McManus aims to finish salvage job

THAT Scotland still retain any hope at all of reaching the European Championship finals is down to the dramatic contribution of one man to their stuttering Group I campaign.

Had Stephen McManus not risen in the 97th minute at Hampden 13 months ago to head the ball beyond Liechtenstein goalkeeper Peter Jehle, the obituaries would already have been written on Craig Levein’s bid to lead his squad to Ukraine and Poland next summer.

The big Middlesbrough defender’s improbably late goal completed an agonising come-from-behind 2-1 victory for the Scots against the group minnows, sparing Levein from presiding over what would have been arguably the most humiliating result in the country’s international history.

McManus is back in the Scotland squad for the first time in a year, his return coinciding with Saturday night’s return fixture against Liechtenstein in Vaduz where another three points are imperative to retain the prospect of finishing second in Group I and claiming a spot in next month’s play-offs.

A man who has never given the impression of being weighed down by an ego, even during the trophy-laden spell with Celtic which saw him become club captain, McManus is typically dismissive of the notion he may prove to have been Scotland’s Euro 2012 saviour.

“Anyone could have come in and got that goal against Liechtenstein that night,” he says. “You are speaking to the wrong guy if you want airs and graces about it.

“Yes, on a personal note it was great to score for my country that night. It was a feeling of joy and relief, everything rolled into one. From that point of view, it was one of my best moments. But the most important thing was that we won the game, it doesn’t matter who scores.

“I didn’t think about what would have happened if it stayed at 1-1. When you are playing, the only thing on your mind is trying to win the game. But I do remember that, when I was at Celtic, I used to think that if it wasn’t a great result for Scotland, then it wasn’t great for the lads who were going back down south to their English clubs. I’m one of them now.”

Having initially moved to Middlesbrough on loan in January 2010, McManus completed a permanent £1.5 million transfer to Teesside six months later. It looked as if he may have cause to regret it when Gordon Strachan, the manager who signed him for ‘Boro, was replaced by Tony Mowbray, the man who moved him on from Celtic.

But McManus is now an integral part of Mowbray’s side who are challenging at the top of the Championship after last season’s dismal mid-table finish which saw them flirt with relegation to League One for much of it.

“Looking from the outside, everyone seemed to think there had been a massive fall-out between Tony and myself at Celtic,” reflects McManus. “But that wasn’t the case at all. He was always good to me.

“When the prospect of the loan move to Middlesbrough came up, he said ‘Look, it’s your call, you can go or stay’. I just felt it was the right time to leave for a new challenge.

“But at the back of your mind, there’s always that wee doubt over whether it could have worked out better for me if I’d stayed at Celtic.

“It was probably on Tony’s mind as well, because he actually pulled me aside on his first day at ‘Boro to talk to me about it. He has been absolutely first class with me.

“The move has been brilliant for me. I’d only ever known one thing in my career, having been brought up at Celtic in the Old Firm environment, with the intensity of the media scrutiny and the demands of the supporters.

“It’s only when you leave that you see the other side and realise that football’s not all about that. I also used to watch players who moved to the Old Firm from smaller clubs and then get caught up in it all, which was interesting.

“I’d achieved quite a bit at Celtic. If someone had said to me at 15 that I’d even play one minute for Celtic, I’d have bitten their hands off. So you are proud of what you’ve won and nobody can ever take that away from you.

“There was a bit of turmoil at Celtic when I first went down to Middlesbrough and it was the chance for me to experience something new, something fresh. I’ve enjoyed playing in different grounds against different teams and players.

“We have been going along alright so far this season, it’s certainly been different to last season. We’ll just keep going and if we are in the mix at the top of the table at the end of the season, that’s what we want.”

Out of sight had also looked as if it was out of mind for McManus as far as Scotland was concerned. He had not been involved in the squad since playing in the 3-2 Hampden defeat against Spain 12 months ago. An ankle ligament injury, which sidelined him from November to March, meant he had to work his way back into Levein’s plans.

“The manager was great with me throughout,” said McManus. “He’d called me before naming his squad for the Faroes friendly last November and said he was going to go with younger players, but that I’d be back the next time. But then I went out a few days later and picked up the injury.

“I thought my season was over, but managed to come back in March and play until the end of the season. I’m just really pleased to be back involved. Like every other player, I want to do everything I can to try and get Scotland to the finals of a major tournament.”

Should they yet find a way to do that in this campaign, then McManus will be the man to thank.