WHEN Stuart McCall tunes in to the Euros he will remember a famous TV interview about Gazza and a funny story with his beloved Corrie.
The 59-year-old former Scotland midfielder started every game in the 1992 and 1996 tournaments but failed to progress past the group stage on both occasions.
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And one of his clearest memories is a battle with England legend and then Rangers team-mate Paul Gascoigne in the 2-0 defeat at Wembley 28 years ago.
McCall said: “Me and Gazza traded alongside each other at Rangers for nearly three years and I did a TV interview the night before the game.
“I said my daughter wanted a 3-3 draw, with me to score a hat-trick and Gazza to score a hat-trick.
“As I walked to the locker room at half-time, I heard the crash of tacks on the concrete.
“It was Gazza and I hadn’t spoken to him before or during the game.
“He gave me the shirt and said, ‘This is for your little girl,’ and then he kept running.
“He had seen the interview, I hadn’t even asked.
“So I put the shirt in my bag and didn’t tell anyone.”
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McCall shared space with midfielder John Collins on international duty – and it led to a TV showdown.
He explained: “We watched TV in our room and every time the adverts came on, John would do push-ups and sit-ups.
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“I got a bit fed up with it and – although Coronation Street was my favorite show – I made sure to watch the BBC all night so he couldn’t exercise. He was a machine!
McCall was also Gordon Strachan’s No2 between 2013-17 and has worked with several of the stars who current Scotland manager Steve Clarke will take to Germany this month.
And he is sure they can achieve the success he was denied in the 1990s.
McCall added: “We’re not in the best form but these guys have the chance to go a step further than any Scottish player has ever done.
“There will be thousands of Scots there and there will be an opportunity to go far.
“Steve and the players will look back on the last few euros as a missed opportunity, but now they have another chance to make history – and they can do it.”
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Harry Maguire
“The decision about Harry [Maguire] It’s completely about your physical condition and your recovery from the injury. There is no other reason, as he is one of our strongest central defenders.
“Harry has made some progress, but it has been difficult and we wouldn’t have had him in the group stage. There were many obstacles to overcome without knowing where we could get to.
“Knowing that we don’t have a clean bill of health in the rest of the defense, we need players who are fit and ready to play from the start.
“It was a very difficult decision, you know how I feel about Harry, what he did for England and for me as a manager.”
Jack Grealish
“I just had a very difficult conversation with a guy who is devastated.
“I think his world was a child. “It certainly doesn’t get any easier.
“You put yourself in the shoes of a player, a father. You understand that for these players this is a devastating time.
“We knew we had some really tough days ahead.”
James Madison
“Madders [Maddison] and Jack [Grealish] It would also have given us something different and they were difficult decisions.
“These are calls that we have repeated over and over again as a group of employees to try to be fair and try to use the right reasoning.
“We support our decisions, but recognize that we could have followed a different path. The boys are great characters, fabulous teammates and great guys to work with.
“It’s sad to have to break this news to them.”
Jarrad Branthwaite
“It’s a little early for Jarrad [Branthwaite]. He had a fabulous season, it was good to get him on the field that night.
“But of course, in an ideal world, we would like to have that left-handed balance. For him to be ahead of the others, I don’t think it would have been the right decision at this stage.”
Jarell Quansah
“Jarell Quansah stayed with us. He hasn’t had the experience of an England international at Wembley. It will be great for him to be with us in the game.
“I hope we don’t have to call anyone else.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
