Gary McAllister

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Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister 2010.jpg
Gary McAllister, 2010
Personnel
birthday December 25, 1964
place of birth Motherwell ,  Scotland
size 185 cm
position midfield
Juniors
Years station
Fir Park Boys' Club
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1981-1985 Motherwell FC 59 0(6)
1985-1990 Leicester City 201 (47)
1990-1996 Leeds United 231 (31)
1996-2000 Coventry City 119 (20)
2000-2002 Liverpool FC 55 0(5)
2002-2003 Coventry City 55 (10)
National team
Years selection Games (goals)
1990-1999 Scotland 57 0(5)
Stations as a trainer
Years station
2002-2004 Coventry City
2008 Leeds United
2010 Middlesbrough FC (assistant coach)
2010-2011 Aston Villa (co- and interim trainer)
2015 Liverpool FC (assistant coach)
1 Only league games are given.

Gary McAllister MBE (born December 25, 1964 in Motherwell ) is a former Scottish football player and coach . As a playmaker , the midfielder was one of Leeds United's key figures on the road to the 1992 English championship . He later had a successful time at Liverpool FC , with whom he won both domestic cup trophies and the UEFA Cup in 2001. For the Scottish national team , he played 57 international matches. He was in the “Bravehearts” squad for the 1990 World Cup in Italy and the 1992 European Championships in Sweden and 1996 in England . In 2016, McAllister was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame .

Athletic career

Active career

Club career

Via Motherwell to Leicester City (1981–1990)

After his first footballing steps in his youth at Fir Park Boys' Club , McAllister began his professional career in the hometown with FC Motherwell . There he became a regular player from the 1983/84 season, although this year he was relegated to the second division, but in the following season he was directly promoted to the Scottish elite class via the second division championship. In addition, he impressed in the Scottish Cup competition when Motherwell reached the semi-finals and there forced the high favorites Celtic Glasgow via a 1-1 draw in a replay. This led to the fact that with Gordon Milne, the coach of the English first division club Leicester City, McAllister sought commitment. The transfer in August 1985 for a total of 250,000 pounds was ultimately a “package” that brought McAllister and the even more experienced Ally Mauchlen to Filbert Street . In total, McAllister had played 70 competitive games for Motherwell - 58 of them in the league - and scored eight goals.

McAllister quickly got used to the higher pace in English football and was effective in the midfield center or in one of the two outer positions. He demonstrated his strengths in the high game overview and from his precise passes benefited particularly striker Alan Smith , who from then on significantly increased his goal scoring. In addition, he generally advanced to become a specialist in the "resting ball" and in addition to executing corners and free kicks, he replaced Steve Lynex as a penalty taker - his nickname "Enforcer" comes from this time, which he has next to "Macca" or " Super-Mac ”throughout his career. After seven league goals in his first year for the "Foxes", however, relegation in 1987 caused a first sporting setback. Although he was the club's most accurate shooter with nine league goals behind Smith, an injury McAllister sustained in his first game for the Scottish B national team missed his last three championship games when Leicester remained completely without a win.

In the following three years in the Second Division , McAllister was twice the top scorer of his team, a mainstay in the rebuilding of a young team and was nominated twice as part of the second division team of the year ( PFA Team of the Year ). Due to his own steady development, which catapulted him into the Scottish senior team at the end of the decade, it became clear that he had to continue this in the top English division. Since Leicester City but failed to return there, he moved in the summer of 1990 for a million pounds to Leeds United , which had just won the second division championship under Howard Wilkinson and thus offered McAllister the desired sporting perspective. Brian Clough from Nottingham Forest had previously bid, but was unsuccessful at McAllister due to his approach, which was perceived as clumsy.

Leeds United (1990-1996)

McAllister completed a midfield in Leeds that accommodated players like Gordon Strachan , David Batty and Gary Speed and after a first respectable win over fourth place in the 1990/91 season , he won the English championship with his new club in the second year . As the lynchpin in midfield, his short passes and long diagonal changes ensured creative moments in Leeds United's offensive game. In addition, he was the only field player of the "Whites" who was represented in all 42 league games of the championship season and in the end he was elected to the team of the year by colleagues from the PFA players' union (like a second time two years later).

The titles stayed away in the following years, but with consistent performances McAllister remained a leader and later became captain of Leeds United. Especially new players like Tony Yeboah from 1995 onwards benefited from the fact that McAllister constantly created scoring chances and the opposing defensive often "caught on the wrong foot" by suddenly shifting the game. Advances from other prominent clubs, such as an offer of 2.5 million pounds from the Glasgow Rangers , were initially rejected by the Leeds management in the middle of the decade. In the 1995/96 season, however, Leeds only finished in the disappointing 13th place in the final table , although McAllister, who was personally positive with a hat-trick against Coventry City and a good performance in the duel with PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Cup , with his men had reached the final in the League Cup - there they were clearly defeated by 0: 3 Aston Villa .

