Adapted by Matthew Lindsay
MAVERICK ex-Scotland star Willie Johnston's new book lifts the lid on the drugs storm that saw him sent home from the 1978 World Cup Finals - and the bitter rows that split Ally MacLeod's camp.
THE Scotland dressing room after the 3-1 defeat to Peru in the opening game of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina was like a morgue.
The players were devastated. They knew they had let themselves and their country down. Many had tears in their eyes. Manager Ally MacLeod was as white as a sheet.
But for Willie Johnston the nightmare was just beginning.
Willie was in the bath mulling over events when two of his team-mates were selected to take a statutory drug test. It had been standard procedure since the 1966 tournament in England.
Kenny Dalglish was one of them. As was Archie Gemmill. However, Gemmill, who had come on for Don Masson for the final 20 minutes, claimed he was dehydrated. Gemmill tapped his team-mate on the shoulder and informed him he had to go instead. Johnston went immediately to the room in the stadium where it was taking place. He reflects: "It is a pity I wasn't as dehydrated as he (Gemmill) was that day."
In the room were four bottles. The players, Scots Dalglish and Johnston and the Peruvians Cubillas and Diaz, were instructed to provide urine samples and obliged.
Willie then returned with the rest of the Scotland players to their dilapidated headquarters in Alta Garcia and thought no more about it.
He was resting in his room discussing the next match with Iran with Don Masson when the manager came to the door. MacLeod asked Willie to follow him to the room of team doctor, John Fitzsimmons.
When they got there Johnston sensed a change in atmosphere and asked if anything was wrong.
Fitzsimmons enquired: "Did you take pills before the game?"
"Yes," Willie replied.
"Reactivan?" the doctor asked.
"Yes," Willie told him.
"Didn't you know that Reactivan contains a banned stimulant?" asked the doctor.
"Your drug test was found to be positive. You're in big trouble, Willie."
Stunned, Willie knew what he was hearing would have huge consequences.
"Everybody takes Reactivan when they're feeling low," Willie pleaded helplessly.
At that time, Reactivan was available over the counter in any chemists in the United Kingdom. It was used by many players in the English First Division as a pick-me-up.
"Willie, the problem is the banned stimulant Fencamfamin," said Fitzsimmons.
Johnston recalls: "When I learned I had tested positive my legs immediately turned to jelly. I felt weak and sick. Various thoughts went through my head. Was my playing career over? Was I set up?
"I have been asked many times about those two pills. Did I take them to enhance my play? Never! I was playing the best football of my career. I needed no artificial stimulants. Had I known they contained a banned substance they would have been binned immediately."
Willie, unaware of what action was going to be taken against him, endured a sleepless night. The next night, he attended an official function being given by the then British Minister of Sport Denis Howell with the rest of the Scots squad.
During the function, ITN reporter Trevor McDonald cornered the unsuspecting player and started to grill him over the allegations which were circulating. MacLeod swiftly ejected the reporter.
The next morning Willie was summoned to meet SFA secretary Ernie Walker where he heard the words he had dreaded.
"You're being sent home. You'll never play for Scotland again," said Walker.
As he sat alone in his room, Bud thought back to his trip to Argentina the year before. On that occasion, he had been the star of a mini-tournament. However, he had been warned by the Argentinian player Luque after he had destroyed their defence in one game.
Luque had told him: "Johnston, you are a very good player, but do not return to Argentina for the World Cup. Things will not be nice for you."
His mind raced. He wondered if there was a conspiracy against him.
The next day Willie had a blanket thrown over his head by an SFA official, was bundled into a car and driven the 700 kilometres to Buenos Aires.
When they arrived in the capital, they went to the British Embassy where Willie was deposited in another room. After that, it was into another car and on to the airport.
After another long wait, two armed guards entered and prodded Willie with their machine guns. One of them said: "Johnston, you leave now."
Willie remembers: "It was terrifying. I feared for my life."
They took him to a coach. One drove while the other kept his machine gun trained on their prisoner. It was a relief when the vehicle pulled up next to an empty plane.
He flew to Rio, then on to Paris and then finally to London. By the time he arrived home he was a nervous wreck.
Looking back, Bud feels he was made a scapegoat by Scottish football's governing body. Willie states: "The SFA treated me like a sacrifical lamb. I would take all the blame for the 1-1 draw against Iran and the disharmony in the camp.
"I'm certain the SFA felt that the media would have a field day destroying me over the two pills and would pay less attention to their total amateurism throughout such a big event as the World Cup Finals."
Sent Off At Gunpoint, The Willie Johnston Story, £17.99.
Big Ron's first words ... got any pills left?
WHEN Willie arrived back in London he was met by his larger-than-life West Brom manager Ron Atkinson, who whisked him through the scrum of police, TV crews and reporters and into a waiting car.
As they drove away, Ron quipped: "Have you any of those pills left, Willie? I'm knackered!"
After assuring the stricken player his wife Margaret and children were safe, Atkinson added: "I'll get you through this mess. In fact, I've already got you a new contract."
"New contract?" Willie asked, puzzled. "What new contract?"
"With Boots the chemist," Ron told him.
Atkinson arranged for Willie to do an interview with his friend, the former Arsenal and Scotland keeper Bob Wilson, on the BBC's early evening current affairs programme Nationwide. Celtic manager Jock Stein had originally been due to be a member of a panel of experts asking him about the Argentina affair.
Jet-lagged and emotional after such a distressing ordeal, Johnston agreed to be interviewed by Wilson alone, with Atkinson at his side for support.
However, on leaving the studios that night, the winger was taken aside by Stein.
He said: "When this settles what are your plans, Willie? Because if you want to return to Scotland I'll make a bid to West Brom and bring you to Celtic Park."
Willie confirms: "I was taken aback. He didn't see my Argentina nightmare as a problem and insisted that I take his phone number and call him when I'd had time to think it through. I never did make that call."
How Joe played big hand in us reaching Argentina Finals
SCOTLAND'S bid to reach the World Cup Finals in Argentina boiled down to an all-or-nothing showdown with fellow-hopefuls Wales at Anfield.
With the likes of John Toshack, Terry Yorath, Brian Flynn and Mickey Thomas in the Welsh team, their threat was taken seriously by Willie Johnston and his team-mates.
But the Welsh FA's strange decision to switch the tie to Liverpool's ground backfired; the famous stadium was taken over by the Tartan Army who created an intimidating atmosphere for the home' team.
And the game would feature one of the most controversial moments in British football history.
Ally MacLeod's team were on the attack when they were awarded a throw-in on the left side of the Welsh penalty area.
Willie, a competent long-throw expert, took it. Two Welsh defenders rose for the ball with Scotland striker Joe Jordan.
Arms were raised as the players leapt and the ball struck one of them. The referee decided the offender had been from the defending team and pointed to the spot. The Welsh were incensed and surrounded the whistler to protest.
Eventually, Don Masson stepped up and slotted the controversial spot-kick into the net.
Willie laughs: "Handball incident! What handball incident? Maradona had the Hand of God in Mexico. Joe Jordan had the hand of St Andrew at Anfield!"
Substitute Martin Buchan helped secure a famous victory late on when he sent a cross into the Welsh box for Kenny Dalglish to head home memorably.
In a jubilant Scottish dressing room after the game Willie was sitting next to Asa Hartford and Jordan.
He turned to Joe and asked: "Well, did you handle the ball?"
Joe smiled his famous toothless grin and replied: "What do you think Bud?"
