Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish must look back at his second spell in charge in Scotland and wonder why he bothered other than for his work bringing in Scott McTominay that is.
The Man Utd powerhouse has his flaws, however, seven goals in a single qualifying campaign has been the difference in getting Steve Clarke and his squad to a second European Championships in succession.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, Alex McLeish explained the trials and tribulations it took to make sure Scott McTominay didn’t have his head turned by anyone else.
Alex McLeish reveals Scott McTominay Scotland persuasion
Similar to the Scottish rugby team, there just isn’t the depth of quality for the football team to ignore the loopholes that allows players with parents or grandparents to be called up.
In 2018, Scotland’s squad was about as poor as it has ever been other than having three good goalkeepers to choose from.
Alex McLeish had the task of trying to find who, and who weren’t good enough to play for Scotland and Rangers-linked Scott McTominay was one of them.
“Well, it was the Beast from the East when I tried to go and see Scott, Mourinho had publicy invited me down and said, ‘Alex McLeish should come and watch McTominay.’
“Because I heard that England were hovering about as well.
“So, I made that journey and I got flung off the train at Newcastle, the snow was too much and ended up getting a train down to York.
“And this was about two in the morning at this time and I was thinking about going back up the road.
“It ended up that I got the train to Manchester and I turned up in the hotel and the guy said to me, ‘You’re down as a no show.’
Alex McLeish, sitting in a hotel at half past three in the morning begging for a room is not as glamourous as you’d expect being the Scotland manager to be, but Scott McTominay would make it worth his while the next day:
“And then we met Jose, he was full of the banter and he says ‘Right, we’ll get big Scott down.’
“And then Scott said ‘Yeah, I definitely want to play for Scotland and that’s my dream.’
“So I said ‘Well, I should’ve just phoned you.’”
McLeish was, sadly, hounded out of the Scotland job after a poor run of form including a disastrous loss to Kazahkstan.
It’s easily forgotten, or glossed over, but it was Alex McLeish that got Scotland into the Nations League play-offs and brought Allan McGregor out of international retirement as well as the introduction of Scott McTominay.
It was McGregor who made the last second save that saw Scotland qualify for the final against Serbia.
All might be rosey for Steve Clarke just now, but it’s easy to forget the first half of his tenure including Scotland’s performance at the Euros last time out.
He was given the time that Alex McLeish didn’t get but deserved because of his previous results for Scotland, after all, this story shows exactly the lengths that he was willing to go to for his country.
