Allan Herron
ALLAN HERRON, one of Scotland’s leading sports journalists and a founder member of the Scottish Football Writer’s’ Association, has passed away at the age of 95.
Allan spent nearly 55 years in newspapers and also broadcasting, spending 26 years with the Sunday Mail where he was chief sportswriter after an accomplished period with the now defunct Evening Citizen and subsequently 10 years with The Sunday People.
He covered Scottish football across the globe from the pioneering days of European competition in the late 1950s through Celtic’s European Cup triumph in 1967, Rangers’ Cup Winners’ Cup success in 1972, Aberdeen’s glory against Real Madrid in 1983 and Dundee United’s narrow defeat to Gothenburg in the 1987 UEFA Cup Final.
Allan reported on Scotland at five consecutive World Cup Finals from 1974 in West Germany through Argentina in 1978, Spain 1982, Mexico 1986 and then Italia 90 when he drove all the way.
He also worked at the 1966 competition and was there in the Stade de France in 1998 when Scotland opened the World Cup against the holders Brazil.
Allan was close to all of the leading lights in Scottish football from Scot Symon, Jock Stein and Willie Waddell through the 1960s to Billy McNeill, Jock Wallace, Tommy Docherty, Willie Ormomd and Ally MacLeod in the 197Os and also built up close relationships with the great players of the time - Jimmy Johnstone, Jim Baxter, John Greig, Willie Henderson, Bobby Murdoch, Ronnie Simpson, Joe Jordan, Graeme Souness, Danny McGrain and Kenny Dalglish.
Then there was Alex Ferguson - following him all the way from his swashbuckling days as a striker to the greatest manager of them all - Davie Hay, Tommy Burns and Walter Smith.
He had a contacts book to die for in the pre internet days when journalists had to find their own content and built up a bank of tremendous sources in Europe with whom he had reciprocal agreements. Indeed he also wrote a regular feature on Scottish football for respected Dutch magazine Voetball International.
Allan was a regular contributor to Scotsport in the 1960s working with his good friend Arthur Montford, covering midweek matches, and was a regular co-commentator with Archie MacPherson on BBC Scotland, especially on key Scotland matches, and they also built a lifelong bond.
Allan was a founding member of the Scottish Football Writers in 1957 and served as president between 1975 and 1978.
He was also a stalwart member of the Association of Golf Writers having worked on the tour and covered dozens of Open Championships as well as the Masters and Ryder Cup.
Chick Young, SFWA President, said: “We’ve lost a football writing legend who realised long ago that having fun doing your job wasn’t a crime against humanity.
“Readers of the Sunday Mail of a certain generation will recall his byline - frequently married to another word - exclusive.
“He was a smooth operator with and without the working togs and I adored his company, particularly at the World Cup of 1986 in Mexico and the build up in Santa Fe.
“Allan was of the golden generation of football writing in this country and a former president of our association.
“He was witty, charming and connected to those in high places in the Scottish game.
“He always made me smile, a curious mixture of old fashioned grace and a schoolboy sense of humour.
“His son Lindsay succeeded him as president of this association…and of course he was known to us all as the Dadster.
“Unless you were there you will have no conception of the power of newspapers when Allan was in his pomp and he was one of his generation’s musclemen of the back page.”