The Scotland Epistles Football Magazine

First posted on April 13th, 2016

Happy Birthday Mo who will be 53 today. I know some of you may have choked on that sentence there and the thought of wishing Mo all the best is just too much for you but as a Scotland player Mo played some great games for the team and provided quite a number of goals. With 14 goals in 38 appearances, Mo sits 9th in our all-time goalscoring list. His goals per game average is better than Dalglish, McCoist, Kenny Miller and James McFadden. He scored six goals on our way to Italia ’90 and scored doubles against both Spain and France at Hampden in World Cup Qualifiers.
Having moved from Partick Thistle to Watford in 1983, Mo scored 23 goals in 29 games in his first season with the Hornets and indeed was part of the team that played in the FA Cup Final losing to Everton in 1984.
Jock Stein gave Mo his first cap in 28th February, 1984 against Wales. Mo was given the second half replacing Frank McGarvey of Celtic at half time. Scotland had been leading 1-0 with a Davie Cooper penalty but the Welsh equalised within two minutes of the start. However, Mo had a dream start to his Scotland career and popped up with the winner in the 78th minute.
Mo was then given the final 28 minutes of the game against England at Wembley, the following May but could not provide that winning touch as the Scots drew 1-1 with Mark McGhee scoring early for Scotland.
Jock Stein would start Johnston in the next six Scotland games on the trot. Mo scored one of the six goals against Yugoslavia at Hampden in September, 1985 in a friendly that only had a measly crowd of 18,512 attend. By this time Mo was a Celtic player.
November 14th, 1984 will be well remembered by the crowd of just over 74,000 as Mo scored two first half headed goals against Spain at Hampden in a World Cup qualifier. A second half goal by Goicoechea threatened to ruin the party until Kenny Dalglish put us two clear again in the 75th minute and it was party time.
For Mo that was as good as it got in the qualification for Mexico 1986 as he would not feature too often in the latter half of the campaign. Following the death of Jock Stein and the emergence of Alex Ferguson as Scotland manager his opportunities became slimmer as Fergie gave him the boot for indiscretions in an Australian hotel following the play-off against the Aussies in 1985.
Mo had often courted problems off field and this was to prove his undoing now as he would miss the 1986 World Cup altogether. It’s a pity if you look at the strikers who played in Mexico ’86; by this stage Mo had a better goalscoring record than them all including Nicholas, Archibald, Sharp, McAvennie and Sturrock and a solitary goal against Uruguay would have seen us progress past the group stages.
Andy Roxburgh reinstated Johnston to the Scotland side after the World Cup but the 1988 Euro campaign was a relatively poor one for Scotland and Mo would only contribute one goal; a third against the mighty Luxembourg at home after David Cooper had hit a first half double.
By the start of season 1987-88, Mo had become a Nantes player and this would prove to be his best spell in a Scotland jersey as he lit up the qualification campaign for Italia ’90 in a way that few Scotland players ever have.
Before all that though Johnston scored Scotland’s second goal against Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Riyadh in February, 1988.
Cap number 21 and the World Cup campaign began in Oslo, Norway. Paul McStay had given Scotland an early first half lead but Jan-Aage Fjortoft had equalised just before half time and that’s how it stayed until the 63rd when Mo scored after a bit of a scramble in the penalty area and we gave those Norway boys one hell of a beating.
Next up was a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia when once more Mo scrambles the ball home for the opening goal.
Cyprus, February 1989 and Mo picks up an early through ball and slots it past the Cypriot goalkeeper in Limassol to give Scotland the lead but we would need to second half goals from Richard Gough to win the game 3-2 in the dying moments.
Next up France with Platini in charge at Hampden and more glory for Mo and Scotland as his two goals either side of half time puts the French to the sword. Again these are not the greatest goals but they signified a striker at the top of his game. As would the next game, as Mo scores an opening goal with a wonderful overhead kick to give Scotland the lead against Cyprus at Hampden in April ’89. Although, the Cypriots equalised in the second half, Ally McCoist scored what proved to be the winner in the 63rd minute.
And that was the end of Mo’s golden period for Scotland having scored six goals in five consecutive World Cup ties; each contributing to Scotland’s points tally, so much so they could afford to lose to both Yugoslavia and France away from home and only need a draw with Norway at home to qualify. It would be Ally McCoist who would provide that; scoring just before half time at a nervy Hampden which became even more so when Norway equalised with a minute to go. By this time of course, Mo was a Rangers player and incurring the wrath of the green and white half of Glasgow.
Prior to Italia ’90, Mo would score at Hampden in a friendly v Poland, where Gary Gillespie flighted a perfect ball past Andy Goram to give the Poles an equaliser, his second Scotland own goal, which is more goals than some of our strikers have hit.
It would be fair to say Mo didn’t have a great Italia ’90 and perhaps he and Scotland had peaked too soon, once more. Mo would play in all three games and would take the responsibility of the penalty against Sweden in the second game to ensure Scotland’s 2-0 win but once more Scotland failed to progress.
Mo did more or less retire from the International scene after the World Cup playing two halves in a couple of games and that was it for him.
So Happy Birthday Mo and thanks for those glorious moments in the dark blue of Scotland (and of course in the red and yellow of Partick Thistle; sorry couldn’t help myself there) as these are what I will choose to remember of you.

