Stuart McCall
Encyclopedia
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964), usually known as Stuart McCall, is a former footballer who played in central midfield
. He played a total of 763 league games during his career, the 13th highest of all British footballers. He is now a football manager, managing Scottish Premier League
side Motherwell
.
McCall started his professional career with Bradford City
, where he made his senior debut in 1982. He played six seasons at Valley Parade
, during which time he won the Division Three
championship, a title which was overshadowed by the Bradford City stadium fire when 56 people died and in which his father Andy
was injured. After missing out on promotion in 1987–88
, McCall moved to Everton
, for whom he scored twice but finished on the losing side in the 1989 FA Cup Final
. In 1991, he moved to Rangers
, with whom he spent seven seasons and won six league
titles, three Scottish Cup
s and two Scottish League Cup
s. McCall returned to Bradford City as captain to take them into the top division of English football for the first time in 77 years. After four seasons he moved to Sheffield United
, where he retired as a player in 2005.
Despite being born in Leeds
, England
, McCall qualified to play for Scotland
through his Scottish father. He won 40 caps
for his country and scored one goal in the 1990 World Cup
in Italy. He also played in two European Championships
but his international career ended after he was left out of the 1998 World Cup
squad.
McCall was part of the coaching staff during his second spell at Bradford City, briefly serving as caretaker-player manager in 2000. He continued his coaching at Sheffield United and was assistant manager to Neil Warnock
until May 2007, when he returned to Bradford City for a third time, this time as manager. He spent two-and-a-half seasons in charge of Bradford City, leaving in February 2010. Just before the end of the year, he took over as Motherwell manager.
, England, to Scottish parents Andy
, a former professional footballer, and Jean McCall. He was the couple's third child after Leslie and Janette, who were 20 and 15 respectively when Stuart was born. The family home was just round the corner from Leeds United
's Elland Road
ground where McCall would spend many Saturday afternoons watching United, dreaming of following his father and playing for Leeds, even after the family moved to Wortley
.
McCall played football for Upper Wortley Primary School and Thornhill Middle School, even scoring a winning goal for the latter in a cup final when he came on as a substitute with his arm in a sling. McCall also played table tennis
as a schoolboy but excelled at football, captaining the Leeds under-11 boys team and playing for other Leeds representative sides. McCall's parents split and he made up for his size when he moved to one of Leeds' toughest estates and played for pub sides by the age of 14. He moved schools to Harrington High and also played for local young sides Pudsey Juniors, Holbeck and later Farsley Celtic
. McCall thought he had missed his chance of playing professionally after a string of other players were signed by professional clubs, until Farsley played Bradford City
's junior side in a friendly and he impressed coach Bryan Edwards
enough to be asked for a trial.
in 1980 from Farsley Celtic at the age of 16, before becoming an apprentice in June 1981. Mulhall's successor, Roy McFarland
gave McCall his debut at Reading
on 28 August 1982 – the opening day of the 1982–83
season – when he deputised for Ces Podd
at right back. He had played just six league games by 29 January 1983 when he made the first of 134 consecutive league appearances, all in midfield under new manager Trevor Cherry
. City finished 12th in Division Three
that season. The following
season City struggled to make up for the absence of Bobby Campbell
, who had left to join Derby County
, and won just one of their first fifteen games, until Cherry bought Campbell back from Derby, and City won a record ten consecutive games on their way to a seventh place finish.
During the summer of 1984, Cherry made the two key signings of central defender
Dave Evans
and right winger John Hendrie
to build on the previous season's high finish. McCall was an integral part of the team as City won the Division Three championship in 1984–85
, during which he scored eight goals as one of two ever-present players. The title was assured in the penultimate game when McCall scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers
. The league title was paraded before the final game of the season on 11 May 1985 at home to Lincoln City
. However, the club's title was overshadowed when 56 people died in the Bradford City stadium fire when the Valley Parade
ground's main stand caught fire after 40 minutes of play, during which McCall's father, who was with other family members, was badly injured. After the fire, McCall, still in his kit, spent several hours driving from the ground to his sister's house, then to Bradford Royal Infirmary
and Pinderfields Hospital trying to find his father. His father had suffered severe burns and needed skin grafts on his hands and head and was in hospital for several weeks.
For the following 19 months, the club played games away from Valley Parade. Cherry and the players became a close-knit team, attending funerals of the victims and other engagements in the months that followed, and the club's 13th place finish in Division Two
in 1985–86
was hailed a major achievement. During Bradford's time away from Valley Parade, McCall also turned his back on Leeds United, the team he had supported as a child, after their fans set fire to a chip van at Odsal Stadium
. McCall became club captain in November 1986, aged just 21, after Peter Jackson moved to Newcastle United
. Under Cherry's replacement, Terry Dolan, the club held off any relegation threats to finish tenth in 1986–87
. Like Jackson, McCall and Hendrie were both keen to move to a Division One
club, but they agreed in 1987 to stay for one final season.
Dolan brought in Paul Tomlinson
, Brian Mitchell
and Lee Sinnott
in a bid to help McCall and Hendrie realise their dreams with City. They mounted a promotion challenge in 1987–88
and were top for much of the season until they faltered in the New Year. When promotion was missed initially by one point on the last day of the season after a 3–2 defeat against Ipswich Town
and then through play-off
defeat to Middlesbrough
, McCall left the club, signing for Everton
for £
850,000 in June 1988. He had played 238 league games for the club, scoring 37 goals, and in total played 285 games, scoring 46 goals. McCall was later outspoken in his autobiography, The Real McCall, about City's failure to strengthen the side in order to secure promotion.
His departure was soured when he was forced to go to the Football League
with a Professional Footballers' Association
representative to win £8,327.15 of an unpaid signing-on fee.
. His Everton debut came in a 4–0 victory over Newcastle United
on 27 August 1988 against his former teammate Hendrie, who was making his debut for Newcastle. McCall also returned to Valley Parade
for a League Cup
tie, but his Everton side were knocked out by Bradford 3–1 on 14 December 1988. He started 29 league games in 1988–89
as well as another four substitute appearances, but failed to score in the league. He was also a substitute in the 1989 FA Cup Final
when he scored Everton's equaliser in the Merseyside derby
against Liverpool
to take the game into extra-time. He scored another equaliser during extra-time, but Liverpool's own substitute Ian Rush
also scored two to secure a 3–2 victory for Liverpool.
