William "Sandy" Pullar Jardine (31 December 1948 – 24 April 2014) was a Scottish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played for
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
and
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, and was part of the Rangers team that won the
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
. He won 38 caps for Scotland and played in the
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
and
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
World Cups. Jardine was also co-manager of Hearts with Alex MacDonald and later worked for Rangers.
Jardine died in April 2014, 18 months after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Early life
Jardine grew up in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore o ...
in close proximity to Tynecastle Park, the home ground of Hearts who he supported as a youngster. His ability at football shone through at an early age as he earned local and national schoolboy honours with Balgreen Primary and Tynecastle Secondary. As a youth he played for North Merchiston Boys Club, United Crossroads Boys Club and Edinburgh Athletic. He also trained at Hearts' ground.
Although his full name was William Pullar Jardine, he became known as 'Sandy' due to his hair colour.
Playing career
Club career
Rangers
Jardine signed for Rangers in 1964. Signed as a midfielder, he spent a couple of years in the reserves before making his debut aged 18 in a 5–1 league win at home to Hearts on 4 February 1967, playing at
right-half
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. This match took place a week after Rangers had been knocked out of the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Berwick Rangers. He scored his first Rangers goal a few weeks later on 18 March 1967 in a league match against Ayr United. That same season Jardine played in the
1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was a association football, football match contested between FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich of West Germany and Rangers F.C., Rangers of Scotland. The match took place at the Max-Morlock-Stadion, Städtis ...
against
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's association football, foo ...
, losing 1–0 after extra time.
Jardine played in various defensive positions as he became a regular under manager Davie White, even as a centre-forward, before finally settling as a right full-back at the start of the 1970–71 season under new manager Willie Waddell. He proved a revelation at right-back; a strong player who enjoyed marauding forward, he had an excellent turn of pace which ensured he was rarely caught out of position. The position was where he went on to make the bulk of his 674 appearances for the club.
He won his first major trophy in 1970, Rangers beating Celtic 1–0 in the Scottish League Cup Final. The following season he was an ever-present in the Rangers side which reached the
1972 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match between Scottish team Rangers and Soviet team Dynamo Moscow. It took place at the Camp Nou in Barcelona on 24 May 1972 in front of a crowd of 35,000. It was the final of the 1971–72 E ...
, playing in all eight matches en route to the final and scoring the first goal of a 2–0 win over Bayern Munich in the semi-final. Jardine went on to help Rangers win the final, defeating Moscow Dynamo 3–2 at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. Between 27 April 1972 and 30 August 1975, he did not miss a single game for Rangers and played in 171 consecutive matches for them. Further success continued during this time; in 1974–75 he helped Rangers win their first Scottish league title in 11 years and his performances were acknowledged by the Scottish Football Writers' Association, who voted him their
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
. Jardine was a key part of the Rangers sides that won the domestic treble in 1975–76 and 1977–78.
By the early 1980s Rangers were in decline, and 33-year-old Jardine was reluctantly given a free transfer to Hearts in mid-1982 by manager
John Greig
John Greig (born 11 September 1942) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played as a defender. He spent his entire career with Rangers, as a player, manager and director. Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the ...
. The pair were close friends, having both grown up and lived in Edinburgh, and commuted together to train and play for Rangers in their younger days. Greig allowed Jardine to leave due to his long service and his stated wish to end his playing career at the club he supported as a boy.
Hearts
Jardine signed for Hearts, the club he had supported as a child, in 1982. He joined Hearts at a time when their fortunes were at a low ebb, as they had failed to win promotion from the First Division in the 1981–82 season. Jardine linked up with former Rangers teammate Alex MacDonald, who was now
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
at the Edinburgh club. Jardine was now also assistant manager, and according to teammate John Robertson he helped to instil higher standards of professionalism at the club. Hearts gained promotion in 1982–83 and became a competitive force in the Premier Division, finishing fifth in their first season back in the top division and qualifying for the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, w ...