David Stuart

First posted on Facebook, 12th April, 2016

Happy Birthday to Gary who will turn 34 today. Gary gained fifty three caps for Scotland, scoring two goals, one of which; I, like a lot of you, will cherish for many years to come and yet. It’s fair to say that most of us, knew Gary gave all to the Scotland cause but we also know that like our current crop of central defenders; Gary could never be considered a Scotland great. When I think of commanding Scotland centre halves I think of McNeill, Holton, McQueen, Miller, McLeish and Hendry etc. and next to them, well Gary was just ordinary.
Gary was first capped as a Hibernian player when on loan from Newcastle in 2002. It was Berti Vogts who gave him his first cap in Berti’s first game. As we all probably recall we wuz humped 5-0 by France. Not the greatest of starts but at least Gary would get his revenge in years to come.
Gary was retained by Berti for his next three games; defeats against Nigeria, South Korea and South Africa but his first taste of victory in a Scotland shirt would have to wait a while yet; in fact two years later in a friendly in Tallinn during his seventh game for Scotland as the Scots ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a James McFadden goal. By this time Gary was a fully-fledged Hibs player.
Three days later, Gary scored his first Scotland goal against Trinidad and Tobago in a 4-1 for Scotland at Easter Road with Darren Fletcher, Gary Holt and Nigel Quashie providing the others. Gary’s brother Steven won his fourth cap that day coming on for Gary in the 78th Minute.
Gary continued to be picked by Berti until his inglorious reign of managership was over in November, 2005. Gary would win his 14th cap in Walter Smith’s first game in charge as the Scots lost 2-0 in Italy with Andrea Pirlo providing two moments of magic from free kicks to win the game.
Smith didn’t see Caldwell as his first choice centre half preferring the likes of Hearts’ Andy Webster and David Weir of Everton. However, Gary was part of the team that won the Kirin Cup in Japan 2006 playing in both the stunning 5-1 victory over Bulgaria and the draw with the host to win the Cup.
Gary won his 21st cap and his first as a Celtic player in September, 2006 in a 2-1 away win to Lithuania in Kaunas in a 2008 Euro Qualifier. Retained for the next game against France at Hampden in October, 2006, Gary’s great moment arrived. Scotland had taken a bit of a battering but some steadfast defending had kept the French at bay and then in the 66th minute Hampden erupted as loudly as it ever did as Gary prodded home from a corner. Could we hold out? You bet we could and soon we were “Rockin’ All Over The World “as Status Quo blasted out at full time. Not sure why we danced like crazy to a song written by an American and performed by an English band but hey we did.

