Claiming career bragging rights from father Allan driving Max Johnston
Would the McGinn boys Stephen, Paul and John, for example, have scaled the heights which they have in football if they hadn't spent their formative years trying to outdo each other on the public parks of Duntocher?
Having that healthy familial competition from an early age unquestionably aided their development.
But can wanting to better a parent's accomplishments drive on an aspiring professional athlete too?
In the case of Max Johnston, the gifted young Sturm Graz right-back who is hoping to win his second cap for Scotland in the friendly international against Iceland at Hampden on Friday night, it has been a definite factor in his rise.
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Johnston stressed that his father Allan, the former Hearts, Rennes, Sunderland, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Queen of the South winger, has been a huge influence on his career when he chatted to the media yesterday.
However, he readily admitted that he takes a certain satisfaction eclipsing his old man's feats on the field of play. "You need to get the bragging rights, don't you?' he said with a grin.
Johnston was a regular starter for Graz at home and abroad during the 2024/25 season and helped them to retain the Austrian Bundesliga title on a thrilling final day last month. It was a cause for a double celebration for the defender.
'My dad only won one league title in his career (he was a member of the Sunderland side which won the English First Division in 1999),' he said. 'So I've already beaten him on that one.
(Image: Andrew Milligan) 'I am so lucky to have grown up with someone who has been involved in the game. He has been a huge help to me, my mum as well. He has definitely helped me with advice about international football as well. He got 18 caps for Scotland so I have got some way to go to beat him. But it's definitely something I want to do.'
What a way for Johnston Jnr to thank the guy who was instrumental in his move to Austria and who went to extraordinary lengths to see him make his debut for his country in the first leg of the Nations League promotion/relegation play-off in Greece back in March.
"My dad had a time in France when he was a similar age to me when he left Hearts,' he said. 'I was lucky enough that I got to ask him for a bit of advice on how he managed to deal with moving abroad. He's been a really big help and he really pushed me to do it.
"He was telling me that sometimes you just need to take a chance. There's always going to be competition no matter what club you are at or where you play your football. There's always going to be competition, but sometimes you just need to be brave enough to take that step and work your way into the team. I think that's what I've done.
"But I think I was more excited than nervous that I had the opportunity to go out and try something different. You see how well the other boys over in Italy had done at that time. They had a lot of success, so for me it was a great opportunity.
"It's a reality shock when you know you're not going to have dinners made for you and you're coming home from training. But, no, it's something that I've really enjoyed the whole process of.'
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Playing for Graz in both the Bundesliga and Champions League has improved the full-back greatly as a player and Scotland manager Steve Clarke handed him his international debut in Piraeus earlier this year. His father was in the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium when he made his late substitute appearance against Greece.
"I think my dad got three flights to get over just for the game,' said Johnston. 'I'm very grateful that I've got him on my side and I'm just lucky that he got to see it.'
The 21-year-old, who moved to Graz from Motherwell for a £300,000 transfer fee back in 2023, considers himself fortunate to be playing in Austria and has, despite fevered speculation about his future, no plans to move on.
"I really enjoy Austria,' he said. 'I think it's been great for me. I'm contracted for another two years over there and I'm really enjoying it. But obviously as a player, there's a level I want to reach, so we'll see what happens.
"The club's been really good to me since I went over. They really helped me out, helped me settle in when I first got over. It's good, we've got a good changing room as well. The boys are quite close and we spend a lot of time together.
(Image: Andrew Milligan) "The fans are amazing. When you experience winning the double last year and winning the league this year, you just see how much it means to the fans. The city's amazing to be fair.
"This year we had a big stage just outside the stadium and we just went and saw the fans for a bit. It was amazing, one day I'll never forget. I don't know how many fans were there, but it was a lot of people.'
Being involved in the Champions League league phase matches against Brest and Lille of France, Club Brugge of Belgium, Sporting Lisbon of Portugal and Borussia Dortmund of Germany were also, despite the narrow losses which Graz suffered in all of them, highlights of his season.
Johnston - who had loan spells at Queen of the South, where his father was manager, and Cove Rangers when he was a young player at Motherwell – believes that facing that level of European opposition will help him deal with the demands of the international game.
"I have played in the Champions League this season,' he said. 'That's the stage you want to be on. I'm extremely grateful that I got to experience that. As a club we'll definitely be looking to do that again. You need to play in these games and learn new experiences and little things you need to work on. It will do me the world of good when it comes to play for Scotland.'
