weren’t wild like some of them are now, but it did go on until about 5am! Usually after a cup win we would be up till one or two in the morning but no later than that.

“It was a fantastic night. There was plenty of dancing, a few speeches and obviously a few drinks and champagne. We realised that we had done a thing that might not happen again. It was a dream come true for the players, the club and for the supporters.

“We took around 14,000 supporters over there. They helped us enormously that night with their backing and their singing and they pushed us forward. The whole thing was a wonderful experience and we had a great night. And then the parade the following day. Fantastic memories that I will never forget.

“The season finished a few weeks later, after we won the Scottish Cup, so we had the summer to ourselves to let it sink in that we had won a European trophy. Normally after you win a game you have to come back in on the Monday morning, get your head down and go again.

“We used to sit in front of the television and watch teams like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich winning the trophies and now we had beaten them. We realised what a fantastic achievement it was and then later on that year we went on to win the Super Cup as well.”

Super Cup

“It was so special and the best night of my career.

“Again we had our usual build up. We trained in the morning out at Seaton Park for an hour. We then went home and most of the boys would have a sleep. You then left about 4.30pm to go to a hotel for a bit of chicken or bit of fish. What was different for that game for me was that my wife was due to give birth. Fortunately, my family travelled up although they arrived at about 5.00pm and I was away by that time. Everything was normal and we won the game 2-0 against a good Hamburg side, a very very good side.

“It was not till after the game, Ian Taggart who was the club secretary jumped out from the dugouts from the Main Stand and I saw him make a beeline for me. He said ‘congratulations’ and I said thank you. I had a very good game that night, but I did not know why he picked me out. He then ‘you have had a son!’

“What had happened was that my wife’s waters had burst around 5.00pm but I was a lucky man because my parents had just arrived in bridge of Don. So my mum rushed my wife to hospital and by 7.00pm my son Stuart was born. I obviously did not know anything about this and played the game. She was well enough to sit and watch the game on Grampian TV, as they put a TV in for her.

“I got the shock of my life.

“In the dressing room afterwards the talcum powder was getting thrown about as well as the champagne! It was covered in head to toe in talcum powder. There was certainly plenty of banter.

“After getting changed I went up to the hospital but they were not going to let me in as I got up there about 11.00pm. Thankfully there was a porter who was an Aberdeen fan on duty who saw me and he allowed me to slip in for five minutes to see my wife and Stuart. It was fantastic to see them. It was then back to my house for a mini party.

“One of the best nights ever. Everything went well. We played well and I played well in the game and my son was born. All the cup finals I played in were special but that one was extra special.

“I was then in the next day. So no day off! We were always in the next day after a game for a warm down and a hot bath. We had the big bath and we would sit in there for half an hour and a lot of team talks took place in there.

“We very rarely got a day off. We did not always train, sometimes we would have a walk round the park or a wee jog or a few stretches.

“About two weeks later, after Christmas we had a game that was called off so we asked the manager if we could go out and celebrate as I wanted to take the boys out and buy them a drink. The manager gave in and what a night that was!

“We actually did not do a lot of that as a team. Probably because we had so many games. Some of the younger boys would be out and about more often and Fergie would try and catch them and they would be fined. It was all a bit of a game. Some of the older boys would go for a quiet pint somewhere that he would not find us!

“It was a wonder time, a wonderful club and a great city.

“It was privileged to support Aberdeen from 12 year old until now, I am 62, and I still follow the club and I still want them to do well. It was a tremendous honour to play for the club and wish them all the best when we get over this pandemic. We will get through it and we will be back playing and we all want Aberdeen to win some more trophies.”

Finally, Peter is one of only a handful of players signed twice by Sir Alex Ferguson so is better equipped than most to identify what made him such a special manager?

“What made him so special was his knowledge. He knew every player, he knew their families and their wife’s. He knew the opposition team and every player. His work rate. He was 100% dedicated. He had a great attitude, he was a winner – he would not accept losers and that was whether you were playing dominoes, table tennis, snooker or football.

“He could be frightening. When I signed for St Mirren I did not know much about him but I had heard stories. He only took me for one training session before he left but I remember the verbal’s that night – I was not used to it as a younger junior player! Then when I joined Aberdeen in 1981 every day was a winning day whether it was training or running or playing five a sides. You had to be up there, you had to show that you wanted to play for a club like Aberdeen.

“He was fearsome. He would not hold back and it was scary when he gave you a verbal doing. But when you look back, you thanked him so much because he would not have made me, or the rest of the guys who all played under him, the people that we are.

“You had to man up. If you were a shrinking violet then you would not make it. if you were not prepared to dig deep you did not make it. Most of the players I played with adapted to that. We did not enjoy it at times, but it was his way of making us know that he was the boss. If you were prepared to get your head down and work hard and dig in when things were not going well for you or the club then he would back you 100%.

“To this day, I don’t bother him, but I do speak to him occasionally. He has phoned me and he invited my wife and I down to Old Trafford ten years ago for an anniversary. We sat at his top table with ex players like Peter Schmeichel, Bryan Robson to name a few. We were treated like a king and queen that day.

“He never forgot his roots or the people who have helped him. Even today he still does that although he does not broadcast it.

“A fantastic person.”

We started with a quote from Sir Alex and we will finish with one.

“A lot of people might have thought I was mad paying out £330,000 for Peter but I knew what I was doing. I’d had him at St Mirren and I saw him as the final piece of the jigsaw at Pittodrie. He was worth every penny of that fee. He was one of the best two footed players around, he could beat defenders at speed and he could send in the most inviting crosses.”

A truly special player, and one of the humblest people you will ever meet. Thanks for the memories Peter.