The Scotland Epistles Football Magazine

Following on from Kevin Donnelly’s excellent tale from Mexico ’86, we have one from Hamish Husband from France ’84. Don’t forget we’re always looking for articles for the Facebook page and indeed the magazine.

There is always a start to a trip, this one was the 2-0 Dundee United first leg semi-final victory over AS Roma at Tannadice, April 1984, I was there and immediately planned a visit to the forthcoming European Cup Final in Rome itself, likely fellow finalists would be Liverpool. Scotland arranged a friendly against France a few days later, what could be simpler? A dream triple header.

Roma cheated their way to the final, but what the heck, I arranged a match ticket through scouser pals and booked a flight to join them, London to Milan.
The week itself began with the annual Scotland England game and a 1-1 draw courtesy of a Mark McGhee header with a relatively large visiting support causing some headaches. The Saturday overnight train to London was full of cockney head cases, there was that atmosphere of nastiness, and perhaps they had felt that way when we travelled down to Wembley recently. Not the head cases of course, just ordinary train travellers. The head cases were just head cases, still are.
I had arranged to spend the day with a couple I had met on a previous trip, their names I cannot now remember, I have a memory however of us waiting for the arrival of the ‘Desert Fox’ , his nickname courtesy of getting lost in Egypt when we played in Israel a few years earlier. He never turned up, no one was surprised. I never met him, I wonder if he still a fellow traveller. Is he still lost?
A flight to Milan, a train to Rome and I stood with the Liverpool fans witnessing the penalties, the Grobbelaar wobbly legs and an atmosphere of menace I had not experienced before. If you are ever watching a clip of the penalties we were standing beside a gap between us normal fans and the lunatics baying at us from the other side of the Perspex barrier. I was with lads who could look after themselves, however such was the mayhem outside the stadium after the Liverpool victory we hired a taxi for a journey back to our coastal hotel that was scary & more.
The hazy bit, one of many, is how I managed to get hitch a lift in a Liverpool hockey player’s Ford Escort 1.6 Ghia to Marseilles? Phil if my memory serves me well, drove as far as Cannes, we went into a bar for a meal and ended up climbing up some balconies to stay the night with an English lad who had lost his front door key. Suspicious, I did not sleep a wink.
Arriving the next day in Marseilles we settled in with the Scots fans in a local bar and even then there were a number of well kent faces. Scotland were to be the warm up act, or patsies as some may have described us, for the forthcoming Euro championships and had a supremely talented team. Platini, Giresse, Tigana, et al.
Hey, we had Leighton Strachan ,Miller and Mcleish, European Super Cup winners , we were however in the end just cannon fodder, easy meat. The atmosphere was hostile as I remember however my memory was of a full crowd, officially the attendance stands at a paltry 24,641. We were not a massive draw, nothing changes. The score was 2-0, could have been more and Strachan interviewed recently admitted that the end of a hard season there was no enjoyment in chasing the best players in Europe around the pitch. France were a joy to watch and went on to win the tournament, wonderful and more.
I got the overnight train to Milan and flew back to London. Met some lads on the Glasgow train, they were missing the driver as his company car had blown up on the journey through France.
An adventure in the end, a trio of games and one thing I would change. One of the lads returning on the train had bought a centre stand ticket so he could watch the wonderful French players. I have since bought decent South stand tickets for the visit of the top nations. Hampden friendlies, the recent Denmark game, the Gibraltar game, I concur with a caller to a recent Off the Ball. The Hampden running track, for friendlies it should be extended to say half a mile.
As for La France, we would have revenge in 1989 courtesy of Mo Johnston, oh and that night in Paris.

