Alan McInally
Encyclopedia
Alan Bruce McInally is a former professional footballer in Scotland
, England
and Germany
. Since retiring from football, he is best known for his work at Sky Sports
as a football analyst.
in the Scottish Premier Division. Strangely, McInally had his best personal season here, while Ayr only survived relegation by one point.
in 1985, but McInally wasn't involved on the day. He did play in the Scottish League Cup
Final in 1986, but was on the losing side as Celtic lost against Rangers.
He won his first medal in the 1985–86 season, when Celtic won the title on goal difference from Heart of Midlothian
. Although he played only 16 games (with one goal scored), he was a valued member of the team, getting a more regular place the following season. McInally really came into his own in his third season at the club in 1986–87, scoring 15 goals in his 38 league games. This was his last season at the club, as the new manager Billy McNeil decided to make a clean sweep of the playing staff, and the three main strikers all went abroad – Mo Johnston
to Nantes
in France, Brian McClair
to Manchester United and McInally followed him to England, ending up at Aston Villa, in the Second Division.
, McInally, now used to the rigours of English football, took his game up a level as he added technical finesse to his tough style. He helped Villa survive by netting 14 league goals in his 33 games, scoring 23 goals in all competitions.
caught the eye of German giants Bayern Munich, who were sufficiently impressed by McInally's overall season to bid a record fee for them at the time of £1.2 Million to take McInally to the Bundesliga
. The Bayern attack was revamped for this up coming 1989–90 season, with the Yugoslav Radmilo Mihajlović
also bought in expensively as Bayern went to defend their Bundesliga crown and make headway in the European Cup.
McInally – now nicknamed Big Mac by the Bayern fans – began well in the Bundesliga, proving a handful for the defences, but then the referees clamped down on his style and his disciplinary record suffered. He was a regular throughout this season, but halfway through, the Bayern management decided that this strikeforce was not what they wanted and began to look for replacements for McInally and Mihajlović. At the end of his first season, McInally helped Bayern to the league title, and scored ten goals in his 31 league games, a respectable tally in his first season abroad. He also helped Bayern to the semi finals of the European Cup, where they fell to AC Milan, despite McInally's goal in the second leg in Munich.
In the 1990–91 season, McInally was now deemed a reserve at Bayern (Mihailjovic had now been sold), but he was regularly given a run out in Europe, where he scored some goals in the early rounds of the European Cup. Bayern were willing to let him go, and Chelsea
came in for him, but McInally turned them down, preferring to fight on in Munich. This season, he only played 7 goalless games in the league, and was unable to help Bayern to get past Red Star Belgrade
in the European Cup semi final, despite a battering ram cameo performance in the first leg in Munich. This season was effectively McInally's last as a top level professional, as he began to succumb to injury.
McInally only managed two league games for Bayern in the 1991/92 season, before suffering a long term knee injury. This injury ended his time with the German giants, who supported McInally until his contract ran out with them at the end of the 1992–93 season.
, a club at which his father Jackie had become a hero by helping them to win the Scottish title in 1965. McInally managed to turn out for Kilmarnock eight times in the 1993–94 season, but failed to score and retired at the end of the season, aged 31, due to an injury.
, in February 1989 in a World Cup qualifier
against Cyprus
as a substitute, which the Scots won 3–2.
McInally's second cap – his full debut – against Chile
in May 1989 resulted in his first goal (the Scots won 2–0).
McInally was still playing well enough to warrant further selections with Scotland on their way to the 1990 World Cup
, playing against Yugoslavia
and France
.
A couple of McInally goals against Malta in a friendly in May 1990 effectively earned McInally a place in the Scotland squad for the 1990 World Cup
in Italy
. He started the first game against Costa Rica
, which was a humiliating 1–0 defeat, McInally failing to make his height and power work against the Costa Rican defence during the 90 minutes. That was the end of McInally's international career. He didn't play in any more of the Scottish games in the World Cup (they went out in the first phase), and indeed never played for Scotland again, finishing with three goals in his eight caps.
as a pundit, alongside the likes of Phil Thompson
and Jeff Stelling
, and contributes to the BETDAQ
Exchange Views blog. On 10 February 2007, Jeff Stelling
revealed the middle name of Alan McInally, live on Soccer Saturday which prompted Alan to ring in during the commercial break (from home on his birthday) and jokingly vowed to get even with Jeff.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Since retiring from football, he is best known for his work at Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
as a football analyst.
Early life
McInally variously went by the nicknames of Rambo and Big Mac and he is the son of Jackie McInally, who played in Kilmarnock's title-winning side of 1965.Ayr United
He began his career with his local side Ayr United, making his debut in the 1980–81 season in the Scottish League Division One. His early style was as a bustling "up and at 'em" type centre forward, and during his time at Ayr, he had the more than respectable goal ratio of almost exactly one in three. A great season in 1983–84, when McInally got his best haul to date of 15 goals in 35 games, earned him a move to Glasgow giants CelticCeltic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in the Scottish Premier Division. Strangely, McInally had his best personal season here, while Ayr only survived relegation by one point.
Celtic
With Celtic, he was mainly used as a reserve, but was a respected member of the squad, weighing in with important goals when called upon. He also experienced European football for the first time with Celtic, and even then the continentals found the raw McInally's rough and tumble style hard to counter – indeed, McInally was sent off against Rapid Vienna in the first leg of this soon to be notorious tie, in the European Cup Winners Cup 1984–85. Celtic won the Scottish CupScottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
in 1985, but McInally wasn't involved on the day. He did play in the Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
Final in 1986, but was on the losing side as Celtic lost against Rangers.