Four days later and we crashed to Ukraine 2-0 in Kiev and Walter Smith would soon depart too. However, up stepped Alex McLeish but Gary was in the main overlooked by Alex who only picked him for two games in his ten games reign and both were friendlies.
George Burley would start his first game with Gary in the heart of the defence in March, 2008 in a friendly with Croatia at Hampden that ended in 1-1 draw with Kenny Miller providing the Scotland goal. Gary would play in most of Burley’s lamentable time in charge of Scotland and probably would have played in them all, had he not been sent off in Oslo against Norway. Scotland would lose 4-0 nil conceding all the goals after Gary’s sending off as he was booked twice within two minutes.
By the time of Craig Levein’s first game in charge Gary was a Wigan player. Gary played in the infamous game in Prague as part of an eleven man defence; that didn’t have a Plan B if the rather ordinary Czech team scored. Oops.
Cap 47 and Levein’s torturous reign had still not ended as Scotland drew 1-1 with Macedonia at Hampden in February 2012 in a World Cup qualifier. Gary was awarded the captaincy that night though and he would do so, three times in total.
His final cap came against Belgium in Brussels as Scotland lost 2-0; not so sad was that we lost Craig Levein soon after.
For the last few years Gary was plagued by injury or he may have been a part of Gordon Strachan’s squads . . . maybe. As for now after retiring, he’s doing quite well managing Wigan and here’s hoping they get promotion this year.
Happy Birthday Gary and although you may not have been the among the best that ever represented Scotland, you gave me and my son Ewan one of our most cherished shared moments in our lives. Thank you Gary and all the best.

David Stuart

First posted on Facebook on April 11th, 2016

It’s one of those sad things that when a players passes away prematurely when do you celebrate his time with Scotland. Had he lived, Big Jim Holton would have reached the age of 65 today but sadly Jim passed away from a heart attack he suffered at the wheel of his car on the 4th October, 1993.
For anyone who followed Scotland in the 1970’s Big Jim was a true hero and yet he only played 15 times for his country and only over a 17 month period, first playing in May 1973 against Wales and his final game came against East Germany in October, 1974.
It was Jim’s headed goal that brought us back into the game after the shock of conceding to Czechoslovakia in that vital World Cup Qualifier in 1973 before Joe Jordan sent us all delirious with the winner in the second half and Scotland on their way to the World Cup.
Jim played in all three games in the ’74 World Cup at the heart of the defence but sadly shortly after Germany; Jim suffered two sepearte leg breaks and faded from the International scene but for those of us of a certain age Big Jim will always be with us. So here’s to Jim and remember ” Six Foot Two, eyes of Blue, Big Jim Holton’s after You

