8th May 1972. Predicted Cardiff City XI and injury updates ahead of Leeds United FA Cup clash. Billy Bremner is greeted by fans. His son, Dean, died, aged 43, in his flat on 28 July 2011, attributed to a medical condition and natural causes. [76] A highly creditable 00 draw against world champions Brazil left Scotland with high hopes of qualifying to the second round. A statue of Bremner, who died in 1997, was unveiled outside Leeds United's Elland Road stadium two years later. Biography [ edit] Born in Dunedin on 25 March 1879, Bremner was the son of Mary Ann and George Goddard Bremner. [51] The manager focused entirely on the league and told his team the aim was to go the season unbeaten, and although they lost three games they secured a second league title by a five-point margin on second-place Liverpool. Leeds United captain Billy Bremner getting into his car outside Elland Road. [125] In 1988, the Football League, as part of its centenary season celebrations, included Bremner on its list of 100 League Legends. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Bremner was also a member of Stockholm-based band Trouble Boys with Sean Tyla and two Swedish musicians,[6] who released an album called Bad Trouble in September 2012, Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "Repeat When Necessary Dave Edmunds | Songs, Reviews, Credits", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Bremner_(musician)&oldid=1102653378, Scottish expatriates in the United States, BLP articles lacking sources from November 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 August 2022, at 05:18. They beat Ferencvrosi (Hungary) 10 at Elland Road and held them to a 00 draw at Npstadion to win the club's first European trophy. Bremner played all the guitar parts and sang the harmonies with Kerr-Clemenson. The Rhinos are making moves in the transfer market! Law played alongside Bremner many times for Scotland and the two were opponents when Bremner captained Leeds and Law starred for Manchester United. It was good to be in his company," said Law. Billy Bremner kisses the bride. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. [4] Bremner then played lead guitar on The Pretenders' 1982 hit single "Back On The Chain Gang"[2] / "My City Was Gone" and later provided lead guitar for their 1990 album Packed!. [52] Bremner was named on the PFA Team of the Year and finished second in the FWA Footballer of the Year voting to Ian Callaghan. [5] His father forbade him from joining Celtic as he did not want him involved in the religion-based rivalry with Rangers, and Bremner rejected both Arsenal and Chelsea as he did not enjoy his stay in London during trial spells with the two clubs, and was instead convinced to join Bill Lambton's Leeds United in 1959. 'Tireless energy' He then became a member of the Neil Innes band Fatso, which went on to record the soundtrack for the original Rutland Weekend Television series.[2]. [38] The Leeds players blamed the referee for costing them the title as offside was not given for Colin Suggett for Jeff Astle's winner, and despite Bremner saying "But we fight on. Remarkably, Giles was only booked for his moment of madness but worse was to come. [65] After being turned down for the job he announced his intention to retire as a player at the end of his contract in June 1978. The soccer player Billy Bremner died at the age of 54. [84] The season started poorly, but the squad bonded following Cocker's death on 4 October and went on a run of six straight wins, for which Bremner was credited with the Fourth Division Manager of the Month award. [133], In late 2021 and early 2022, the University of Stirling began research into Billy Bremners life. Then lawyers are called in to pick clean the corpses. In the bath behind them are fellow Leeds players Clark, Bremner, Bates, and Sprake. The captain for 11 years. The following season he won an elusive championship medal. William Murray Bremner (born 4 August 1946, in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland) is a Scottish guitarist, best known for his work in the band Rockpile and on many of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds' albums. On the 21st anniversary of his death, aged just 54, we're celebrating the genius of the man who has been immortalised with a statue outside Elland Road. [84] Another strong September, six wins seeing the club rise to second in the table, won Bremner the Third Division Manager of the Month award. [48], The title was nowhere near as close in the 197273 season, which saw Leeds finish third, seven points behind Liverpool. [32] They