Dave McPherson

Early years at Rangers

McPherson began at amateurs Gartcosh United before starting his professional career with boyhood favourites Rangers in 1980, breaking into the first team while still a teenager. His impressive form ensured he achieved Under 21 recognition, as well as a place in the Rangers first team, by 1983; that year he scored four goals in one match against Malta's Valletta in the 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, the first Rangers player to achieve that goalscoring feat in a European fixture. However, by their own high standards Rangers were enduring a mediocre spell, limiting McPherson's initial success at Ibrox to one league title in 1986–87 (his final season, in which he played in 42 of the league fixtures) and two League Cups in March 1984 and October 1984 (after the schedule was changed from a spring final to autumn). He missed the 1986 showpiece due to suspension.

First spell at Hearts

The revolution brought about by the arrival of Graeme Souness (and numerous new signings) at Rangers led to McPherson being deemed surplus to requirements, and he was sold to Hearts for £325,000 in 1987. He soon became a regular in the Tynecastle line-up, helping Hearts achieve regular high league finishes while enhancing his own reputation. Within two years he became both a Scotland international and club captain. However, despite several close calls, the Jambos were unable to break their trophy famine and when debts began to rise, McPherson, by then the…

McPherson was first selected to play for Scotland against Cyprus on 26 April 1989, a match Scotland won 2–1 at Hampden Park. Despite remaining a relative novice at international level, he was selected in the Scotland squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, appearing in all three group games as Scotland just missed qualification for the knockout stages. McPherson's solid performances resulted in him then becoming a fixture in the national side, missing only one qualifying game as Scotland reached the 1992 Euro Championships. He started all three group matches in Sweden, but again Scotland failed to qualify for the knockout stages. McPherson's international form began to waver the following season, though, and when Scotland were thrashed 5–0 in a World Cup qualifying game in Lisbon in April 1993, the Scottish press and public called for radical surgery. McPherson was one of several older players to be dropped, never to play for the national side again.

McPherson's height (6 ft 3) ensured he was a commanding presence defensively, as well as a potent attacking weapon, both as a goalscoring threat and a target man for flick-ons. Known as 'Slim', he saw himself as a ball-playing defender and was an admirer of the Dutch player Ruud Krol as a child. Despite his stature he was also quite an adept dribbler, and his sporadic runs from defence were renowned, particularly when playing as part of a three-man central defence with Hearts. These runs were used to devastating effect in some big matches for Hearts, such as the 3–1 victory over Celtic in November 1991, and the 4–2 victory over Rangers during the Scottish Cup tie at Tynecastle in February 1995. This ability also led to him sometimes being deployed in central midfield or at right-back, as opposed to his usual role as a central defender.

International