Hamish Husband

First posted on Facebook June 2nd, 2016

Tommy will turn 69 on June 2nd. Tommy was quite unusual in that all his caps came when he was a Kilmarnock player and not when he played for Rangers. In total, Tommy gained six caps and when you consider the calibre of player in his position at the time, he did well to earn them. As Bobby Brown had Charlie Cooke, Jimmy Johnstone, Willie Morgan and even Tony Green of Blackpool among others to choose from.
His first cap came in October, 1968 when Scotland beat Denmark one nil in a friendly in Copenhagen. Also making their debut that night was Colin Stein, who Tommy would play alongside for Rangers and Jim Herriot of Birmingham City. Bobby Lennox scored the only goal that night. Although, McLean, Herriot and Stein were all dropped for the next game; a vital World Cup Qualifier against Austria that Scotland won 2-1 they were reinstated to face Cyprus in December ’68 in Nicosia. Scotland won 5-0 nil with Stein and Alan Gilzean scoring two each and Bobby Murdoch hitting the other. Stein would hit 6 of his 10 Scotland goals against Cyprus.

Again all three were dropped for the next World Cup game against West Germany at Hampden in April ’69, but once more they were put back into the team for the first of that year’s Home Internationals against Wales at the Racecourse, Wrexham in May. Scotland won 5-3 with goals from McLean, Stein, Billy McNeill, Alan Gilzean and Billy Bremner. Jim Herriot only played in the second 45 when goalkeeper Tommy Lawrence of Liverpool was injured.
Although, Herriot and Stein would retain their places in the Scotland team over the next few games, Tommy would not return until a Home International game against Northern Ireland in April 1970. Making their debut that day would be Davie Hay, clubmate Billy Dickson, Willie Carr of Coventry and John O’Hare of Derby.

The only goal of the game came from a pinpoint, deep cross from McLean to O’Hare who headed past Pat Jennings to give Scotland victory.

Tommy would keep his place for the Wales game at Hampden a few days later which ended in a nil nil draw. However, Tommy was to be dropped in favour of Jimmy Johnstone in the final game of the Home Internationals that year against England which would also end up 0-0.
Tommy’s final game would see him return to where it all began, as Scotland played the third game of their Euro Qualifiers in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, Finn Laudrup (Brian and Michael’s father; no, not them that sang ‘Matchstick Men and Matchstick Cats and Dogs’ in the 70’s but the football players) would score the only goal of the game that more or less saw the end to Scotland’s Euro chances and indeed Bobby Brown’s management of Scotland. Interestingly Tom Forsyth, also a future teammate made his debut that night as a Motherwell player.

Tommy, of course would win the European Cup Winner Cup after his move to Rangers and play over 300 games for the Ibrox club before moving in to management.

Happy Birthday Tommy and all the best.

David Stuart

We started a new Book section on the website and although Robert Marshall has uploaded a few of his on it, as yet I have still to join the fray. One of the recent books I bought on ebay was this little beaut called imaginatively ‘England v Scotland’ by Brian James and published by the Sportmans Book Club in 1970.

It tells the history of the fixture from 1872 all the way to the 1968 game, giving an overview of each decade as such. One of the things that it goesinto detail about, is some of the games during World War II, which you don’t often see, giving scores, full line ups and a match details. Perhaps it’s just as well they’re not part of the official records as we would have include an 8-0 defeat at Maine Road, Manchester in 1943 in our records. There were some Scotland wins too including a remarkable 5-4 win at Hampden in 1942. Jock Dodds of Blackpool hit a hat-trick that day too; sadly this feat is not in the records, neither are any of Jock’s 8 Scotland appearances scoring 9 goals. Jock’s real name was Ephraim.

If you enjoyed Kevin’s reminisce about Mexico ’86 don’t forget he has a novel out at the moment available on Amazon

Someone once said “I spent a lot of my money of women and drink, the rest I just wasted”. Substitute the Scotland national team in place of women and you pretty much sum up Kenny Bradley’s attitude to life. Sadly Atholl McClackit has plans for Kenny which involve him missing out on France 98 and every other Scotland game thereafter. Can Kenny see it through the qualifiers? Can his best mate Gus McSween find a woman to really love? Can Kenny’s father-in-law help save Kenny’s life whilst really wanting to kill him? Can Kenny’s real father get Kenny to call him dad? All will be revealed as the Tartan Army hits the road en route to France 98.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chancers-Dancers-Romancers-Kevin-Donnelly/dp/1517322634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465415793&sr=8-1&keywords=kevin+donnelly

First Posted on Facebook 29th May, 2016

Kevin Donnelly shares his memories of Mexico ’86; today being the 30th anniversary of his departure for Mexico.

