The Scotland Epistles Football Magazine

When Match magazine launched in the late ‘70’s as a rival to the all-conquering Shoot, they decided that they too should have a formatted interview with players but they couldn’t call it Focus On. So those crafty guys at Match came up with Spotlight On. Like it’s Shoot article, it had some of the usual questions Favourite food, TV Show, Pop star and the obligatory use of Miscellaneous Like and Dislikes. Has the word Miscellaneous ever been used elsewhere in the history of mankind?
So here we have a young Richard Gough still playing with Dundee United and only having won 7 caps, the last three of which would have been in the 1983 tour of Canada. In total Richard would win 61 caps of which, 26 were won as a United player. He would go on to win 8 with Tottenham and then 27 with Rangers. If you had read this in 1983, you might have known he was heading to Ibrox at some point. Favourite Other Team – Rangers, Favourite Away Ground – Ibrox, Biggest Influence on Career – My father, Jim McLean and coach Walter Smith.
Some of his other answers are quite interesting too. Favourite Football League player and Why: Charlie Nicholas of Arsenal – he’s in a different class. His best current British team had a scattering of Scots including David Narey, Willie Miller, Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan and Charlie Nicholas. His player for the future is Celtic’s Paul McStay.
Most memorable Match was : My debut for Scotland against Switzerland in the current European Championship. Funny that, years later one of his most memorable moments is that handball against Switzerland when he was sent off for doing that “instinctive” thing of catching the ball as it apparently bounced off of a sprinkler. 30 odd years of kicking and heading a ball and his instinct was to catch it!
Favourite TV programme was Panorama, must have been all that South African coverage. Favourite Pop Star is George Benson but at least his favourite food is not Steak; it’s Sea Food.