The Scotland Epistles Football Magazine

(First posted on Facebook, 20th March, 2016)

Ex-Hibernian and Rangers player Ian Murray will be 35 today. Ian was one of those players with great potential whose career was constantly hampered by injury, when it seemed things were going well for him.
Ian made his debut for Hibs, just as the millennium was beginning in January 2000 and was able to play either in defence or in midfield. By October 2002, Berti Vogts drafted him into his squad for a friendly against Canada at Easter Road and Ian made his debut in the 75th minute for Lee Wilkie. (At this point I am not going mention the Vogts curse; where the majority of players he gave debut caps had injury plagued careers. I’m not but Ian Murray on for Lee Wilkie . . . let that sink in).
Hans Hubert’s boys gave Canada a spanking (LOL) 3-1 with two goals from Stevie Crawford and one from Steven Thompson, this must one of the only few friendlies Berti won. However, Ian’s progress would be halted by injury and it would be October, 2004 before he returned; coming on at half time for Gary Naysmith as Scotland drew 1-1 with Moldova in Chisinau in 2006 World Cup Qualifying round. Steven Thompson would score in this one also.
This would be Berti’s last game in charge but a month later Tommy Burns in his only game in charge of Scotland, would pick Murray to play from the start in a friendly in Stockholm. The good news was that Ian got the whole game; the bad news was that Scotland lost 4-1.
Ian would emerge a year later as a Rangers player and was played at full back by Walter Smith in a home Euro Qualifier against Belarus but he would only play for the first half as a muted Scotland tried to recover from an early conceded goal. Shaun Maloney would come on for his debut in Ian’s place but to no avail as the score at Hampden remained 1-0 to Belarus.
Ian’s time at Rangers was also injury plagued but he would see action for Scotland in Japan playing his part in Scotland’s Kirin Cup adventure in May 2006. However, by the time he came on for Lee McCulloch in the first game against Bulgaria; the damage had been well done. Scotland were in a commanding 4-1 lead with a double from Rangers teammate Kris Boyd, one from James McFadden and another from Ranger, Chris Burke who had just come on two minutes before scoring.
Burke would score the final goal but really Ian should have scored after good work from McFadden but his mishit landed at Burke’s feet who finished easily.
A draw against hosts Japan in Saitama would see Scotland win the trophy; Ian was given the second half once more swapping places with Gary Naysmith. The game ended 0-0 and the Kirin Cup was won but for Ian this would be his last Scotland game.
His time at Rangers had not gone well and neither would a brief spell at Norwich and so he would return to Easter Road for another four years before leaving in May 2012. Murray would retire shortly after and take over as manager at Dumbarton where he proved to be a relative success, so much so that St. Mirren came calling for him in May 2015. His time at St. Mirren did not go well and Ian resigned in December last year.
Happy Birthday Ian and here’s hoping you will be back in football soon.

David Stuart

(First posted on Facebook, March 19th, 2016)