Coventry City (1996-2000)

The decision that McAllister moved to Coventry City for £ 3 million in late July 1996 was generally perceived as surprising, especially since his new club was in the lower part of the Premier League . Within a short time, however, McAllister was an integral part of Coventry City and after a poor start to the 1996/97 season, he took over the captaincy. His performance, on the other hand, was a bit inconsistent at first, which was also due to the fact that after the events at the Euro 1996 in England he seemed psychologically and physically a bit exhausted. Further bad luck overtook him in November 1997 in the home game against the former club from Leicester when he injured his knee badly. Although he returned just two weeks later against Tottenham Hotspur , he left the field before the end of the first half. It turned out that a cruciate ligament had torn, but that initially should not be operated on in order not to affect his participation in the upcoming 1998 World Cup. However, a comeback attempt in March 1998 resulted in yet another setback and the operation subsequently took place.

He returned to the Coventry City first team in October 1998 and by the turn of the year he had adjusted in terms of timing and precision in his game. Although he was occasionally the object of criticism from his own supporters in the relegation battle (especially at Christmas after a loss to West Ham United ), at the latest with an important penalty goal at Sheffield Wednesday in April 1999, he showed that he was responsible at particularly critical moments was able to take over. After the end of his national team career, he experienced his "second spring" in Coventry in the 1999/2000 season. He scored thirteen competitive goals, making him the most accurate scorer in his club and his haul on penalties he screwed to eleven goals without a fallacy since he took the role of Dion Dublin . He also benefited overall from the newcomer Carlton Palmer , who took most of the defensive duties in midfield from him, and together the two only lost two of 16 games. After that, McAllister's contract ran out and he moved to Liverpool in the summer of 2000 on a free transfer .

Liverpool FC (2000-2002)

Although McAllister only played relatively briefly at Liverpool's Anfield Road , he was at times an important component of the team. Decisive for the surprising commitment of a 35-year-old was the initial situation, which provided that the "Reds" under coach Gérard Houllier went into the 2000/01 season with a young squad (average age under 25 years) and in a total of four major competitions looking for the experience of a "veteran".

In the first half of the season McAllister was initially only used sporadically, but later he took on more and more leadership roles in a team that prevailed round after round in all three cup competitions. On April 16, 2001, he made a famous moment at local rivals Everton when he scored a spectacular free kick from a long distance with a score of 2-2 in stoppage time. Three days later he converted a penalty in the UEFA Cup against FC Barcelona to a 1-0 win, which secured Liverpool a place in the final. In addition to his goalscoring successes in five consecutive games, he was the "puller" in midfield of Liverpool FC in the last third of the season and in the end the team completed the "Cup triple" after winning the league cup with successes in the FA Cup and UEFA Cup. In the 5-4 final win of the last-mentioned competition against Deportivo Alavés , he was involved in four out of five goals, scored one himself with a penalty and was voted best player .

In his second season, McAllister's influence was less significant and especially in the second half of the season, when the club played for the title in the Premier League and ultimately won the runner-up, he was often only on the bench. At his last home game appearance, the appendix in the Kop grandstand said goodbye to him against the background of his free transfer obligation, ironically with the chorus “What a waste of money” (German: “What a waste of money”), combined with the note, “He may go back to Coventry ”. At the turn of the year he had previously been awarded the Member Of The Order Of The British Empire for his services to football - he was later inducted into the Scotland Football Hall Of Fame .

McAllister left Liverpool in the direction of his ex-club Coventry City to take on the role of player- coach for the local second division club .

Scottish national team

After a first appearance for the Scottish B selection in April 1987, when he scored a goal against France and suffered an injury that put him out of action for the rest of the season, he made his debut for the senior team as part of preparation for the 1990 World Cup in Italy . The 0: 1 against the GDR on April 25, 1990 was followed by the nomination in the Scottish squad for the tournament itself. There he was not taken into account in all three group games that ended with the premature end. In a qualifier for the following Euro 1992 in Sweden , McAllister scored his first goal against Switzerland on October 17, 1990 for the Scottish A-team and in Sweden itself he completed all three preliminary round matches. There he scored a goal in the 3-0 win against the CIS , but like two years earlier, a further elimination after the group stage could not be prevented.

