The Scotland Epistles Football Magazine

First posted on Facebook on November 30th, 2016

Happy Birthday to Brian McAllister who had a blink and you’ll miss it, three game Scotland career under Craig Brown in 1997. With Scotland playing a World Cup Qualifier in Belarus on June 8th, 1997, Scotland chose to play two warm up games so that the players weren’t too rusty going into the game.
The first was against Wales in late May at Rugby Park. Making their debuts that day were Christian Dailly who was with Derby County at the time and fellow Wimbledon player Neil Sullivan. McAllister had probably been scouted at the same time as Neil, although he had been with Wimbledon since 1989 he had found it hard to break into the team, however the 1996-97 season would see him play 23 games in total. Brian lined up in central defence alongside Dailly. Scotland would lose one nil to a John Hartson goal just after half-time.
He would be given the full game and come a week later he once more lined up next to Dailly in defence in the Ta’Qali Stadium in a friendly v Malta.
A goal from Christian Dailly and a double from Darren Jackson would see Scotland win but perhaps the loss of two goals would see Brian start on the subs bench for the Belarus game. It would be his namesake Gary McAllister who would score from the penalty spot early into the second half that would give Scotland the three points. Brian would come on for the last twelve minutes.
The 1997-’98 season would see Brian fall out of the limelight at Wimbledon and injury would hamper the rest of his career and see him quit in 2000.
However, those three games in the summer of ’97 would see Panini choose a photo of him for their 1997 SFL set and so future collectors of the stickers will be able to look at his photo and think “Who the hell is that?”
Happy 46th Birthday Brian and all the best.

First posted on Facebook November 28th, 2016

Happy Birthday to Gavin Rae who will turn 39 today. Gavin gained 14 caps in a Scotland career that spanned from being first capped under Craig Brown in 2001 to gaining his last cap in the George Burley era. He would play under four different managers but was never capped by Alex McLeish who signed him for Rangers in 2004. Eight of his caps came as a Dundee player and then 3 each both at Rangers and Cardiff City. Gavin did play in the play off match against Netherlands in 2003 but sadly for him; it was the second leg but he did feature in happier times coming on as a sub in the Kirin Cup win over Bulgaria in 2006.

First posted on Facebook on 26th November, 2016

Sorry to hear of the death of David Provan at aged 75 following a long illness. David played five times for Scotland on 5 occasions.
In the 1960’s there was a clear lineage of full backs that went through the decade, starting with the likes of Duncan Mackay of Celtic and Eric Caldow of Rangers and moving to Alex Hamilton of Dundee, Eddie McCreadie of Chelsea and Tommy Gemmell of Celtic, so it was rare for others to get that chance to shine. David Provan was given that chance on five occasions.
David’s first cap came in October, 1963 under Ian McColl as Scotland faced Northern Ireland in a Home International in Belfast. Scotland lost 2-1 with Ian St. John netting for Scotland, Alex Hamilton of Dundee played full back on the right to David being on the left.
They would be paired up a month later as Scotland and Denis Law in particular ran riot at Hampden against Norway with Denis scoring four goals and Dave Mackay hitting a brace to win 6-1.
Jim Kennedy of Celtic was then given a run in the team for a few games until Eddie McCreadie made his debut in April, 1965 and generally made the left back spot himself.
However, one surmises that injury kept Eddie out of the team in November, 1965 when Scotland faced Italy at home in a vital World Cup Qualifier and so Jock Stein drafted in Provan for the left back position, making their debuts that night were Ronnie McKinnon of Rangers and Bobby Murdoch of Celtic. However, it would be another Rangers player, who would grab the headlines as John Greig scored the only goal in the 88th minute to keep Scotland’s World Cup hopes alive.
John Greig had often been used as a full back for Scotland but with the side depleted by injuries for the away game against Italy; Greig was pushed into midfield and with the right full back position vacant Stein chose Provan once more. In an attempt to confuse the Italians, Scotland started with Ron Yeats of Liverpool wearing the number nine but those crafty Italians got wise to the act, that he was really a centre half and managed to get three past him and the rest of the Scotland defence in Naples. Goodbye World Cup ’66.
David’s final game came in John Prentice’s flawed idea of a line up, when he played a team made of home based players for a friendly v Netherlands featuring no Celtic players; the team who had just won the league. Scotland got pumped 3-0 at Hampden.
David would leave Rangers in 1970 for Crystal Palace where he would play only one game before going on to Plymouth Argyle for five seasons before returning to Scotland and playing briefly for St. Mirren. He would go on to manage for Albion Rovers for years in the late eighties and indeed would lead them to the 1988-89 Second Division Championship.
Rest in peace David and our thoughts are with your family at this time.