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The National
7 hours ago
- The National
Scotland have suffered a system malfunction
The national team's diabolical record in friendly matches continued when they were beaten 3-1 by Iceland – the first time they have ever suffered a reverse at the hands of their Nordic rivals – in front of a far from impressed home support. Losing goalkeeper Angus Gunn early on and having to bring on the uncapped Cieran Slicker to replace him was far from ideal for manager Steve Clarke. Still, Andy Robertson and his team mates could have no complaints about the final scoreline. This was another dire display and a wretched result. Here are five talking points from a bitterly disappointing night for Scotland. Nightmare debut The last thing that Clarke, who had been at pains to point how few goalkeepers Scotland have playing at a decent level when he named his squad for this double header last month, was to see his first choice goalkeeper pick up an injury. But that is exactly what happened. In just the third minute too. Gunn was clattered by Andri Gudjohnsen as he tried to pluck a high ball out of the air and landed awkwardly. He failed to respond to medical attention and hobbled off with the help of a physio. It was a devastating setback for a man who has not had his problems to seek fitness wise this term. Read more: The 15-times capped 29-year-old had not featured in an international since the narrow Nations League loss to Portugal in Lisbon back in September and he was eager to make amends for lost time and stake a claim for a start in World Cup qualifying. It was not to be. Gunn's knock meant an unexpected debut for Slicker of Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old, who is eligible to represent Scotland because of his Glaswegian father, made just one appearance in the season which has just finished. He came on for the final nine minutes of an FA Cup win over Bristol Rovers in January. His lack of game time showed. He played the ball straight to Stefan Poroarson shortly after taking to the field. The Iceland midfielder nodded down to Gudjohnsen who did superbly curl a left foot shot into the top left corner. The son of former Barcelona Chelsea star Eidur is a chip off the old block. It was hard not to feel sympathy for the newcomer. But he settled the nerves he would inevitably have been feeling when he saved a long-range Jon Dagur Porsteinsson attempt. His distribution improved thereafter too. Not that it could have got any worse. Could Slicker have done better at the visitors' second goal on the stroke of half-time? Possibly. But the Albert Gudmundsson corner came off John Souttar, Grant Hanley and finally Lewis Ferguson before it trundled over his line. It was a comedy or errors. The Oldham-born keeper, too, flapped at the header Victor Palsson got on target at a Gudmondsson free-kick and failed to keep it out. There was a lengthy VAR check to see if the scorer had been offside. The defender, though, was on when the ball was played through to him. System malfunction With Kieran Tierney considered fit enough to start once again, Clarke reverted to the five man defence which had served him so well during the opening games of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. He positioned the Celtic full-back on the left of three centre-backs and deployed Robertson at wing back outside him. (Image: Jane Barlow) It did not work, either defensively or offensively. Yes, the hosts created a few chances and levelled when John Souttar held off Mikael Egill Ellertsson and nodded a Max Johnston corner home. But the players looked uncomfortable in the system and there were far, far too many open spaces for their opponents to exploit. Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson, who have picked up silverware in Italy with Napoli and Bologna respectively this term, started together in midfield for just the third time. But they proved incapable of turning things around. Clarke needs to have a rethink. Tierney and Robertson and have played in a flat back four together at international level in the past and can do so again in future if required. At this moment, a move to a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 is worth trying. There is no point persevering with a system which functioned effectively in the past if it is not working now. Scotland switched to a back four when Clarke made a triple substitution in the second half and looked better for it. Bright Hirst It may take Scotland supporters a little time to get used to a striker called Hirst playing up front for them even if his surname is spelt differently from a certain former England centre forward. But members of the Tartan Army may have to get used to the Ipswich Town man George, who was preferred to Che Adams, James Wilson, Kieron Bowie and Tommy Conway up front, leading the line for them. Clarke is clearly an admirer of the former England age-group player, who qualifies to play for this country through his paternal grandfather, as this was the third game in a row he has fielded him. He came on in both of the Greece games back in March. Read more: But this was a first start for him. He showed why was given the nod despite failing to find the target during his time on the park. He headed a John McGinn chip over, forced a one-handed save from Elias Rafn Olafsson after meeting a Scott McTominay cutback with a first-time shot and had a goal, correctly, chalked off for offside. He received a warm round of applause when he was replaced by Adams. Rightly so. He showed he has much to offer despite the result. To the Max Johnston, who helped Sturm Graz to retain their Bundesliga title in Austria this season, caught Clarke's eye in training at Lesser Hampden this week and started at right wing-back ahead of both Anthony Ralston of Celtic and the returning Nathan Patterson of Everton. He had some good moments and set up the Scotland goal. It was also nice to see Lennon Miller, the teenage Motherwell midfielder, make his first appearance for his country. He came on for Tierney as Scott McKenna replaced Hanley. Patterson later took over from Johnston and Tommy Conway came on for McTominay. But none of the replacements made a significant difference. Tartan Army boo boys The boos and jeers which rang out at the half-time and full-time whistle told a story. The Scotland supporters were furious with the insipid performance they had witnessed. A vast improvement against Liechtenstein in Vaduz on Monday is now needed to get the fans back onside ahead of the World Cup qualifying opener against Denmark.
