James McFadden still dreams of Scotland return

HE USED to love three o’clock on a Saturday and quite a lot of the football masses admired how he could light up a game, but now James McFadden can’t abide match days because, for the moment at least, he isn’t contributing to them.

The attacker last played for the national side in August 2010. Picture: TSPL

“Saturdays are horrible – I don’t know what to do with myself,” the former Motherwell, Everton and Scotland striker admitted yesterday. “I don’t even watch the scores coming in or anything. I’ve got four kids and I’m always taking them to parties and I love doing that but I need to get playing and get my Saturdays back. That’s the day you work to get paid.”

The 48-times-capped player has been without a club since his second spell at Fir Park ended and after the injuries which have blighted his career in recent times some might have wondered if we’d see his like again. But, after helping make the draw for the second round of the William Hill Scottish Cup, the 31-year-old McFadden declared he was ready for his comeback.

“I’m as fit as I’ve been for the last couple of years. For a bit more than a month I’ve been training at Partick Thistle and I feel really good, really sharp.” Was he surprised or frustrated at still being club-less? “That’s partly self-inflicted. I’ve had offers to go here, there and everywhere but they just weren’t right for me. I’ve been picky and now I’m getting a wee bit agitated. I need to get somewhere and get playing games.

“The offers were from every country you could imagine and some of them would have been a hard sell to the wife. I’d have had to take two kids out of school, maybe to a place that isn’t great. Plus, I do want to play in a good league at a good level. Football is my job, my profession, and I love playing the game but I have to look after my family as well and make sure everyone’s happy. I’d be happy to stay in Scotland, that would suit in a lot of ways, but we’ll just have to see what comes up.”

The invite to come and talk to Faddy in Glasgow’s Anniesland was sent out on 12 September and made a point of mentioning that it was seven years to the day since his terrific strike for Scotland beat France in Paris. Seventh anniversaries might seem a bit contrived – and McFadden admitted the date had passed him by – but then it was a very special goal. You might remember that it was a “pass” from Craig Gordon which set him up and McFadden said he was thrilled that at least one hero of that night who was then beset by injuries had managed to come out the other side.

“I’m delighted to see Craig back playing. It was a brilliant piece of business for Celtic to get all that money for Fraser Forster and then bring in Craig for free. I think when you’re out injured people forget about you a wee bit but that spell when we played for Scotland together he was just unbelievable. There’s no reason he can’t get back to where he was.”

What did he think of Scotland now under Gordon Strachan? “They’ve been great. We’re enjoying watching them and we expect to win games now.

“The Germany game we weren’t expected to win because they were such strong favourites but the way the team approached that one it was obvious they didn’t think the Germans were going to get an easy victory. We can now go into any game with confidence we can win.”

He hopes his battle of wounded knee is now over. “I’ll have to manage the knee for the rest of my life, even after I’ve stopped playing, but I’m training on it every day. The sessions are tough and sharp and it’s been fine.”

He wouldn’t thank you for a plastic pitch – “I don’t like them; the ball slides rather than rolls” – and let’s face it, as one of the most artful players to have worn the dark blue in the last decade, he knows what he’s talking about.

A Scotland return one day? He still dreams. “Time may be running out but if I can get back playing then yes I do believe it is possible.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Football Association president Campbell Ogilvie said yesterday he was “optimistic” of Scotland’s chances of hosting matches at Euro 2020 despite criticism of the bid from Uefa. A report last week mentioned a lack of “clarity” in the bid and described the commercial aspect as “inadequate”. A decision is expected on Friday and Ogilvie added: “I’d have liked our report to be more positive but if you look at all the reports there is something in each of them.

“You’ve got to be optimistic. There will be 13 chosen from 19 but the bids have come down from 32 countries.”

Asked if he thought the success of the Commonwealth Games could boost the chances of Hampden staging four 2020 matches, he said: “Very much so. The Commonwealth Games came after the formal documentation was lodged but we updated it and Uefa are aware of the Games and what they did for Glasgow.”