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Issue 8



A class act

Three decades after his appointment as national team coach was greeted by many with bemusement, former school headmaster Andy Roxburgh is still doing what he does best: educating.

By Joel Sked


McIlvanney’s World Cup

William McIlvanney, who died in 2015, left us one of the most illuminating pieces of writing on the experience of being part of the Tartan Army in Argentina for the 1978 World Cup, in Surviving The Shipwreck, a collection of essays by the noted novelist, short story writer and poet. This extract from the chapter Journeys of the Magi was written before Scotland’s final game against The Netherlands.

By William McIlvanney


How 1978 changed me

Following Scotland’s fortunes in Argentina as a nine-year-old taught me a lot, both about football and about life.

By Bernard Thompson


“So Willie, Argentina…”

He was hung out to dry by the SFA, but 'Bud' was one of the finest players of his era, not just the man sent home in disgrace from the World Cup in 1978.

By Maurice Smith



Scouts’ honour

The years when every top English side had a nucleus of world-class Scottish players is due in no small part to two ‘super scouts’. John Barr and Jimmy Dickie were rivals competing for talent north of the border but their friendship and integrity was paramount.

By Greg Gordon


The God squad player

If you think that religion has only ever been a negative force in Scottish football you’ve never met Mark Fleming.

By Heather McKinlay


Weise words

Markus Weise is the man with the plan at the Deutscher Fußball-Bund. Who is he, what impact will his DFB Academy have, and what can Scotland learn from him? Nutmeg went to Frankfurt to find out.

By Robert McCunn








From the shadows

England, Germany and Spain all have a former under-21 coach in charge of the senior side. With a hugely-impressive record in management, will Scot Gemmill’s turn come soon?

By Richard Winton


How Blatter paused the video

VAR will be making its debut at the World Cup in Russia. Had it not been for Sepp Blatter, it might have been in operation a lot earlier.

By Archie Macpherson


‘Get the Eck out of here’

Scotland manager Alex McLeish has come full circle but his troubled times in charge of Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest dealt a severe blow to his reputation.

By Sean Cole




Issue 31
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