.
Still playing regularly, Jardine was an integral part of the side that almost won the Scottish league championship in 1985–86, finishing second behind Celtic on goal difference. Robertson said that Jardine's contribution to the team was his ability to read the game and to pass the ball out of the defensive area. During the season, he made his 1000th professional appearance1 on 16 November 1985 in a league match at home against Rangers. His performances that season saw him win the Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year award again, aged 37. Jardine was the second player to win the award more than once (
John Greig
John Greig (born 11 September 1942) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played as a defender. He spent his entire career with Rangers, as a player, manager and director. Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the ...
had been the first) and the first player to win the award with two different clubs.
In November 1986, Jardine was appointed joint manager alongside MacDonald. He continued to feature in the team but by 1987-88 had begun to phase himself out of the side to concentrate on his management duties.1Includes appearances in friendlies and minor cup competitions such as the
Glasgow Cup
The Glasgow Cup is a football tournament open to teams from Glasgow, Scotland. Operated by the Glasgow Football Association, it was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1989. It is now (since the 2019–20 amended rul ...
Anglo-Scottish Cup
The Anglo-Scottish Cup was a tournament arranged for teams in the English and Scottish football leagues during the summer for several years during the 1970s. It was created in 1975 as a new incarnation of the Texaco Cup, with a similar format t ...
.
International career
Jardine made his debut appearance for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. His next appearance, and first start, came almost a year later in October 1971 in another European Championship qualifying tie, a 2–1 win over
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the ...
.
By 1974 Jardine had become a regular at
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
in the international side and played in all three matches of the victorious 1974 British Home Championship campaign, during which he scored his only international goal in a 2–0 win over
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
. Jardine played in all three group matches of the tournament, where he and Celtic's Danny McGrain were voted the best pair of fullbacks in the competition.
He continued to play regularly for Scotland throughout the 1970s and made one further appearance in the finals of a major tournament, against
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Tu ...
during the
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by ...
in Argentina. Jardine made his final Scotland appearance on 19 December 1979, against
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...
Jardine joined Heart of Midlothian in July 1982 as a player, but also took on the role of assistant manager under ex-
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
teammate Alex MacDonald. The club achieved promotion to the Scottish Premier Division in 1983 and three years later came close to winning the title, eventually finishing in second place on goal difference behind Celtic. In November 1986 he was promoted to joint-manager alongside MacDonald.
Hearts could only finish fifth in the league the following season but regained form in 1987-88 and again finished a credible second, ahead of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
and high-spending Rangers. Poor form at the start of season 1988–89, however, saw Hearts owner Wallace Mercer sack Jardine in November 1988, stating that the experiment of having joint-managers had not delivered the expected results.
Post football career
Jardine later worked for Rangers in a public relations capacity and then in the retail department as the club's sales and marketing manager. After Rangers entered administration in February 2012, Jardine was placed in joint control of a fans' "fighting fund" to aid the club. Jardine was upset by the imposition of sanctions on Rangers by a
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and the Scottish FA; sco, Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: ''Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba'') is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for ...
(SFA) judicial panel in April 2012. He then led a march of Rangers fans to the SFA offices at Hampden Park to deliver a letter protesting against the sanctions. Jardine also said that the Rangers fans would consider taking action against other clubs or governing bodies that they felt had acted against Rangers' interests.
Personal life
On 17 November 2012, Rangers announced that Jardine was being treated for cancer. Jardine died on 24 April 2014, aged 65.
Legacy
On 16 July 2014, Rangers announced that the club would pay a lasting tribute to Jardine by changing the name of the Govan Stand to the Sandy Jardine Stand.
Career statistics
Club
Sources
International appearances
International goals
:''Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.''
Honours
;Rangers
*
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existe ...
SFWA Footballer of the Year
The Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the SFWA Footballer of the Year, or simply the Scottish Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the se ...