SCOTLAND face Argentina tonight as world football legend Diego Maradona leads his side at Hampden for a friendly encounter.
Of course, we have had our own superstars over the years, with Denis Law right up among the best.
STEVEN KENNEDY (Possil) says: Could you answer a couple of questions about my all-time hero? Is is true that he won comparatively few trophies in his career and, when he scored for Manchester City against Manchester United to relegate United in 1974, was this the last game he ever played?
IT was only during his spell with Manchester United that Denis would win any trophies. He won the FA Cup in 1963 and the Football League Championship in 1965 and 1967. He was injured and did not play in United's European Cup Final win of 1968.
The goal he scored against United on the last day of the season in 1973-74 (a 1-0 win for City) did not technically relegate United, as even if the game had been drawn, United still would have gone down.
He played two games for Scotland after this, a 1-0 defeat against Northern Ireland at Hampden in a British Championship match in May 1974, then in a World Cup Finals match against Zaire in West Germany when Scotland won 2-0 on June 14, 1974.
HI-HI (Crosshill) - Is it true that in a League Cup semi-final match at Ibrox, Third Lanark had two managers in the dug-out against Arbroath?
IT is. This match was played on October 7, 1959, at Ibrox and Thirds beat Arbroath 3-0 to reach the final. The reason for having two managers in the dug-out was that Bob Shankly was in charge for his last Thirds game before moving to Dundee, and new manager George Young was taking over the role.
In the final, Thirds lost 2-1 to Hearts in what was the Hi-Hi's last appearance in a major final before their demise in 1967.
BILLY CRAIG (Hamilton) - It was good to see recent photographs of one of my favourite players, Pat Crerand, who was involved in the opening of the new Hall Of Fame at Hampden. I remember him having an outstanding game for Scotland against Czechoslovakia in a 3-2 victory at Hampden in a World Cup qualifier. Can you give me the exact date, crowd, Scotland team and goalscorers?
THIS excellent victory against the team which reached the World Cup Final in 1962, took place on September 26, 1961. The crowd is listed as 51,590 and the Scotland team was Bill Brown, Duncan McKay, Eric Caldow, Pat Crerand, Billy McNeill, Jim Baxter, Alex Scott, John White, Ian St John, Denis Law and Davy Wilson. Scotland's goals came from Ian St John (21mins) and two from Denis Law (62mins and 83mins).
THE OLDE CLUB TANNOCHSIDE - Please give details of Johnny "Dingy" Hamilton's career - and have you any idea where the nickname "Dingy" came from?
JOHNNY HAMILTON was born in Glasgow on July 10, 1949, and joined Hibs from Junior football in 1969. He made 59 appearances and scored 13 goals for the Easter Road club before joining Rangers in May, 1973. He remained at Ibrox until 1978 and made 77 first-team appearances and scored eight goals. He was, of course, more of a playmaker rather than an out-and-out goalscorer.
He was part of the League Championship-winning side of 1975-76 and won the Scottish Cup in 1976 and League Cup in 1978.
When he left Rangers he joined Millwall and, in 1978, he returned to Scotland and had two seasons with St Johnstone, where he played 48 first-team games and scored seven goals.
As far as Johnny's nickname goes, we consulted some of his ex-Rangers colleagues, who could only advise us that he already had the nickname when he arrived at Ibrox. Perhaps a reader might be able to help.
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