He won his first medal in the 1985–86 season, when Celtic won the title on goal difference from Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
. Although he played only 16 games (with one goal scored), he was a valued member of the team, getting a more regular place the following season. McInally really came into his own in his third season at the club in 1986–87, scoring 15 goals in his 38 league games. This was his last season at the club, as the new manager Billy McNeil decided to make a clean sweep of the playing staff, and the three main strikers all went abroad – Mo Johnston
Mo Johnston
Maurice John Giblin "Mo" Johnston is a former football striker.Johnston began his football career with Partick Thistle in 1981 before moving to Watford in 1983. With Watford Johnston scored 23 league goals, made his international debut, and helped the team reach the 1984 FA Cup Final...
to Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
in France, Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...
to Manchester United and McInally followed him to England, ending up at Aston Villa, in the Second Division.
Aston Villa
In his first season at Villa, McInally helped them to get promoted back to the top flight, scoring four goals in his 26 league games as Villa finished second behind MillwallMillwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, McInally, now used to the rigours of English football, took his game up a level as he added technical finesse to his tough style. He helped Villa survive by netting 14 league goals in his 33 games, scoring 23 goals in all competitions.
Bayern Munich
McInally's form for Aston Villa and ScotlandScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
caught the eye of German giants Bayern Munich, who were sufficiently impressed by McInally's overall season to bid a record fee for them at the time of £1.2 Million to take McInally to the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
. The Bayern attack was revamped for this up coming 1989–90 season, with the Yugoslav Radmilo Mihajlović
Radmilo Mihajlovic
Radmilo Mihajlović is a former Bosnian Serb footballer who played for the Yugoslavia national football team.-Career:He started playing football at Sutjeska Foča and was spotted there as a talented forward.-FK Željezničar:...
also bought in expensively as Bayern went to defend their Bundesliga crown and make headway in the European Cup.
McInally – now nicknamed Big Mac by the Bayern fans – began well in the Bundesliga, proving a handful for the defences, but then the referees clamped down on his style and his disciplinary record suffered. He was a regular throughout this season, but halfway through, the Bayern management decided that this strikeforce was not what they wanted and began to look for replacements for McInally and Mihajlović. At the end of his first season, McInally helped Bayern to the league title, and scored ten goals in his 31 league games, a respectable tally in his first season abroad. He also helped Bayern to the semi finals of the European Cup, where they fell to AC Milan, despite McInally's goal in the second leg in Munich.
In the 1990–91 season, McInally was now deemed a reserve at Bayern (Mihailjovic had now been sold), but he was regularly given a run out in Europe, where he scored some goals in the early rounds of the European Cup. Bayern were willing to let him go, and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
came in for him, but McInally turned them down, preferring to fight on in Munich. This season, he only played 7 goalless games in the league, and was unable to help Bayern to get past Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
in the European Cup semi final, despite a battering ram cameo performance in the first leg in Munich. This season was effectively McInally's last as a top level professional, as he began to succumb to injury.
McInally only managed two league games for Bayern in the 1991/92 season, before suffering a long term knee injury. This injury ended his time with the German giants, who supported McInally until his contract ran out with them at the end of the 1992–93 season.
Kilmarnock
On the expiry of this contract, and back to a semblance of fitness, McInally returned to Scotland in 1994 and signed for KilmarnockKilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
, a club at which his father Jackie had become a hero by helping them to win the Scottish title in 1965. McInally managed to turn out for Kilmarnock eight times in the 1993–94 season, but failed to score and retired at the end of the season, aged 31, due to an injury.
International career
McInally made his debut in the Scottish national teamScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, in February 1989 in a World Cup qualifier
1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup saw 32 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. UEFA members Italy qualified automatically as hosts of the finals. The qualification process started on 21 May 1988 and ended on 18 November 1989.-Format:Teams were drawn into seven...
against Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
as a substitute, which the Scots won 3–2.
McInally's second cap – his full debut – against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
in May 1989 resulted in his first goal (the Scots won 2–0).
McInally was still playing well enough to warrant further selections with Scotland on their way to the 1990 World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, playing against Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
and France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
.
A couple of McInally goals against Malta in a friendly in May 1990 effectively earned McInally a place in the Scotland squad for the 1990 World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He started the first game against Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
, which was a humiliating 1–0 defeat, McInally failing to make his height and power work against the Costa Rican defence during the 90 minutes. That was the end of McInally's international career. He didn't play in any more of the Scottish games in the World Cup (they went out in the first phase), and indeed never played for Scotland again, finishing with three goals in his eight caps.
Post-retirement
He currently works on Soccer SaturdaySoccer Saturday
Gillette Soccer Saturday is a weekly television programme broadcast on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the football season. The programme updates viewers on the progress of association football games in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Saturday afternoons. The current host is...
as a pundit, alongside the likes of Phil Thompson
Phil Thompson
Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions...
and Jeff Stelling
Jeff Stelling
Robert Jeffrey "Jeff" Stelling is an English sports journalist and sport television presenter, of Gillette Soccer Saturday for Sky Sports and other programming for the satellite broadcaster. In January 2009 he took over as host of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown...
, and contributes to the BETDAQ
BETDAQ
BETDAQ is the trading name of Global Betting Exchange, a betting exchange operator based in Ireland. It is the second largest betting exchange operator in the market, with Betfair being the largest....
Exchange Views blog. On 10 February 2007, Jeff Stelling
Jeff Stelling
Robert Jeffrey "Jeff" Stelling is an English sports journalist and sport television presenter, of Gillette Soccer Saturday for Sky Sports and other programming for the satellite broadcaster. In January 2009 he took over as host of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown...
revealed the middle name of Alan McInally, live on Soccer Saturday which prompted Alan to ring in during the commercial break (from home on his birthday) and jokingly vowed to get even with Jeff.