We are delighted to reveal that our third inductee to the 2018 AFC Hall of Fame is Peter Weir.

One of the Gothenburg Greats, man of the match in the European Super Cup second leg, and arguably the greatest winger that has ever played for the club, Peter is certainly deserving of his moment in the spotlight as he enters the Hall of Fame and takes his place in history.

During his time at Pittodrie he won the European Cup Winners Cup, European Super Cup, 3 Scottish Cups, 1 League Cup and 2 Premier League titles. He was also capped six times by Scotland.

The 2018 edition of the AFC Hall of Fame is sponsored by Aberdeen Taxis and will take place in the Marcliffe Hotel on Thursday 1st November.  The event is now SOLD OUT!

Established in 2004, the AFC Hall of Fame recognises players and managers who have reached the pinnacle of their profession, making a significant contribution to the reputation of this historic club.

Peter Weir – Career

‘The Final piece in the jigsaw’ was how Alex Ferguson described the transfer that took Peter Weir from St Mirren to Aberdeen in the summer of 1981. As was normally the case, the manager was absolutely spot on. Incredibly the £330,000 paid including Ian Scanlon going to Love Street as part of the deal, represented a record transfer between two Scottish clubs.

Weir was brought up in the Paisley area and he went on to become an avid Aberdeen supporter after watching the Dons win the Scottish Cup in 1970; “My father got two tickets for the Aberdeen end at Hampden for the 1970 Cup Final. There was a great atmosphere and of course a wonderful result. After that I followed and supported Aberdeen all over the country, travelling by train or supporters bus from Glasgow, sometimes by myself. Arriving in Aberdeen I would head for the Nelson Street Souvenir Shop. They were great days with great memories.”

Ironically, Peter was almost completely lost to football at the tender age of 15, when he simply lost interest in the game and turned towards a career in golf. After leaving school he got a job as an apprentice greenkeeper, went to college to further his career and became an assistant greenkeeper. On the playing side his handicap came down to around six. However, his close friends continued to badger Peter about the immense football talent he was letting go to waste and he had a change of mind.

“I played for local junior side Neilston Juniors for a year before Alex Ferguson took me to St Mirren. I went on to play for the Paisley club for three years between 1978-81. I won the Anglo Scottish Cup and finished third in the league in 1980 which qualified St Mirren for the UEFA Cup. We came up against one of the better sides in Saint Etienne. After a 0-0 at Love Street we won 2-0 in France.”

It was on the European stage and also being called up for Scotland that attracted Ferguson to go back to his old club to take weir to Pittodrie.

“In 1981 I was playing in a good St Mirren side and enjoying my time and football there. Towards the end of that season, the manager, Ricky McFarlane spoke to me and advised me that they had accepted an offer from Aberdeen. I was stunned as this had come right out of the blue, and I was unaware of any interest. At that time I believe the Saints were struggling financially.  At the same time I was delighted and it was hard to believe that the club you had supported as a boy wanted to sign me.”

Of course, he played his part in the Dons side that had now turned attentions to winning regularly and performing on the European stage. That was all driven by Ferguson and his backroom team; “Fergie – At first, I couldn’t believe how bad a loser he was, whether it be cards, quizzes, snooker, football etc. His determination was to win at all costs! He kept everyone on their toes and nobody was quite sure how to take him especially if things were not going well. I have the privilege… that he signed me twice and as you get older you forget the bad times when he used the hairdryer treatment!  He instilled a winning mentality and if you couldn’t handle him you were left out of team.

“I won all of the cup finals I played in apart from the 3-3 draw with Rangers and lost on penalties in the League Cup Final in 1987. Winning cup finals was a dream as I used to go to Hampden in earlier years watching other teams playing, not realising that one day I would get that chance. The Super Cup in December 1983 was so special as my son Stuart was born that night at 6.45pm.”

It was in the European arena that Peter excelled.

“Europe was special, a different atmosphere, tactics, playing against good technical players, players that you did not know.  The fans seemed to be more vocal in the midweek European games under the floodlights. I just wish we were allowed to swap jerseys then (Teddy wouldn’t let us!), as I would have had a great collection. Fergie and Archie’s tactics were usually spot on and most games he had dossiers on opposition. Everyone talks about the Ipswich game because they were a brilliant side and I scored twice at Pittodrie, but I seemed to enjoy all European games as you got more time on the ball.”

By the summer of 1987 the great Dons side of the early eighties was being broken up and Peter decided it was time to move on. “I made up my mind and submitted a transfer request because I wasn’t playing first team football. David Pleat, the Leicester manager had watched me playing for Dons against Feyenoord and asked me if I fancied signing for them. Things had changed at Pittodrie and after six and a half years decided to move south to Leicester.”

Looking back Peter has few regrets; “It was a dream playing for your local side St Mirren then getting a big move to a club you had supported. It was great to have won many honours with Aberdeen and also being capped by Jock Stein–six times–playing for your country. I just wished I could have done better playing for Scotland. I was young and did okay but I know if I had believed in myself I could have done better.”

Peter was at Pittodrie between 1981 and 1987 and although he suffered he suffered his fair share of injuries – he played in an era when flair players were not given the protection they are now – he still made 237 appearances and scored 38 goals.

Peter Weir returned to AFC in 2006 and for a good number of years was in charge of the club’s Glasgow centre until 2016 helping produce a number of players that would become first team players.

His playing career was as follows: St Mirren 1978-1981, Aberdeen 1981-1988, Leicester City 1988-1989, St Mirren 1989-1992 and Ayr Utd 1992-1994.

An Aberdeen supporter, a Gothenburg Great, an Aberdeen legend and now a member of the AFC Hall of Fame. Congratulations Peter!