Thirty years ago today I set off for the world Cup in Mexico. For anyone who doesn’t know, we were drawn against West Germany, Denmark and Uruguay. By common consent it was known in Mexico as grupo de la muerte or, in Scottish terms, groupo el deatho.
Mexico as a place is famed for its Day of the Dead, as seen at the start of the recent James Bond film but as for me, I was full of beans, not Mexican, and pure dead excited about my own big trip to Mexico. My travel companions were an old acquaintance from Spain 82 who was in the British Communist Party, a vegetarian and a very selfish bastard. The other traveller in the party I had never met before but turned out to be a lovely guy. The communist was all for the redistribution of wealth as long as it wasn’t his own. His finest moment on the trip came when he managed to beat 50p off the price of a hammock through hard haggling with an impoverished street hawker.
We flew via Houston which made it even more of an adventure as I had never been to the States before and whilst a two hour stopover was hardly a week in Vegas, the excitement level was reaching fever pitch. And then the football started. Bizarrely the Scotland v Denmark game was not our first game as we had decided to take in the extremely forgettable Spain v Brazil game in Guadalajara as a warm up. What is not so forgettable is the hangover suffered due to partaking in a margarita frenzy with three Northern Ireland fans in a bar post match.
As for the games the one against Denmark was probably the most depressing as the defeat meant we were virtually out after the first game. The West Germany game was played in ridiculous heat and after we had the temerity to take the lead, the writing was on the wall. My one enduring memory of that game, even more than Strachan’s goal, was Steve Archibald playing upfront on his own and trying his best but with little or no support.
As for the Uruguay game we had nothing to offer really. Nicholas had been injured against the Danes and was clearly unfit when he came on as a sub. So that was it. Out and the chance to play Argentina in the Azteca had disappeared like a mescal induced vision.
Every so often I go to a city and wonder how on earth it functions. Mexico City was the first time I ever thought that. All the taxis were orange VW beetles. They would put your bags in the boot at the front and if we were held up at a red light the driver would get out to make sure nothing untoward happened to your gear. That said we had no problems with the locals and I found Mexican people to be amongst the friendliest I have ever met. On one occasion a guy came up to me in the street and asked if I spoke English. When, reluctantly, I said I did, he simply replied “Welcome to Mexico”.
After we had bid farewell to another World Cup myself and my two compadres pitched up in Acapulco for a few days. This will be the life I thought, paper umbrellas in funny coloured cocktails, pool bars and a lively nightlife. All of that was in fact correct, what I had not allowed for was the dead pig being carried in with the surf on the beach. I met Alan Rough a couple of years ago and when I told him this story he asked if I had seen the dead horse outside the stadium in Neza. Fortunately for me that was one of the sights I missed.
This trip was a series of firsts for me, first time in the States, first time in Mexico, first time, but not the last, I have wanted to kill a travel companion and the first time I visited a brothel.
Casa Rosa in the hills behind Acapulco was a large villa with an equally impressive pool. One of my mates, guess who, was not for paying for it but my other mate went off to negotiate a deal. As for me, no cash, never mind body fluids, was exchanged. I sat by the pool, drinking a beer and chatting to a beautiful woman wearing nothing but a sheer gossamer dressing gown and a silver g-string then made my excuses and left after the negotiations of my friend had stalled.
As for boozers there were no cantinas as such with guys in sombreros knocking back tequila but we found ourselves one night in The Oxford bar where there were equal numbers of “bar girls” and minders. All the minders had a uniform of beige three piece suits, black shirts and beige ties. This was in the Zona Rosa, the hip happening part of Mexico City which funnily enough, an individual in our group thought was a bit pricey at 30p a pint.
This time we really were home before the postcards, the Mexican postal service most definitely taking the manana attitude. I wouldn’t say they were late but they could have doubled as Christmas cards.
Other memories have emerged in writing this. The stunning white sand of the beaches on an island off the coast of Cancun. Taking eight hours in a bus to get to Acapulco when we could have flown in 45 minutes for the same price. Meeting a German girl who was on holiday with her dad. He hated the sun and Mexicans and only came out of his room to buy brandy. She had to sort out match tickets for him and his travel. Watching three Scots in kilts wander off down the back streets of Neza after the Uruguay game, lost but not caring as another world cup bit the dust.
I returned without my luggage, see the above reference to wanting to kill a fellow traveller, but with a different view on life. Many people have told me following Scotland changed their lives and going to that tournament changed mine. Not as much as my mate who met a lovely Mexican lawyer in a bar the first night he arrived and six weeks later had her working behind the counter in his corner shop in Dumfries but that, as they say, is another story.