Bobby Brown of Rangers was goalkeeper for Scotland in in 3 internationals or is it 5? Bobby took part in some of the Victory Internationals, which took place in season ’45 -’46. Of the home nations Scotland is the only one that recognises these and so it’s quite hard to keep track of how many exactly.
Richard Keir’s excellent ‘Scotland the Complete International Record’ book does not count them so Bobby is only listed as having won 3 caps there as does the Wee Red Book. The Fitbastats website and Wikipedia have him down for 5 and the SFA website has him down for six, although one of those is a mistake as it gives him credit for playing a game in which George Farm played in goals. Bobby also went on to manage Scotland and had what was arguably the greatest start to any Scotland manager’s career with that famous 3-2 win over England at Wembley 1967. However, in 28 games Scotland only won nine, drew eleven and lost eleven.
To be fair to Bobby, if you look at the ’67 team, Jim Baxter who was the star that day only played two more times for Scotland as his career began to dip. Denis Law due to fitness issues would only play six times for Bobby in total, with three games in ’67, one in ’68 and two more in ’69.
Also, at this time English clubs were still reluctant to release players so at various points you find Billy Bremner and his Leeds colleagues missing from games among others.
Bobby gaves debuts to Ronnie Simpson and Jim McCalliog that day in April 1967. The full line up being; Simpson, Tommy Gemmell, Eddie McCreadie, John Greig, Ronnie McKinnon, Billy Bremner, McCalliog, Denis Law, Willie Wallace, Jim Baxter and Bobby Lennox.
Four years later in his third last game Bobby lines up against England with Bobby Clark (Aberdeen), John Greig, Jim Brogan (Celtic), Billy Bremner, Frank McLintock (Arsenal), Bobby Moncur (Newcastle), Jimmy Johnstone (Celtic), Tony Green (Blackpool), Peter Cormack (Nottingham Forest), Davie Robb (Aberdeen) and Hugh Curran (Wolves). Frank Munro of Wolves and Drew Jarvie of Airdrie would come on as subs. There are some good players in that team but also a few sadly lacking International class particularly compared to the team of ’67. England won 3-1 with Hugh Curran scoring for Scotland.
Bobby would quit a month or so later as Scotland lost another two games, making it four in a row with a defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen in a Euro Qualifier being particularly galling. Bobby would be succeeded by Tommy Docherty and then Willie Ormond who was Bobby’s successor as St. Johnstone manager. Here’s to Bobby and long may he continue to be the oldest Scotland player.

(Douglas Kenney posted on the Facebook page a copy of his Bobby Brown autograph)

David Stuart

(First posted on Facebook, March, 19th 2016)

Over on the website we have added a Magazine poster and Picture section. Robert has been adding quite a few photos of some of the lesser spotted Scotland players from a lot of programmes. If I get the time I will be adding a lot more. With the Denmark game coming up, here’s one of the photos from the website of Scott Dobie against Denmark. Scott played 6 times for Scotland as a West Brom player all during the tenure of Berti Vogts. Scott made a scoring debut against South Korea in May, 2002 unfortunately South Korea scored four that night.
As for the Denmark game in August remarkably for a Berti friendly we only lost by one goal. Pictured next to Scott is ex- Dundee and Celtic player Morten Wieghorst.
Have a look at the website for more photos

(First posted on Facebook, March 17th, 2016)

Scotland’s five month international hibernation comes to an end later this month with with games against the Czech Republic and Denmark although I have to confess I am a bit disappointed that the visitors to Hampden are not someone more ‘exotic’ – Japan, Morocco, Iran or Turkey would have been nice if they were available.

Strachan’s pragmatic choice of opposition notwithstanding, I blame it all on Tommy Docherty – my somewhat patronising attitude towards Denmark that is. My international ‘awakening’ began in the early 1970s around the time when the Doc guided us to a 4-1victory [Lou Macari, Jimmy Bone, Joe Harper and Willie Morgan] in a world cup qualifier in Copenhagen in October 1972 followed by a 2-0 win [Kenny Dalglish and Peter Lorimer] in the return match at Hampden just four weeks later and so I believed that this was normal/par for the course/the natural order of things etc etc.

Furthermore, twelve months earlier both Celtic and Dundee had defeated Copenhagen opposition in the European Cup [when it was a tournament for real champions] and the [inaugural] UEFA Cup respectively. Back then we had a co-efficient you could hang a wet crombie on as Aberdeen, Rangers and St.Johnstone helped give Scotland a five out of five first round success story.

In our Euro 1976 qualifying group Denmark were again dispatched both home and away – Joe Harper scoring the only goal in Copenhagen in September 1975 before himself and four of his team-mates were banned from playing for Scotland due to an ‘incident’ in a nightclub later that evening.

A month later Denmark were defeated 3-1 at Hampden with Scotland being skippered by Rangers’ legend John Greig in his 44th and final appearance for his country.There is no record however of Lars Bastrup or any of his team-mates being ejected from Glasgow’s Savoy Discotheque that night in a tit-for-tat act of retribution.

