Neil McCann
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil Docherty McCann | ||
| Date of birth | 11 August 1974[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Greenock, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | 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 (trial) | 3 | (1) |
| Total | 358 | (45) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998–2005 | Scotland | 26 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Neil Docherty McCann (born 11 August 1974 in Greenock, Inverclyde) is a Scottish professional footballer who is currently on the coaching staff of Dunfermline Athletic. He is also a regular pundit for Sky Sports
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 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.[2]
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.[3]
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, meaning he missed their victory in the 2006 Scottish Cup Final.
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.[4]
On 14 May 2008, it was announced that McCann had signed for SPL rivals Falkirk. He scored on his debut against former club Hearts,[5] and then went on to score twice for Falkirk in the League Cup against Queen of the South[6] and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.[7] 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.[8]
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.
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 SPL coverage.[9]
Honours
- Heart of Midlothian
- Scottish Cup: 1997–98
- Rangers
- Scottish Premier League: 1998–99, 1999–00, 2002–03
- Scottish Cup: 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03
- Scottish League Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03
- Falkirk
- Scottish Cup: Runner-up 2008–09
References
- ↑ "Neil McCann profilr". London Hearts. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ↑ "Rangers could lose Ferguson". BBC Sport. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
- ↑ "Northampton 0–3 Southampton". BBC Sport. 22 September 2004. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ↑ "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Heart of Midlothian | McCann suffers double leg break". BBC News. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ↑ "Falkirk 2–1 Hearts". BBC Sport. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ↑ "Falkirk 2–1 Queen of the South". BBC Sport. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ↑ "Falkirk 1–0 Inverness CT". BBC Sport. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ↑ "Neil McCann comes out of retirement with Dundee". BBC Sport. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ↑ Neil McCann leaves Falkirk STV, 21 August 2009
External links
- Neil McCann career stats at Soccerbase
- Profile at londonhearts.com