Tommy Docherty

2.1. Club career

After joining Celtic in 1947, Docherty spent over two years with the club, making 9 appearances and scoring 3 goals. During his tenure, Celtic won the Glasgow Cup in 1949.

In November 1949, he transferred to England, joining Preston North End. With Preston, he achieved significant success, winning the 1951 Second Division title. He also played a key role in the team that reached the 1954 FA Cup Final. Docherty made a substantial impact during his nine years at Preston, making 323 appearances and scoring 5 goals for the club before departing Deepdale in August 1958.

His next move was to Arsenal, who signed him for £28.00 K GBP. At Arsenal, he played 83 matches, scoring once. Docherty concluded his playing career at Chelsea, where he made 4 appearances in the 1961-62 season before retiring as a player in 1962.

2.2. International career

While playing for Preston, Docherty earned his first of 25 full caps for the Scotland national team. His solitary international goal came in 1955, during a 7-2 defeat to England. Docherty was also a member of the Scotland squads that competed in two FIFA World Cup final tournaments: the 1954 FIFA World Cup held in Switzerland and the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. He also made two appearances for the Scotland B national team between 1957 and 1958.

3.1. Chelsea (1961-1967)

In February 1961, Docherty began his managerial journey at Chelsea as a player-coach. Less than a year later, following the departure of manager Ted Drake and with the club facing relegation, Docherty took full charge. Although he was unable to prevent the club's relegation from the top flight at the end of the 1961-62 season, his influence quickly reshaped the team.

During his initial year as manager, Docherty initiated a significant overhaul, selling many older players and bringing in promising new talents such as Terry Venables, Bobby Tambling, Peter Bonetti, and Barry Bridges. He also famously changed the club's home colours from white shorts to blue shorts, a combination that remains to this day. The revitalized team, nicknamed "Docherty's Diamonds", achieved promotion back to the First Division on their first attempt and finished fifth in the league the following year. In the 19964-65 season, Chelsea won the League Cup in April, defeating Leicester City on aggregate. However, they were eliminated from the FA Cup after a 2-0 loss to eventual winners Liverpool in the semi-finals. That season saw Chelsea achieve their best league performance since their first league title win in 1954-55, finishing third.

Docherty continued to lead Chelsea to the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup the following year. In 1967, the team reached the FA Cup Final, where they were defeated by Tottenham Hotspur. Docherty resigned in October 1967. The foundation of the team he had assembled, which included key players like Peter Osgood, Charlie Cooke, Ron Harris, Bonetti, and John Hollins, went on to achieve further success, winning the FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup under Docherty's successor, Dave Sexton, who would later also succeed Docherty as manager of Manchester United a decade later.

3.2. Interim and early club management (1967-1972)

The month after leaving Chelsea, Docherty was appointed manager of Rotherham United in November 1967. Reflecting on his year there, he humorously remarked, "I promised I would take Rotherham out of the Second Division - and I took them into the Third. The old chairman said 'Doc, you're a man of your word!'"

He then had a very brief spell at Queens Park Rangers, lasting only 29 days in November 1968 before leaving due to a dispute with the club chairman over transfer policy. In December 1968, he became Doug Ellis's first manager at Aston Villa. His tenure lasted 13 months, ending on 19 January 1970 when he was sacked with Aston Villa at the bottom of the Second Division.

From Aston Villa, Docherty moved to Portugal to manage Porto, staying for 16 months before resigning in May 1971. His time in Portugal was unsuccessful in breaking the dominance of Benfica and Sporting CP in the league. On 2 July 1971, he was appointed assistant manager to Terry Neill at Hull City, but left just over two months later on 12 September to take up an interim role with the Scotland national team.

3.3. Scotland national team (1971-1972)

Docherty's interim position with the Scotland national team became permanent in November 1971. Under his guidance, Scotland appeared to be on course to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, having secured victories in both of their matches against Denmark in the qualification Group 8. Docherty managed Scotland for a total of 12 games, with his final match being a 2-0 home win against Denmark in November 1972. He left the role the following month to take on the managerial position at Manchester United. His successor, Willie Ormond, ultimately secured Scotland's qualification for the World Cup by winning a crucial home match against Czechoslovakia in September 1973.

