McLeish appoints trio to Scotland backroom team
Left to right: Grant, McFadden, Woods and McLeish
Written by Simon Austin — March 13, 2018
SCOTLAND manager Alex McLeish has appointed Peter Grant and James McFadden as his assistants and Stevie Woods as his goalkeeping coach.
The trio, who have all signed two-year contracts, have all worked under McLeish before:
- Grant played alongside the former central defender for Scotland and was his assistant at Birmingham, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. He is highly experienced, having managed Norwich City, and is a holder of the Uefa Pro Licence.
- Woods - who will continue to work as Celtic's goalkeeping coach - was signed by McLeish when he was Motherwell manager.
- McFadden, 34, played under McLeish for both Motherwell and Scotland. In fact the forward scored a stunning winner against France in Paris in 2007 during the Scot's first spell in charge of the national side.
McLeish said the trio would offer a "complementary blend of experience, enthusiasm and success".
Woods' appointment brings an end to the 16-year tenure of previous goalkeeping coach Jim Stewart, who was appointed by German Berti Vogts.
McFadden's only formal experience of coaching is a one-year spell as assistant at Motherwell and he was registered as a player, with Queen of the South, up until last December. He is reported to still be working to get his coaching badges.
Grant, the holder two Scotland caps, will continue to work as Lead Professional Development Coach at Fulham while he carries out his duties with the national side.
“I have known Peter for a long time - in fact, I played alongside him for Scotland in both his appearances for the national team - and I am thrilled that he has accepted my offer to work with the team," McLeish added.
“James brings a youthful enthusiasm to the coaching team, but beyond that he offers a relatable figure for the players to look up to. To have a former player of that ilk on the coaching staff can only be an inspiration for the current players.
“Stevie is a highly-respected figure as a goalkeeping coach and is already well-known to many of the players.”
The trio will join up with Scotland ahead of the Costa Rica fixture at Hampden Park on Friday 23 March.
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