SCOTLAND v ENGLAND
The Blackburn and 53-cap Scotland legend looked on despondently from his radio commentary perch last month as his old side plummeted out of the Championship.
But the former Rovers striker absolved Mulgrew of blame and instead insists he was one of the league’s top operators.
Gallacher, who lined up the last time Scotland made a World Cup finals in 1998, said: “The relegation doesn’t matter – Charlie has the talent.
“I was a bit sceptical about Charlie when he played in Scotland. But I’ve seen him first hand at Blackburn and he’s head and shoulders above a lot of players in the Championship.
“He has qualities in terms of reading the game I didn’t think he had. He has been outstanding since he came to Blackburn Rovers and I wouldn’t have any qualms – if I was Gordon – about getting him into the side.
“He’s played centre mid for Blackburn, centre-half, in a back three and he has never looked out of place. He also has the odd free-kick up his sleeve.
“A lot of people were surprised when they saw him coming up to take corners for Blackburn from centre-half but the quality is there.
“You’d expect to see him in the middle because of his height but they use him to put it into areas to good effect.
“It’s other areas of the park where Blackburn let themselves down.
“England will probably use the same set-up as last time – 4-3-3 with one up through the middle and two wide.
“They will all interchange, they are all lightning quick and they can all play in each of those positions. Gordon will be looking at that and thinking about what he can do to combat it.
“Will he play three at the back? I don’t think so, not against three strikers. He might go for five at the back, looking to draw them in and hit on the counter attack.
“But we played four at Wembley and caused England massive problems – we just couldn’t get that first goal.
“I don’t see why we should change to anything else and Charlie would be quite comfortable in there because he knows the English game.”
Gallacher isn’t surprised, though, to see ex-Blackburn stopper Grant Hanley, 25, left out of Strachan’s squad.
The 27-capped defender started five league games at Newcastle this season and Gallacher said: “Grant still has a lot to learn about the defensive side of the game. It’s about decision-making.
“But he’s still young. He’ll probably be about 26 or 27 before the penny drops about how good he is.
“People think he’s a slow player but when he turns and gets his legs open he’s rapid quick. Turning with a striker is maybe a part of his game he still needs to work on.
“But at international level now there are very few strikers who will run beyond you. It’s all marking in front.”
Gallacher’s own experience against On paper this should be a mismatch. It’s the Premier League’s hottest striker against a mid-table Championship club’s makeshift centreback. But Martin Alli has reinvented the No.10 role according to Gordon Strachan in that he doesn’t just play in the hole. The 21-year-old is a major goal threat and Brown will have a job on his Griffiths lacked a bit of composure in front of goal at Wembley and will want to put that right. He’s in good form to do so having finished the season as Celtic’s first-choice might just be able to bridge the gap by knowing exactly what to expect having played alongside Kane during the striker’s brief loan spell at Norwich. hands tracking Alli’s movement. But the Celtic man fears no one and if he shows the swagger he has had all season he can give Alli something to think about. frontman. Cahill will not be fazed coming to Glasgow after a decent campaign with title winners Chelsea but let’s hope Griffiths’ mobility can plant a seed of doubt. the Auld Enemy wasn’t a happy one as a 2- 0 Euro play-off defeat at Hampden in 1999 was made worse by the yellow card that kept him out of the return.
He said: “That was just at the start of diving creeping into the game and Michael Owen had a wee dive.
“Unfortunately the ref thought I’d caught him and gave me a yellow card.”
Scotland won 1- 0 at Wembley four days later, the last competitive game between the two until England sealed a 3- 0 victory in November. And Gallo is convinced the Three Lions will come to Hampden looking for they didn’t out seven the burial quite car r y months ago.
He said: “They will want to r ub sa l t in the wounds. The y won’ t come up here to lie back and let Scotland f inish second – there’s no chance of that.
“They don’t care who’s in front of them, whether it’s Scotland, Lithuania or whoever – they just want to steamroller you. But I don’t think we have to fear them. They’re not masterful.”