Kevin Donnelly

Posted on Facebook on 28th May, 2016

One of the things that is in the news just now is the 100th Anniversary of the naval Battle of Jutland which took place in May, 1916. I am in some ways a history buff and have always been interested in battles, wars etc. However, the first time I came across the name Jutland was not in a history book or in a documentary but in the Wee Red Book in the Internationals Results Section. I’m not sure when but it seems to have disappeared from the book in recent times and is not mentioned on the SFA site or in Scotland football books but a game did take place on 24th May, 1959.
This game was a prelude to two full Internationals and was being used to blood some young Scots who hopefully would go on to full national careers. It did not go too well and in Gair Henderson’s report for the Evening Times; the headline is: The Scots Were Bad Boys; Woeful display v Jutland.
In references to this game Scotland are listed as a Scotland XI v Jutland. The Scots fielded a young team mostly under 23’s. The line-up was follows: Bert Slater (Motherwell), Duncan Mackay (Celtic), Doug Baird (Partick Thistle), Eric Smith (Celtic), Jacky McGugan (St. Mirren), Billy Stevenson (Rangers), Alec Scott (Rangers), John White (Falkirk), Andy Kerr (Manchester City), Denis Law (Huddersfield Town) and Bertie Auld (Celtic). Andy Kerr was named as captain, Andy had won two caps in 1955 as a Partick Thistle and was the most experienced player in the team.
The match took place in the city of Aarhus and was made of young players from the surrounding area.
Scotland had scored two goals in quick succession in the first half through Law and Kerr and seemed to be coasting but similarly lost two goals in three minutes in the second half and by then their discipline began waiver. Denis Law was of course relatively young at this point but Denis could always give it out as well as he could take it and he apparently gave it out a bit too much that day too and was spoken to by the referee on a few occasions.
Bertie Auld did put Scotland back in the lead following good work from Law but then the most controversial moment of the game followed. Billy Stevenson lost the ball in the Scots half and Doug Baird scythed down the Danish forward in the penalty box and a spot kick was given. Andy Kerr then ran from his opponents half and began to berate the ref over the decision for a prolonged amount of time. The Evening Times reported stated it was a definite penalty and needed no demonstration against it’s award. The kick proceeded and the Danes equalised and that was how it finished. Scotland were booed by the Danish for bad sportsmanship towards the end of the game.
Henderson in his report is quite scathing of the Scots and says of some of them “The kindest thing that can be said of many of the players is very little. It is enough to say that Baird, Stevenson, McGugan, Scott and Kerr will not play so badly for years to come. But unfortunately the damage has already been done.”
As stated the damage had been done and only Alex Scott would resurface in the dark blue of Scotland of that lot. A more experienced Scotland team would beat Netherlands 3 days later in Amsterdam with goals from Graham Leggat and Bobby Collins. However, they were to lose 1-0 to Portugal a week later in Lisbon.
If it’s of any consolation England lost 2-1 to Mexico on the same day as the Jutland game in their third match of a tour of the Americas. They already lost the first two; 2-0 to Brazil and then 4-1 to Peru in Lima.

