Capello’s Clyde Champs
New England supremo Fabio Capello had not previously held a football position in England or Scotland – but he did coach a winning Clyde team at Shawfield! The former Scotland management team of Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown told The Herald that the Italian joined the club for some training sessions in the early 1980s whilst a guest of the SFA. Roxburgh said:-
“Fabio effectively came over as a student and we arranged for him to work with Craig at Clyde. I actually let him take charge of a (Scotland) youth
team training session. I can’t remember what age group it was but we were due to be playing abroad and he took charge of the team in Paisley.
“It was a good practice session and I remember him saying the most difficult aspect of working in Scotland was the wind because it affected the trajectory of the ball and made it difficult to work on technique. It was hard to keep the goalposts standing up because the weather was so bad. He had better get used to it now.”
Brown remarked that his Second Division championship-winning Clyde squad of 1981-82 were suitably impressed by the former Juventus player’s skills on a sodden Shawfield turf:-
“He exuded an air of authority even back then but what I will never forget is the sight of him, resplendent in his camel coat, kicking a ball as high as possible on a pitch that was caked in mud and trapping it perfectly on his neck, mud and all. It was an unbelievable piece of skill, and one that really impressed my squad, even aside from the fact that he did it with his designer clothes on.
“It is a major coup for England getting Fabio Capello; I suppose we can say he learned his trade at Shawfield Stadium.”
Pictured above is Craig Brown’s title winning squad of 1981-82:-
Back row (l to r); John Dowie, Robert Reilly, Davie Rae, Greig Young, Tommy McQueen, Jim Dempsey, Derek McCutcheon.
Middle row (l to r); John Watson (Physio), Jim Sinclair, Tommy O’Neill, Craig Brown (Manager), Neil Hood, John Brogan, Rab Thorburn (Assistant Manager).
Front row (l to r); Billy McColl, Jim Doherty, Pat Nevin, Danny Masterton.