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Neil McCann

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Neil McCann
Personal information
Full name Neil Docherty McCann
Date of birth (1974-08-11) 11 August 1974 (age 50)[1]
Place of birth Greenock, Scotland
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Greenock Morton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1996 Dundee 79 (5)
1996–1998 Heart of Midlothian 74 (19)
1998–2003 Rangers 113 (19)
2003–2006 Southampton 40 (0)
2006–2008 Heart of Midlothian 25 (0)
2008–2009 Falkirk 24 (1)
2011 Dundee 3 (1)
Total 358 (45)
International career
1998–2005 Scotland[2] 26 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Neil Docherty McCann (born 11 August 1974 in Greenock, Inverclyde) is a former Scottish professional footballer who currently works as a pundit for Sky Sports.[3]

His professional career saw him play for Dundee (two spells), Heart of Midlothian (two spells), Rangers, Southampton and Falkirk. He also played 26 times for the Scotland national football team.[2]

Club career

McCann started his career with Dundee before moving on to Heart of Midlothian in 1996. He helped the Tynecastle side win the Scottish Cup in 1998, their first major trophy in 36 years. McCann moved to Rangers later that year for £1.9 million,[4] becoming the club's first major Scottish Catholic signing since Mo Johnston.[5] He scored two goals against Rangers' arch-rivals Celtic on 2 May 1999 to clinch the SPL title. In 2003 Rangers were forced to sell him due to their financial problems.[6]

He joined Southampton on 5 August 2003, for £1.5 million.[7] A series of injuries made it difficult for him to maintain his place in the team. McCann scored one goal for Southampton, in a League Cup tie against Northampton Town.[8] His contract with Southampton was terminated by mutual consent in January 2006.[9]

On 17 January 2006, McCann rejoined Hearts.[10] He sustained a serious injury while playing in his first match since returning to Hearts against Kilmarnock, meaning he missed their victory in the 2006 Scottish Cup Final.[citation needed] He returned from injury for the UEFA Champions League qualifier against Široki Brijeg of Bosnia. However, on 25 August 2007, he suffered a double leg break during Hearts' loss to Celtic in a tackle on Scott Brown. Brown was unharmed in the tackle.[11]

On 14 May 2008, it was announced that McCann had signed for SPL rivals Falkirk. He scored on his debut against former club Hearts,[12] and then scored twice for Falkirk in League Cup ties against Queen of the South[13] and Inverness.[14] He also played for Falkirk in the 2009 Scottish Cup Final. He was released on 22 August 2009 after managerial changes at Falkirk, with outgoing manager John Hughes (the manager that signed him) being replaced by Eddie May.

On 12 February 2011, McCann came out of retirement to help Dundee stave-off relegation.[15] He scored a last minute goal in his first appearance, against Raith Rovers.[16]

On 30 April 2015, McCann decided to leave his position as Assistant Manager at Dunfermline Athletic.[17]

International career

He made his debut for Scotland on 5 September 1998, as a late substitute for Ally McCoist in a 0–0 draw away to Lithuania. His first appearance in the starting line-up was on 31 March 1999 in a 2–1 home defeat to the Czech Republic. He scored three goals for Scotland, including two in consecutive matches in September 2003 during the qualifying rounds for Euro 2004. He continued to play regularly for Scotland until November 2005.[citation needed]

International goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 September 2000 Skonto Stadions, Riga, Latvia  Latvia 1–0 1–0 2002 WC Qualifying
2 6 September 2003 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland  Faroe Islands 1–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
3 10 September 2003 Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany  Germany 1–2 1–2 UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.

Media work

After leaving Falkirk, McCann has become a pundit for Sky Sports providing analysis on their coverage of football in Scotland.[18]

Honours

Heart of Midlothian
Rangers

References

  1. ^ "Neil McCann profile". London Hearts. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b Neil McCann at the Scottish Football Association
  3. ^ "Former Rangers star Neil McCann backs summer switch for Scottish football and believes it could revitalise game north of the border". Daily Record. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  4. ^ Gordon, Phil (2 May 1999). "Football: McCann the rebound man". The Independent. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Interview: Neil McCann, football pundit and former player". scotsman.com. 14 May 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Rangers could lose Ferguson". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  7. ^ "McCann makes Saints switch". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 August 2003. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Northampton 0–3 Southampton". BBC Sport. 22 September 2004. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  9. ^ "Winger McCann departs St Mary's". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 January 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  10. ^ "McCann wraps up return to Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 January 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  11. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Heart of Midlothian | McCann suffers double leg break". BBC News. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  12. ^ "Falkirk 2–1 Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  13. ^ "Falkirk 2–1 Queen of the South". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Falkirk 1–0 Inverness CT". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  15. ^ "Neil McCann comes out of retirement with Dundee". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  16. ^ "Dundee 2-1 Raith Rovers". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  17. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32533118
  18. ^ Neil McCann leaves Falkirk STV, 21 August 2009
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