December 15 – Happy Birthday JJ | On This Football Day

December 15 – Happy Birthday JJ

BACK in the day when men were men and football was football, the apprentices at a club would be assigned a senior player whose boots they would have to clean, often for an extra ha’penny or shilling (or something) when done well, or a kick up the backside if not.

When a very much younger (and thinner) Matt le Tissier joined Southampton in 1986 he was given the task of ensuring Joe Jordan’s boots were shiny and clean every day.

Jordan cut an imposing figure on the pitch as his front teeth had been knocked out playing for Leeds. Although he had a set of dentures made he would remove these before games partly to stop them getting broken, but you suspect Jordan enjoyed the effect his toothless grin had on opposition defenders.

You can hardly imagine a scarier prospect as a still-wet-behind-the-ears-apprentice than the well ‘ard Scots target man finding fault with your scrubbing, but it was on this day back in 1951 that Jordan himself was just a helpless little new-born baby.

When he began playing the beautiful game Jordan’s skills weren’t quite enough to pay the bills and he had to juggle playing for Blantyre Victoria and Greenock Morton with working as a draughtsman.

He was soon spotted by a Leeds United scout who recommended him to manager Don Revie, and the Yorkshire club snapped him up for £15,000.

This proved to be a bargain for the Whites and in eight successful years at Elland Road Jordan scored 39 goals in 135 games. The Leeds fans were in for a shock in 1978 however when Jordan was sold to hated rivals Manchester United for £350,000.

After three years at Old Trafford with an FA Cup runners up medal the highlight Jordan swapped pies for pasta when he signed for Italian giants AC Milan, later moving on to Verona.

In 1984 Jordan returned to England to sign for a Southampton side that were flying high in Division One. After three years with the Saints Jordan finished his playing career with Bristol City which was also where he took his first steps into coaching.

Jordan also played more than 50 times for his country and is still the only Scotsman to have scored in three different world cups, hitting the bak of the net at the 1974, 1978 and 1982 tournaments.

These days Jordan spends his days trying to translate “On me ‘ead son!” into the many different and diverse languages spoken on the Portsmouth training ground as one of Harry Redknapp’s lieutenants.

More historical football jigary pokery tomorrow from OTFD so come back then and don’t forget your toothbrush.