Managing on a Par

It’s not been the greatest of seasons for Scottish football. However, a few weeks ago a result lit up the gloom like a shooting star across the black November sky. Scotland’s Under 21 team defeated their Dutch counterparts 2-1 in Nijmegen in the Netherlands in a European Championship qualifying tie. It was an unexpected but most welcome result for coach Billy Stark’s side and one that made the rest of Europe sit up and take notice. The scorer of Scotland’s opening goal was striker Jordan Rhodes, who had taken his international bow, albeit briefly, for the senior side three days earlier in the friendly win over Cyprus. Much as I take a fair bit of stick for my advancing years, I like to think I’m not the only one who remembers Jordan’s father Andy keeping goal for Dunfermline Athletic two and more decades ago.

Andy was a decent keeper who moved to Fife from Oldham Athletic in 1990. I recall he displayed heroics against Hearts, helping to secure a 1-1 draw for the Pars at Tynecastle in November 1990. Now, I realise I should really have better things to do but a quick look at the teams for that game reveals names who would make names for themselves years later in managerial circles.

Hearts centre-half was a big strapping defender - from Fife, ironically. Craig Levein would, of course, go on to manage Hearts before heading to Leicester City and Dundee United before taking the job of national coach in December 2009. And selecting the son of a Dunfermline goalkeeper from two decades ago for international duty. Sadly, few of Levein’s team mates that day did anything of note in the managerial field. However, for some of the Dunfermline team, it was a different matter.

Defender David Moyes marshalled the Pars defence that afternoon. Moyes would go on to make a name for himself as one of the top managers in the Barclay’s FA Premiership, conducting minor miracles at Everton with a budget only a fraction of some of the top clubs. In midfield, was Dunfermline’s new signing - former Rangers player Billy Davies. He signed from Leicester City and spent three years at East End Park before moving to Motherwell where he became player-manager. A successful spell at Preston North End followed before Davies took Derby Country into the FA Premiership. Davies was manager at Nottingham Forest until the end of last season.

David Irons was approaching the end of his playing career but was clearly taking on board what was required to be a decent manager. Irons would go to become part of the Gretna fairy story and played against Hearts in the Scottish Cup Final of 2006 at Hampden Park. A year later, he was manager of the club and he led them to promotion to the Bank of Scotland Premier League. Sadly, things turned sour for Irons and for Gretna thereafter.

Another member of the Dunfermline team from that afternoon 21 years ago - Ian McCall - would also forge himself a reputation as a manager of some standing with successful spells at Airdrieonians and Falkirk leading to the former Rangers player being appointed manager of Dundee United. Things didn’t work out for McCall at Tannadice and after leaving Tayside, he took over at Queen of the South and then Partick Thistle.

Paul Smith was alongside McCall in that Dunfermline team. Smith would later join Hearts for a brief spell in 1995 under the short managerial reign of Tommy McLean. Jim Jefferies then sold him to Ayr United but he was then appointed manager of Berwick Rangers for seven years from 1997. Indeed, he was manager of the English side when they held Craig Levein’s Hearts to a goalless draw in a Scottish Cup tie at Shielfield Park in January 2001.

It says a lot for that Dunfermline team that drew at Tynecastle more than two decades ago that so many of them made a decent stab at the managerial game. The side was fairly workmanlike - their star player was Hungarian Istvan Kozma who sensationally signed for Liverpool for £300k two years later - but the studious nature of their manager at the time, Ian Munro, clearly rubbed off on some of the players.

One of whom in particular - Andy Rhodes - must feel his heart swell with pride at seeing his son now being touted as the next Scots scoring sensation!

Twitter @Mike1874