David Stuart

First posted on Facebook, May 25th, 2016

Happy Birthday to Mark McGhee. Mark will turn 59 today; his Scotland career was quite brief lasting only four games from June 1983 to May the following year. Mark was of course a big part of Aberdeen’s success in the early ‘80’s under Alex Ferguson. Jock Stein picked him for Scotland’s summer tour of Canada in 1983. It is rather surprising that during this three match venture that he would be the only new cap; although some of the players like Gough. Leighton, Bannon and Nicholas only had a handful of games beforehand.
Mark came on in the 37th minute of the first game against Canada in the Empire Stadium, Vancouver after Charlie Nicholas sustained an injury. Scotland were one nil up after Nicholas had been brought down by the Canadian goalkeeper moments before and Gordon Strachan had converted the penalty kick. Mark would score the second goal in the 75th minute as the Scots ran out 2-0 winners. I am pretty certain this is the first occasion that Scotland ever played on Astroturf.
Mark started the following game of the tour but was substituted just after half time making way for Andy Gray, then of Wolves. Scotland would win 3-0 with goals from Nicholas, Gough and Souness.
Mark wouldn’t get back into the side until December of that year as Scotland faced Northern Ireland in the Home Internationals. This game featured Doug Rougvie in his only international appearance and when Mark replaced Frank McGarvey in the 60th minute there were six Aberdeen players in the side. Sadly, it didn’t help too much as Scotland got skelped 2-0.
In the final game of the series and indeed Mark’s final game; Scotland played England at Hampden in May and Mark was given a starting place and would score the opening goal of the game in the 13th minute. Tony Woodcock would equalise before half time and the game would end 1-1. Mark was replaced in the 62nd minute by one of the players that would edge him out to of the Scotland team; Watford’s Mo Johnston making only second appearance in a Scotland strip.

So Mark would score two goals in four games and even at that without completing a full game. His goal tally was still better than the likes of Graeme Sharp, Alan Brazil and David Speedie from around the same time.
After Aberdeen, he would move to Germany and play with Hamburg for a season before returning to Scotland and Celtic. He followed this up with another spell at Newcastle, then a three game spell at IK Brage in Sweden and finishing up his playing days at Reading.
Mark would then go to manage at many a club and indeed now manages Motherwell as well as doubling up as an Assistant Manager to Gordon Strachan.
Happy Birthday Mark and I know it goes against the grain but try and crack a smile too but no that grim scary one though.
Mark will also be added to the Scotland Players abroad section on the website soon, although I doubt if I’ll ever get a photo of him with IK Brage!

First posted on Facebook, May 24th, 2016

Another man with an Aberdeen connection also sees his birthday today. Happy Birthday to big Doug Rougvie who gained one solitary cap for Scotland. In his Wikipedia page it describes Doug as a hard tackling and committed defender; what opposition fans would call a Big Dirty B. Doug was never the most gifted of players but committed he certainly was and he won a whole glut of honours with Aberdeen in the early 80’s including of course the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983. Rather remarkable for a man who played his first game for Aberdeen against Persepolis of Iran away in 1974!
It was no less a man than Jock Stein who would give Doug his one and only cap in December 1983 against Northern Ireland in Belfast. This was the first game in the last Home internationals. Scotland would lose 2-0. The Scotland line up was made of five Aberdeen players, three Celts, two from Dundee United and Graeme Souness of Liverpool the only Anglo among them. Mark McGhee would also come on, in the second half to make it six Dons at the one time on the park, remarkably Willie Miller was not among them. Scotland would go on to beat Wales and then draw with England at Hampden with the aforementioned McGhee scoring. This meant that the final Championships were won by Northern Ireland who retain the trophy, which I believe is on loan to the English Football Museum. When do we get our turn?
As for Doug he move on to Chelsea the following year; where he was not very popular due to his reckless tackling, however you do have to admire a man who was sent off for headbutting John Fashanu in a game against Wimbledon. He does have one claim to fame for Chelsea and indeed he is immortalised in song by their fans following a Milk Cup tie in which he gave away a last minute penalty after Chelsea had fought back from 3-0 down