Ally Dick

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ally Dick

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = Alastair John Dick

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|04|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Stirling, Scotland

| death_date =

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Stirling Boys Club[https://www.ajaxdaily.com/2017/never-say-to-cruyff-that-you-want-to-leave-ajax-a-scots-tale/ 'Never say to Cruyff that you want to leave Ajax' – A Scot's Tale], Ajax Daily, 26 May 2017

| years1 = 1981–1986

| clubs1 = Tottenham Hotspur

| caps1 = 17

| goals1 = 2

| years2 = 1986–1988

| clubs2 = Ajax

| caps2 = 11

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 1988–1989

| clubs3 =

| caps3 = 14

| goals3 = 4

| years4 = 1990–1991

| clubs4 =

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| years5 = 1991–1993

| clubs5 = Heidelberg United

| caps5 = 10

| goals5 = 4

| years6 = 1995–1996

| clubs6 = Seven Stars

| caps6 =

| goals6 =

| years7 = 1996–1997

| clubs7 = Alloa Athletic

| caps7 = 1

| goals7 = 0

| totalcaps = 53

| totalgoals = 11

| nationalyears1 = 1982

| nationalteam1 = Scotland U18

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| nationalyears2 = 1983

| nationalteam2 = Scotland U19

| nationalcaps2 =

| nationalgoals2 =

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Team|{{fb|SCO}}}}

}}

Alastair John Dick (born 25 April 1965) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played in the position of midfielder for clubs including Tottenham Hotspur in England and Ajax in the Netherlands. He later went on to play in South Africa and Australia.Hugman, B, J, (Ed)The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005 (2005), pg. 169; {{ISBN|1-85291-665-6}}{{NeilBrownPlayers|player11/allydick.htm}} Dick also represented Scotland at schoolboy and youth level.

Football career

Having come to wide attention with his performances for Scotland Schoolboys in 1980,[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52919279 Ally Dick: The Scottish youngster who signed for Johan Cruyff at Ajax], Andy Burke, BBC Sport, 3 July 2020[https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/ally-dick-scotlands-sparkling-protege-who-failed-fully-catch-fire-560944 Ally Dick, Scotland's sparkling protege who failed to fully catch fire], The Scotsman, 14 October 2018 Dick joined Tottenham Hotspur as an apprentice and played in 17 league matches and scored two goals between 1981 and 1986. He had the distinction of becoming the youngest first team player in Spurs' history up to that time, appearing at the age of 16 years and 301 days when he made his debut at White Hart Lane against Manchester City on 20 February 1982.[http://www.mehstg.com/mancnote.htm Ally Dick Spurs debut], My Eyes Have Seen The Glory, retrieved 30 July 2010[http://www.heraldscotland.com/our-wayne-rooney-just-remember-ally-dick-1.833664 Our Wayne Rooney? Just remember Ally Dick], The Herald, 6 February 2009 Although John Bostock broke the record as a substitute in 2008, Dick remains the youngest to have started a match.[https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2019/june/catching-up-with-ally-dick/ Catching up with... Ally Dick], Tottenham Hotspur FC, 24 June 2019 One of the highlights of his Spurs spell was an appearance as a substitute in the second leg of the 1984 UEFA Cup Final at White Hart Lane,[http://www.mehstg.com/1984.htm 1984 UEFA Cup Final report], My Eyes Have Seen The Glory with several more experienced squad members unavailable through injury or suspension; however, he was himself injured during the match but played on, with the problem (torn knee ligaments) requiring an operation and causing him problems later in his career.

Johan Cruijff signed Dick for Ajax in 1986, having been alerted to his talents by Scottish club Rangers, who had decided against bringing him to Glasgow in what would have been a notable departure from their 'no Catholics' signing policy of the time, but recommended him as an option to Ajax when the Dutch club enquired about Davie Cooper and media reporting on the player failed to mention his name and focused only his religion. Part of a hugely talented Ajax squad which included Dennis Bergkamp, Aron Winter, Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten, Dick initially held down a place in the team but at the end of 1986 was badly injured in a European Cup Winners' Cup match against Olympiacos. Having missed the rest of the season, he featured again in the next European campaign, including playing against FC Porto in the first leg of the 1987 European Super Cup at its start, and being an unused sub in the 1988 European Cup Winners' Cup Final defeat against Belgian club KV Mechelen at its end,[https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198687.html 1987 European Super Cup Final], RSSSF but the injuries had cost him the pace that was a large part of his playing style, and he fell out of favour. Dick later reflected that he had not found Cruijff's managerial style beneficial due to the contrast in their personalities, but that he could have done more in approaching the manager for guidance when he had the opportunity.

Following short periods at Wimbledon and Brighton and Hove Albion without making any League appearances for either, he went on to play in Australia for clubs including Heidelberg, winning the National League Cup in 1992, and also for Seven Stars (now Ajax Cape Town) in South Africa before injury ended his career at Scottish club Alloa Athletic in 1997 at the age of 32.

After football

Dick worked for Associated Newspapers (Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday).[http://www.mehstg.com/whereare.htm#D "Where are they now?"] Retrieved 13 September 2008 He also holds a UEFA 'B' coaching licence. In 2011, he was appointed as one of the head coaches in Stirling Albion's youth academy, and also worked as a coach at Stirling University.

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur

UEFA Cup: 1984

Ajax

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1988
UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 1987

Heidelberg United

National Soccer League Cup: 1993{{ cite web | title = 1992/3 National League Cup results | url = http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/NSL/9293/ncup9293.html | website = Oz Football | access-date = 19 March 2023 }}

Scotland Youth

UEFA under-18 Championship : 1982{{cite web|author1=David McCarthy|title=Where are they now:The Scotland youths who won the 1982 Euro Championships in Finland |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/now-scotland-youths-who-won-6827597|website=Daily Record|accessdate=19 March 2017|date=14 November 2016}}
Victory Shield: 1980{{cite web | url=https://thefootballexperience.com/2016/09/01/england-4-v-5-scotland-schoolboys-june-1980/ | title=1980: England 4 v 5 Scotland, Schoolboys | publisher=Football Experience | access-date=23 May 2021 | archive-date=10 December 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210005911/https://thefootballexperience.com/2016/09/01/england-4-v-5-scotland-schoolboys-june-1980/ | url-status=dead }}
{{cite web | url=https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/sport/football/falkirk-fc/benchman-when-scotland-won-wembley-5-4-2947423 | title=Benchman: When Scotland won at Wembley 5-4 | work=Falkirk Herald | date=20 August 2020 | access-date=23 May 2021 }}
Dentyne Trophy: 1980

References

External links

[http://www.topspurs.com/thfc-fp-index.htm Tottenham Hotspur A-Z of players]
[https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/ec-u18-82.html RSSF 1982 UEFA European Under-18 Championships]

Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:Scottish men's footballers

Category:Scotland men's youth international footballers

Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players

Category:AFC Ajax players

Category:Alloa Athletic F.C. players

Category:Academics of the University of Stirling

Category:English Football League players

Category:Eredivisie players

Category:National Soccer League (Australia) players

Category:National First Division players