MCCLAIR: MY TROPHY TALLY IS TWO SHORT DUE TO REFS
Brian McClair used the double dose of League Cup Final pain he endured at Celtic to help him become the ultimate winner at Manchester United.
The Scot won 14 honours in a remarkable 11 seasons at Old Trafford.
He’s the only player to net over 100 goals for the Hoops and United – AND score in League Cup finals at both Hampden and Wembley.
But he insists he was short- changed by two trophies during his time at Celtic by bad refereeing.
McClair conjured up the Reds’ winner in April 1992 against Nottingham Forest for United’s first success in that competition, which became a building block in Sir Alex Ferguson’s dynasty.
But just two weeks before his switch from Aberdeen to Old Trafford in November 1986, Fergie would have sat at home watching McClair underline his talent.
The former Motherwell str iker scored Celtic’s equaliser in a controversial 2-1 League Cup Final defeat to Rangers.
Celtic had Mo Johnston and Tony Shepherd sent off, prompting McClair and his team-mates to confront ref David Syme.
The whistler’s dreadful performance later saw boss Davie Hay declare that he hoped Celtic moved to England because it would be the only way to get fairness.
Hay also lost another controversial League Cup Final 3- 2 to Rangers in March 1984, with McClair scoring a sublime equaliser.
And the 30-times capped Scotland star’s biggest regret is that Syme denied him a League Cup medal during four years at Celtic that saw them crowned champions in 1986 and win the 1985 Scottish Cup.
He said: “That was all about a bad referee. He and the linesmen were so poor.
“They were the reason Celtic lost. They lost control at the end when we had two sent off.
“It was an injustice and at the end you were frightened to tackle anyone. I know it’s fashionable to diminish the importance of the League Cup – but I feel that it is an important trophy.
“Some never appear in a f inal again. I am sure Shepherd at Celtic didn’t.
“Who compensates him for what he lost? Then in the 1984 final Rangers got two soft penalties and won 3-2.”
These days VAR might sor t out the mess but McClair, now 59, believes it is “killing the passion of the only people who matter, players and fans”.
He said: “Scoring a winner is special. It should not be given a two-minute check.”
After their League Cup success in 1992, United went on to clinch their first title for 26 years in 1993.
McClair added: “Our League Cup win over Forest was celebrated l ike the other trophies just before, the FA Cup in 1990 and Cup Winner s’ Cup beat ing Barcelona 2-1 in 1991.
“That’s the way the players felt and the manager’s message was clear on that.
“I got man of the match as I scored after a lovely move with Ryan Giggs.”
But McClair got a wake-up cal l f rom Ferguson in 2006 while he was head of United’s academy.
He said: “We were later discussing the League Cup Final we lost to Sheff ield Wednesday in 1991. ‘ That was your fault we lost’, Fergie told me.
“John Sher idan wa s supposed to be my man and he scored. I couldn’t believe I was getting a Fergie Hairdryer 15 years later.”