IT’S MY DREAM COME BLUE
Faddy is desperate for brand new hero to take his mantle as saviour of the nation
James McFadden was idolised by the Tartan Army for his uncanny ability to conjure up those special moments.
Even in poor Scotland teams, Faddy was the talisman.
His iconic winning strikes against both France and Hol land have cemented his place in our national game’s folklore.
Now that he’s part of Alex McLeish’s backroom team, McFadden wants someone else to take over his mantle.
In fact, he’s desperate for some of Scotland’s new breed to put their name up in lights at Hampden – just like he did.
Leigh Griffiths did his best at the end of the World Cup 2018 campaign with two memorable free-kick goals against England.
Even that game ended in disappointment when Harry Kane equalised late on for a 2-2 draw.
McLeish, McFadden and assistant coach Peter Grant are trying to build a young, vibrant Scotland team to bring back the good times.
They want a collective group who will fight for each other in a bid for success.
But Faddy admits that even if they achieve that they will still need a hero to come to the fore and grab the limelight.
As we prepare for a Nations League campaign which kicks off next month against Albania at Hampden, the 35-year-old said: “The challenge for the young players we’ve got is to go and make a name for themselves in a Scotland shirt.
“When you are a young boy growing up you dream of scoring a winning goal at Hampden for your country or in a cup final or even in the Champions League.
“That’s what you dream of and I was lucky enough to do it for Scotland.
“For the kids now, that has to be their aim. We’re trying to build a young, exciting side and hopefully it will be a team effort.
“But even within that, someone might have to step up and grab the glory. Someone has to score the winning goal.
“Everyone should want to be the hero and hopefully we can find someone to do that.
“We have to find a way of scoring goals, whether it’s through a set-piece, patterns of play or someone popping up unexpectedly, which is even better.
“I am excited about what we can achieve because of the players we have at our disposal.
“With the guys in contention to start for Scotland now, we are very strong.”
McLeish’s men wil l gear up for the Nations League opener with a friendly against Belgium at Hampden.
On the pitch it will be a huge test for them against superstars such as Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Jan Vertonghen.
Off it, McFadden can’t wait to lock horns in the technical area with his former Motherwell team-mate Roberto Martinez who led Belgium to third place in the World Cup.
He said: “Belgium will be a tough game but we might learn more against a team like this.
“We all want to get to major tournaments and sides like Belgium will be there so we’ll have to play them eventually. It is the same with Portugal coming up in October.
“We’ve just played Mexico, Peru and Costa Rica, teams who gave a great account of themselves in the World Cup.
“That’s who we want to come up against. It’s about giving the players experience against the bigger nations.
“I played with Roberto, we were in the same team at Motherwell.
“He came in as an older head when I was a young player at Fir Park.
“He was a great guy and brilliant for the dressing-room.
“He was a tidy footballer and you can see why his teams play the way they do.
“Roberto was always approachable as a young player if you needed any advice and it’s great to see him doing so well.
“We got on well and he was a good laugh at Motherwel l. His dress sense was appalling – but he didn’t think so. He thought everyone else was jealous!
“Even then he did a lot of work for Sky TV on the Spanish football, doing the punditry.
“That was a sign that he would become a manager. He was always interested in speaking about that side of the game. “I played against his Swansea team and he started their footballing philosophy before Brendan Rodgers took it on.
“Whenever I’ve met him we’ve always had a warm embrace and I have good memories of our time together at Motherwell when I was still trying to learn the game.”
McFadden is fully immersed in the Scottish game, combining his coaching with media work for Sky.
He’s convinced that, despite Celtic’s early Champions League exit last week, the product is good north of the border. McFadden is delighted that the likes of Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs are all getting stronger and insists that is why Scotland should be confident about progressing past the likes of Israel and Albania.
McFadden said: “Contrary to the belief outside Scotland, our league is strong. We’re happy with the players in the national squad.
“We have guys in the English Premier League and Championship who we know are good enough, even though some clubs down there turn their noses up at us.
“Rangers have got stronger this season. They’ve gone further in Europe than they did last year and have started well.
“It’s great to see Scottish players at Ibrox doing well – Ryan Jack for instance has been excellent since Steven Gerrard came in.
“We need a strong Rangers because we want a strong league. It bodes well for us as a country.
“I know Celtic have gone out of the Champions League but they still have good Scottish players.
“It’s disappointing from the Scottish game’s point of view but if they get through the Europa League play- off there are tough teams in there as well.
“As long as they’re in European competition, it will help us.
“Celtic have been dominant in Scotland but as well as Rangers and Hearts improving, Aberdeen are trying to get better and Hibs are a strong side.
“From the national team’s point of view, in this Nations League we’re playing against two teams in Israel and Albania who – unusually for us – we’re expected to beat.
“We should finish above them. That has to be the belief we carry into the campaign. It’s a great chance for us to get a guaranteed play-off spot and we’ll do everything we can to make sure that happens.”
Someone has to step up to grab the glory and score the winner