And so after the first nine meetings Scotland led by eight victories to one but by the time we were drawn against Denmark in the finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico we were no longer the favourites to win. The pundits seemed to think that our strike force of Frank McAvennie and Charlie Nicholas was no match for Michael Laudrup and Preben Elkjaer-Larsen and so it proved as ‘hyphen-man’ netted the only goal of the game in earthquake-ravaged Nezahualcoyotl.

Scotland qualified for the finals of the 1992 European Championships and Denmark didn’t – but that didn’t prevent the Danes from taking the trophy home with them after they were called up as a late replacement for the fragmenting/war torn Yugoslavia.

We then lost four successive friendly matches against Denmark between April 1996 and April 2004 – two of which were at home – so we’ll gloss over this section which, for the record, can’t all be blamed on Berti.

Our most recent meeting was a friendly at Hampden in August 2011 when only 17,582 [plus media freeloaders] turned up to see the Scots win 2-1 thanks to goals from William Kvist [an own goal obviously] and Robert Snodgrass. As such, Scotland currently lead by nine victories to six.

To add a bit of spice to the 29 March fixture why don’t we put a ‘trophy’ up for grabs? If we win, we get the Faroe Islands, if Denmark win they get the Shetlands and if it’s a draw we can share Rockall.

And finally, isn’t it interesting/annoying to note that during our post-1998 wilderness years, Denmark have appeared at the 2002 and 2010 World Cup Finals as well as the 2000, 2004 and 2012 Euros. Somewhat fittingly, each of those summers I stayed at home and played with my Lego.

Robert Marshall

(First posted on Facebook on March 17th, 2016)

Time for one more birthday. Happy birthday to Lawrie Leslie who turned 81 today. Lawrie played in goals for Scotland in the early 60’s as an Airdrie player. Leslie made his first appearance in the 1960-61 Home International series as Scotland first played Wales in Cardiff and then Northern Ireland in late 1960. Scotland would lose 2-0 to Wales before thumping Northern Ireland 5- 2 in a game that marked the debut of Scotland legend Jim Baxter with goals coming from Denis Law, Eric Caldow, Alec Young and two from Ralph Brand.
I can’t decide if Lawrie was lucky or not to miss the next game through injury as his replacement Frank Haffey, gained immortal infamy after letting in 9 goals against England at Wembley in April, 1961. Who knows what would have lay in store for Lawrie had he been fit.
May, 1961 and a World Cup double header would see Scotland beat the Republic of Ireland 4-1 at home and then 3-0 at Dalymount Park, Dublin.
If Lawrie thought he had begun to establish himself as Scotland’s number one, a 4-0 defeat to group rivals Czechoslovakia in Bratislava put paid to that and Bill Brown of Tottenham was then brought in to take over between the sticks once more.
Leslie would soon leave Airdrie for West Ham and then move to Stoke, Millwall and ending his career at Southend.
Happy Birthday Lawrie and all the best. Incidentally Lawrie was not the last Airdrie player to be capped for Scotland. Who was?

A. Drew Jarvie who was capped three times in 1971

(First posted on Facebook, March 17th, 2016)

Happy birthday also to Alex MacDonald the ex-St.Johnstone, Rangers and Hearts player who turned 68 today. Alex only played one game for Scotland as Willie Ormond tried out an experimental team against Switzerland in April, 1976. Future Scotland stalwarts Alan Rough and Frank Gray also debuted that night, as did Motherwell’s Willie Pettigrew who would score the only goal of the game in two minutes. Tommy Craig of Newcastle, Bobby McKean of Rangers and Des Bremner of Hibs would like MacDonald make their one and only appearance that night too.
Happy Birthday Doddie!

