John Holt won the Premier League, two League Cups and reached the Uefa Cup final during 14 incredible years at Dundee United.
Yet there was one significant honour missing from his illustrious career.
He made 406 appearances for United after signing at the age of 15 in 1973 but was never given a proper send off before leaving for Dunfermline in September 1987.
That’s because Jim McLean had turned down his request for a testimonial after the fairytale run to the 1987 Uefa Cup final that included a man-of-the-match award against Barcelona.
But the United fans have never forgotten his dedicated service and he will now get the recognition he deserves with a testimonial dinner staged in his honour.
The September event will mark 35 years since the departure of the man who flew the flag for the handlebar moustache long before Tom Selleck in Magnum PI.
So how did this Hilltown lad grow up to become a Tannadice Hall of Famer?
Life and times
Holt was born in Dundee in 1956 and grew up on the 19th floor of Wellington Tower where he used to kick a ball off the garage doors.
He was educated at Glebelands Primary before moving to Stobswell Boys’ School where his PE teacher was former Dundee and Rangers midfielder Doug Houston.
Houston recommended the full-back to McLean and he signed an S-form with United aged 13 and trained on a Wednesday evening at Kingsway Tech College.
“Wee Jim used to come up every Wednesday evening to watch the training and it was good to see a manager taking such an interest in the youth set-up,” said Holt.
“I always think the development of players, keeping those players and winning trophies is what it is all about, and Jim McLean did that to a fine art.
“He could see a player and I was in the right place at the right time.”
Holt left school aged 15 and was due to start a joinery apprenticeship on the Monday when McLean arrived at his door with the offer of a professional contract.
McLean’s youth policy unearthed a succession of great players and Holt was given his debut in January 1974 in a 1-0 defeat to Motherwell at Tannadice in the league.
Holt still got the hairdryer treatment from McLean at full-time despite being 17!
“In the first-half I was getting forward all the time but didn’t attack as much in the second-half and Jim was quick to let me know in the dressing room,” he said.
“I still remember Jim’s words when he lost the rag: ‘Why didn’t you get forward as much in the second-half? Was that your dad telling you to stay back?’
“My dad and Jim actually got on well because Jim was a joiner to trade but I didn’t make the same mistake the next time I pulled on the United shirt!”
Holt found himself in the first-team fold alongside seasoned professionals like Walter Smith, Archie Knox, Jackie Copland, Frank Kopel and Tommy Traynor.
He was among a group of teenagers including David Narey, Andy Gray and Graeme Payne that were brought in to the squad alongside the experienced players.
He never looked back and became a regular in McLean’s first-team.
Holt got married in the summer of 1978 but love and harmony were in short supply the following summer when he flew out with the United squad to Japan.
The 1979 Japan Cup was the setting for a bust-up between McLean and goalkeeper Hamish McAlpine who was sent home after falling out over a defensive routine.
United got to the final where they went down 2-0 to Spurs with newly crowned 1978 Argentine World Cup winners Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa in the side.
Winning trophies with Jim McLean
McLean’s men shook off their bridesmaid tag when they returned to domestic duties with a 3-0 success in the 1979 League Cup final against Aberdeen.
A year later, and back at Dens after a coin toss decided the venue, the trophy was successfully defended with another 3-0 win, this time over city rivals Dundee, then a First Division club who were no match for a side of United’s genuine class.
Then, in 1983, Holt and his team-mates achieved near immortality when United claimed the Premier League title with a final-day 2-1 win against Dundee at Dens.
The domestic silverware was accompanied by United reaching the semi-final of the 1984 European Cup and the unforgettable run to the 1987 Uefa Cup final.
“Winning the league in 1983 by a single point by defeating Dundee at Dens was terrific and would be the highlight of my United career,” said Holt.
“I’ll never forget it because we played a testimonial against Forfar the following day!
“I scored in the game at Station Park and when we got back to Tannadice we travelled in an open top bus to the City Square to show off the trophy to the supporters.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at United but winning the league topped the lot.”
What was Jim McLean like to play under?
“He was honest and would be the first to tell you if your standard had dropped but he was also a master tactician who was ahead of his time,” said Holt.
“He also ran the club from top to bottom and nothing got past him!
“He fined me once for not switching off the light in the boot-room but the first I knew about it was when I got my pay packet and it was £5 short.
“I chapped his door and said: ‘Boss, you’ve taken a fiver off me’.
“He replied: ‘You left that light on in the boot-room last week’ and I thought to myself, ‘how did he know that?’