chased Everton all season only to give up on the title after a home defeat by Southampton late in the campaign. [71], Placed in a tough group for qualification to the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Scotland failed to qualify after finishing in second place. A friend of a friend of mine drove him home and he was then taken to hospital. Leeds United manger Don Revie with Billy Bremner and Syd Owens at Leeds station before leaving for London to play Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Read more about this topic: Billy Bremner, Death destroys a man, but the idea of death saves him.E.M. In the Charity Shield at Wembley he and Liverpool's Kevin Keegan were centre-stage in a foul-laden match seen on television. Billy Bremner holds the trophy up for fans to see. [96] Rovers finished the season in 14th place, some distance from the promotion and the relegation places. URGENT PLEA FOR HELP To all the friends of Billy Bremner As you are all aware we have this week all lost a very good friend, a kind genuine lovely man and Billy deserves the very best send off that we can give him. One newspaper report even called him 10st of barbed wire such was his tenacity in the tackle. No civil action was taken but both missed 11 matches through the ensuing suspension. He played over 50 games in a season on eight occasions, five of those consecutively. [113] New arrivals at the club were Glynn Snodin (150,000 from Sheffield Wednesday), winger Gary Williams (230,000 from Aston Villa) and Bobby Davison (350,000 from Derby County), as well as Jim Melrose and Ken DeMange. The early '90s proved to be a very terrible time for Willie Nelson as news of his son's tragic death hit the media. Leeds' iconic chain-smoking skipper Billy Bremner stole a journalist's false teeth, took on Kevin Keegan and only ate Kit-Kats Scotland's former captain won won two First Division titles, the FA. [61] His debut at Boothferry Park came against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, and Bremner was credited with scoring the winning goal of the game with a free-kick, though it seemed to have gone in with a significant deflection. Bremner stayed until September 1976 when he joined Hull City. They made it to the FA Cup semi-finals, before Chelsea knocked them out with a 10 win. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Billy Bremner was born in Stirling. Bremner was the heart and soul of Don Revie's great Leeds United side. With the death of his son, Willie shelved the project for a time. 1st April 1965. HE may have been just 5ft5in but what Billy Bremner lacked in height he more than made up for in skill, passion and desire. He was also named as the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1970 and was listed on the PFA Team of the Year in 197374. Soccer star Billy Bremner dies Bremner victorious as Leeds won the FA Cup in 1972 The former Leeds United and Scotland soccer star Billy Bremner has died, aged 54, of a suspected heart. as a guy as well. Moore publicly supported Margaret Thatcher at the 1979 general election. [95], Building for the 198485 campaign, Bremner signed former Leeds striker Aiden Butterworth and winger John Buckley (25,000 from Partick Thistle). Charlie Nicholas, a contemporary player, accurately embraced Bremner's contribution to football by saying: "His determination and love of the game made him such a difficult opponent. Billy Bremner was one of Britain's most fiery, skilful and industrious footballers of the post-war years. On 9 December 2006, which would have been Bremner's 64th birthday, at the Leeds United vs Derby County match his eternal popularity amongst Leeds' fans was heard as the Leeds fans sang "There's only one Billy Bremner" as a tribute to Bremner was displayed on the big screen at Elland Road. Theres also an inscription underneath: BILLY BREMNER, 1942-1997, LEEDS UNITED, 1959-1976, 771 APPEARANCES: 115 GOALS, INSPIRATIONAL CAPTAIN OF THE GREAT REVIE TEAM., News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. "I heard on Friday that he had been at a `do' the previous night and had been In the days before his death Billy Bremner refused hospital visits from all but his immediate family. [93] Investment by new director Peter Wetzel allowed Bremner to spend 120,000 on three players in March: 60,000 on Stirling Albion defender John Philliben, 25,000 on young Celtic midfielder Jim Dobbin, and 35,000 on Shrewsbury Town defender Alan Brown. [40] Bremner recovered from an ankle injury just in time to face Liverpool in the semi-finals, and scored the only goal of the two-legged tie with a header at Anfield. We've trawled through the archives to take a look at the other side of Leeds United's greatest-ever skipper. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. The former Newcastle United manager died peacefully at his Northumberland home in July at the age of 85 and scores of tributes were paid to him from across the world of sport. [72] He scored his first international goal in a 21 qualifying victory over Austria at Hampden Park, his first game as captain. Sarah has guessed that Mack is the father of Chloe's baby, but Chloe lied to her face. I couldve killed him that day.. Bremner played for Hull City from 1976 to 1978, before being appointed player-manager at Doncaster Rovers in November 1978. He . [56] By the time Bremner was allowed to play again Jimmy Armfield was the manager, though he refuted the accusation that he had attempted to undermine Clough as "ridiculous". The midfielder made 585 appearances for Leeds between 1959 and 1976 before becoming manager of Doncaster in 1978. Leeds beat Ferencvaros in Budapest. Players parade the trophy through the streets from City square to Elland Road. Described as '10 stone of barbed wire', the tenacious, tough-tackling Scot captained the Whites through their golden age, earning a reputation as one of the most fearless players of his generation. [42], Leeds finished second in the league for the third successive season in the 197172 campaign, despite playing some of the best football in the club's history. Leeds United player Terry Cooper on his wedding day with his bride Rosemary Boulton. [55] Revie's departure was tough for Bremner, who had a strong bond with his manager. [79] Bremner maintained his innocence, stating that the incident had been blown out of proportion by the SFA. Left to right: Goalkeeper David Harvey with his daughter, Dawn, Billy Bremner with his son Billy, Johnny Giles with Son Michael, Jack Charlton with Peter and Debbie, Paul Reaney with daughter Paula all lined up for a donkey race. [31] A still-unbroken club record is their 34 match unbeaten run that extended into the following season. [63], He missed the 197778 pre-season with a knee injury, but recovered well enough to make 36 appearances throughout the campaign. The list of accolades on Bremners stellar CV is as long as it is impressive. Acknowledging that this was the type of game in which Bremner would have excelled, the travelling fans sang "We've got nine men and Billy!" Later, as captain he saw Leeds win the League twice and took them to four FA Cup finals. Bremner had been taken to hospital on Friday and died in Doncaster Royal Infirmary on Sunday morning. Paul Madeley, Norman , DavidHunter, Billy Bremner Harvey and Paul Reaney enjoy a joke as they leave the station to board the coach to Ringway. [67], Bremner was well established in the Scotland set-up, playing in a trial match against the Scottish Football League XI[4] and winning four under-23 caps,[3] before he made his senior debut for Scotland in May 1965, in a 00 draw with Spain at Hampden Park. [90] A weak defence saw an unusual sequence of high-scoring matches early in the season: 61 win over Exeter City, 75 win over Reading, 63 defeat by Wigan, and a 44 draw with Brentford. Bremner, the red-headed tiger who captained Leeds during their glory years of the 1960s and 1970s, died on December 7, 1997, at the tragically early age of 54. complaining of chest pains. Captain Billy Bremner holds the Championship Trophy aloft for the crowd to see. Although he mellowed with age, Bremner will be remembered as a firebrand. I thought that, once he was there, everything would be all right. [27] The second soon followed, despite a disappointment of exiting the FA Cup at the semi-final stage with defeat by Everton, as they reached the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup by beating CA Spora (Luxembourg), FK Partizan (Yugoslavia), Hibernian (Scotland), Rangers (Scotland), and Dundee (Scotland). He was born in Stirling, Scotland to James and Bridget Bremner. [55] Leeds lost the 1974 FA Charity Shield in a penalty shoot-out to Liverpool, but more significantly Bremner and Kevin Keegan were sent off for fighting and received eleven game suspensions. [88] He signed Celtic's Colin Douglas for the challenge of Third Division football, but otherwise remained loyal to his promotion squad for the approaching 198182 season. His former Leeds United team-mates Allan Clarke, who read the lesson at the service, Bobby Collins, Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray, Trevor Cherry . [86] Rovers ended the season in 12th place. You try to start again