I came across this photo this morning and was intrigued by it. All four players involved are Motherwell players; Willie Hunter, Andy Weir, John Martis and Ian St. John. Each would be capped by Scotland but would not appear altogether for the Full team.
The photo is from an Under-23 game played at Ibrox against England on 3rd March, 1960. The game was played in front of a crowd of 25,000 and they were treated to eight goals as the teams fought out a 4-4 draw.
The Scotland team was as follows; Adam Blacklaw of Burnley, Duncan Mackay (Celtic), Ian Riddell (St. Mirren), Jimmy Gabriel (Everton), John Martis (Motherwell), Billy Higgins (Hearts), Willie Hunter (Motherwell), Alan Cousins (Dundee), Ian St. John (Motherwell), Denis Law (Huddersfield Town) and Andy Weir (Motherwell).
Of that side Higgins, Riddell and Cousin were never capped. Riddell would though be part of the Berwick Rangers that beat the Glasgow version in the Scottish Cup in 1967 and is also father to the actor Derek Riddell who appeared in the U.S. series ‘Ugly Betty’ a few years back. As to Cousin, he was perhaps unlucky not to be capped but with players like Law and St. John vying for the forward position it is perhaps understandable. Cousin played a big part in the Dundee side that won the 1st Division in 1962 and reached the European Cup Semi-Final the following year.
Quite a few of the line-up had already been capped at Full International level including Law, St. John and Weir.
As to the England line-up; in goals was Hearts player Gordon Marshall, (Gordon’s son Gordon would go on to earn one cap for Scotland and his other, Scott is still the last Scottish player to play for Arsenal way back in 1998. Scott would never earn a full cap), George Cohen, Tony Allen, Maurice Setters, Peter Swan, Tony Kay, Chris Crowe, George Eastham, Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves and John Sydenham.
Goal scorers that night were Mackay with a penalty, Cousin and Ian St. John with two. For England, Jimmy Greaves would hit a hat-trick and Sydenham would score the other.
As to the Motherwell players, Martis would earn his only cap against Wales in 1960 which Scotland lost 2-0. This would also be Hunter’s final game but overall he gained 3 caps and scored in a friendly against Hungary earlier that year.
Weir gained six caps altogether and scored on his debut in 1959 in a friendly v West Germany at Hampden which Scotland won 3-2. Ian St. John also debuted in that match as did Motherwell teammate Bert McCann. McCann would earn 5 caps with the last coming at Wembley in 1961.
St. John played 21 times for Scotland scoring 9 times. His Scotland career came to a premature end after he had scored against England in a 2-2 draw; he found that he was left out of the squad for a couple of forthcoming World Cup matches. He reacted badly to this stating he didn’t care if ever played for Scotland again. Ian’s anger was targeted towards the SFA committee members who ran the show as far as squad selection went. Unfortunately for Ian it was seen as turning his back on Scotland and there would be reprieve for him.
Still 4-4, wish I’d been at that one.
David Stuart

First posted on Facebook on April, 8th 2016

Happy Birthday John McGinlay who will be 52 today. John played for Scotland thirteen times but it took him 14 years as a player to get to Burnden Park, Bolton, where he made his mark and another two to be capped for Scotland.
John’s journey started as a sixteen year old at Highland team Fort William in 1978, in the following years he would play for Nairn County (twice), North Shore in New Zealand, down South with Yeovil, then back up to play with Elgin. A real have boots will travel player. 42 goals in 60 games for Elgin led him to sign for Shrewsbury in 1989 and from there to Bury, and then to Millwall and finally to Bolton!
John signed for Bolton in 1992 and in 192 League games he would score 101 goals and rather fittingly would be the last player to score at the old Burnden Park before the Wanderers moved to the Reebok.
Craig Brown brought John into the Scotland squad in April ’94, having missed out in USA ’94, Brown was looking for players who would take Scotland to the next finals. John started against Austria in Vienna in a friendly and opened his account 35 minutes into the game to equalise after a fine run by Gary McAllister. Billy McKinlay would hit a peach of a goal in the second half to give Scotland the win. John would be replaced in the second half by fellow Highland League export Duncan Shearer for his debut

Next up a friendly against the Netherlands a month later, which Scotland lost 3-1 with McGinlay again coming off for Shearer, who would score Scotland’s late consolation goal.
John next played in Scotland’s second game of Euro ’96 qualifying against the Faroes and indeed would play in their next five qualifiers. He opened the scoring against the Faroes in October ’94 in only four minutes and Scotland managed another four to win 5-1 that night.

