England v Scotland: Strachan relishes Wembley clash

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan during the squad announcement. Picture: PA

Although he did not play in one, Gordon Strachan still considers that he was part of a Scotland victory at Wembley by simply being present on the terraces – and, eventually, on the pitch – for the memorable win against England in 1977.

It is in the same spirit of inclusiveness that he has named a 29-man squad for next month’s Teenage Cancer Trust international match against England, as Scotland prepare to return to Wembley for the first time since 1999.

The manager is keen for everyone to be involved and feel part of a significant occasion. However, because it is a step up in competitiveness from a normal friendly international Strachan does not expect there to be a “multitude of substitutions”.

Gary Mackay-Steven. Picture: Greg Macvean

He has been careful not to exclude those who were drafted in at late notice for the successful trip to Croatia earlier this summer, while others who dropped out on that occasion, including Celtic skipper Scott Brown, have returned.

Notably, one player – the former Hearts centre-half Andy Webster – has ‘unattached’ next to his name in the squad list, although whether this will be the case come 14 August remains to be seen.

The domestic season will already have started in Scotland and Strachan is realistic. He knows that not all the players named yesterday are likely to all report for duty. However, the mood is upbeat after June’s 1-0 win over Croatia, which helped the national team rise to 50th place in the world rankings.

The attractive nature of the fixture will also help persuade players to recover from niggles, as will its rarity. No-one will want to miss out on a chance to play in such a high-profile match, particularly when there is no guarantee that it will be played again in the near future.

The countries have not clashed since the last millennium, when Scotland defeated England 1-0 at Wembley but lost 2-1 on aggregate in a Euro 2000 play-off. Strachan stressed yesterday that he is keen for the fixture to be re-introduced on an annual basis, with the proceeds used to help grassroots football on both sides of the Border.

Such co-operation would be in keeping with the new relationship that Strachan senses has developed between England and Scotland, although, perhaps wisely, he wanted to stay out of the political dimension in which some will wish to frame the game, ahead of next year’s referendum vote.

“I’m out of this one,” he said. “Whatever you do you keep it quiet, you vote and that’s it.”

When it was pointed out to him that because he lives in England he does not even get to vote, the Scotland manager added: “Well there you go then, there is no point in asking me.”

He did, though, expand on his reasons for thinking that a fellowship exists between England and Scotland, something that is perhaps helped by the large proportion of the squad who are plying their trade in English football – 22 players out of 29. Strachan thinks it is the same among the fans, who intermingle happily enough when there is no football on, while he also pointed to the inclusive example of the British Army.

“There’s young lads sharing facilities at Camp Bastion from all around Britain, they get on as a group,” he said. “Of course you want to win but there’s a bit of camaraderie because they know each other. And a lot of the Scottish fans are [based] in England so we hope it’s a bit of pantomime, so we can all enjoy ourselves. That’s the hope, because there are other places in the world where it goes over the top and gets a bit serious, and things get a bit nasty in a football ground. But I don’t think there’s been nastiness for years and years at this game.”

Strachan was present as a fan in 1977, when Scotland fans invaded the pitch after a 2-1 win and returned home with a variety of souvenirs. He put this down to mere “exuberance”. He was a Dundee player at the time and on honeymoon. At first he was reluctant to join the others on the pitch. However, encouraged by a policeman of all people, he joined the throng.

“Do I feel red-faced about it now? Not at all,” he said. “My wife and my best man were with me on the terraces and we were the only ones in that section still standing there. A policeman said to us: ‘do me a favour and get on the pitch as you look silly standing there on your own’. So we just joined in. I was only a boy then, 20 years old. It wasn’t like I was an old man. I was glad to be on the pitch, I didn’t wreck anything. Did I swing on the crossbar? I couldn’t reach it!

“But there’s a bit of turf in the garden of a house in Broughty Ferry from Wembley. If the FA [Football Association] want me to pay for it then that’s not a problem. I’ve no idea who lives there now. My brother-in-law bought it off me but I’ve no idea who’s in there now.”

Strachan only played in one Scotland victory over England, when the hosts won 1-0 in 1985 in what was then the Rous Cup. “I was useless and got taken off by Big Jock [Stein],” he recalls. “Richard Gough got the goal but I had a bad game.

“I didn’t play in the win at Wembley in 1981 as I had a hernia injury and was out for eight months. I remember John Robertson scored a penalty, big Alex [McLeish] and Willie [Miller] played as centre backs, and it was a wet day. Davie Provan played the pass through to Stevie Archibald who won the penalty.

“I watched that one on the telly. It’s not the same as being a fan in those circumstances as part of you just wants to be there. You just want to be playing. I was probably feeling sorry for myself.”

He did set up current assistant manager Mark McGhee for the opening goal in a draw against England in 1984.

Asked whether the current crop of players will treat such a fixture with the same reverence, given that so few games between the countries have taken place since the late 1980s, Strachan said: “We’ve got all sort of video clips of the history that they can watch. I was young [for the wins] in 1963 and 1967 but you just know about it. It’s your history.”

Scotland squad to play England:

Matt Gilks (Blackpool), David Marshall (Cardiff City), Allan McGregor (Hull City), Gordon Greer (Brighton and Hove Albion), Steven Hammell (Motherwell), Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Russell Martin (Norwich City), Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic), Andy Webster (Unattached), Steven Whittaker (Norwich City), Charlie Adam (Stoke City), Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), George Boyd (Hull City), Liam Bridcutt (Brighton and Hove Albion), Chris Burke (Birmingham City), Scott Brown (Celtic), Craig Conway (Cardiff City), Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion), James Forrest (Celtic), Gary Mackay-Steven (Dundee United), James McArthur (Wigan Athletic), James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion), Steven Naismith (Everton), Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City), Leigh Griffiths (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Shaun Maloney (Wigan Athletic), Kenny Miller (Vancouver Whitecaps), Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers)