Frank McDougall passes away

[Ally Bongo]

Only 65

 

[Grantyboy1983]

That's a shame, I met him in a bar he owned in Aberdeen a good few years ago. I didn't even know who he was but we got chatting as it was early and the pub was quiet. Told me about his career and it seems he was a bit of a ladies man and if I recall he had a Brazilian wife at the time. RIP

[RDFH64]

Great striker & would be worth many millions in today’s market. RIP.

[Big Ramy 1314]

RIP Frank. Condolences to his family....

[Ally Bongo]

Another of those that you wonder how good they might have been

Had to retire from football at only 28 due to traumatic spondylitis which must have been with him most of his professional career

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

Best penalty box finisher we had ; had the pleasure of being at both rangers 5-1 game (hat trick)  ; and 4 v celtic 

and the away hat trick ( before half time ) in a dead rubber at tynecastle - 3rd was a volley taken on the run between two hearts players

for a smaller guy ; his heading ability was sublime

his final act was a dummy that set up a goal in the 86 final

everyone knew he was a character back then ; i knew he ran the criterion bar for a time

Thanks for the memories Frank

 

[Toepoke]

Incredible striker in his prime, definitely one of the best uncapped Scottish players. 

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

 

"total jamboree ! "

[Jersey Jim]

Brilliant striker for St Mirren and a hero of mine when I was at school.

Another one in a long list of players Aberdeen poached from Saints, well I use that term loosely as I believe it was a record transfer fee between Scottish clubs at the time. 
 

what was the name of the pub he had in Aberdeen? I remember Saints played Dons in a midweek fixture, I was back from Jersey at the time and the supporters bus stopped there and we all piled in to see “our” legend, he was delighted as he made a good few quid for a couple of hours and was completely humbled that he was so popular with Paisley Buds. 
 

RIP. 

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

6 hours ago, Jersey Jim said:

Brilliant striker for St Mirren and a hero of mine when I was at school.

Another one in a long list of players Aberdeen poached from Saints, well I use that term loosely as I believe it was a record transfer fee between Scottish clubs at the time. 
 

what was the name of the pub he had in Aberdeen? I remember Saints played Dons in a midweek fixture, I was back from Jersey at the time and the supporters bus stopped there and we all piled in to see “our” legend, he was delighted as he made a good few quid for a couple of hours and was completely humbled that he was so popular with Paisley Buds. 
 

RIP. 

Criterion Bar opp station now a Sainsburys

am sure loads of parking for a minibus outside ……..

[robbo cop]

I remember Aberdeen lost Mcghee and Black and thinking it's the end of an era and along came Frank.

A brilliant finisher, such sad news.

[wanderer]

On 10/1/2023 at 1:15 PM, Ally Bongo said:

Another of those that you wonder how good they might have been

Had to retire from football at only 28 due to traumatic spondylitis which must have been with him most of his professional career

Think he talks about it in his book that a cup game at Raith Rovers in the middle of winter, he went to attempt a over head kick, and fell back first on to a solid sheet of ice, and that could tell straight away something was not right, but tried to play through it and that basically ended his career.

1 hour ago, robbo cop said:

I remember Aberdeen lost Mcghee and Black and thinking it's the end of an era and along came Frank.

A brilliant finisher, such sad news.

McDougall was McGhee's direct replacement, it would be 2 years before Black departed.

[Och Aye]

Now that was some St Mirren squad!

[RDFH64]

2 hours ago, Och Aye said:

Now that was some St Mirren squad!

Aberdeens feeder club, thanks very much for supplying the raw talent for us to develope & hone into superb players 👏👏👏😜

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

19 hours ago, wanderer said:

Think he talks about it in his book that a cup game at Raith Rovers in the middle of winter, he went to attempt a over head kick, and fell back first on to a solid sheet of ice, and that could tell straight away something was not right, but tried to play through it and that basically ended his career.

McDougall was McGhee's direct replacement, it would be 2 years before Black departed.

By the end of Fergies era we had likes of  paul wright and davie dodds - always felt he lost a bit of interest by then , as quality was going downhill 

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

49 minutes ago, Auchinyell Sox Change said:

By the end of Fergies era we had likes of  paul wright and davie dodds - always felt he lost a bit of interest by then , as quality was going downhill 

And willie falconer

[wanderer]

4 hours ago, Auchinyell Sox Change said:

By the end of Fergies era we had likes of  paul wright and davie dodds - always felt he lost a bit of interest by then , as quality was going downhill 

I think that last pre-season he phoned in for us (he had been speaking with Arsenal before the 86 SC final, and was agreed that he would take over at the World Cup, but Arsenal said they were not prepared to wait) then Aberdeen gave him Chris Andersons spot on the board in a final attempt to keep him.

Think his only major buy that last summer was Davey Dodds, who was brought in as Blacks replacement..... you could argue that while Nicolas and Gillhaus were great players, it would be Duncan Shearer before we truely replaced McDougall.

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

Agree with that

i seem to recall porterfield getting rid of 3 wingers when he arrived

hewitt , weir , joe miller ?

tom jones & gary hackett inbound

a tough few years to follow ; i am convinced we lost a huge amount of support during that time ; who ended up finding better things to do ……

[daviebee]

It's amazing to think that a finisher like that couldn't get near the Scotland team.  Imagine someone scoring 4 goals in a game against Celtic now?  Great times, great player.  Once decked Alex Ferguson in the dressing-room too!