McCall made a second appearance in an Everton shirt at Valley Parade, when he was invited by former teammate Mark Ellis
to bring a side for his testimonial. In three seasons at Everton, McCall played 103 league games as well as earned his first cap
s with Scotland
but he failed to lift any trophies as the club finished eighth, sixth and ninth in the league. Apart from the FA Cup final defeat in 1989, the closest he came to winning a trophy at Everton was in the 1989–90 season
, when Everton topped the league in late autumn and remained in contention for the title for the most the rest of the season until disappointing form in the run-in saw them finish sixth.
paid £1.2 million for McCall. Rangers had just won their third successive Scottish Premier Division
title. Under newly-appointed manager Walter Smith
, McCall ended up playing in the final six of the club's nine successive Scottish league titles. In his first season at Ibrox
, Rangers won the league and cup double, before they achieved greater success in 1992–93
, winning both cups 2–1 against Aberdeen
and coming nine points ahead of Aberdeen in the league. McCall also enjoyed European success that season when the Glasgow club narrowly missed out on an appearance in the UEFA Champions League 1992–93
final, coming second in the semi-final group stage to eventual winners Olympique de Marseille
. Citing the reason for their success as the spirit which Smith instilled in the team, McCall later said: "It was an incredible season. We won the domestic Treble, we went 44 games unbeaten and we did not lose a single game in Europe. And, though we said we would do it again next year, we all knew it was unrepeatable." In 1993–94
, Rangers added another Scottish League Cup
title along with the league championship, but lost 1–0 in the final of the Scottish Cup
to Dundee United
, surprisingly being denied a second successive treble. The following season saw Rangers win the league by their greatest margin as they finished 15 points ahead of Motherwell
, but they failed to reach the final of either of the domestic cups. Although their winning margin was reduced to four points, from city rivals Celtic
, in 1995–96
, Rangers' points tally of 87 was a record-high total. McCall played in his fourth Scottish Cup final as Rangers defeated Hearts
5–1. In 1996, McCall was filmed by television cameras singing sectarian songs while injured and watching a match at Celtic Park
from the stands. His Rangers side again pushed Celtic into second place in 1996–97
and defeated Hearts 4–3 in the Scottish League Cup. But with the club chasing an unprecedented 10th straight title in 1997–98
they had to settle for the runners-up position, with Celtic winning the league by two points on the final day of the season. McCall was substituted in the Scottish Cup final defeat to Hearts
as Rangers went the season without picking up a single title for the first season in McCall's time at the club.
In February 2008, McCall became the 71st inductee into the Rangers hall of fame. McCall's former teammate and Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist
presented him with the award.
, as long as he joined an English club. Barnsley
and Huddersfield Town
were both interested in signing McCall, but he rejoined Bradford City
as club captain. Rookie manager Paul Jewell
put together a squad which emerged as surprise promotion contenders after two seasons spent battling relegation, adding other new signings, including central midfield partner Gareth Whalley
and striker
Lee Mills
, who went on to be club's top goal-scorer. The season started off slowly with just one win from the first seven games, but by the latter half of the season, City were vying with Ipswich Town
and Birmingham City
for the second promotion spot behind runaway leaders Sunderland
. Loan
signing Lee Sharpe
and Dean Windass
were added to the ranks and City had the chance to seal promotion in their penultimate game against relegation-threatened Oxford United
. The game finished as a 0–0 draw, with McCall heading over the goal in the final minutes, taking the promotion bid to the final game of the season. Days later he was named the club's player of the year. A 3–2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers
at Molineux
on 9 May 1999 ensured promotion to the Premier League and denied Ipswich Town – the team that had thwarted McCall and Bradford 11 years before. Following the game, the players were celebrating with fans at the club's ground, when McCall fell off a car after drinking for more than five hours after the end of the game.
Bradford were expected to struggle in their first season in the top flight for 77 years. Jewell signed David Wetherall
, Dean Saunders
and Neil Redfearn
, all experienced top flight performers, but City were in the bottom four teams for most of the season. It was Bradford's home form – they earned 26 of their 36 points at Valley Parade – that was key to City avoiding relegation, which was narrowly averted by two points after a shock 1–0 final day victory over Liverpool
in 1999–2000
, sending Wimbledon
down instead. When Jewell left only days after the season ended, McCall was appointed assistant manager to Chris Hutchings
, and subsequently served as caretaker manager for two games when Hutchings was sacked after just 12 games of the 2000–01
league season. City were relegated with just 26 points. During a 6–1 defeat to West Yorkshire
rivals Leeds United
in the penultimate game, McCall and team-mate Andy Myers
fought on the pitch.
McCall stayed on for one more season before he was released by manager Nicky Law in May 2002, shortly before the club went into administration
for the first time after finishing 15th in Division One
. His playing career at Bradford City had looked uncertain in December 2001 before Law arrived, when previous manager Jim Jefferies
had left McCall out of the side in a 3–1 defeat at Manchester City
following a training ground dispute. However, it was Jefferies who lost out in the dispute when he resigned his post a week later after summit talks with chairman Geoffrey Richmond
. In April 2002, McCall's testimonial match
against Rangers attracted a crowd of more than 21,000 to Valley Parade
. McCall gave part of the proceeds from his testimonial to the Bradford burns research unit, which was set up following the 1985 fire. Two years after his benefit match, McCall played one more time in City colours in a Save Our City appeal match organised by Bradford's evening newspaper, the Telegraph & Argus, to raise funds for the club, who were now in administration for a second time.
, where he played an integral part in their first-team side, despite being 38, and also coached the reserves to the league title. He played 71 league games over the next two seasons, and scored twice, including a winner against former side Bradford. He was in the side that reached the Division One
play-off final in 2003 as well as the semi-finals of both cup competitions that year. However he and Dean Windass, who was also now at Sheffield United, were both left out of the play-off final, as United lost 3–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. McCall played just two League Cup games in the 2004–05
season, and retired just a few weeks before his 41st birthday. His career total of 763 league games placed him in 13th position on the all-time appearance list of British footballers.
McCall was picked for England
and Scotland
under-21 sides on the same day in 1984, and chose to play for England in a game against Turkey
. However, he was only picked as a substitute and the referee blew the final whistle with McCall waiting to come on. He later told Scottish newspaper Glasgow Herald, "I felt it was a mistake almost from the start. I was put on the bench and they tried to bring me on with a minute to go. But I took my time re-tying my boots and generally warming up and luckily didn't get on, otherwise that would have been that." As a result, McCall was still eligible for both England and Scotland, and he eventually switched allegiances to the latter, for whom he qualified through his father. He made his Scotland debut in March 1988, ironically against England. McCall made one more appearance for Scotland under 21s, against France
in 1990.
Later the same year, McCall was called up to the Scottish senior
team. He won his first cap
on 28 March 1990 in a 1–0 friendly victory over Argentina
. He played in five friendlies in 1990 which earned him a call up to the Italia 90 World Cup
squad. He played in all three of Scotland's World Cup games. They lost their first game 1–0 to Costa Rica
, before McCall scored what would be his only international goal against Sweden
in a 2–1 victory. However, Scotland failed to qualify for the knock-out stage when they were defeated 1–0 by Brazil
.
McCall represented Scotland at the European Championships in 1992, when they again failed to go beyond the group stage after defeats to Netherlands
and Germany
, and in 1996 when they were edged out in the first round by Netherlands. Scotland failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1994
. McCall played just two qualifying games for the 1998 World Cup
and his last cap came in a friendly against Denmark
on 25 March 1998, as he was overlooked for the final squad for the finals in France along with team-mate Ally McCoist
. He was capped a total of 40 times for Scotland, scoring one goal. McCall's caps included 11 while at Everton and 29 during his career with Rangers.
at Bradford City, after Hutchings was promoted from the role to replace Paul Jewell
as City manager. Just four months later, Hutchings was sacked, and McCall was appointed as caretaker–player manager. His first game in the role was against his former team Everton
, who were led by his former manager Walter Smith, but ended with a 1–0 defeat. He was in charge for one more game, which also ended in defeat, until Jim Jefferies
was appointed the new manager. Jefferies brought with him his own assistant Billy Brown, and McCall was appointed first-team coach.
