Mcghee is em barking on a manager’s course, 28years after becoming a manager
Mark Mcghee was a manager with 10 clubs in Scotland and England over 28 years, handling a total of 974 games. But last Wednesday, he started from scratch again by beginning a two-year degree course – in football management!
The former Reading, Leicester City, Wolves, Millwall, Brighton, Motherwell, Aberdeen, Bristol Rovers, Motherwell (again), Barnet and Eastbourne Borough boss – who also spent four years as No. 2 to Gordon Strachan with Scotland – has gone back to basics.
He has joined forces with superstars Rio Ferdinand and Andy Cole in a bid to prevent young footballers from being seduced by sophisticated fraudsters.
“I’ve become involved with a bunch of former players down south in the Phoenix Sports and Media Group,” Mcghee, who now lives in Brighton, revealed. “It was started by a bunch of players – including Rio, Andy, Michael Thomas and Rod Wallace – who lost millions of pounds in 2015 after being persuaded to participate in a scheme which centred on tax breaks for money invested in the British film industry. “There were dozens of players and managers involved, and the police launched a criminal investigation into the asset management company. “The Financial Conduct Authority no longer recognises it, which means they’re no longer able to advise anyone. But the damage had been done. “However, some of the boys who’d lost their cash wanted to prevent that happening to other players. So they formed Phoenix. “It’s managed by Carly Barnes, the wife of Craig
Short, the former Everton and Blackburn centre-half, who was also scammed. “She’s a lawyer, and she helped the other guys to put together a package for young pros, highlighting the dangers of losing their money and helping them to be sensible with their investments. “But it’s evolved and become more than just that. “We also talk to them about business and leadership, and those are the sort of things I was looking to become involved with anyway.
“So when they asked me to come on board, it was an easy decision. Some aspects of what we’re doing is government-funded, and you need certain qualifications to claim that funding.
“As a result, I’ve just begun the League Managers’ Association’s diploma in football management at Liverpool University.
“It’s basically a degree course in the game. I wouldn’t have bothered normally but, since I’m not doing anything else, I thought: ‘Why not?’” Mcghee’s involvement with the LMA has taken him into some previously-uncharted territory for football men. He continued: “They organise events for members, and the guest list is like a Who’s Who of the unemployed! “Earlier this year, I was at the Army’s own leadership course at Sandhurst – a conference with 1,000 senior military men – and it was fantastic. “Some of the stuff that was being discussed there was mind-boggling.
“You get to listen to some very interesting people, and one of the senior commanders questioned the British Government’s attitude to automatic weapons systems. “You don’t get that kind of stuff on coaching courses at Largs!”