Johnny Giles legend

What a wonderful footballer! I was lucky enough to see him play for Leeds and for the Republic of Ireland. He was the first ROI manager who showed tactical awareness of the opposition and he was unlucky not to qualify for the Euros in 1976, ahead of Jack Charlton's days.
If we think we got unlucky with dodgy refs in the 1970's with Leeds, the pain was doubled under Giles' stint as manager of the Republic, with goals aplenty disallowed.
Our finest result under his stint was the 3-0 win at Dalymount Park against Russia in 1974, with Giles hitting the crossbar from 25 yards and Liam Brady making an astonishing debut.
Giles then became a football pundit ,and alongside Eamon Dunphy, ruled the airwaves with intelligent and often scurrilous commentary on all matters of the round ball game. It was the first time we had seen criticism directed at players, managers and clubs in a constructive, often hilarious manner.
In a country where Gaelic football and rugby were dominant, Giles brought the beautiful game to the Irish people as a player, a manager and as a pundit.
I had the pleasure of meeting him in Dublin in 1994 at a Leeds supporters club event, and he was generous in his time and his opinions, and I didn't even have to buy him a pint