article_snippet: we were about to witness the amazing proof of what many we believed, that Mackay was the hardest man of all in an era of footballers who tackled like tanks.
article_snippet: Mackay is crowned by  
article_snippet: Typically, Mackay went thundering in for the ball.
article_snippet: It wasn’t the first time our heard Mackay say that.
article_snippet: It was Mackay mantra.
article_snippet: Mackay pitied the weak.
article_snippet: As for divers, Mackay despised divers.
article_snippet: Get up and be a man,’ Mackay used to bark at any opponent who made a meal of Mackay tackling, which was an even more fearsome thing of which to be on the receiving end than it was to behold.
article_snippet: Mackay thought it portrayed Mackay as a bully.
article_snippet: No-one who goes into a fair challenge with Mackay has anything to fear,’ Mackay used to say.
article_snippet: Yet Mackay regretted that the iron man image tended to obscure Mackay remarkable ability.
article_snippet: ,’ Mackay would rasp in that Scottish brogue brought down from Hearts.
article_snippet: That was why We would elect Mackay Footballer of the Year down here, to follow the same award won north of the border.
article_snippet: but Mackay was the spiritual leader on the pitch, the cement in their bond off it and their bridge to the fans.
article_snippet: Beneath that fearsome demeanour in action, Mackay was engaging, amusing and charming and those who jostled for the team’s company after matches at the pub near the ground, the Bell and Hare, enjoyed Mackay generosity.
article_snippet: That strong personality carried over into management, most notably at Derby County where Mackay picked up Brian Clough
highlights_snippet: But Mackay was also a cultured and influential player who won plenty of medals .