After leaving Bradford City, he joined Sheffield United, where he also took up a coaching role. When he retired in 2004, he remained at Sheffield United as assistant to Neil Warnock
. Working alongside Warnock and learning the managerial ropes from him, he helped mastermind Sheffield's promotion to the Premier League in 2006. United were relegated to the Championship on the final day of the 2006–07
season and Warnock resigned three days later. McCall had already decided that the 2006–07
season would be his last as assistant manager, and when he was overlooked as a successor to the United manager's position, in favour of Bryan Robson
, he decided to leave after five years with the club.
He had been linked with the manager's position at Bradford City on numerous previous occasions, and after Colin Todd
was sacked on 12 February 2007, City chairman Julian Rhodes
made McCall his number one target to take over in the summer. Club captain David Wetherall
temporarily took over and was later announced as caretaker manager for the rest of the 2006–07
season. On 18 May 2007 it was announced McCall would become full-time manager of the club where he started his career, and on 1 June 2007 he assumed the position. In less than seven years since McCall's first two-game reign, serious financial problems had driven the club to the verge of closure, and although they survived the threat of oblivion, they were unable to avoid a terrible on-the-pitch decline, which continued after the financial nightmare had been relieved. On McCall's return to Valley Parade
, the Bantams had just been relegated to League Two
—meaning that they would be playing in the bottom division for the first time in 25 years. McCall set himself a target of earning promotion back to League One
in his first season.
Bradford had just 13 players when McCall took over, and he made a number of summer signings including defender Darren Williams
, midfielders Kyle Nix
, Alex Rhodes and Scott Phelan
, and strikers Barry Conlon
, Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu
and Peter Thorne. McCall recorded his first win as a manager against Wrexham on 25 August 2007 after substitute Luke Medley
scored a late winner, but despite his pre-season target his team spent much of the first half of the season in the bottom half of the table. After going unbeaten in January, the club were still 15th in League Two, and McCall told the Telegraph & Argus he did not regret his pre-season target but was carried away with the euphoria at the time. City's form continued to improve during the second half of the season, and McCall led his side to 10th place in League Two.
Despite City finishing outside the play-off places, they were again installed as favourites for promotion by bookmakers for the 2008–09 season. McCall released 13 players from his squad and replaced them with a number of signings with experience in a higher division, as well as Michael Boulding
, who was one of League Two's top goalscorers during the 2007–08
campaign. McCall's side made a good start to the season, and after winning five of their opening six league games, went top of the league – the first time City had led the table in seven years.
As a result of maintaining a place in the promotion places during the first half of the season and his "stabling influence" on the club, chairmen Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn
offered McCall a new contract in January 2009. Later in the month, Lawn gave further backing to McCall, who was coming under pressure from the club's fans following a run of one win in nine games; during the run McCall was also charged by The Football Association
for the first time of his managerial career after he had contested a refereeing decision during a game with Luton Town
. McCall signed his new contract in February, which extends his deal by another two years and keep him at the club until 2011. He set himself the goal of earning two promotions to put City in the Championship. However, less than a month later, McCall offered to resign if they did not reach the play-offs after his side lost 4–1 to Bournemouth
– their fifth consecutive away defeat. "Nobody is hurting more than me but it's as simple as that, if we miss out I don't deserve to be here," he said. City eventually missed out on promotion, but McCall decided to stay on as manager and took a voluntary pay cut in the process because of the club's budget being reduced.
As a result of the cuts, McCall made a number of changes to his squad during the summer of 2009. His team started the 2009–10 season
by going four games without scoring, until they recorded a 5–4 victory against Cheltenham Town
. After the game, McCall said: "That was the youngest, and certainly cheapest, team Bradford have put out for a long time and I’m really proud of them." City continued by going ten games unbeaten and reached the area semi-finals of the Football League Trophy
where they lost to Carlisle United
, managed by McCall's friend Greg Abbott
, but at the start of 2010 found themselves 16th in League Two and eight points off the play-offs after a run of five defeats in seven games. McCall laid down a challenge to his team to win three of their next four games, saying: "The bottom line is that the players and me personally will get judged on results. And the results aren't good enough." Despite the club's slide down the table, he denied he would resign, but it was reported that two late goals from summer signing Gareth Evans
to give City a late 2–1 away at Torquay United
saved McCall from being sacked. However, defeat to Bury
in the club's following fixture was McCall's last game as manager, with McCall saying after the game: "It's time for somebody else to come in and take up the reins and hopefully do well." He won a little more than one-third of his 133 games in charge of City. McCall left by mutual consent.
by Rangers former chief scout Ewan Chester. At the end of 2010, he was among a number of men interviewed for the managerial vacancy at Scottish Premier League side Motherwell
to succeed Craig Brown, before being given the job on a two-and-a-half-year contract. His first game in charge was a 0–0 draw away to Hamilton Academical
on New Year's Day 2011, with McCall stating: "It was a fair result. You take positives, a clean sheet, but we can be better and we will be better." He followed it up with a 4–0 victory in the Scottish Cup against Dundee
before his maiden league victory – and the club's first since November – against Hibernian
by the end of January. McCall was partly selected as new manager because of his knowledge of the lower leagues of English football; he was active in the transfer market in his early days, bringing in Steve Jones – a player he had at Bradford – and Mike Grella
from Leeds United
, although the latter move was cancelled because of a Fifa
ruling limiting the number of clubs a player can sign for in one season. Having operated without an assistant for his first few weeks in charge, McCall chose former Airdrie United
manager Kenny Black
as his number two. McCall led Motherwell to the semi-finals of both Scottish Cup competitions – they were defeated 2–1 by his former side Rangers in the League Cup but reached the final of the Scottish Cup by defeating St Johnstone
3–0.
At the start of the following season, Motherwell lost only one match in their first six making them joint leaders of the Scottish Premier League, which led to McCall being named the Clydesdale Bank Premier League manager of the month for July and August. Well continued their good form, with McCall winning the award again in October, alongside player of the month Keith Lasley
, in a month when the side went unbeaten.
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He played a total of 763 league games during his career, the 13th highest of all British footballers. He is now a football manager, managing Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
.
McCall started his professional career with Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, where he made his senior debut in 1982. He played six seasons at Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
, during which time he won the Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
championship, a title which was overshadowed by the Bradford City stadium fire when 56 people died and in which his father Andy
Andy McCall (footballer born 1925)
Andrew "Andy" McCall is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a winger, making over 300 appearances in the Football League.-Early and personal life:...
was injured. After missing out on promotion in 1987–88
1987-88 in English football
The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season....
, McCall moved to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, for whom he scored twice but finished on the losing side in the 1989 FA Cup Final
1989 FA Cup Final
The 1989 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with goals from John Aldridge and two...
. In 1991, he moved to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, with whom he spent seven seasons and won six league
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
titles, three Scottish Cup
Scottish 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...
s and two 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...
s. McCall returned to Bradford City as captain to take them into the top division of English football for the first time in 77 years. After four seasons he moved to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, where he retired as a player in 2005.
Despite being born in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, 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...
, McCall qualified to play for Scotland
Scotland 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...
through his Scottish father. He won 40 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for his country and scored one goal in 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. He also played in two European Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
but his international career ended after he was left out of the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
squad.
McCall was part of the coaching staff during his second spell at Bradford City, briefly serving as caretaker-player manager in 2000. He continued his coaching at Sheffield United and was assistant manager to Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
until May 2007, when he returned to Bradford City for a third time, this time as manager. He spent two-and-a-half seasons in charge of Bradford City, leaving in February 2010. Just before the end of the year, he took over as Motherwell manager.
