McKENNA SAYS THE WRATH OF MILLER MADE HIM STRONGER
SCOTT McKENNA is too young to remember the days when Aberdeen’s legendary defensive axis of Willie Miller and Alex McLeish ruled the roost in Scotland.
A Dons player since his early teens, the 22-year-old has heard plenty tales of how the duo formed the bedrock of the club’s success under Alex Ferguson in the 1980s and also helped Scotland qualify for World Cup finals.
On a personal level, each has also had a hand in shaping McKenna’s career.
Under McLeish, he has earned his first international caps, the seventh of which came in the national team’s easy win over Albania in Shkoder last night.
If he feels a sense of gratitude to McLeish, with Miller there is slightly more ambiguity.
Even now there is a startled expression on McKenna’s face as he recalls the brutal verbal assessments dished out by a man once renowned for his ability to keep referees fully briefed during matches and who now retains a successful sideline in broadcasting.
‘He was pretty blunt,’ admits McKenna. ‘We were young kids: 14, 15 at the time and he was brutally honest with us. I think you need wakening up at that age.
‘The first couple of weeks everyone was a bit taken aback by how he was. But then we all came to realise he was doing it for our own benefit.
‘If you had done good things, he would praise you but he was the first one to give us negative feedback. It stood us in good stead for going full-time, which is a bit more cut-throat, people shouting and getting on your case. It kind of bridged that gap for us.
‘You can’t let it affect you. If people have negative things to say, you can’t let it swallow you up.’
Miller may have been harsh back then but he is now one of the biggest advocates for McKenna.
‘He coached me for a year or two, so he is probably a bit biased,’ quips McKenna.
‘He will try to take a bit of credit but it is always nice to hear people who have had successful careers come out and say nice things about you.
‘I bump into him sometimes and he is quite honest. He will just give me his thoughts and if I think it is worth taking on, then I will do that.
‘He played at the highest level with Aberdeen and Scotland. The career he had was fantastic.’
Multi-million transfer bids from the likes of Hull City and Celtic suggest Aberdeen won’t be able to hang on to McKenna forever but, while he is unlikely to assert the longevity of a Miller or McLeish at Pittodrie, he is enjoying the opportunity to develop his own defensive partnership with Mikey Devlin.
An ankle injury denied Devlin the chance to make his Scotland debut last night but McKenna admits the pair are determined to translate their club alliance to the international stage.
‘That’s definitely the aim,’ he states. ‘I was out injured when Scotland played Belgium and Albania in September — and I texted Mikey to say that when I got fit we would be getting fully focused on that because I think we can both play at that level.
‘He agreed and we’ve focused on our performances for Aberdeen, knowing that would get us in the squad.’
Although physically imposing, McKenna admits to being something of an introvert when placed in wider company.
Not yet into double figures in appearances for his country, he admits to taking a back seat when conversation is flowing around the team hotel.
‘I am very quiet,’ he concedes. ‘I just sit and listen to what the other boys are saying. In training, I am more vocal.’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Miller who first impressed on McKenna the need to make some noise on the field.
‘He was massive about the positioning and communication of the two centre-halves,’ adds McKenna. ‘He said that if we could get other people working for us then it would make our jobs way easier, which is probably quite true.’
McKenna may not be the loudest but McLeish saw enough in him to award him the captain’s armband on the occasion of his fourth cap, a friendly against Mexico on the summer tour.
‘That was a bit surreal,’ he admits. ‘But it was an honour to be given that responsibility and have the manager show that kind of belief in me. Hopefully, I can manage to do it again.’