but get into blaming over and over. Billy Bremner was one of Britain's most fiery, skilful and industrious footballers of the post-war years. His former Leeds United team-mates Allan Clarke, who read the lesson at the service, Bobby Collins, Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray, Trevor Cherry, Duncan MacKenzie, Paul Reaney, Mick Jones, Joe Jordan, Terry Cooper, Paul Madeley and Gordon McQueen went to his funeral in Edlington, along with Nobby Stiles, Asa Hartford, and Danny Wilson, and just about every major figure from Scottish football, past and present, Dave MacKay, Alex Smith, Denis Law and Alex Ferguson among them, and there was citywide mourning in Leeds due to the extremely high esteem in which he is held by Leeds United fans. Billy Bremner, football player and manager: born Stirling 9 December 1942; played for Leeds United 1958-76, Scotland 1965-75 (54 caps), Hull City 1976-78; manager, Doncaster Rovers 1978-85, Leeds United 1985-88, Doncaster Rovers 1989-91; died Doncaster 7 December 1997. He spent seven years as Doncaster manager, guiding the club to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1980-81 and 1983-84, before he took on the manager's job at Leeds United in October 1985. Bremner's former Scotland colleague, Denis Law, said the news of his friend's death was "tragic". Actor Stephen Graham portrayed Billy Bremner in the 2009 Tom Hooper film The Damned United. He spent seven years as Doncaster manager, guiding the club to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 198081 and 198384, before he took on the manager's job at Leeds United in October 1985. . All images below are courtesy of Mirror Pix. Bremner played for Hull City from 1976 to 1978, before being appointed player-manager at Doncaster Rovers in November 1978. [6] He joined along with his friend Tommy Henderson, who would return to Scotland due to homesickness without making a first team debut. [44] Two days after the final Leeds could have secured the Double by winning a point against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, but a 21 defeat handed the title to Derby County. December 1969, Leeds players on route from Leeds to Budapest, having just arrived in Manchester, on their way to Ringway, to fly to Budapest. Bremner also captained Scotland in the 1974 World Cup Finals. [106], During the 1986 close season, Bremner spent 125,000 on 29-year-old Sheffield United striker Keith Edwards, and a further 80,000 to bring in 31-year-old Carlisle United defender Jack Ashurst and Newcastle United defender Peter Haddock. View our online Press Pack. Region. "It is absolutely awful. by Steve Huey. But he only succeeded in winning the trophy once and saw them win the European Fairs Cup in 1967-8 and 1971-72. [62] Despite the good start results dipped midway through the 197677 season and the "Tigers" ended the season in 14th place. [1] Contents [92], To try and win immediate promotion during the 198384 season Bremner signed veteran forward Ernie Moss (who had won three promotions out of the division), Andy Kowalski, left-back John Breckin, experienced defender Bill Green, and young midfielder Mark Miller. Advertisement. and they said that he had gone.". [5] Bash! England. [60] However, he missed a lengthy spell in the new year due to injury and results dipped during this time and ultimately ended the club's title hopes; they went on to end the campaign in fifth spot. The club also finished second in numerous competitions, being runners-up five times in the English league and seven times in cup finals, including the 1975 European Cup. [49] They were then beaten 10 by Italian side A.C. Milan at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in the European Cup Winners' Cup Final, though Bremner missed the final due to suspension. [33] In the European Cup Leeds recorded a club record 100 win over Norwegian side Lyn, with Bremner netting two of the goals. Leeds United captain Billy Bremner seen here waiting at customs for clearence at Manchester Airport with the Fairs Cup. Bremner's international career ended in unfortunate circumstances in 1975, when he and four other internationals were banned for life from playing for Scotland after being accused of unruly behaviour at a Copenhagen night-club and in the team's hotel. Billy was a well known session guitarist in the pub-rock/new wave scene when he joined Rockpile in 1976. The following year, Bremner would be banned for life from playing for Scotland after an altercation at a Copenhagen nightclub following a friendly against Denmark. 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