3.4. Manchester United (1972-1977)

In December 1972, after witnessing a 5-0 defeat of Manchester United by Crystal Palace, Docherty was offered the Manchester United managerial job by Matt Busby in the Selhurst Park boardroom. His first match in charge was a 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Old Trafford. Despite inheriting an aging squad and facing significant challenges, Docherty managed to keep United in the First Division for the 1972-73 season. However, the 1973-74 season saw United continue to struggle, and they were eventually relegated to the Second Division.

In the subsequent season, Docherty led Manchester United to a strong comeback, securing their return to the top flight as champions of the Second Division in 1974-75. In the 1975-76 season, United finished third in the First Division and also reached the 1976 FA Cup Final, but suffered a 1-0 defeat to Southampton, who were then a Second Division side. Docherty's United reached the FA Cup final again in 1977, this time considered underdogs, and famously defeated league champions Liverpool 2-1 to lift the trophy.

Shortly after this triumph, news of Docherty's extramarital affair with Mary Brown, the wife of a United physiotherapist, became public. This highly publicized scandal led to his sacking in July 1977. He was replaced at Old Trafford by Dave Sexton, the same manager who had previously succeeded him at Chelsea. The affair also resulted in the dissolution of his 27-year marriage to Agnes, his wife since December 1949.

3.5. Later managerial career (1977-1988)

Docherty's career after Manchester United saw him take on several more managerial roles. He became manager of Derby County in September 1977, remaining there for two seasons before resigning in May 1979. His next appointment was a second spell at Queens Park Rangers in May 1979. When he took over at Loftus Road, Rangers had been relegated to the Second Division, just three years after nearly winning the league title. Docherty's challenge was to revitalize the team. QPR finished the season just four points shy of promotion to the First Division. In May 1980, Docherty was initially sacked by chairman Jim Gregory, only to be reinstated after nine days. However, he was sacked for a second time in October 1980, just five months after his brief return.

Following his second departure from QPR, Docherty had a short stint coaching Sydney Olympic in Australia in 1981. He then returned to England in July of the same year to manage Preston North End, the club where he had spent nine years as a player. However, he left after only a few months, returning to Australia to manage South Melbourne until the following year. He also had another spell managing Sydney Olympic in 1983.

3.6. Final managerial role (1987-1988)

Docherty took up his final managerial position at Altrincham in September 1987. He retired from management at the end of the 1987-88 season.

5.1. Player statistics

¹Glasgow Charity Cup

5.2. Managerial statistics

6.1. As player

Celtic

• Glasgow Cup: 1949

Preston North End

• Football League Second Division: 1950-51
• FA Cup runner-up: 1953-54

6.2. As manager

Chelsea

• Football League Cup: 1964-65
• FA Cup runner-up: 1966-67

Manchester United

• Football League Second Division: 1974-75
• FA Cup: 1976-77
• FA Cup runner-up: 1975-76

Scotland

• British Home Championship: 1971-72 (shared)

South Melbourne

• Victorian Ampol Night Soccer Cup: 1982

6.3. Individual accolades

• Scottish Football Hall of Fame: 2013

8.1. Positive reception and influence

Docherty was widely regarded as a dynamic and charismatic figure in football. He was known for his ability to rebuild teams and inject them with renewed spirit and attacking flair, as exemplified by his "Docherty's Diamonds" at Chelsea. His achievement of leading Manchester United back to the First Division after relegation and then winning the FA Cup in 1977 against a dominant Liverpool side cemented his place in the club's history. He was also credited with developing many talented young players who went on to have successful careers. His witty and outspoken personality made him a popular media figure and often endeared him to fans, even when his teams faced difficulties.

8.2. Criticism and controversies

Despite his successes, Docherty's career was frequently overshadowed by criticism and controversy. His managerial stints were often marked by short tenures, with disputes over transfer policy or other disagreements leading to his abrupt departures from clubs like Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa. His challenging period at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he took over a club in deep financial and structural decline, highlighted his struggles in particularly difficult circumstances, and his tenure ended with the club experiencing successive relegations.

The most significant controversy of his career was the extramarital affair with Mary Brown, the wife of Manchester United's physiotherapist. This scandal, which became public in 1977, led directly to his dismissal from Manchester United, despite having just delivered the club's first major trophy in a decade. This event, and the subsequent end of his first marriage, had a lasting impact on his public image and personal relationships, leading to a "frosty relationship" with Manchester United in later years. His overall reputation reflects a maverick who won many fans but also faced considerable censure for his professional and personal conduct.