The Scotland Epistles Football Magazine

First posted on Facebook on October 27th, 2016

Happy Birthday to Frank Gray who will turn 62 today. Frank gained 32 caps with Scotland and is the younger brother of Leeds favourite Eddie. Despite his brother being the more talented player he would only accrue 12 caps in total. Frank won 25 caps during two spells with Leeds United with a further seven in the intervening years at Nottingham Forest with whom he won the European Cup.
Frank was first capped by Willie Ormond in 1976 but would not be selected again until Jock Stein took over as Manager with Willie Donachie generally holding the left back position during Ally MacLeod’s reign.
Frank would play a big part in the qualifying for the 1982 World Cup and indeed would play in all three games in Spain. His final game would be in the three game tour of Canada in 1983 playing in the second game. Arthur Albiston would soon make his bid for the left back position before Maurice Malpas came in to claim it as his own.
Frank did manage a goal from the penalty spot for Scotland in a 2-1 friendly win over the Netherlands in March, 1982 at Hampden.
Frank would continue to play with Leeds for another few seasons before turning out for Sunderland for four seasons and finishing up with a three year spell at Darlington.
Happy Birthday Frank and all the best.

First posted on Facebook on October 22nd, 2016

Happy Birthday to Scotland legend Alan Gilzean who will turn 78 today. Alan first came to prominence as part of the great Dundee side that won the 1961-62 Championship and reached the semi finals of the European Cup the following season. Alan also achieved the feat of scoring 4 goals at Ibrox as the Dundee side crushed Rangers in thick fog in a historic 5-1 victory.
Alan gained twenty two caps altogether for Scotland scoring twelve goals. His first goal came against England at Hampden giving Scotland a one nil win in April, 1964.
Alan’s first five caps came as a Dundee player with the other 17 coming during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
I would recommend the book ‘In Search of Alan Gilzean: The Lost Legacy of a Dundee and Tottenham Legend’ by James Morgan, if you want to read more about this great player.
Happy Birthday Alan and all the best.

David Stuart

Another programme from our Match Programme Home section commemorating Scotland playing Finland on this day in 1964 in a World Cup Qualifier. This was the first match in the group made up of Italy, Poland, Finland and Scotland.
The Scotland side managed by Ian McColl lined up at Hampden as follows; Campbell Forsyth (Kilmarnock), Alex Hamilton (Dundee), Jim Kennedy (Celtic), John Greig (Rangers), Jackie McGrory (of Kilmarnock winning the first of his three caps), Jim Baxter (Rangers), Jimmy Johnstone (Celtic), David Gibson (Leicester City), Stevie Chalmers (Celtic), Denis Law (Manchester United) and Alex Scott (Everton).
Scotland got their campaign off to the best of starts with Denis Law netting in the second minute. Stevie Chalmers and Gibson would add another two before half time. However, the 54,442 crowd were probably a bit disappointed in the second half as the only goal came from Peltonen of Finland in the 78th minute.
By the time of their next World Cup Qualifier in May 1965, McColl had been replaced by Jock Stein in a caretaker role. Scotland would fail to reach the World Cup due in the main to a loss to Poland at Hampden. One thing of note about the campaign is that the Finland game was the only one that Jimmy Johnstone took part in; with Willie Henderson being the preferred choice by Stein.

David Stuart

60 years to the day Scotland drew 2-2 with Wales at Ninian Park, Cardiff in the Home International Series. The Scotland line up was Tommy Younger (Liverpool), Alex Parker (Falkirk), John Hewie (Charlton Athletic), Ian McColl , George Young (both Rangers), Doug Cowie (Dundee), Graham Leggat (Fulham), Jackie Mudie (Blackpool), Lawrie Reilly (Hibs), Bobby Collins and Willie Fernie (both Celtic). Fernie and Reilly scored for Scotland.

On this day in 1958, Scotland played their first post World Cup game against Wales at Ninian Park, Cardiff. The line-up included several players making their debuts; John Grant of Hibs and Willie Toner of Kilmarnock, both of whom would only win two caps. David Herd of Arsenal who passed away a few weeks ago and one Denis Law, then of Huddersfield. Herd and Law would play together for Manchester United in the sixties.
Scotland would win 3-0 with goals from Fulham’s Graham Leggat, Bobby Collins of Everton and Denis Law. One of the more experienced players in the team was Tommy Docherty who would recall Law to the Scotland side after a three year absence in 1972. I don’t have any highlights of the match to post but I do have the Match Programme from our website to post.

First posted on Facebook on October 17th, 2016

Francis turned 68 today and only ever gained one cap for Scotland in a World Cup Qualifier against Austria in November, 1969. Francis was a left back who was part of the Manchester United side of the 1960’s and although he played six of the matches in the run up to United’s European Cup triumph, he never played in the final.
The game against Austria was effectively a dead rubber as by then both teams had failed to qualify with West Germany going through to Mexico. Scotland had also been caught out with a lot of late call offs and so Burns was given his chance. Hugh Curran of Wolves was also to start his first Scotland game too.
On the day before the match Gair Henderson of the Evening Times wrote; “Almost every man can be guaranteed to give 100 percent effort for ninety minutes, so there certainly shouldn’t be any ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude on the field.
Scotland lost 2-0 and Mr. Henderson wrote the headline on the 6th “Oh Scotland! – Where was Your Pride? In the match report, the reporter goes through each player individually giving his verdict on whether they failed Scotland or not;
Billy Bremner – Guilty of failing to come up with any inspiration and skill as Captain.
John Greig – Guilty of a number of tackles that were suspect and guilty of allowing his immediate opponent to score the goals that beat Scotland.
Goalkeeper Ernie McGarr – Guilty of failing to stop two shots that should have been saved.
Hugh Curran – Guilty. But with this plea in mitigation – he did not get a chance from the men who were supposed to be helping him from behind.
Francis Burns – A promising boy but obviously on football probation for the next year.
Bobby Murdoch – Not the sparkling Bobby of his recent performances for Celtic. (This would be Murdoch’s last Scotland game).
Charlie Cooke – (Substituted by Colin Stein in the second half) – No darling this time.
Alan Gilzean – His least effective International for a long time.
Eddie Gray – As indifferent as he was brilliant against West Germany.
Ronnie McKinnon and Pat Stanton – Completely cleared of all blame. They fought from start to finish for a Scotland victory but had little support from men on whom they were counting on for assistance.
Further to this he goes on to say about Greig; “On John Greig I can only say from the start to the finish of the match he tried to cut down Redl and failed. Doesn’t sound like a John Greig to me!
It is interesting to note that in Scotland’s next game only Gilzean and McKinnon played.
And so for Francis that was it. He would play 121 League games for Manchester United before going on to play for Southampton for short period and then moving on to play over 300 games for Preston North End.
Happy Birthday Francis and all the best.

