Michael Rustici wrote:
I was lucky enough to witness the career of Ted McDougall in his first period at Bournemouth. I am not sure if I saw every one of his appearances but I did see a great deal of them. The one I did see was the 11-0 win over Margate in which Ted scored 9 of the 11 goals.
Ted McDougall was a hero in the 70s for Bournemouth and I along with all the other Bournemouth supporters was devastated when he left to go to Manchester United, but no one wants to stand in the way of a footballer who is working his way to the top, and although I wanted to see him reach the top and earn all the honours that he could earn with a team like Manchester United, there was something that said to me that maybe he would not be as successful as he wanted to be.
Ted McDougall was a master in the air. If a ball came to him he would rise to it and nine times out of ten it would result in a goal, however, when he had to play the ball along the ground, now that was a different story altogether. In a one on one with a goalkeeper, the goalkeeper always had the upper hand.
Ted McDougall was not the most elegant of players with the ball at his feet and I think that is what let him down in his time at Manchester United.
I never saw much of his career once he left Bournemouth so never knew if he ever got to grips with playing the ball well with his feet, but it was a part of his game that in my opinion let him down.
I don't think that there will ever be a player as good as he was at Bournemouth, a much loved and great player and will always be remembered at Bournemouth.
asbjorn karlberg wrote:
Sadly, I only remember Teddy Boy from that dreadful match Manchester United had at Selhurst Park, losing five to nowt. Ted was looking out of place, offside, downside as the team was no team at all, just a bunch of guys with two left feet.
I often wonder what things would hav been like if Frank O`Farrell
had brought Phil Boyer to Old Trafford and not just Ted.
Would United have skipped relegation?
Suppose so...
Sajat Rabbani wrote:
I met Ted in the US because he became my coach while I played at TYSA. He is the greatest guy. And his advise is very good.
I'm only 12 years old and Ted is my hero and I love him very much. I hope one day I can be as good as he was.
He coaches the youth program of the Atlanta Silverbacks where I play now. I'm from Afghanistan and I hope I could become a footballer some day.
Thanks Ted
Kedric Reason wrote:
Bournemouth is my home town and I attended most matches during the time Ted MacDougall was there. He is a legend in the town for his goal scoring feats, which are unlikely to be matched anywhere nowadays.
I was at the Margate cup tie when he scored nine of Bournemouth's eleven goals and saw him score many, many goals but the one that sticks in my memory most is his brilliant
diving header from a Tony Scott cross against Aston Villa at Villa Park when both clubs were going for promotion. This was a Third Division match in, I think, 1971 played in front of an amazing crowd of 49,000.
Unfortunately Bournemouth lost 2-1 and failed to gain promotion.
Jerry Fox wrote:
Supermac 60 years old - it doesn't seem possible. He is still only about half a stone heavier than when he finished playing.
Ted was my boyhood hero & now at 45 he still is. My 9 year old daughter has a picture of "that" goal on her bedroom wall & the last time he was in the UK was desparate to meet him.
Heroes come & go, Legends are forever!
Philip Neale wrote:
I was present at the 1st round FA cup tie when Ted put 9 goals past Chick Brodie in the Margate goal. I believe it is still a record for a single goalscorer.
I was a student in Bournemouth then, and also witnessed performances against Aston Villa, Notts County and Bolton in front of capacity crowds of 25,000 at Dean Court (gates locked).
Ted was lethal in the penalty area both on the ground and in the air. His goal at Villa Park in a 1-0 defeat won the Goal of the Season award.
The Bournemouth team was exceptional, and were it not for the fact that Villa were in Division 3 that season, and won the title by a comfortable margin, the Cherries would have been up (no play-offs then!).
I still get a chill down my spine when I think back to those days at Dean Court - football had a magic of its own then.
Tony Martin wrote:
Back in the sixties as a kid we would kick the ball around on a
Sunday with bunch of friends, in Widnes near Liverpool. Ted joined in several times.
I don't know who knew him, but he was well liked by everyone. Great guy.
I didn't realise what a prolific scoring rate he had.
Neil Murray wrote:
The True Super Mac!!
Watching Norwich City as a young lad, I was totaly in awe of this prolific goalscorer.
The way he scored from the penalty spot, his positional
play ensuring that he was in the right place at the right time to put the ball in the net. What a goal scorer.
