An Angus man who chronicled his travels around the world with the Tartan Army has lost his battle with cancer aged 57.
Billy “Mad Dog” McLeod was inspired to write his memoirs based on exploits with the Scotland football team’s travelling support and a career in the oil industry.
His story, collated in book format after he was diagnosed with cancer in August, proved a hit with football fans and sold more than 3,000 copies in one week alone.
The Arbroath man died peacefully in hospital with close members of his family at his bedside.
Billy dubbed Mad Dog by other diehard fans – summed up the “jovial defeatism” most travelling Scotland supporters are forced to adopt.
“Even when we get beat, nobody bothers,” he joked.
“Once we were in a pub in Sweden after Germany beat us and the fans asked what we did when we win, as we were having a great time.
“I said I can’t mind the last time we won.”
Friend and author Andrew McArthur wrote the book Over the Top With the Tartan Army and he was involved in a couple of the anecdotes.
One visit was to Italy for the World Cup in 1990, during which his group laid a wreath at Bonnie Prince Charlie’s grave in Vatican City.
“We drove in a rickety van and my pal had already phoned ahead to arrange access,” said Billy.
“We took a wreath with the flowers of all the different clans and by the time we got to Rome it was looking a bit ragged.”
Plans to edit the original for a paperback sadly did not come to fruition, but Billy’s book is still available as an e-book from Amazon and all royalties from The Ballad of Mad Dog McLeod will go to Macmillan Cancer Care.
Billy is survived by his mum Ruby, wife Helen, sister Ann, brother James, son Billy, and daughters Louise and Megan.
His funeral will take place at Parkgrove Crematorium, Friockheim, at 3.30pm on Thursday.