Early life
Stuart McCall was born on 10 June 1964 in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England, to Scottish parents Andy
Andy McCall (footballer born 1925)
Andrew "Andy" McCall is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a winger, making over 300 appearances in the Football League.-Early and personal life:...
, a former professional footballer, and Jean McCall. He was the couple's third child after Leslie and Janette, who were 20 and 15 respectively when Stuart was born. The family home was just round the corner from Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
's Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
ground where McCall would spend many Saturday afternoons watching United, dreaming of following his father and playing for Leeds, even after the family moved to Wortley
Wortley, West Yorkshire
Wortley is a district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins one mile to the west of the city centre.In the 1086 Domesday Book it is mentioned as Wirtlei, also Wirtleie and Wrleia. Later it was known as Wirkelay until about 1700...
.
McCall played football for Upper Wortley Primary School and Thornhill Middle School, even scoring a winning goal for the latter in a cup final when he came on as a substitute with his arm in a sling. McCall also played table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
as a schoolboy but excelled at football, captaining the Leeds under-11 boys team and playing for other Leeds representative sides. McCall's parents split and he made up for his size when he moved to one of Leeds' toughest estates and played for pub sides by the age of 14. He moved schools to Harrington High and also played for local young sides Pudsey Juniors, Holbeck and later Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic A.F.C.
Farsley Celtic Association Football Club was an English football club based in Farsley, in the City of Leeds. The club was known by the nicknames of the Villagers and the Celts; their colours were blue and white. Founded in 1908, the club spent their entire existence in non-league football, winning...
. McCall thought he had missed his chance of playing professionally after a string of other players were signed by professional clubs, until Farsley played Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
's junior side in a friendly and he impressed coach Bryan Edwards
Bryan Edwards (footballer)
Bryan Edwards is a former football player and manager. He played 483 games as wing half for Bolton Wanderers picking up an FA Cup Winners medal in 1958 and later managed Bradford City and was a coach and physiotherapist at several clubs.-Playing career:Edwards excelled at both football and cricket...
enough to be asked for a trial.
Bradford City
McCall came through City's youth system after he was signed by George MulhallGeorge Mulhall
George Mulhall is a Scottish former footballer and manager.Born in Falkirk, Scotland, Mulhall played as outside left who played at Aberdeen and Sunderland and was capped three times for Scotland before he became a manager for Bradford City, Bolton Wanderers and Halifax Town.-Playing career:Two of...
in 1980 from Farsley Celtic at the age of 16, before becoming an apprentice in June 1981. Mulhall's successor, Roy McFarland
Roy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland is an English football manager who was also a player, notably at Derby County where he played 434 league games helping him to earn 28 caps for England.-Playing career:...
gave McCall his debut at Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
on 28 August 1982 – the opening day of the 1982–83
1982-83 in English football
The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Bob Paisley's last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His...
season – when he deputised for Ces Podd
Ces Podd
Cyril "Ces" Podd is a retired international footballer from Saint Kitts and Nevis who played professionally in England. He was one of the first black players to establish themselves in English football.-Club career:...
at right back. He had played just six league games by 29 January 1983 when he made the first of 134 consecutive league appearances, all in midfield under new manager Trevor Cherry
Trevor Cherry
Trevor John Cherry is a former England and Leeds United footballer who also captained his country. He was a defender who also played for Huddersfield Town and Bradford City, and managed the latter club....
. City finished 12th in Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
that season. The following
1983-84 in English football
The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history...
season City struggled to make up for the absence of Bobby Campbell
Bobby Campbell (Northern Irish footballer)
Robert McFaul "Bobby" Campbell is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for many clubs in England....
, who had left to join Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, and won just one of their first fifteen games, until Cherry bought Campbell back from Derby, and City won a record ten consecutive games on their way to a seventh place finish.
During the summer of 1984, Cherry made the two key signings of central defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Dave Evans
Dave Evans (footballer)
David G. "Dave" Evans is an English retired professional footballer who made more than 500 league appearances for three clubs.-Career:...
and right winger John Hendrie
John Hendrie
John Grattan Hendrie is a Scottish former professional association footballer who played on the right wing or in attack....
to build on the previous season's high finish. McCall was an integral part of the team as City won the Division Three championship in 1984–85
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
, during which he scored eight goals as one of two ever-present players. The title was assured in the penultimate game when McCall scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
. The league title was paraded before the final game of the season on 11 May 1985 at home to Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
. However, the club's title was overshadowed when 56 people died in the Bradford City stadium fire when the Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
ground's main stand caught fire after 40 minutes of play, during which McCall's father, who was with other family members, was badly injured. After the fire, McCall, still in his kit, spent several hours driving from the ground to his sister's house, then to Bradford Royal Infirmary
Bradford Royal Infirmary
Bradford Royal infirmary is a large teaching hospital in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and is operated by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS trust. The infirmary is affiliated with Leeds School of Medicine....
and Pinderfields Hospital trying to find his father. His father had suffered severe burns and needed skin grafts on his hands and head and was in hospital for several weeks.
For the following 19 months, the club played games away from Valley Parade. Cherry and the players became a close-knit team, attending funerals of the victims and other engagements in the months that followed, and the club's 13th place finish in Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
in 1985–86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
was hailed a major achievement. During Bradford's time away from Valley Parade, McCall also turned his back on Leeds United, the team he had supported as a child, after their fans set fire to a chip van at Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium is a stadium situated in Odsal, Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The venue is used for rugby league and has been the home ground of Bradford Bulls/Bradford Northern since 1934...
. McCall became club captain in November 1986, aged just 21, after Peter Jackson moved to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. Under Cherry's replacement, Terry Dolan, the club held off any relegation threats to finish tenth in 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
. Like Jackson, McCall and Hendrie were both keen to move to a Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
club, but they agreed in 1987 to stay for one final season.
Dolan brought in Paul Tomlinson
Paul Tomlinson
Paul A. Tomlinson is a retired English football player who played as a goalkeeper for Sheffield United, Birmingham City on loan and Bradford City....
, Brian Mitchell
Brian Mitchell (footballer)
Brian Mitchell is a Scottish former professional footballer who played in both Scotland and England, making over 250 league appearances for four teams.-Career:...
and Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott is an English former professional footballer turned football manager, who is in charge at Conference North side Altrincham....
in a bid to help McCall and Hendrie realise their dreams with City. They mounted a promotion challenge in 1987–88
1987-88 in English football
The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season....
and were top for much of the season until they faltered in the New Year. When promotion was missed initially by one point on the last day of the season after a 3–2 defeat against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
and then through play-off
Football League Championship play-offs
The Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...
defeat to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, McCall left the club, signing for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
850,000 in June 1988. He had played 238 league games for the club, scoring 37 goals, and in total played 285 games, scoring 46 goals. McCall was later outspoken in his autobiography, The Real McCall, about City's failure to strengthen the side in order to secure promotion.
His departure was soured when he was forced to go to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
with a Professional Footballers' Association
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
representative to win £8,327.15 of an unpaid signing-on fee.
