Charlie is still the darling of our rearguard
But Kevin Gallacher reckons the Scotland stopper can snuff out England’s Premier League hit men at Hampden on Saturday.
Gallacher – a titlewinner with Rovers in 1995 – watches his former side week-in, week-out as a match summariser for BBC Radio Lancashire.
He believes Mulgrew has been a shining light in the darkness of Rovers’ relegation nightmare.
With long-standing questions about Scotland’s defence still unanswered ahead of England’s visit, Gallacher insists the former Celtic star could provide the answers.
Asked whether Mulgrew’s chances have been harmed by Blackburn’s descent into the English third tier, he said: “It doesn’t matter. Charlie has got the talent.
“I was a bit sceptical about Charlie when he played in Scotland.
“But I’ve seen him firsthand now at Blackburn and he’s head and shoulders above a lot of players in the Championship.
“He’s got qualities in terms of reading the game that I didn’t think he had.
“He’s been outstanding since he came to Blackburn, and I wouldn’t have any qualms, if I was Gordon Strachan, about putting him in the side.”
He added: “England will probably use the same set-up as last time – 4-3-3 with one up through the middle and two wide.
“Gordon will be looking at that and thinking about how 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. I think Charlie would be quite comfortable in there because he knows the English game.”
Gallacher has first-hand experience of a game against the Auld Enemy at Hampden.
He was a starter as Scotland crashed 2-0 in the Euro 2000 play-offs – and it still rankles,” he said.
“We had one major mishap in the game at Hampden – our defending of corner kicks.
“England tricked us by leaving Paul Scholes back, and nobody was marking that area because in all the homework we’d done, Paul Scholes wasn’t there.
“We tripped up twice and it was a major booboo. We all knew that.”
This time around, England handed the Scots a 3-0 defeat at Wembley in November.
But, in spite of the score, Gallacher reckons Scotland can take heart from their performance.
“To be fair, I thought we battered them. We just didn’t have the edge,” he said.
“The way the game in England has gone now, it’s very European – sit back and counter-attack.
“That’s what they did to us at Wembley. I wouldn’t say there was much between the teams. I think 3-0 flattered them.”