McFadden passes baton to Snodgrass
Former talisman backs friend to eclipse his own legend and lead team to big stage, hears Graeme McGarry
TALISMAN. Noun. Something that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck. Over eight years in the dark blue of Scotland, James McFadden certainly fulfilled the first part of the definition, although luck and the national side have always had a complicated relationship.
Regardless, when McFadden’s name is mentioned this one particular term is sure to follow, encapsulating the gallus swagger with which he carried the weight of expectation as Scotland’s main creative force along with the throwback style of a Jim Baxter or Jimmy Johnstone. Of course, the player himself would never claim parity with those particular legends of our game.
What he undoubtedly did have though was that ethereal quality that gets fans out of their seats and so endeared him to the Tartan Army. So much was expected of him every time he pulled on the dark blue, and boy did he deliver as he picked up his 48 caps.
Of his 15 goals for his country, undoubtedly the one that sticks in the memory is his thunderbolt that deceived Mickael Landreau and handed the Scots victory over world champions France at the Parc des Princes. The ninth anniversary of that iconic moment ticked past during the week, while the sixth year since McFadden last represented his country came and went too this month.
During that time, Scotland’s longsuffering supporters have been pining for a new hero. And finally, in Robert Snodgrass, they may have found him. He’s taken a little longer to truly arrive on the international scene – due in part to some horrendous injuries – but McFadden, who lit up Hampden as a precocious teenager, sees plenty of similarities with himself.
Both players had their misadventures, let’s say, as young players. They have similar playing styles, and perhaps most importantly in McFadden’s book, his friend possesses the same relish to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the Tartan Army’s hopes and dreams.
“I’ve known Snoddy for a while, he’s a great guy,” McFadden said. “He works hard. He’s a great team-mate and we’re getting the rewards of it now. Hopefully for the next four or five years, or however long he plays for, he’s going to be the man who pops up with the goals.
“I wouldn’t say he’s a massively different type of player from me. He’s left-footed, he can play anywhere across the front, he comes up with a goal as he’s shown. “He’s come back from a bad injury and he looks hungry to go and do well and a guy that’s enjoying every second of every game he plays. “It has given the squad a lift. He’s come back and scored a hat-trick and done well in the Premier League, scoring a few goals. Ultimately, the country will look to him to be the man who’s going to bring the goals and he’s the ideal guy for it. He’s level-headed, good about the place and a great player.
“If you look at all the club sides he’s been at, he’s been the talisman for them and he’s been the man to produce something out of nothing. He’s going to be the guy for us.
“I enjoyed [that role]. I didn’t see it as any kind of burden. It was a great feeling for me, people wanting me to do well. I know we never qualified [for a major tournament], but we had a great team. I wasn’t a stand-out player. It just so happened that I maybe scored the goal or was involved in something.
“I played in decent teams and that gave me a platform to maybe go on and score the winning goal or be that man everyone hoped I was going to be.”
When as a 19-year-old, McFadden infamously missed the team flight home after a boozy night out in Hong Kong following his Scotland debut, there were fears his international career might have been over just one cap in.
The much-maligned Berti Vogts handled his “cheeky boys” misdemeanour well though, and if anything, it added to his legend. McFadden thinks Snodgrass has the advantage of being similarly relatable to the average Scotland supporter, and hopes he can achieve an even higher status than he did in their eyes by helping to carry the nation to a major championship.
He said: “If you make a mistake and you are lambasted for it and don’t get a chance to redeem yourself then you never know, but if it’s dealt with in the right manner it gives you the platform to prove to people that you are not that person, but also to pay back all the people who have given you the second chance.
“I could deal with the press and getting slaughtered by people. My family were great with me, Berti Vogts was excellent and Tommy Burns was excellent. That was all I needed. I needed reassurance from the manager, the coach and my family. He said, ‘forget about it’, and I did. I was that type of person.
“It made people want me to do well. It was definitely a positive in the end because it made me look normal, which I was anyway.
“There’s a fair few of the Tartan Army who have missed their flights as well! It was one of those things you put down to experience. I learned from it and made it a positive. Snoddy’s the same. He’s had problems when he’s younger but you forget about that now. All you talk about is how good a player he is, how good a professional he is and how good a guy he is. Hopefully, he’s going to be the man to fire us to the World Cup.”