“But that sums up Jim! He knew everything!”
Holt’s best game in a United shirt was his man-of-the-match performance in the Uefa Cup quarter-final in the Nou Camp when he shackled Gary Lineker.
After that epic night he almost took up an offer to become assistant boss at Forfar!
He turned it down and played his part as United conquered Borussia Mönchengladbach in the semi before going on to lose the final 2-1 over two legs against IFK Gothenburg.
Was John Holt no longer wanted by McLean?
Holt received a phone call at 9am the day after the return leg at Tannadice that would set in motion a series of events that would ultimately lead to his departure.
“Jim called me into his office and said United had received an offer from Dunfermline for me but I insisted that I loved the club and wanted to stay here,” said Holt.
“After 14 years here I asked him about the chances of getting a testimonial.
“He replied: ‘Oh no, we are phasing them out’, which was very disappointing because it was a time-honoured tradition and you’d make a wee bit of money out of it.”
Holt was 30 and started the 1987-1988 season but by September he was asked to go through to Dunfermline and speak to Jim Leishman about a possible move.
The full-back did what McLean insisted and agreed to sign a deal with the Premier League strugglers, as he believed he was no longer wanted at Tannadice.
What happened next played out like a sketch from Monty Python!
McLean: “What happened?”
Holt: “I signed the forms after speaking to Jim Leishman.”
McLean: “What? You signed? I don’t believe it!”
Holt: “That’s what I thought you wanted, boss!”
Holt broke it down further.
“He lost the head with me when I went back,” he said.
“Then I went up to the secretary’s office and handed her the forms and that was the end of my 14 years at Dundee United – it was a strange feeling.
“Six months earlier I was man-of-the-match at the Nou Camp for United in a Uefa Cup quarter-final and now I found myself in a relegation battle with Dunfermline.
“The testimonial games continued after I left – so much for phasing them out!”
Memorable season at East End Park
Holt believes that if he’d been given a testimonial he would have ended his career at Tannadice but his time with the Pars was a hugely enjoyable 12 months.
His first season included being part of the Dunfermline side that dumped Graeme Souness’s Rangers superstars out of the Scottish Cup in February 1988.
I was the first time Dunfermline ever knocked the Gers out of the Scottish Cup and Holt was immense against the likes of Davie Cooper, Mark Walters and Trevor Francis.
“I remember Terry Butcher kicked the dressing room door in afterwards,” said Holt.
“Jim Leishman sent him an invoice for a new one!”
How good was Holt’s first season at Dunfermline?
He won 13 player-of-the-year trophies from supporters’ clubs and the Dunfermline Press POTY gong included a cheque for £400, which meant a holiday to Paris with his good lady wife, Linda!
Should we mention John Holt played for Dundee?
There followed a spell with boyhood heroes Dundee (although Holty is not sure if we should mention this fact!) before he retired in 1994 after winding his career down at Forfar Athletic, Deveronvale and Montrose.
He returned to United in the mid-1990s and spent several years in many coaching roles, before being let go when Paul Hegarty was sacked by the club in 2003, despite working successfully with the Tannadice youngsters at the time.
Hegarty and Holt joined forces again at Montrose from 2015-2016, which included the memorable League Two play-off win that kept the Angus club in the league.
Now aged 65, Holt works for Dundee City Council, but remains a popular figure on matchdays at Tannadice and is a member of the club’s Hall of Fame.
He said he is “overwhelmed” at the thought of a testimonial dinner being organised in his honour, which will will take place on September 30 at the Apex Hotel.
Ronnie Smith – United fan and owner of Events 105 – said the compere for the evening will be Paul Reid with Holt’s former gaffer Jim Leishman the guest speaker and others to be announced.
“We had spoken to Holty on a number of occasions during talks that led both to the league winners event and the Uefa Cup night at the Whitehall,” said Ronnie.
“It became clear that he had never been properly recognised for his incredible contribution at the club.
“We put this to him and he thought it was a great idea.
“We’d spoken to fans as well who all said the same thing, that they’d love him to be recognised and we think it’s long overdue after 35 years!”
But the final word must go the man of the hour.
Which opponents would he have chosen had he been given a testimonial game?
“I would have loved to have played against Chelsea or Aston Villa,” he said.
“It would have been a special occasion against either team, for sure, and I’d certainly have made sure that I switched off the boot-room light afterwards too!”
Tickets details are on the Events 105 website and Skiddle.
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