Everton
McCall joined Everton at a time when its former triumphant side of the mid 1980s had broken up, following the ban on English sides competing in Europe, which marked the start of a period of underachievement at Goodison ParkGoodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
. His Everton debut came in a 4–0 victory over Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
on 27 August 1988 against his former teammate Hendrie, who was making his debut for Newcastle. McCall also returned to Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
for a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
tie, but his Everton side were knocked out by Bradford 3–1 on 14 December 1988. He started 29 league games in 1988–89
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
as well as another four substitute appearances, but failed to score in the league. He was also a substitute in the 1989 FA Cup Final
1989 FA Cup Final
The 1989 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with goals from John Aldridge and two...
when he scored Everton's equaliser in the Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...
against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
to take the game into extra-time. He scored another equaliser during extra-time, but Liverpool's own substitute Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
also scored two to secure a 3–2 victory for Liverpool.
McCall made a second appearance in an Everton shirt at Valley Parade, when he was invited by former teammate Mark Ellis
Mark Ellis (footballer born 1962)
Mark E Ellis was a footballer who played the majority of his league career for hometown club Bradford City as a left winger.-Career:...
to bring a side for his testimonial. In three seasons at Everton, McCall played 103 league games as well as earned his first cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
s with Scotland
Scotland 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...
but he failed to lift any trophies as the club finished eighth, sixth and ninth in the league. Apart from the FA Cup final defeat in 1989, the closest he came to winning a trophy at Everton was in the 1989–90 season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
, when Everton topped the league in late autumn and remained in contention for the title for the most the rest of the season until disappointing form in the run-in saw them finish sixth.
Rangers
In the summer of 1991, RangersRangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
paid £1.2 million for McCall. Rangers had just won their third successive Scottish Premier Division
Scottish Football League Premier Division
The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system...
title. Under newly-appointed manager Walter Smith
Walter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
, McCall ended up playing in the final six of the club's nine successive Scottish league titles. In his first season at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, Rangers won the league and cup double, before they achieved greater success in 1992–93
1992-93 in Scottish football
The 1992–93 season was the 96th season of competitive football in Scotland.- Notable events:* Rangers completing a domestic treble of the Premier Division title, FA Cup and League Cup....
, winning both cups 2–1 against Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
and coming nine points ahead of Aberdeen in the league. McCall also enjoyed European success that season when the Glasgow club narrowly missed out on an appearance in the UEFA Champions League 1992–93
UEFA Champions League 1992-93
The 1992–93 UEFA Champions League was the 38th European Cup, the premier European club football tournament, and the first season under the current UEFA Champions League format ....
final, coming second in the semi-final group stage to eventual winners Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
. Citing the reason for their success as the spirit which Smith instilled in the team, McCall later said: "It was an incredible season. We won the domestic Treble, we went 44 games unbeaten and we did not lose a single game in Europe. And, though we said we would do it again next year, we all knew it was unrepeatable." In 1993–94
1993-94 in Scottish football
The 1993–94 season was the 97th season of competitive football in Scotland. This season saw several teams relegated from the 1st and 2nd divisions in preparation for the introduction of a 3rd division the following season.-Notable events:...
, Rangers added another 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...
title along with the league championship, but lost 1–0 in the final of the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup 1993-94
The 1993–94 Scottish Cup was the 109th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Dundee United who defeated Rangers in the final.-First round:-Replays:-Second round:-Third round:-Replays:...
to Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
, surprisingly being denied a second successive treble. The following season saw Rangers win the league by their greatest margin as they finished 15 points ahead of Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
, but they failed to reach the final of either of the domestic cups. Although their winning margin was reduced to four points, from city rivals Celtic
Celtic 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 1995–96
1995-96 in Scottish football
The 1995–96 season was the 99th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Summary:Rangers won the Premier Division with a record 87 points, finishing four ahead of rivals Celtic. Aberdeen were third with 55 points ....
, Rangers' points tally of 87 was a record-high total. McCall played in his fourth Scottish Cup final as Rangers defeated Hearts
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...
5–1. In 1996, McCall was filmed by television cameras singing sectarian songs while injured and watching a match at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
from the stands. His Rangers side again pushed Celtic into second place in 1996–97
1996-97 in Scottish football
The 1996–97 season was the 100th season of competitive football in Scotland. This season seen a playoff system introduced between the 2nd bottom club in the Premier Division and the 2nd top club in Division One.-Scottish Premier Division:...
and defeated Hearts 4–3 in the Scottish League Cup. But with the club chasing an unprecedented 10th straight title in 1997–98
1997-98 in Scottish football
The 1997–98 season was the 101st season of competitive football in Scotland. Celtic halted Rangers in their bid for a record 10-in-a-row.-Scottish Premier Division:-Top scorers:-Table:-Top scorers:-Table:-Top scorers:-Table:...
they had to settle for the runners-up position, with Celtic winning the league by two points on the final day of the season. McCall was substituted in the Scottish Cup final defeat to Hearts
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...
as Rangers went the season without picking up a single title for the first season in McCall's time at the club.
In February 2008, McCall became the 71st inductee into the Rangers hall of fame. McCall's former teammate and Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
presented him with the award.
Back to Bradford City
McCall still had one year left on his Rangers contract in 1998, but much of the team that Walter Smith had built had left and McCall was allowed to leave on a free transfer by new manager Dick AdvocaatDick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...
, as long as he joined an English club. Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
and Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
were both interested in signing McCall, but he rejoined Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
as club captain. Rookie manager Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...
put together a squad which emerged as surprise promotion contenders after two seasons spent battling relegation, adding other new signings, including central midfield partner Gareth Whalley
Gareth Whalley
Gareth Whalley is an English born footballer who qualifies to play for the Republic of Ireland under the parentage rule.-Career:...
and striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Lee Mills
Lee Mills
Rowan Lee Mills , usually known as Lee Mills, is an English former footballer, who played as a striker....
, who went on to be club's top goal-scorer. The season started off slowly with just one win from the first seven games, but by the latter half of the season, City were vying with Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
for the second promotion spot behind runaway leaders Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. Loan
Loan (football)
In sports, a loan involves a particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to all season-long....
signing Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
and Dean Windass
Dean Windass
Dean Windass is an English footballer, who predominantly played as a striker, and is known for his spells at Bradford City and his hometown team Hull City...
were added to the ranks and City had the chance to seal promotion in their penultimate game against relegation-threatened Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
. The game finished as a 0–0 draw, with McCall heading over the goal in the final minutes, taking the promotion bid to the final game of the season. Days later he was named the club's player of the year. A 3–2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
at Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
on 9 May 1999 ensured promotion to the Premier League and denied Ipswich Town – the team that had thwarted McCall and Bradford 11 years before. Following the game, the players were celebrating with fans at the club's ground, when McCall fell off a car after drinking for more than five hours after the end of the game.
Bradford were expected to struggle in their first season in the top flight for 77 years. Jewell signed David Wetherall
David Wetherall
David Wetherall is an English former footballer who played as a central defender, finishing his playing career with Bradford City at the end of the 2007–08 season. Born in Sheffield, he supported Sheffield Wednesday as a child, and started his playing career there...
, Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
and Neil Redfearn
Neil Redfearn
Neil David Redfearn is an English former footballer and manager who is currently under-18s coach and reserve team manager at Leeds United....
, all experienced top flight performers, but City were in the bottom four teams for most of the season. It was Bradford's home form – they earned 26 of their 36 points at Valley Parade – that was key to City avoiding relegation, which was narrowly averted by two points after a shock 1–0 final day victory over Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in 1999–2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
, sending Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
down instead. When Jewell left only days after the season ended, McCall was appointed assistant manager to Chris Hutchings
Chris Hutchings
Christopher "Chris" Hutchings is an English former footballer and former manager of Walsall. He played for a number of clubs including Chelsea and played more than 100 games for Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town...