First posted on Facebook on November 22nd, 2016

Scotland have only played one match on November 22nd and that was in 1967 against Wales in a match that doubled up as a Home International and a European Nations Cup Qualifier. Scotland had lost the previous game to Northern Ireland in October in Belfast, so would need to beat Wales at Hampden and then defeat England at home in April to qualify.
Bobby Brown gave debut caps to two players. Ronnie Simpson was replaced by another ex-Queens Park goalkeeper in Aberdeen’s Bobby Clark and Jim Craig of Celtic came in for his only Scotland cap replacing his injured teammate Tommy Gemmell. Scotland lined up as follows: Clark (Aberdeen), Craig (Celtic), Eddie McCreadie (Chelsea), John Greig and Ronnie McKinnon (both Rangers), Jim Baxter (Sunderland), Jimmy Johnstone (Celtic), Billy Bremner (Leeds United), Alan Gilzean (Tottenham Hotspur), Willie Johnston (Rangers) and Bobby Lennox (Celtic).
Gilzean would open the scoring in the 16th minute with Ron Davies equalising a couple of minutes later. Alan Durban would put the Welsh in front in the 57th minute but goals by Gilzean and Ronnie McKinnon would see Scotland win 3-2. The attendance for the match was 57,402.
Scotland would fail to beat England in April, ’68 drawing 1-1 and so would not reach the Euro Play-offs.
This night would also see the final Scotland game for Jim Baxter, only two months after his 28th birthday.
The photo is of Jim playing for Scotland against Wales in October, 1966

First posted on Facebook on November 21st, 2016

Born on this day 80 years ago was Alex Hamilton, a fine full back from the Dundee league Championship winning team of 1961-62. Alex played for Scotland on 24 occasions making his debut in November, 1961 in a 2-0 win over Wales, however a few weeks later he was to suffer disappointment with Scotland as they lost the World Cup play-off to Czechoslovakia 4-2 after extra time in Brussels.
Alex’s record against England though was something to be envied; played 4 Won 3 and drawn once. He won 24 caps in total in a 25 game sequence missing out on the 6-2 win at the Bernabeu in Spain due to injury.
Alex’s final game was a World Cup Qualifier defeat to Poland at Hampden
Alex is seen in the photo barefooted celebrating the 1964 win at Hampden with Davie Wilson and Willie Henderson. Behind them is goalie Campbell Forsyth and goalscorer Alan Gilzean with Jim Baxter head just over Hamilton’s shoulder. To the left is Jim Kennedy and John White.
Alex sadly passed away in 1990.

First posted on Facebook on November 20th, 2016

On this day in 1963 Scotland faced Wales at Hampden in the Home Internationals. Scotland had already lost to Northern Ireland the previous month in Belfast; so needed a win to have any chance of winning that seasons championship.
The Scotland line up was as follows: Bill Brown (Tottenham Hotspur), Alex Hamilton (Dundee), making his debut Jim Kennedy (Celtic), Dave MacKay (Spurs / Captain), Billy McNeill (Celtic), Jim Baxter and Willie Henderson (both Rangers), John White (Spurs), Alan Gilzean (Dundee), Denis Law (Manchester United) and Alex Scott of Everton.
John White would score on teh stroke of half-time with Denis Law netting a second just after the restart. Barrie Jones would get one back for Wales in the 60th minute but it was not enough as Scotland saw out the day to send the 56.067 Hampden crowd home happy. Scotland would go on to beat England at Hampden in April ’64 to share the Championship with the Irish and England.
Making his debut in goals at the age of 18 was Gary Sprake who was a major part of the Leeds United team of the 60’s and 70’s. Gary sadly passed away last month.

It’s here and now on eBay. Issue 6 of the Epistles magazine. On sale at £3 plus £1.30 postage.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll…
Also available are all six for £14 including postage
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll…

First posted on Facebook on 20th November, 2016

Happy Birthday to Jamie Smith who will turn 36 today. Jamie was capped twice by Berti Vogts in two games that probably sum up friendlies under Vogts. Scotland lost 2-0 to the Republic of Ireland in February, 2003 in front of a crowd of 33, 337 and two months later lost 2-0 to Austria in front of a crowd of 12,189, both at Hampden. In total Jamie played 32 minutes for Scotland, coming of for Neil McCann v ROI in the 64th minute and for the final six minutes v Austria for Paul Devlin. Jamie was capped as a Celtic player but also played for ADO Den Haag, Aberdeen and the Colorado Rapids and features in our Scotland Players Abroad section on the website. He retired through injury in 2014, like coincidentally a lot of players who were capped under Berti.
Happy Birthday Jamie. (Pity they couldn’t get a Scotland strip to fit him)

Picked up this book a few weeks ago; still not sure what to make of it as I am not a a big fan of poetry. It has poems about Jim Leighton, Jimmy Johnstone, Jock Stein and Argentina ’78 among other things.
However, it does have a great front cover. As to the Scotland football team and poetry I think Rabbie Burns said it best “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley”