I’m lucky enough to have played in some huge games for club and country. Memories I will cherish and that can never be taken away from me. Scotland beating France home and away was so special. Scoring for Rangers in the Champions League in the 3–0 away win at Lyon was incredible. Drawing 0–0 against Barcelona was a brilliant performance, a result against all the odds. Beating Reading in 2005 and Sheffield United in 2007 for Wigan brought so much joy for different reasons. I scored against Reading. Big Jason Roberts cut down the right-hand side, squared it and I arrived from the back post to slam it home from eight yards. We had to win to make sure we gained promotion to the Premiership. A few family members and friends travelled down and they were on the pitch at the end. The goals on my debut for Motherwell are right up there. The headed equaliser for Rangers against Celtic at Parkhead in 2010 is the best I’ve ever felt after finding the back of the net.
Parkhead is one of the best grounds for atmosphere. I loved playing at Old Trafford, Anfield, the San Siro and the Nou Camp, for the history of such great clubs. Ibrox is a special stadium and is my favourite, but the other one I’m most fond of is White Hart Lane, home of Tottenham Hotspur. Everything about it is class – great atmosphere, great dressing rooms and first-class hospitality lounges. Wigan always played well there. I don’t know if I will ever get back to such great arenas in a working capacity in the next ten or twenty years. It’s when I say that out loud that reality bites about what the future holds for me. Fingers crossed I remain active in football, in some shape or form, whether that’s helping kids to progress and develop in the game or something along those lines.
I believe a coach has to put in the hours on the training ground and that’s something I would do. That kind of role demands knowledge, time and patience. It has to be about wanting to improve the players you have in your group and that means working tirelessly with them, especially young professionals. I know I would relish that kind of challenge.
Who knows what the future will hold and as I’m getting older I think about it a lot. I get nervous and anxious about what it will bring, that’s for sure. What does concern me is what will happen if I don’t find anything to do and I end up sitting about twiddling my thumbs. That would drive me crazy. Yes, I may well have financial security but I will need to be active, have a purpose in life to get me out of bed in the morning.
All I can hope for is that the next fifteen years are half as rewarding and as satisfying as the last fifteen years. If they are, I will have no complaints.
COPYRIGHT
First published 2013
by Black & White Publishing Ltd
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This electronic edition published in 2013
ISBN: 978 1 84502 607 3 in EPub format
ISBN: 978 1 84502 608 0 in Mobi pocket format
ISBN: 978 1 84502 606 6 in hardback format
Copyright © Lee McCulloch and Mark Guidi 2013
The right of Lee McCulloch and Mark Guidi to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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