, and subsequently served as caretaker manager for two games when Hutchings was sacked after just 12 games of the 2000–01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
league season. City were relegated with just 26 points. During a 6–1 defeat to West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
rivals Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in the penultimate game, McCall and team-mate Andy Myers
Andy Myers
Andrew Myers is a former Chelsea footballer now coach who played most recently for Brentford as a defender....
fought on the pitch.
McCall stayed on for one more season before he was released by manager Nicky Law in May 2002, shortly before the club went into administration
Administration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
for the first time after finishing 15th in Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. His playing career at Bradford City had looked uncertain in December 2001 before Law arrived, when previous manager Jim Jefferies
Jim Jefferies
James "Jim" Jefferies is a Scottish football former player and manager. Jefferies played for Heart of Midlothian for almost his whole playing career and enjoyed a successful first managerial spell with the club, winning the 1998 Scottish Cup...
had left McCall out of the side in a 3–1 defeat at Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
following a training ground dispute. However, it was Jefferies who lost out in the dispute when he resigned his post a week later after summit talks with chairman Geoffrey Richmond
Geoffrey Richmond
Geoffrey Richmond was a football chairman of Bradford City from 1994 to 2002, and previously chairman of Scarborough.-Biography:Richmond was born and raised in Leeds, where he attended Roundhay Grammar School...
. In April 2002, McCall's testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
against Rangers attracted a crowd of more than 21,000 to Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
. McCall gave part of the proceeds from his testimonial to the Bradford burns research unit, which was set up following the 1985 fire. Two years after his benefit match, McCall played one more time in City colours in a Save Our City appeal match organised by Bradford's evening newspaper, the Telegraph & Argus, to raise funds for the club, who were now in administration for a second time.
Sheffield United
On 2 July 2002 McCall joined Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, where he played an integral part in their first-team side, despite being 38, and also coached the reserves to the league title. He played 71 league games over the next two seasons, and scored twice, including a winner against former side Bradford. He was in the side that reached the Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
play-off final in 2003 as well as the semi-finals of both cup competitions that year. However he and Dean Windass, who was also now at Sheffield United, were both left out of the play-off final, as United lost 3–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. McCall played just two League Cup games in the 2004–05
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
season, and retired just a few weeks before his 41st birthday. His career total of 763 league games placed him in 13th position on the all-time appearance list of British footballers.
International career
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
and Scotland
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
under-21 sides on the same day in 1984, and chose to play for England in a game against Turkey
Turkey national under-21 football team
Turkey's national Under-21 football team , also known as Turkey Under-21s or Turkey U-21s, is the Under-21 years of age team of the Turkey national football team.-History:...
. However, he was only picked as a substitute and the referee blew the final whistle with McCall waiting to come on. He later told Scottish newspaper Glasgow Herald, "I felt it was a mistake almost from the start. I was put on the bench and they tried to bring me on with a minute to go. But I took my time re-tying my boots and generally warming up and luckily didn't get on, otherwise that would have been that." As a result, McCall was still eligible for both England and Scotland, and he eventually switched allegiances to the latter, for whom he qualified through his father. He made his Scotland debut in March 1988, ironically against England. McCall made one more appearance for Scotland under 21s, against France
France national under-21 football team
The France national under-21 football team , known in France as Les Espoirs , is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
in 1990.
Later the same year, McCall was called up to the Scottish senior
Scotland 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...
team. He won his first cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
on 28 March 1990 in a 1–0 friendly victory over Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
. He played in five friendlies in 1990 which earned him a call up to the Italia 90 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...
squad. He played in all three of Scotland's World Cup games. They lost their first game 1–0 to 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...
, before McCall scored what would be his only international goal against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
in a 2–1 victory. However, Scotland failed to qualify for the knock-out stage when they were defeated 1–0 by Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
McCall represented Scotland at the European Championships in 1992, when they again failed to go beyond the group stage after defeats to Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
and Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, and in 1996 when they were edged out in the first round by Netherlands. Scotland failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
. McCall played just two qualifying games for the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and his last cap came in a friendly against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
on 25 March 1998, as he was overlooked for the final squad for the finals in France along with team-mate Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
. He was capped a total of 40 times for Scotland, scoring one goal. McCall's caps included 11 while at Everton and 29 during his career with Rangers.
Early coaching career
In July 2000, McCall accepted his first coaching role, when he was appointed assistant manager to Chris HutchingsChris Hutchings
Christopher "Chris" Hutchings is an English former footballer and former manager of Walsall. He played for a number of clubs including Chelsea and played more than 100 games for Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town...
at Bradford City, after Hutchings was promoted from the role to replace Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...
as City manager. Just four months later, Hutchings was sacked, and McCall was appointed as caretaker–player manager. His first game in the role was against his former team Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, who were led by his former manager Walter Smith, but ended with a 1–0 defeat. He was in charge for one more game, which also ended in defeat, until Jim Jefferies
Jim Jefferies
James "Jim" Jefferies is a Scottish football former player and manager. Jefferies played for Heart of Midlothian for almost his whole playing career and enjoyed a successful first managerial spell with the club, winning the 1998 Scottish Cup...
was appointed the new manager. Jefferies brought with him his own assistant Billy Brown, and McCall was appointed first-team coach.
After leaving Bradford City, he joined Sheffield United, where he also took up a coaching role. When he retired in 2004, he remained at Sheffield United as assistant to Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
. Working alongside Warnock and learning the managerial ropes from him, he helped mastermind Sheffield's promotion to the Premier League in 2006. United were relegated to the Championship on the final day of the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season and Warnock resigned three days later. McCall had already decided that the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season would be his last as assistant manager, and when he was overlooked as a successor to the United manager's position, in favour of Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
, he decided to leave after five years with the club.
Return to Bradford City
McCall admitted in his autobiography, The Real McCall, he wanted to manage Bradford.He had been linked with the manager's position at Bradford City on numerous previous occasions, and after Colin Todd
Colin Todd
Colin Todd is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League...
was sacked on 12 February 2007, City chairman Julian Rhodes
Julian Rhodes
Julian David Rhodes is the chairman of English League Two football side Bradford City. He has been chairman since December 2004, after taking the club out of administration. In 2007, he became joint-chairman with Mark Lawn....
made McCall his number one target to take over in the summer. Club captain David Wetherall
David Wetherall
David Wetherall is an English former footballer who played as a central defender, finishing his playing career with Bradford City at the end of the 2007–08 season. Born in Sheffield, he supported Sheffield Wednesday as a child, and started his playing career there...
temporarily took over and was later announced as caretaker manager for the rest of the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season. On 18 May 2007 it was announced McCall would become full-time manager of the club where he started his career, and on 1 June 2007 he assumed the position. In less than seven years since McCall's first two-game reign, serious financial problems had driven the club to the verge of closure, and although they survived the threat of oblivion, they were unable to avoid a terrible on-the-pitch decline, which continued after the financial nightmare had been relieved. On McCall's return to Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
, the Bantams had just been relegated to League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
—meaning that they would be playing in the bottom division for the first time in 25 years. McCall set himself a target of earning promotion back to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
in his first season.
