NATHAN REPAYS MACKAY
poster boys of Scottish football in terms of how they came through the Scottish FA performance schools.
“They’re the first two to come out of the schools to get to that age where they are being picked for Scotland.
“From 12-16, for four years of high school, Nathan was in a performance school with Brian McLaughlin, the Under-17s coach.
“And you can see the difference in terms of technique for these youngsters because they get double the amount of touches of a ball of any kid of that age in Scotland.”
His strength of character has always been there, according to Mackay. He added: “His football ability was never in question, neither was his belief. As well as that passing ability, he always had a streak in him that he wasn’t going to give up.
“When that Croatian winger was running by him again and again he wasn’t giving up.
“More importantly, he was brave on the ball and when he got it, he kept attacking really well.”
That belief is sure to come in handy as Patterson attempts to make the step up to the Premier League with just 26 senior appearances under his belt.
Of that challenge, Mackay said: “He’s not played a lot of senior football, but he has played a very, very high level football.
“If you play for Rangers at Ibrox in front of 45,000 people, then you have to have nerve,
or if you play for Scotland at Hampden and do well and score goals, then you have to have ability. And what he’s got is a belief in his
ability.”
EVERTON’S £16million January signing Nathan Patterson has come a long way since first putting himself on Malky Mackay’s radar.
The former Scottish FA performance director, who now manages Ross County, remembers being immediately impressed by a 16-year-old Patterson.
Mackay (above) recalled: “I watched a tournament and we were playing against Croatia and had a little, skinny right-back playing with size 11 feet.
“I’m thinking, ‘OK, let’s see what this is like’. He was absolutely lovely on the ball and very comfortable, but he had absolutely no strength at all. The Croatian leftwinger was running by him with ease at times.
“But we spoke to the coaches and he was one we felt was Billy
‘Nathan and going to be the
Gilmour are a later of
poster boys developer in
Scottish football’ terms of the body, but he had the talent.”
Mackay credits the SFA’s performance schools programme for Patterson’s technical proficiency, which has earned him a reputation for both scoring and creating goals early in his career.
The defender attended one of seven schools across Scotland that put talented youngsters already attached to clubs through extra daily sessions with qualified coaches.
The former Cardiff boss explained: “Him and Billy Gilmour are the two