6 OF THE BEST
Pulling on Scotland shirt again has made me realise just how much I miss playing
AS a footballer the competitive streak never leaves you.
Even if it’s just battling the likes of Alessandro del Piero, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and Michael Owen to be first in line for the breakfast buffet bar.
But that’s the surreal situation I’ve found myself in this week while on Scotland duty at the Sky Sports Star Sixes tournament.
This tournament at London’s O2 has been a blast from the past – the big-match nerves, going for an afternoon kip before a pre-match meal, popping a few painkillers and then getting the game face on – and I’m loving every minute.
It’s been a while but the butterflies are back and how much have I missed them.
Being down here has taken me back to the big moments in my career, playing for my country or preparing for a Champions League night during my Rangers days.
Today and Sunday are sold out as the O2 indoor arena has a 20,000 capacity. It’s taken me back to my Rangers days and it’s great to experience that type of feeling again.
When I stopped playing professionally I did enjoy the break but this has really got the juices flowing again and it proves there is no substitute to playing.
Dominic Matteo, Don Hutchison, Christian Dailly, Simon Donnelly, Rab Douglas, Paul Dickov, Jackie McNamara, Mark Burchill, Richard Hughes and myself are treating it professionally.
The entire squad are determined to do well. We want to put on a show and we did that on Thursday night with a win against Mexico – I even managed to score.
The games last 20 minutes but I’ve always kept myself fit and I still run four days a week so that has stood me in good stead.
We have all represented Scotland before so it’s also been great to catch up with people and the organisers have rolled out the red carpet.
It’s an event that’s great for dads to take their kids along and say, “He was a great player” and allow them to watch guys who were genuine world stars in their day.
Every squad don’t just have good players, they have superstars. We’re going in against guys who have played at the very highest level and it’s great to go up against them.
The children probably won’t have grown up watching these players so it gives them a taste of what they were like and it’s all done with a bit of showbiz and razzmatazz which helps sell the whole tournament.
Don’t be kidded, it’s also great for us ex-footballers to have the chance to get the boots back on. Being a part of it all has given me the buzz back – big time.
We attended a pre-tournament briefing and the organisers want to take the event to America, China, Asia and Australia. This is the first time the Star Sixes has been put on so it’s the pilot to see how much it kicks off.
The way people want to watch their sport is changing and Star Sixes is trading on the nostalgia. It’s also packaged for live TV with short games and the audience can get wrapped up in it all.
Other sports are realising the format can be successfully changed.
There were thousands watching at Dundonald Links which hosted the first Hero Challenge ahead of the Scottish Open.
It’s a one-hole knockout contest on a specially-created hole which featured Open champion Henrik Stenson and Russell Knox, Patrick Reed, Tyrrell
Hatton, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matt Kuchar, Anirban Lahiri and Alexander Levy. It injected a bit of fun into things and was shown live on Sky Sports. That is another example of catering to the changing appetite of how fans now want to watch sport. It combines the best of the game with a bit of an X Factor and showbiz which is what being involved at the Star Sixes is all about. It’s about keeping the fans’ attention and allowing them to feel a part of what’s going on and the O2 is the ideal venue to generate that type of atmosphere. It’s also about the biggest names in the business. The Spanish squad isn’t just a who’s who, it’s a squad consisting of players I thought were still playing. It’s worrying to see the likes of Carlos Puyol, Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes all looking in as good nick as when they were in their prime. Germany have Michael Ballack, Jorg Albertz and Dietmar Hamann while the French are led by Robert Pires. The names that are here are frightening. The arena where the games are being played is scary. Everything from the pitch, the set-up and the team hotel is of the highest quality. We are fed, watered and lifted and laid, it has taken us back to getting the superstar treatment. It has been superb and shows there’s a shift in sport and how people want to watch it.