Pontefract Collieries · FA Cup · Defender · #0 · England · 0 yrs
If we rewind 36 years to 16 June 1990 and the Italian city of Genoa, Stuart McCall was busy scoring to help Scotland secure a 2-1 win over Sweden. The former midfielder jokes that he "was always deadly from a yard out" and ultimately that victory wasn't enough to ensure Scotland progressed to the knock-out stage, but up until this weekend, it was their last win at a World Cup finals. Now the 62 year-old is assistant to Paul Heckingbottom at Preston North End, but he's also enjoying absorbing all the action from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The record of oldest player at the 2026 World Cup goes to Craig Gordon, a goalkeeper that is representing Scotland. There is always one player who gets the honor of being the oldest in the competition, and at the 2026 World Cup that role belongs to Craig Gordon, who is set to put his name in the record books at the highest level of the sport with Scotland. The goalkeeper named in Scotland’s final 26-man squad is 43 years old, having been born on December 31, 1982, in Edinburgh. Gordon wears number 21 and is not expected to start, with Angus Gunn likely to get the nod between the posts. His career includes spells at Cowdenbeath, Sunderland, and Celtic, but Gordon started and currently plays for Heart of Midlothian, the club that has recently come close to breaking the “Old Firm” dominance in Scotland. Gordon was essential in the recent playoff matches for Scotland (Stu Forster/Getty Images) Gordon’s career For a player who made his professional debut in 2002, it is normal to see such a large number of matches. His club career totals 682 matches, with 84 more appearances for Scotland. Unlike older players who still play a major role on the pitch for their teams at the moment, Gordon has not been very active recently and has played only three matches, mostly as a backup. Gordon was called up for this competition by manager Steve Clarke because of the trust he has in him. He was chosen as the first option after an injury to Gunn for Scotland’s most important matches of the year, including the playoff games in which they beat Greece and Denmark. Record for oldest player ever Even if Gordon does not play this time, he would still not break the all-time record for the oldest player in World Cup history if he enters the field. That record belongs to Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, who played at 45 years and 161 days old on June 25, 2018.
Ewan Murray is in North Carolina to report on Scotland’s first World Cup since France 98. He answered your questions on Steve Clarke’s selections, his outsider tip and what Scotland-Haiti’s equivalent of the ‘Frey Bentos trophy’ would beKTwoDJF asks: I know that there is technically a path to it, but what are the chances USA will be knocked out of the tournament by Iran ?I have the USA being knocked out by Belgium. But I also have the USA winning their section; the mood in this country does not seem to suggest much confidence at all in that happening.The line is breaking up here, I can’t hear your question. Apologies. Continue reading...
Scotland scored eight goals in their two pre-World Cup friendlies, giving Steve Clarke a selection headache ahead of their opener. The post Clarke relishing ‘fantastic problems’ of team selection after Scotland’s big win appeared first on SoccerNews.
“I think a medal of some sort will come. I pray and hope that it is the gold one.” Ally MacLeod was never to live down his hubris of 1978. A Scotland loss to Peru and draw with Iran saw to that. Unlike MacLeod, Steve Clarke has never been prone to bold or rash predictions. Excitement will be left to everyone else. Who can reasonably deny them that?In a last outing before a first World Cup appearance in 28 years, Scotland dismantled Bolivia. Suddenly, worries over a potentially tournament-defining joust with Haiti next weekend evaporated. If Clarke’s men are this ruthless and efficient when the proper stuff starts, they have a serious chance of emerging from the group phase for the first time in Scotland’s international history. This friendly, in theory an exercise in box-ticking, instead gave reasons for huge Scottish confidence. Scotland will remember their first ever game against Bolivia with great fondness. Continue reading...
