“What’s this? (as he puts a giant hand up to his ear and makes a revving sound and motion as if he’s on a motorbike)…. An engine ear”.
A typical “Thommo” greeting that always put a smile on your face whether you liked his jokes or not, he’d laugh away and you’d end up laughing with him.
That was the thing with the big man, he was never down or angry, and even if he was, he’d never let on. He always tried to keep everyone else’s spirits up, and his infectious positivity will be missed greatly by our coaching team at Stranraer.
He brought with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in football, both as a player and a coach.
He started his 21-year playing career with Partick Thistle in 1975 and represented Dundee United in the UEFA Cup Final, and Scottish Cup Finals in 1987 and 1988, along with 7 caps for Scotland. He started his coaching journey at Dundee in 1996, then went on to coach at Rangers and Kilmarnock before joining us at Stranraer to take his total contribution in football to an astonishing 47+ years.
That wasn’t even the most impressive thing about Thommo, it was the way he spoke of his family, with such love and dedication, that we aspire to replicate in our own lives.
It’s his birthday on Friday and we’ll raise a wee glass of whiskey in honour of a great man who is a massive loss, to not just the football world, but to the world in general.
Jamie, Duff, Robbo and Chris