[RDFH64]

47 minutes ago, Auchinyell Sox Change said:

Agree with that

i seem to recall porterfield getting rid of 3 wingers when he arrived

hewitt , weir , joe miller ?

tom jones & gary hackett inbound

a tough few years to follow ; i am convinced we lost a huge amount of support during that time ; who ended up finding better things to do ……

Porterfield, only surpassed by Alex Miller for mind numbingly boring football & terrible transfers both in or out of Pittodrie 😴😴😴

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

39 minutes ago, daviebee said:

It's amazing to think that a finisher like that couldn't get near the Scotland team.  Imagine someone scoring 4 goals in a game against Celtic now?  Great times, great player.  Once decked Alex Ferguson in the dressing-room too!

Outstanding player - amazing finisher

but i dont believe ever a ‘target man’ holding it up ; mobile enough for international football ; although joey harper seemed to manage

[wanderer]

1 hour ago, Auchinyell Sox Change said:

Agree with that

i seem to recall porterfield getting rid of 3 wingers when he arrived

hewitt , weir , joe miller ?

tom jones & gary hackett inbound

a tough few years to follow ; i am convinced we lost a huge amount of support during that time ; who ended up finding better things to do ……

Alex Smith got rid of John Hewitt in 89 (Hewitt, along wirth Brian Irvine and Alex McLeish are about the only players who have anything good to say about Porterfield).... by 1988 standards, Celtic offered silly money that was to good to turn down for a teenager (this angered Ferguson, and one of his last wishes when he left Aberdeen was that he got first refusal on Joe Miller).

Billy Stark was the one that came back to haunt Porterfield, but to be fair, Aberdeen fans always had a hot and cold attitude to him (he was probably the founder member of the boo boys club) and even Celtic fans were totally against the idea of spending money to get him.... then goes on to have the Indian Summer of his career.

Porterfield basically signed a lot of guys who could not settle (Peter Nicolas was considered a BIG signing by Aberdeen standards at the time, but by all accounts he had recently divorced his wife and did not like being away from London) with Keith Edwards the one that probably could have been a decent players (absolute goal machine everywhere he went in England, but think he broke his leg at a game at Tannidice in one of his first dozen games, and then sold on by Smith).

Edited October 4, 2023 by wanderer

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

22 minutes ago, wanderer said:

Alex Smith got rid of John Hewitt in 89 (Hewitt, along wirth Brian Irvine and Alex McLeish are about the only players who have anything good to say about Porterfield).... by 1988 standards, Celtic offered silly money that was to good to turn down for a teenager (this angered Ferguson, and one of his last wishes when he left Aberdeen was that he got first refusal on Joe Miller).

Billy Stark was the one that came back to haunt Porterfield, but to be fair, Aberdeen fans always had a hot and cold attitude to him (he was probably the founder member of the boo boys club) and even Celtic fans were totally against the idea of spending money to get him.... then goes on to have the Indian Summer of his career.

Porterfield basically signed a lot of guys who could not settle (Peter Nicolas was considered a BIG signing by Aberdeen standards at the time, but by all accounts he had recently divorced his wife and did not like being away from London) with Keith Edwards the one that probably could have been a decent players (absolute goal machine everywhere he went in England, but think he broke his leg at a game at Tannidice in one of his first dozen games, and then sold on by Smith).

I ll hold my hand up on billy stark ( and bobby ‘bobbys blouse’ connor ) only in later years did I appreciate what they brought - guess if you raised on old school blood & thunder fitba ….

ex south stand boo boy

paul mason was bit of an unsung hero imho

[Potted Heid]

I remember the 85 game vividly from the away end.  Probably haven't seen an individual performance as good against Celtic since.  Never knew he ran the Crit, great early morning pint in there with the scaffolders and posties.  I still get annoyed buying snacks for the train in that Sainsbury's, and usually have an insane urge to shout 'that used to be the bar of the Crit, min!' at the poor till jockey...

[RDFH64]

On 10/4/2023 at 2:32 PM, wanderer said:

Alex Smith got rid of John Hewitt in 89 (Hewitt, along wirth Brian Irvine and Alex McLeish are about the only players who have anything good to say about Porterfield).... by 1988 standards, Celtic offered silly money that was to good to turn down for a teenager (this angered Ferguson, and one of his last wishes when he left Aberdeen was that he got first refusal on Joe Miller).

Billy Stark was the one that came back to haunt Porterfield, but to be fair, Aberdeen fans always had a hot and cold attitude to him (he was probably the founder member of the boo boys club) and even Celtic fans were totally against the idea of spending money to get him.... then goes on to have the Indian Summer of his career.

Porterfield basically signed a lot of guys who could not settle (Peter Nicolas was considered a BIG signing by Aberdeen standards at the time, but by all accounts he had recently divorced his wife and did not like being away from London) with Keith Edwards the one that probably could have been a decent players (absolute goal machine everywhere he went in England, but think he broke his leg at a game at Tannidice in one of his first dozen games, and then sold on by Smith).

I must of been one of the few who liked Stark playing for Aberdeen, thought he was very underrated.