John played in the draws against Russia, home and away and in the defeat to Greece and also in the victory over San Marino in Serravalle. He and Billy McKinlay did the double once more in June ’95 in Toftir as Scotland beat the Faroes 2-0.
John then seems to slip out of things, with a rejuvenated Ally McCoist returning to the Scotland scene, scoring within a minute of his return against Greece in August ’95. Coming on as a sub more than two years after being out of the Scotland side.
Cap 8, would come against Sweden in a friendly in October ’95 where he was given the first forty five minutes. Scotland were defeated two nil but John and Sweden would have a date with destiny a year down the line.
Euro ’96 came and went without John’s presence but he was brought back into the team for a World Cup Qualifier against Sweden at Ibrox in November, ‘96. Ibrox erupted eight minutes into the game as Tom Boyd floated a long ball forward which Darren Jackson dummied, leaving John to run in and coolly finish past Ravelli in the Swedish goal.

Truth be told though, this was one of Jim Leighton’s finest games in a Scotland jersey as he time and time again denied them the equaliser. John would then play in the farcical draw against Estonia in Monaco and the 2-0 win over Estonia, down at Rugby Park.
A substitute appearance in the 75h minute against Austria at Celtic Park would be his final game for Scotland. Kevin Gallacher would emerge from this game as Scotland’s first choice striker following a great double as the Scots beat Austria 2-0.
That was it for John and maybe the clue as to what went wrong is in a match report for the final game at Burnden Park, Bolton where the Independent paper states “hero John McGinlay who took a pain-killing injection to play at the possible sacrifice of a place in Scotland’s squad to play in Sweden next week”.
John would soon leave Bolton for Bradford and then Oldham only achieving 7 League games for either but netting 5 and 4 goals respectively, which would suggest injury was preventing him from playing. John’s playing days would soon be over although he did have two short stints in Cincinnati plying his trade their too.
To me John is a real hero; someone who took the long way round to get to the International stage and reach the peak of his career and we will always have that moment at Ibrox to savour. Happy Birthday John and all the best. (John’s first game against Austria and the Sweden goal will be posted on the page shortly, remember to check it out.)

David Stuart

First posted on Facebook on April, 8th 2016

Billy Dickson will be 71 today. Billy was part of the Kilmarnock squad that won the 1964-’65 League Championship. Five players from that team would win caps with Scotland. Both goalkeepers involved Campbell Forsyth and Bobby Ferguson, centre half Jackie McGrory, winger Tommy McLean and lastly left back Billy Dickson.
Billy would win his first cap on April 18th, 1970. At this point, Bobby Brown, the Scotland manager was frustrated by the refusal of English clubs to release players and began to look more to home players and the less major clubs of the English First Division to fill positions.
Billy was among four players making their debut against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park. Along with Billy; David Hay of Celtic, Willie Carr of Coventry and Derby County’s John O’Hare were drafted in. It would be O’Hare who would score the game’s only goal heading in a cross from a Tommy McLean also of Kilmarnock.
Billy and the three others retained their place for the game against Wales four days later and although the defence continued to keep a shut-out; Scotland also failed to score, which would also be the case in the final game of the Home International series as Scotland and England played out a non-score draw. Again Dickson, Hay, Carr and O’Hare had all started the game.
However, Billy would miss Scotland’s next few games being replaced by Celtic’s Jim Brogan. Billy returned to the team in June, 1971 lining up against Denmark in Copenhagen. Scotland had already lost to both Belgium and Portugal in their European Championships Qualifiers and would do so in Copenhagen. This was at the time an embarrassing defeat, as Denmark were seen as one of Europe’s minnows at the time. The only goal of the game was scored by Finn Laudrup, father of Brian and Michael.
Billy’s final game was also Bobby Brown’s last in charge; a non-event of a friendly against the USSR in Moscow five days after the Danish farce. A make-shift team with John Brownlie of Hibs and Bobby Watson making their debuts, lost 1-0.
Tommy Docherty would come in and utilise Sandy Jardine as right back and switch Hay over to the left, meaning that Billy was no longer part of the Scotland set-up; Willie Donnachie would also come on the scene and eventually Danny McGrain too.
Billy would continue to play for Kilmarnock for a couple of more seasons and would play a handful of games for Motherwell and Hamilton in the following years.
Happy Birthday Billy and all the best.

