Playing in major finals made Malpas ‘a better player’

Former Dundee United defender Maurice Malpas recalls how he cherished playing in three major finals for Scotland.

That is why the 55-year-old Tannadice legend is gutted that the dream of competing in either a World Cup or a Euro Championship looks set to end in despair for the likes of 33-year-old midfielder Darren Fletcher and members of the current squad following yet more misery on the international stage.

Malpas, who won 55 caps, is a veteran of playing on the world stage at Mexico 1986 and Italy four years later, and was also part of the Scotland squad that travelled to Sweden for Euro 92.

And the former United defender is disappointed for his fellow countrymen who have not experienced the highs of playing at a major tournament.

Malpas said: “Guys like Darren Fletcher, for being such a good player never to have played in any major finals – it will be disappointing for him.

“He’s played for Man United and played in the Champions League and he’s been great for Scotland but the poor lad’s never got a chance go to and play and experience a finals.

“As you get older you get greedier and you’re desperate to qualify for things like that. When you’re younger you think, ‘it will happen next time’. Darren has never had the chance to do that.

“Playing at finals made you a better player. I went to Mexico and I was only a kid and I came back a better player.

“In the qualifying games you’re mixing with the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness and you learn from them.

“Then you go away on a trip and you’re in each other’s pocket and you learn. In my day you didn’t know who you were up against in terms of the opposite player.

“You had to learn to play against players, different styles of football. I had never played against a South American team before.”

Maurice Malpas played in two World Cups for Scotland.