Scots win would be one of best ever – McGhee
Scotland assistant manager Mark McGhee believes victory over England on Saturday would be as significant a result as any in the national team’s history.
McGhee feels the importance of the world’s oldest international fixture remains undiminished 145 years after the teams first met at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground.
But the implications for Scotland could be major as they seek to re-establish themselves as challengers for a place at the World Cup finals in Russia next year.
Manager Gordon Strachan’s job was in doubt after Scotland lost 3-0 at Wembley in November to leave them on four points from their opening four matches, but a positive performance and a late triumph over Slovenia in March kept their hopes alive.
A victory for Scotland would give them real cause for optimism going into their final four Group F fixtures.
“It would be as important as any,” McGhee said. “There would be other games, Cardiff (1-1 draw in 1985 to qualify for World Cup play-off ) and all these places where we had magnificent results. But I think it would be up there.
“I hear people say the present England are not a great team. They are a good team and they have great players, and one of these days they are going to be a great team, and we have to guard against it not being Saturday.
“It’s a big, big challenge for us but if we could achieve the right result it would be up there with those sort of performances.”
McGhee, who won the European Cup Winners’ Cup as well as four Scottish league titles and five Scottish Cups as a player, reiterated that his goal in a 1-1 Hampden draw against England in 1984 was “the best moment of my career without any shadow of a doubt”.
And the former Aberdeen, Celtic and Newcastle striker feels the Auld Enemy rivalry remains intact.
“I don’t think it’s changed,” the 60-year-old said. “I know a lot of English players – not all of the ones that are playing on Saturday, of course, but I know a lot of English players – and their attitude isn’t really any different player from the Scottish players.
“It’s a big game for both nations, that rivalry is still there. We feel it in the camp, the way the boys talk about it.
“A lot of them are going back to clubs where they are facing their English colleagues and don’t want to go back with anything but a victory. I don’t think it has changed since my day. I still feel it’s very important to us all.”
The June 10 date has given both managers some challenges in maintaining the fitness of their players after a long season and varied finishing dates.
McGhee said: “We have been preparing as best we can. We always try to bring a bit of innovation, we always try to make sure it’s fresh, whatever we do on the training field and what we do in the backroom with the video analyst.
“We have a group of players who don’t show any effect from a long season. They all look fit, they all look sharp.
“They are honest, they are determined, and I think they will give the best they possibly can.” McGhee confirmed that all 24 players were fit, including Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths, who sat out training on Monday.