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CAN'T TOP THAT
I’m an ex-Scotland star… Paul Gascoigne gave me his shirt from England Euro 96 clash then ran away
Tartan Army legend reveals an amazing side to the Three Lions' genius when rivalry was at its fiercest
WHEN Stuart McCall tunes into the Euros, he will remember a famous TV interview about Gazza and a funny tale featuring his beloved Corrie.
The former Scotland midfielder, 59, started all their games at the tournaments in 1992 and 1996 but they failed to get out of the group stages both times.
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And one of his clearest memories is a battle with England legend and then Rangers team-mate Paul Gascoigne, in the 2-0 defeat at Wembley 28 years ago.
McCall said: “Me and Gazza changed next to each other at Rangers for nearly three years and I’d done an interview on TV the night before the game.
“I said my little girl wanted a 3-3 draw, with me to get a hat-trick and Gazza to get a hat-trick.
“As I walked to the dressing room at half-time, I heard this rapping of studs on concrete.
“It was Gazza and I’d not spoken to him before or during the game.
“He gave me his shirt and said, ‘That’s for your little girl’, and then he carried on running.
“He’d seen the interview, I’d not even asked for it.
“So I stuffed the shirt into my bag and didn’t say anything to anyone.”
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McCall roomed with midfielder John Collins on international duty — and it led to a TV clash.
He explained: “We’d watch TV in our room and every time the adverts came on, John’d do press-ups and sit-ups.
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“I got a bit fed up with it and - even though Coronation Street was my favourite programme - I made sure we watched the BBC all night so he couldn’t do exercises. He was a machine!”
McCall was also No 2 to Gordon Strachan between 2013-17 and worked with several of the stars who current Scotland boss Steve Clarke will take to Germany this month.
And he is sure they can achieve success he was denied in the 1990s.
McCall added: “We are not in the greatest run of form but these guys have a chance to go the step further than any Scottish player has done.
“There’ll be thousands of Scots there and there’s an opportunity to go far.
“Steve and the players will look back on the last Euros as a missed opportunity but now they have another chance to make history - and they can do it.”
What Southgate said about axed England stars
WHAT Gareth Southgate said about his axed England stars after confirming his 26-man England squad for Euro 2024.
Harry Maguire
"The decision on Harry [Maguire] is totally about his physical condition and his recovery from the injury. There is no other reason as he is one of our strongest centre-backs.
"Harry has made some progress, but it's been complicated and we wouldn't have had him in the group stages. There were too many hurdles to get through without being clear where we might get to.
"Knowing we haven't got a clean bill of health across the rest of the backline, we need players who are fit and ready to go from the start.
"It was a really difficult call, you know how I feel about Harry, what he's done for England and for me as a manager. "
Jack Grealish
“I have just delivered a really difficult conversation to a lad who is devastated.
"I think the world of him as a kid.“It certainly doesn’t get any easier.
"You put yourself in the shoes of a player, a parent. You understand that for these players this is a devastating moment.
“We knew we had a couple of really difficult days coming up."
James Maddison
"Madders [Maddison] and Jack [Grealish] would have provided us with something different as well and they've been tough calls.
"They're calls we've gone over and over and over as a group of staff to try to be fair and to try to use the right rationale.
"We back our decisions but we recognise we could have gone a different route. The boys are big characters, fabulous team-mates and great boys to work with.
"It's sad to have to deliver that news to them."
Jarrad Branthwaite
"It's a bit early for Jarrad [Branthwaite]. He has had a fabulous season, it was good to get him on the pitch the other night.
"But of course, in an ideal world, you'd like that balance of left-footers. For him to be in ahead of the others, I don't think it would have been the right call at this stage."
Jarell Quansah
"Jarell Quansah has stayed with us. He's not had the experience of an England international at Wembley. It'll be great for him to be us for the game.
"Hopefully we're not needing to call anyone else in."