One of the original genuine superstars. And a real gentleman as well. We moved down to England 35 years ago and my then 10 year old son went to one of those week long Ian St John Soccer schools. A few Leeds legends there, including Mr Charles, who my boy said took the time to talk to all the kids.
As an aside, my son got the Player of the Day award one of the days, went up in his Rangers strip to get his prize and Eddie Gray said “If I’d known you were wearing that you wouldn’t have won”! Total absence of malice though. Changed days unfortunately.
Eddie Gray was a gentleman and that would have been said tongue in cheek.
As was his old man. The Grays stayed beneath my paternal grandparents in a close in Castlemilk.
Mr Gray snr told my granda of how Sean Fallon gave it the religious blackmail, when trying to sign him for the filth circa 1964/65ish.
Not verbatim, but near enough and you get the gist.
Mr Gray - How much will you pay for my son signing on?
Fallon - Well nothing, he comes from a good Catholic family.
Mr Gray - Well Leeds (who I think at that time, were in the old second division) have promised Eddie a great signing on fee, so fcuk off.
My old man also told me about Ne'erday 1969. Him, his brothers and my granda got out of a taxi after the game (we beat the yahoos 1-0) at my granny's house to carry on the festivities.
As they were going up the stairs, Mr Gray opened the door and with a bottle of whisky in his hands, he said to my granda 'I'm coming up to sit in with you, she (Mrs Gray) is in with her sisters, so sod that.
Now, believe me, he was in with ome staunch/Rangers company that night and he didn't mind.
Mr Gray snr actually made me a Rangers shield when I was a boy.