If ever someone writes “Ally – the Musical” this should be the poster shot and the tune should maybe be ‘Glory Days’ by Bruce Springsteen.
This is from November, 1989 at Hampden. Ally has just scored the opening goal for Scotland v Norway in a World Cup Qualifier. Scotland just needed a draw to qualify. In what was a nervy game , Hampden erupted as Ally scored in the 44th minute and so we sang and danced throughout half time and into the second half until we shat ourselves in the 89th minute as Norway scored and we waited forever for the final whistle. Italia ’90 here we come.

First posted on Facebook on April 6th, 2016

Andy Walker will be 51 today. Like Alfie Conn, whose birthday it was yesterday, Andy had a short Scotland career playing three games for total of 112 minutes. Unlike Alfie, whose Scotland career lasted four days; Andy’s lasted just over 6 years.
He was first capped as a Celtic player, having previously played with Motherwell, in May 1988 against Colombia in the Rous Cup at Hampden. Andy came on in the 67th minute for Kevin Gallacher, also making his debut. The game ended in a nil nil draw despite Scotland having McCoist, Mo Johnston, Gallacher and Andy all on at various points in the game.
Andy would move from Celtic a few years later and enjoy a great spell with Bolton, mainly in the second tier of English football including scoring in a memorable FA Cup defeat of Liverpool at Anfield. Andy led the line with fellow Scot and soon to be Tartan Army hero John McGinlay, scoring 44 League goals in 67 League appearances for the Trotters. (The photo shows Andy on the right and John McGinlay who also scored on that night at Anfield, on the left. David Lee is in the centre of them. The manager of Liverpool that night was Graeme Souness and of Bolton; Bruce Rioch). No doubt had Andy been about today with that track record he would be a shoe in for a Scotland place . . . maybe, if he could fit our system. As it was, despite his goalscoring exploits it would not be until 1994 he would don the dark blue of Scotland again and as a Celtic player once more.
Craig Brown started Andy in September ‘94 for a Euro Championship Qualifier against Finland in Helsinki. Scotland won 2-0 thanks to goals from Aberdeen’s Duncan Shearer and fellow Celt, John Collins. Andy would only play for 65 minutes before being replaced by Eoin Jess.
A month later and Andy was given a twenty minute run out against the Faroe Islands at Hampden, coming on for Aberdeen’s Scott Booth. Scott had scored Scotland’s second goal in the 5-1 rout of the Faroes with the previously mentioned John McGinlay, Billy McKinlay and John Collins with a double supplying the others.
And that was that for Andy but he would leave Celtic by 1996 and then play for a plethora of clubs before ending up as a co-commentator with STV and is regularly heard pontificating on the state of Scotland and its’ clubs on Sky Sports.
Happy Birthday Andy and all the best

David Stuart

First posted on April 5th, 2016

Happy Birthday to Alfie Conn, who will be 64 today. Alfie played for both Rangers and Celtic as well as having spells at Tottenham and Hearts among others.
Alfie also played twice for Scotland in 1975 under Willie Ormond. His caps came as a Spurs player and came at a time when Ormond was trying to bring new faces to replace some of the stars he had lost after the World Cup in ’74.
Alfie came on as a sub in May ’75 replacing Bobby Robinson of Dundee in the 76th minute in a 3-0 defeat of Northern Ireland at Hampden with goals from Ted MacDougall, Kenny Dalglish and Derek Parlane.
Unfortunately for Alfie, he was picked to start against England at Wembley four days later and the least said about that the better. Although, Alfie was reckoned to be among some of the better players that day; he never wore a Scotland strip again.
Happy Birthday Alfie.

Further to this;

Alfie Conn was another that tried his luck across the pond in the U.S., playing for the Pittsburgh Spirit in season ’79-’80. If you take a close look at the team photo, ex-Rangers player Graham Fyfe can be found further along the row from Alfie.

David Stuart