First posted on Facebook, 16th October 2016

Graeme Sharp will turn 56 today. The story of Graeme Sharp, really is the story of many a Scotland striker; to be found wanting in a Scotland shirt. There are very few over the years who have excelled on the international front since the eighties perhaps Mo Johnston, Ally McCoist and Kenny Miller are the only ones with any real goals return. Falling by the wayside around the time of Sharp would be Stevie Archibald, David Speedie, John Spencer, Gordon Durie, Brian McClair and Charlie Nicholas among others.
Like Sharp, some were really good club players in English First Division but couldn’t cut it on the International front in terms of goals.. Graeme’s goal average for Everton is about 1 in every three games scoring 111 League goals in total; for Scotland it was 1 in 12.
Graeme is one of only three Scottish players to have won the Goal of the Season award since it was first gifted in the early Seventies, having won it with a peach of a goal against Liverpool in ’84-’85.
The other Scots to win it are Archie Gemmill in 1977-78; but not for that goal but for another outstanding one in the same season for Nottingham Forest. Kenny Dalglish probably could have won it most seasons, such was his plethora of great goals for Liverpool and yet his is for a Scotland goal. In 1982-83 when he scored that wonder goal against Belgium in the Heysel Stadium of all places.
It was Jock Stein that gave Graeme his first cap in a World Cup Qualifier against Iceland in Reykjavik, which Scotland crucially won in the last few minutes with Jim Bett’s only goal for Scotland. Fellow Evertonian Andy Gray started upfront alongside Graeme in what was to be his last game for Scotland.
Jock gave the nod to Graeme to start against Wales alongside David Speedie on that fateful night that Jock would pass away.
With Alex Ferguson taking over, Graeme would be sidelined for the play-offs against Australia with Frank McAvennie making his short lived but crucial appearances on the International scene. A couple starts in winning friendlies against Israel and Romania came and went without Sharp opening his goal account.
By the time of the World Cup it was quite clear; we didn’t have an effective striker in place with Maurice Johnston having been left out due to a falling out with Fergie and Kenny Dalglish withdrawing, Charlie Nicholas and Stevie Archibald had both been given their chances in the opening games but both were found wanting and so Fergie turned to Sharp to start against Uruguay and the rest as they say is Misery.
Andy Roxburgh would give Sharp a couple of more chances but with the rise of Ally McCoist and the reinstatement of Mo Jo as first choice strikers, it would mean his time was over. It is ironic that his only Scotland goal came in his final game a 1-1 friendly draw with Malta in Valletta. If Graeme was around today he probably would be our first choice striker but probably wouldn’t be good enough for Everton and no doubt would playing in the lower echelons of the Premiership or indeed in the Championship.
(Oh for an International Class Striker!)
Graeme would play for Everton for a few more years before moving on to Oldham where he was player-manager for a few years.
Happy Birthday Graeme and all the best.
David Stuart.

First posted on Facebook, October 16th, 2016

In researching Bert McCann’s career the other day I stumbled upon this Scotland top and thought it was well worth an article on its own. The picture is actually from a sale lot of Football memorabilia that Bert was apparently selling at auction few years back including his Scotland cap for the 9-3 defeat against England (no wonder). The shirt was worn by Bert in a Scottish League v Scottish XI from March, 1959. A crowd of over 40,000 turned up at Ibrox to watch this trial match take place. Couldn’t have been much on the telly that night!
Bert captained the League side which was as follows; Jock Wallace (Airdrie), yes that Jock Wallace, Duncan MacKay (Celtic), Baird (Partick Thistle), John Smith (Celtic), McCallum (Third Lanark), Bert McCann, McEwan (Raith Rovers), John White (Falkirk), Andy Kerr (Partick Thistle), Gray (Third Lanark) and Willie Ormond (Hibs).
The Scottish select turned out as thus; Bill Brown (Dundee), Alex Parker (Everton), Eric Caldow (Rangers), John Cumming (Hearts), Bobby Evans (Celtic) Captain; Dave Mackay (Tottenham), Alex Scott (Rangers), Bobby Collins (Everton), John Colrain (Celtic), Dave Gibson (Hibs) and Graham Leggat of Fulham.
The game ended with 11 goals and three hat-tricks as the league won 6-5. Andy Kerr and John White would both hit three for the League and John Colrain would do likewise for the Scotland select. Colrain would be the only player in the Scotland side who would not be capped for the Full International side. White and McCann would move to the full side for the match against West Germany at Hampden a few months later and John Smith shortly after this. Andy Kerr and Willie Ormond had both been previously capped but would gain no more after this.
40,000 thousand. WTF. Finally it is a cracking strip though. I wonder how much it went for.