Bradford had just 13 players when McCall took over, and he made a number of summer signings including defender Darren Williams
Darren Williams
Darren Williams is an English footballer who is player-manager of Whitby Town.Williams began his career at York City, but made his name at Sunderland, for whom he signed in 1996. He moved to Cardiff City in 2004, then on Hartlepool United in 2005...
, midfielders Kyle Nix
Kyle Nix
Kyle Ashley Nix is a professional footballer who plays in the Conference National with Gateshead. He was born in Sydney, Australia to English parents and moved to England at an early age....
, Alex Rhodes and Scott Phelan
Scott Phelan
Scott Phelan is an English footballer who plays for Kidderminster Harriers as a midfielder. He plays for Kidderminster Harriers having previously played in The Football League with Bradford City.-Playing career:...
, and strikers Barry Conlon
Barry Conlon
Barry John Conlon is an Irish footballer who plays as a striker and is currently without a club.Conlon's career started with Queens Park Rangers but he moved to Manchester City before he had played a game. He made his Football League debut with City...
, Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu
Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu
Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu is a Congolese professional footballer, formerly an under-21 international.He has played for Amiens SC, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston North End, Colchester United, Cardiff City, Gillingham, Bradford City and had two spells at Darlington.-Career:Ndumbu-Nsungu started his...
and Peter Thorne. McCall recorded his first win as a manager against Wrexham on 25 August 2007 after substitute Luke Medley
Luke Medley
Luke Anthony Cleve Medley is an English footballer who plays for Lincoln City on loan from Kidderminster Harriers. As a junior, he was on the books of Welwyn Garden City, Barnet and Tottenham Hotspur. He joined Bradford City in 2007, and later the same year scored with his first touch in league...
scored a late winner, but despite his pre-season target his team spent much of the first half of the season in the bottom half of the table. After going unbeaten in January, the club were still 15th in League Two, and McCall told the Telegraph & Argus he did not regret his pre-season target but was carried away with the euphoria at the time. City's form continued to improve during the second half of the season, and McCall led his side to 10th place in League Two.
Despite City finishing outside the play-off places, they were again installed as favourites for promotion by bookmakers for the 2008–09 season. McCall released 13 players from his squad and replaced them with a number of signings with experience in a higher division, as well as Michael Boulding
Michael Boulding
Michael Thomas Boulding is an English professional footballer. He can play as a forward or as a winger, and had previously been a promising young tennis player, ranking among the top 20 players in Britain...
, who was one of League Two's top goalscorers during the 2007–08
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
campaign. McCall's side made a good start to the season, and after winning five of their opening six league games, went top of the league – the first time City had led the table in seven years.
As a result of maintaining a place in the promotion places during the first half of the season and his "stabling influence" on the club, chairmen Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn
Mark Lawn
Mark Lawn is Bradford City chairman along with Julian Rhodes. In June 2007, he loaned the club the money to pay off debts the banks, taking on the debt himself.He has been a City fan for more than 40 years since he was a young child....
offered McCall a new contract in January 2009. Later in the month, Lawn gave further backing to McCall, who was coming under pressure from the club's fans following a run of one win in nine games; during the run McCall was also charged by The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
for the first time of his managerial career after he had contested a refereeing decision during a game with Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. McCall signed his new contract in February, which extends his deal by another two years and keep him at the club until 2011. He set himself the goal of earning two promotions to put City in the Championship. However, less than a month later, McCall offered to resign if they did not reach the play-offs after his side lost 4–1 to Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
– their fifth consecutive away defeat. "Nobody is hurting more than me but it's as simple as that, if we miss out I don't deserve to be here," he said. City eventually missed out on promotion, but McCall decided to stay on as manager and took a voluntary pay cut in the process because of the club's budget being reduced.
As a result of the cuts, McCall made a number of changes to his squad during the summer of 2009. His team started the 2009–10 season
Bradford City A.F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was the 107th season in Bradford City A.F.C.'s history, their 95th in The Football League and 97th in the league system of English football...
by going four games without scoring, until they recorded a 5–4 victory against Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
. After the game, McCall said: "That was the youngest, and certainly cheapest, team Bradford have put out for a long time and I’m really proud of them." City continued by going ten games unbeaten and reached the area semi-finals of the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
where they lost to Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, managed by McCall's friend Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott (footballer)
Gregory Stephen "Greg" Abbott is an English football manager and former player. He played as a right back or midfielder, and is now manager of Carlisle United....
, but at the start of 2010 found themselves 16th in League Two and eight points off the play-offs after a run of five defeats in seven games. McCall laid down a challenge to his team to win three of their next four games, saying: "The bottom line is that the players and me personally will get judged on results. And the results aren't good enough." Despite the club's slide down the table, he denied he would resign, but it was reported that two late goals from summer signing Gareth Evans
Gareth Evans (footballer born 1988)
Gareth Evans is an English professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for League Two side Rotherham United. He previously played in the Football League for Macclesfield Town.-Crewe Alexandra:...
to give City a late 2–1 away at Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
saved McCall from being sacked. However, defeat to Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
in the club's following fixture was McCall's last game as manager, with McCall saying after the game: "It's time for somebody else to come in and take up the reins and hopefully do well." He won a little more than one-third of his 133 games in charge of City. McCall left by mutual consent.
Motherwell
After leaving Bradford, McCall spent some time out of the game before being recruited to work as a scout for Norwich CityNorwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
by Rangers former chief scout Ewan Chester. At the end of 2010, he was among a number of men interviewed for the managerial vacancy at Scottish Premier League side Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
to succeed Craig Brown, before being given the job on a two-and-a-half-year contract. His first game in charge was a 0–0 draw away to Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
on New Year's Day 2011, with McCall stating: "It was a fair result. You take positives, a clean sheet, but we can be better and we will be better." He followed it up with a 4–0 victory in the Scottish Cup against Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
before his maiden league victory – and the club's first since November – against Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
by the end of January. McCall was partly selected as new manager because of his knowledge of the lower leagues of English football; he was active in the transfer market in his early days, bringing in Steve Jones – a player he had at Bradford – and Mike Grella
Mike Grella
Michael Grella is an American professional soccer player who plays for Brentford. He plays as a striker. He was a United States Under-20 International and a highly rated talent in USA...
from Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, although the latter move was cancelled because of a Fifa
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
ruling limiting the number of clubs a player can sign for in one season. Having operated without an assistant for his first few weeks in charge, McCall chose former Airdrie United
Airdrie United F.C.
Airdrie United Football Club are a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. They are currently managed by ex-Airdrieonians player and former Airdrie United Under 19s coach Jimmy Boyle. They are members of the Scottish Football League and play in the...
manager Kenny Black
Kenny Black
Kenneth George "Kenny" Black is a retired Scottish footballer and former manager of Airdrie United. He is currently a part of Craig Levein's Scotland set-up, as well as assistant manager to Stuart McCall at Motherwell....
as his number two. McCall led Motherwell to the semi-finals of both Scottish Cup competitions – they were defeated 2–1 by his former side Rangers in the League Cup but reached the final of the Scottish Cup by defeating St Johnstone
St Johnstone F.C.
St. Johnstone F.C. is a professional football club based in Perth, Scotland. Although it is officially recorded as being formed in 1884, the club did not play its first game until February 1885. The club's home since 1989 has been McDiarmid Park....
3–0.
At the start of the following season, Motherwell lost only one match in their first six making them joint leaders of the Scottish Premier League, which led to McCall being named the Clydesdale Bank Premier League manager of the month for July and August. Well continued their good form, with McCall winning the award again in October, alongside player of the month Keith Lasley
Keith Lasley
Keith Lasley is a Scottish professional footballer currently playing for Motherwell.Lasley started his career with Motherwell where he made over 100 appearances. He joined Plymouth Argyle in 2004 on a free transfer...
, in a month when the side went unbeaten.
Managerial statistics
- updated 20 November 2011.
Team From To Record G W D L Win % Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C.Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....6 November 2000 20 November 2000
Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C.Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....22 May 2007 8 February 2010
Motherwell Motherwell F.C.Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...30 December 2010 Present
Style of play
McCall was a box-to-box midfielder characterised by his tireless running, tackling and also weighing in with an average of one goal every 11 games. Despite his position in the middle of the park he was rarely suspended and was sent off just once in his career – in the final minute of a 2–0 defeat to Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on 4 November 2000. He also had a never-say-die attitude proven by a number of key late goals including his equaliser which sent the 1989 FA Cup Final1989 FA Cup FinalThe 1989 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with goals from John Aldridge and two...
into extra-time, and a 93rd minute equaliser against Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
during Bradford's difficult start to their Premier League campaign in the 1999–2000 season. He was a passionate player whose strong desire to win even ran to reserve games. Even in his final years of his career he was described as a player with "plenty of drive and ambition" by manager Neil WarnockNeil WarnockNeil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
.
Club
Club Season League Cup Europe UEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C.Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....1982–83 28 4 2 0 0 0 30 4 1983–84 46 5 4 0 0 0 50 5 1984–85 46 8 7 1 0 0 53 9 1985–86 38 4 4 2 0 0 42 6 1986–87 36 7 4 1 0 0 40 8 1987–88 44 9 9 2 0 0 53 11 Total 238 37 30 6 0 0 268 43 Everton Everton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...1988–89 The Football League 1988-89The 1988–1989 season was the 89th completed season of the Football League.No European qualification took place due to the Heysel Stadium disaster suspension in place....33 0 9 4 0 0 42 4 1989–90 37 3 11 0 0 0 48 3 1990–91 33 3 9 0 0 0 42 3 Total 103 6 29 4 0 0 132 10 Rangers Rangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...1991–92 36 1 7 0 2 2 45 3 1992–93 36 5 9 1 9 0 54 6 1993–94 34 3 8 0 2 0 44 3 1994–95 30 2 4 1 2 0 36 3 1995–96 21 3 5 1 7 0 33 4 1996–97 7 0 2 0 4 0 13 0 1997–98 30 0 8 0 2 0 40 0 Total 194 14 43 3 28 2 265 19 Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C.Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....1998–99 43 3 5 0 0 0 48 3 1999–2000 1999–2000 Bradford City A.F.C. seasonDuring the 1999–2000 English football season, Bradford City A.F.C. competed in the FA Premier League.-Season summary:David Wetherall's goal on the final day of the season gave Bradford City a surprise 1-0 victory over Liverpool, which secured the top division place that the Bantams had spent 77...34 1 4 0 0 0 38 1 2000–01 2000–01 Bradford City A.F.C. seasonDuring the 2000–01 English football season, Bradford City A.F.C. competed in the FA Premier League. It was their second consectutive season in England's top flight, having retained their Premiership status on the last day of the previous season.-Season summary:...37 1 2 0 4 0 43 1 2001–02 43 3 3 1 0 0 46 4 Total 157 8 14 1 4 0 175 9 Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C.Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...2002–03 34 0 11 0 0 0 45 0 2003–04 The Football League 2003-04The 2003–2004 season was the 104th completed season of The Football League.-Overview:This season was the last association football season in the football league where the divisions were known as "First", "Second", and "Third"...37 2 5 0 0 0 42 2 2004–05 The Football League 2004-05The 2004–2005 season was the 105th completed season of The Football League.-Overview:This season the league was contested through three divisions. 2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football...0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 Total 71 2 18 0 0 0 89 2 Career totals 763 67 134 14 32 2 929 83
International
National team Season Apps Goals Scotland Scotland national football teamThe 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...1989–90 8 1 1990–91 3 0 1991–92 9 0 1992–93 3 0 1993–94 4 0 1994–95 3 0 1995–96 7 0 1996–97 2 0 1997–98 1 0 Total 40 1
Player
Bradford City- English Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
: 1984–851984-85 in English footballThe 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May... - English First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 1998–991998-99 in English football-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
runner-up
Everton- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 19891989 FA Cup FinalThe 1989 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with goals from John Aldridge and two...
runner-up - Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
: 1989 runner-up
Rangers- Scottish Premier DivisionScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
: 1991–921991-92 in Scottish footballThe 1991–92 season was the 95th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier Division:Champions: RangersRelegated: St...
, 1992–931992-93 in Scottish footballThe 1992–93 season was the 96th season of competitive football in Scotland.- Notable events:* Rangers completing a domestic treble of the Premier Division title, FA Cup and League Cup....
, 1993–941993-94 in Scottish footballThe 1993–94 season was the 97th season of competitive football in Scotland. This season saw several teams relegated from the 1st and 2nd divisions in preparation for the introduction of a 3rd division the following season.-Notable events:...
, 1994–951994-95 in Scottish footballThe 1994–95 season was the 98th season of competitive football in Scotland. This season seen the re-introduction of the Scottish 3rd division, after an absence of 26 years, and also the introduction of three points for a win being awarded instead of just two.-Notable events:*Raith Rovers...
, 1995–961995-96 in Scottish footballThe 1995–96 season was the 99th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Summary:Rangers won the Premier Division with a record 87 points, finishing four ahead of rivals Celtic. Aberdeen were third with 55 points ....
, 1996–971996-97 in Scottish footballThe 1996–97 season was the 100th season of competitive football in Scotland. This season seen a playoff system introduced between the 2nd bottom club in the Premier Division and the 2nd top club in Division One.-Scottish Premier Division:... - Scottish CupScottish CupThe 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...
: 1992Scottish Cup 1991-92The 1991–92 Scottish Cup was the 107th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Rangers who defeated Airdrieonians in the final.-First round:-Replay:-Second round:-Replays:-Third round:...
, 1993Scottish Cup 1992-93The 1992–93 Scottish Cup was the 108th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Rangers who defeated Aberdeen in the final.-First round:-Second round:-Replays:-Third round:-Replays:...
, 1996Scottish Cup 1995-96The 1995–96 Scottish Cup was the 111th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Rangers who defeated Hearts in the final.-First round:-Replay:-Second round:-Replays:-Third round:-Replays:... - Scottish League CupScottish League CupThe 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...
: 1993, 1994
Personal- PFA Team of the YearPFA Team of the YearThe Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
- Second Division: 19871986-87 in English footballThe 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
, 19881987-88 in English footballThe 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season.... - Third Division: 19851984-85 in English footballThe 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
- Second Division: 1987
Manager
Motherwell- Scottish CupScottish CupThe 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...
: 20112011 Scottish Cup FinalThe 2011 Scottish Cup Final was the 126th final of the Scottish Cup, Scottish football's most prestigious knockout association football competition. The match toke place at Hampden Park on 21 May 2011 and was played by Scottish Premier League clubs Motherwell and Celtic...
runner-up - Manager of the Month: July and August 2011, October 2011
External links
- English Third Division