Listen and learn from boss, says Gallacher
STEVE CLARKE has a well-earned reputation as a defensive mastermind. A tactical coach who can drill teams into a watertight unit greater than the sum of their parts.
But Kevin Gallacher still remembers the night the current Scotland manager changed an English Premier League game for the better with some unexpected advice for a veteran striker.
Aged 33, Gallacher (below) had already represented Scotland at Euro ’92, Euro ’96 and France ’98. But a man-marking job by Tony Ford of Sheffield United in 1999 had him at his wit’s end until an intervention from Clarke. It is a tale that leaves Gallacher hopeful that the Scotland boss can get the best out of the modest striking options he has at his disposal in the form of Steven Naismith, Oli McBurnie and Lawrence Shankland.
‘I’ve worked with Steve Clarke before and he has a great abundance of knowledge,’ said Gallacher ahead of Scotland’s final two Euro 2020 qualifiers against Cyprus and Kazakhstan.
‘I’ll tell a story. I was 33 years of age at Newcastle and Clarky was there working as a coach. We played a game against Sheffield United and it was the first time in my entire career that I had been properly man-marked.
‘My head was going in circles. I could not understand why I could not shake my marker off. But then Steve pulled me aside at half-time and said: “Forget your position playing behind the strikers. Go and stand wide on a touchline. Play there and take this guy out of the game”.
‘I just needed someone to tell me that. It was not the manager, Bobby Robson. It was Clarky.
‘Sure enough, within five minutes of the second half, I had scored and the boy didn’t know whether he was coming or going. Suddenly there were gaps appearing all over the place. I just thought: “Wow”.
‘At 33 years of age, I thought I had done it all in the game and I thought I knew it all. But I couldn’t lose my man until Clarky gave me a tip which changed it all. He is very clever. He can read games and help with what is happening on the park.
‘With Scotland, we have guys who can score, but it’s not been working out. Maybe tactically these players aren’t aware of getting into the right positions. But if Clarky was passing that stuff onto me at 33, I would imagine he’s also passing it onto our younger generation with Scotland. I just hope they listen to him because he has got the knowledge to make them improve.’
It was Gallacher’s glut of goals during a golden period for him in an international jersey that shot Scotland to their last major tournament, the World Cup in France in 1998.
Desperate to be a
Tartan Army footsoldier at a major finals, he has been left scratching his head and suffering with the rest of the supporters over the last 21 years of failure.
Outright qualification is long gone but Scotland can still reach Euro 2020 — part of which is staged at Hampden Park — via the play-offs secured through the Nations League.
Gallacher’s one hope is that former Liverpool and Chelsea assistant Clarke can get his coaching message across to his group of players by the time those crunch games come around next March.
‘I’ve been to a World Cup as a player, I’ve worked at the World Cup in the media — now I want to go there as a fan,’ said the former Dundee United and Blackburn Rovers forward.
‘But I’ve not been getting that opportunity and it’s strange. I’ve got videos from the World Cup in 1998, the Euros in 1992 and 1996 but now a whole generation of players have not performed on that same stage.
‘Is world football changing? Are the smaller nations getting better? Or are our players not good enough? I think it is bamboozling everyone!
‘I have looked at the last four or five Scotland teams and we have got players on paper who can be very good. But it’s not been working on the pitch. As a coach, Steve will be in there trying to get the best systems.
‘But maybe the players can’t adjust or get good game understanding anymore. You might be playing in the Champions League or Europa League, but international football is another step up and maybe some boys can’t get there. That would be disappointing.
‘But I just wonder if they can understand international football. I think a lot of them need coached within the game. Players these days tend to relate better to a younger manager and Clarky is good at relating to players, but there does seem to be a hurdle holding us back.
‘There was a lot of pressure on the players in the last game against San Marino at Hampden as the team had to come back from the Russia match and losing 4-0 in Moscow. ‘Yes, it was only San Marino but I’ve seen us struggle against them before. I’ve been part of a Scotland team that has struggled to beat San Marino. ‘But last month Scotland had to bounce back from a real setback and they did so by winning 6-0 at Hampden. That shows the lads have something — and hopefully Steve Clarke can get his message over and it starts to click.’