(First posted on Facebook, March 17th, 2016)

Happy Birthday Frank who will be 60 today. Frank was always a bit of an enigma, once he got the ball you just didn’t know what he was going to do with it but credit to him whether he twisted left or to the right or fall on his face, he did have an eye for goal as I’m sure St. Mirren and Celtic fans will testify.
Frank had been signed to St. Mirren by no less a man than Alex Ferguson and it would be Bob Paisley at Liverpool who would fork out £270,000 for him in 1979. Frank would be at Liverpool for less than a year before coming back up to Scotland to play for Celtic for the same fee.
However, although he never played in a League game for the Anfield club, he did gain two Scotland caps as a Liverpool player under another managing legend Jock Stein. He made the briefest of appearances (89th minute) in a Home International match against Northern Ireland in May 1979 at Hampden, coming on for Arthur Graham of Leeds United who had scored the only goal of the game.
He would get to start in a game a fortnight later as a young precocious Maradona ran riot at the legendary game at Hampden, where Argentina won 3-1 and Diego announced his arrival on the World scene with a dazzling display. Once more Arthur Graham would provide Scotland‘s only goal.
So that was it for Frank for over four years until he was recalled to face South American opposition once more in September, 1983 lining up alongside Kenny Dalglish in attack against Uruguay. However, Frank was injured and taken off after only 17 minutes and replaced by Davie Dodds (is elephant man) of Dundee United. John Robertson would open the scoring with a penalty and Frank’s replacement would score in the second half as the Scots won 2-0.
For Frank though this was actually the start of a run of five games in a row. Next up Frank played against Belgium in a Euro Qualifier in October at Hampden coming on as a sub for Charlie Nicholas in the 74th minute. It was Nicholas who scored Scotland’s goal as they drew 1-1.
Scotland were already well out of contention when they faced East Germany in their final group game in the Kurt Wabbel Stadion in Halle. The Scots lost 2-0 with Frank coming on for Paul McStay in the second half as they chased goals with a 2-0 deficit by half time. Eamonn Bannon of Dundee United would pull one back in the 78th minute and that would end the scoring.
Home International action against Northern Ireland followed in December, which saw the Scots lose 2-0 and Frank come off for Mark McGhee of Aberdeen in 60 minutes.
It is obvious that Jock was looking for his next main striker and he would find it, in his next game but unfortunately for Frank as he left the field at half time at Hampden in February 1984 with the Scots leading 1-0 through a Davie Cooper penalty, it would be the last International action he would see. The player who replaced him and the scorer of the winning goal that night as Scotland won 2-1 was no less a player than Maurice Johnston, then of Watford.
Frank of course would go on to play for Celtic for another year or so before heading back down to Love Street way and a return to St. Mirren.
The picture is possibly of the away strip for the 1978 World Cup; I have no idea why Frank is wearing it and the context of this photo, however it is a cracker. Happy Birthday Frank.

David Stuart

(First posted on Facebook on March, 17th, 2016)

Happy Birthday amongst others to Darren Barr, who is the only Falkirk player to play for Scotland in the last 55 years. Darren won one cap in 2008 under George Burley in a friendly against Northern Ireland at Hampden which ended in a nil nil draw (maybe they should have brought Christophe Berra on sooner). Darren came on as a half time substitute for Stephen McManus. Kevin Thomson of Rangers and Kris Commons of Derby were winning their first caps that night also.
Darren currently plays his football with Dumbarton. Happy 31st birthday Darren

As per usual the biennial, so-called free gift associated with the Scotland Supporters Club membership fee is meeting with a mixed response. For 2016 we all received a red SSC polo-shirt with tartan collar and trims and has been likened by some to a Bay City Rollers jersey. Now I quite liked the BCRs but then I say that as someone who, for a short period of time, wanted to be like the Construction Worker in The Village People.

Anyway, the SSC jersey comes complete with tongue in cheek guidance label – ”Wash after every game unless we win” – which was ok hygiene advice when applied to the Berti Vogts friendly matches. One other thing to mention however is that a number of supporters just don’t see red as being a Scotland colour. Our lion rampant and the following description begs to differ.