WHO IS THE ONLY SCOTSMAN TO SCORE IN A WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL? It wasn’t Kenny Dalglish, who despite his God-given talent could never take his country past the group stages. Nor was it…
Tag: scotland
Illustration by Federico Manasse Kenny Dalglish is a man of contrasting qualities. He’s a deceptive five foot eight inches, yet immense in stature. He is often adorned with a seemingly prickly demeanour,…
ON A COLD AND WET DAY in February 2000, Celtic lost 3-2 at Parkhead to Hearts, meaning the Scottish giants had gone three league games without victory. That is enough to send shivers…
FIFTY OF SO YEARS AGO, the Galapagos Giant Tortoise was a species on the brink of extinction. Human expansion, destruction of indigenous land to make way for agriculture and an amount of…
IN MAY 1986 at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, Atlético Madrid and Dynamo Kyiv met in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, with Dynamo winning 3-0 under the guidance…
Illustration by Dan Leydon. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram I’M OFTEN ASKED a question that, upon the reception of the answer, my inquisitor appears somewhat perturbed. The question is a common…
A witty, jovial man, Jimmy Johnstone stands tall as arguably Celtic’s greatest player; a great dribbler who tormented a generation of defenders
For more than half a century, a few managers from the West of Scotland had a huge influence on British and European football. From Matt Busby in the 1950s to Sir Alex Ferguson,…
This feature is part of The Masterminds GOOD FOOTBALL TEAMS require direction and leadership. The captain functions as the on-field general, rallying the troops in the heat of competition. The manager is…
Many believe that the last great Battle of Britain took place between Rangers and Leeds in 1992. This is the story of an epic two ties
Discussions of pioneering black athletes almost inevitably descend into common tropes about breaking race barriers, facing racial slurs of unmentionable evil and overcoming professional prejudices. A complete absence of such experiences makes…
There was a time when Scotland boasted some of the world’s best players. We rewind back to their memorable adventure at Argentina 78 under the divisive Ally MacLoed, and with the likes of Dalglish, Souness and Robertson amongst their ranks.
In the long and illustrious history of Scottish football, few wingers were better than John Robertson. We celebrate the unheralded genius who won two European Cups at Nottingham Forest and who Brian Clough jokingly dubbed “the fat bloke on the wing”.
There may not be a clearer contrast in the career of one man at a club as there is with Graeme Souness at Liverpool, from legend to villain
This feature is part of The Masterminds “EVERY MANAGER DIES a little during a game. I’d rather die in a dug-out than moulder away in a director’s box.” Jock Stein, speaking in 1978. Many…
Arriving as a relative unknown with little backing in the press, Lubomir Moravcik went on to establish himself as one of Celtic’s greatest players
REAPING IMPROVEMENT AND SUCCESS year after year is a tricky scheme to accomplish for even the very best and most capable of managers and players. Simply put, the art of long-standing perfection…
The feature is part of The Masterminds GREAT MANAGERS HAVE A WAY WITH WORDS AND WIT. They are governed by a sense of honesty to put their craft and players before all…