Neil McCann
Encyclopedia
Neil Docherty McCann is a Scottish
professional footballer who is currently playing for Partick Thistle
before moving on to Heart of Midlothian
in 1996. He helped the Tynecastle
side win the Scottish Cup
in 1998, their first trophy in 36 years, before moving to Rangers
later that year. He scored two goals against Rangers' arch-rivals Celtic
, the team he supported as a child, on 2 May 1999 to clinch the SPL title. In 2003 Rangers' were forced to sell him due to their financial problems.
He joined Southampton
on 5 August 2003, for £1.5 million, but a series of injuries made it difficult for him to maintain his place in the team, scoring only once in the League Cup
against Northampton Town
.
On 17 January 2006 he rejoined former club Hearts after his contract with Southampton was terminated by mutual consent.
He sustained a serious injury while playing in his first match since returning to Hearts against Kilmarnock
.
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.
On 14 May 2008, it was announced that McCann had signed for SPL rivals Falkirk
. He scored on his debut against former club Hearts, and then went on to score twice for Falkirk in the League Cup against Queen of the South and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. 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 announced he was coming out of retirement to help Dundee stave-off relegation while on trial at the club. He scored a last minute goal in his first appearance against Raith Rovers.
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.
, McCann has become a pundit for Sky Sports
providing analysis on their SPL
coverage.
Rangers:
Falkirk:
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
professional footballer who is currently playing for Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
Club career
McCann started his career with DundeeDundee 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 moving on to Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
in 1996. He helped the Tynecastle
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
side win the 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...
in 1998, their first trophy in 36 years, before moving 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...
later that year. He scored two goals against Rangers' arch-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...
, the team he supported as a child, on 2 May 1999 to clinch the SPL title. In 2003 Rangers' were forced to sell him due to their financial problems.
He joined Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on 5 August 2003, for £1.5 million, but a series of injuries made it difficult for him to maintain his place in the team, scoring only once in the 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...
against Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
.
On 17 January 2006 he rejoined former club Hearts after his contract with Southampton was terminated by mutual consent.
He sustained a serious injury while playing in his first match since returning to Hearts against Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
.
He returned from injury for the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
qualifier against Široki Brijeg
NK Široki Brijeg
NK Široki Brijeg is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian team from the town of Široki Brijeg that currently plays in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
of Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. 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.
On 14 May 2008, it was announced that McCann had signed for SPL rivals Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
. He scored on his debut against former club Hearts, and then went on to score twice for Falkirk in the League Cup against Queen of the South and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. 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
Eddie May (Scottish footballer)
Eddie May is a Scottish association football former player and manager.-Playing career:He played as a midfielder and full back for several clubs, including Hibernian, Falkirk and Motherwell during the 1980s and 1990s.-Coaching career:...
.
On 12 February 2011, McCann announced he was coming out of retirement to help Dundee stave-off relegation while on trial at the club. He scored a last minute goal in his first appearance against Raith Rovers.
International career
He made his debut for Scotland on 5 September 1998, as a late substitute for Ally McCoistAlly 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....
in a 0–0 draw away to Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
. His first appearance in the starting line-up was on 31 March 1999 in a 2–1 home defeat to the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
. He scored three goals for Scotland, including two in consecutive matches in September 2003 during the qualifying rounds for Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
. He continued to play regularly for Scotland until November 2005.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 September 2000 | Skonto Stadions Skonto stadions Skonto Stadium is a football stadium in Riga, Latvia. The stadium has 9,500 seats and was built in 2000. This is the biggest football stadium in Latvia.- Description :Skonto Stadium is located in the heart of Riga - Street E. Melngaiļa 1a, Riga, Latvia... , Riga Riga Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,... , Latvia Latvia Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden... |
1-0 | 1-0 | 2002 WC Qualifying 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.... |
|
| 2 | 6 September 2003 | Hampden Park Hampden Park Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland... , Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
1-0 | 3-1 | UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. | |
| 3 | 10 September 2003 | Westfalenstadion Westfalenstadion Westfalenstadion is an association football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home stadium of the Borussia Dortmund football team playing in the German Bundesliga.... , Dortmund Dortmund Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1-2 | 1-2 | UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. |
Media work
After leaving FalkirkFalkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
, McCann has become a pundit for Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
providing analysis on their SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
coverage.
Honours
Heart of Midlothian:- 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...
: 1997-98
Rangers:
- Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
: 1998-99, 1999-00, 2002–03 - 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...
: 1998-99, 1999-00, 2001–02, 2002–03 - 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...
: 2001-02, 2002–03
Falkirk:
- 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...
: Runner Up 2008-09
External links
- Profile at londonhearts.com