After a failed qualification for the 1994 World Cup in the USA , McAllister led the “Bravehearts” as captain to the Euro 1996 in neighboring England. There, the clash with the hosts and arch rivals was particularly explosive. When the score was 0-1, Scotland was awarded a penalty. McAllister failed to England goalkeeper David Seaman and ultimately the game was lost for Scotland 2-0. Switzerland could be defeated, but because of the worse goal difference , Scotland had to return home early. Two more years later McAllister succeeded with Scotland - in the meantime he had played his 50th international match against Sweden - qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France , which he missed due to injury.

In the spring of 1999, McAllister's national team career finally came to an end. In addition to the 2-1 defeat against the Czech Republic, the expressions of displeasure expressed by parts of the audience, which prompted McAllister to retreat shortly afterwards, were decisive for this . Later attempts by trainer Craig Brown with the aim of a comeback of the former playmaker were unsuccessful and McAllister's 57 international appearances remained.

Coaching activities

In the 2002/03 season, McAllister scored nine competitive goals and his coaching activities were initially appreciated. This was reflected in the award of “Trainer of the Month” in December 2002. In the new year 2003, however, the sporting trend suddenly showed a clear downward trend and only one game could be won - in the end, relegation was barely possible. McAllister was also often the target of enemy attacks in the midfield by particularly physical and “special guards” who were focused on him. At the beginning of the 2003/04 season he was initially placed in the midfield center as a regular player before he spent more time with his family in October and early December 2003 after his wife's cancer and for this reason also resigned in Coventry in mid-January 2004. At the same time he announced the immediate end of his playing career.

A year and a half after his wife died of complications from her illness, McAllister succeeded Dennis Wise as coach of Leeds United - the club with which he won the 1992 English championship - in January 2008 . Together with his assistant Steve Staunton , the first victory was achieved in the fifth attempt and after the team performance had steadily stabilized, he was offered a new one-year contract. The targeted direct return to the second division of Leeds United, who are now only in the third division, did not succeed. This was ultimately due to the 0-1 defeat in the play-off promotion final against the weaker Doncaster Rovers . After that, the performances worsened and following the cup defeat against the amateur team FC Histon , he was released four days before Christmas 2008.

He then turned down a job in the coaching staff of the Scottish national team before he took up the post of coach at Middlesbrough FC alongside his former Leeds team-mate Gordon Strachan from May 2010 . Four months later he left "Boro" again to join Aston Villa , where he again assisted his ex-trainer Gérard Houllier. When he could no longer exercise his office due to health problems in April 2011, McAllister replaced him until the end of the 2010/11 season. With the engagement of Alex McLeish as the successor to Houllier, McAllister's engagement at the Birmingham club came to an end.

At the beginning of the 2015/16 season, McAllister was assistant coach to Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool FC . After his release, his assistant function ended at the beginning of October 2015. Under Rodger's successor, Jürgen Klopp , he changed to an “ambassador role” in the field of fan communication.

Title / Awards

Web links

Individual references / footnotes

  1. ↑ Some online sources award McAllister ten league goals in the 1986/87 season.
  2. ^ Bracegirdle, Dave: The Legends of Leicester City . DB Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-1-85983-760-3 , pp. 114-115 .
  3. ^ A b Hugman, Barry J .: Premier League: The Players - A Complete Guide to Every Player 1992-93 . Tony Williams Publishing, 1992, ISBN 1-869833-15-5 , pp. 230-231 .
  4. ↑ Martin Jarred & Malcolm MacDonald: Leeds United - The Complete Record . DB Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-78091-031-4 , pp. 234 f .
  5. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1995-96 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1995, ISBN 0-09-180854-5 , pp. 130 .
  6. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1996-97 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1996, ISBN 1-85291-571-4 , pp. 151 .
  7. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1997-98 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1997, ISBN 1-85291-581-1 , pp. 169 .
  8. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1998-99 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1998, ISBN 1-85291-588-9 , pp. 185 .
  9. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1999-2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1999, ISBN 1-85291-607-9 , pp. 189 .
  10. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2000-2001 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2000, ISBN 1-85291-626-5 , pp. 201 .
  11. ↑ a b "Player profile: Gary McAllister" (LFCHistory.net)
  12. ↑ "McAllister claims sixth medal" (BBC Sport)
  13. ↑ "Football: Scots' boos make McAllister bow out" (The Independent)
  14. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2003, ISBN 1-85291-651-6 , pp. 269 .
  15. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2004/2005 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2004, ISBN 1-85291-660-5 , pp. 255 .
  16. ↑ Martin Jarred & Malcolm MacDonald: Leeds United - The Complete Record . DB Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-78091-031-4 , pp. 295 f .
  17. ↑ Liverpool FC: Reds confirm first-team staff departures , October 8, 2015, accessed October 9, 2015
personal data
SURNAME McAllister, Gary
BRIEF DESCRIPTION scottish soccer player and coach
DATE OF BIRTH December 25, 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH Motherwell , Scotland