The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
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Scotland have suffered a system malfunction
Losing goalkeeper Angus Gunn early on and having to bring on the uncapped Cieran Slicker to replace him was far from ideal for manager Steve Clarke. Still, Andy Robertson and his team mates could have no complaints about the final scoreline. This was another dire display and a wretched result. Here are five talking points from a bitterly disappointing night for Scotland. Nightmare debut The last thing that Clarke, who had been at pains to point how few goalkeepers Scotland have playing at a decent level when he named his squad for this double header last month, was to see his first choice goalkeeper pick up an injury. But that is exactly what happened. In just the third minute too. Gunn was clattered by Andri Gudjohnsen as he tried to pluck a high ball out of the air and landed awkwardly. He failed to respond to medical attention and hobbled off with the help of a physio. It was a devastating setback for a man who has not had his problems to seek fitness wise this term. Read more: The 15-times capped 29-year-old had not featured in an international since the narrow Nations League loss to Portugal in Lisbon back in September and he was eager to make amends for lost time and stake a claim for a start in World Cup qualifying. It was not to be. Gunn's knock meant an unexpected debut for Slicker of Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old, who is eligible to represent Scotland because of his Glaswegian father, made just one appearance in the season which has just finished. He came on for the final nine minutes of an FA Cup win over Bristol Rovers in January. His lack of game time showed. He played the ball straight to Stefan Poroarson shortly after taking to the field. The Iceland midfielder nodded down to Gudjohnsen who did superbly curl a left foot shot into the top left corner. The son of former Barcelona Chelsea star Eidur is a chip off the old block. It was hard not to feel sympathy for the newcomer. But he settled the nerves he would inevitably have been feeling when he saved a long-range Jon Dagur Porsteinsson attempt. His distribution improved thereafter too. Not that it could have got any worse. Could Slicker have done better at the visitors' second goal on the stroke of half-time? Possibly. But the Albert Gudmundsson corner came off John Souttar, Grant Hanley and finally Lewis Ferguson before it trundled over his line. It was a comedy or errors. The Oldham-born keeper, too, flapped at the header Victor Palsson got on target at a Gudmondsson free-kick and failed to keep it out. There was a lengthy VAR check to see if the scorer had been offside. The defender, though, was on when the ball was played through to him. System malfunction With Kieran Tierney considered fit enough to start once again, Clarke reverted to the five man defence which had served him so well during the opening games of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. He positioned the Celtic full-back on the left of three centre-backs and deployed Robertson at wing back outside him. (Image: Jane Barlow) It did not work, either defensively or offensively. Yes, the hosts created a few chances and levelled when John Souttar held off Mikael Egill Ellertsson and nodded a Max Johnston corner home. But the players looked uncomfortable in the system and there were far, far too many open spaces for their opponents to exploit. Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson, who have picked up silverware in Italy with Napoli and Bologna respectively this term, started together in midfield for just the third time. But they proved incapable of turning things around. Clarke needs to have a rethink. Tierney and Robertson and have played in a flat back four together at international level in the past and can do so again in future if required. At this moment, a move to a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 is worth trying. There is no point persevering with a system which functioned effectively in the past if it is not working now. Scotland switched to a back four when Clarke made a triple substitution in the second half and looked better for it. Bright Hirst It may take Scotland supporters a little time to get used to a striker called Hirst playing up front for them even if his surname is spelt differently from a certain former England centre forward. But members of the Tartan Army may have to get used to the Ipswich Town man George, who was preferred to Che Adams, James Wilson, Kieron Bowie and Tommy Conway up front, leading the line for them. Clarke is clearly an admirer of the former England age-group player, who qualifies to play for this country through his paternal grandfather, as this was the third game in a row he has fielded him. He came on in both of the Greece games back in March. Read more: But this was a first start for him. He showed why was given the nod despite failing to find the target during his time on the park. He headed a John McGinn chip over, forced a one-handed save from Elias Rafn Olafsson after meeting a Scott McTominay cutback with a first-time shot and had a goal, correctly, chalked off for offside. He received a warm round of applause when he was replaced by Adams. Rightly so. He showed he has much to offer despite the result. To the Max Johnston, who helped Sturm Graz to retain their Bundesliga title in Austria this season, caught Clarke's eye in training at Lesser Hampden this week and started at right wing-back ahead of both Anthony Ralston of Celtic and the returning Nathan Patterson of Everton. He had some good moments and set up the Scotland goal. It was also nice to see Lennon Miller, the teenage Motherwell midfielder, make his first appearance for his country. He came on for Tierney as Scott McKenna replaced Hanley. Patterson later took over from Johnston and Tommy Conway came on for McTominay. But none of the replacements made a significant difference. Tartan Army boo boys The boos and jeers which rang out at the half-time and full-time whistle told a story. The Scotland supporters were furious with the insipid performance they had witnessed. A vast improvement against Liechtenstein in Vaduz on Monday is now needed to get the fans back onside ahead of the World Cup qualifying opener against Denmark.
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Daily Record
Cieran Slicker sees Scotland dream become a nightmare as Clarke's men make the case for friendly ban
Worrying signs with World Cup qualification coming up as rare Clarke experiments fall flat in yet another home defeat IT should have been a dream debut for young Scotland keeper Cieran Slicker. But instead his Hampden bow against Iceland turned into a nightmare. And it's doubtful whether the 22-year-old will sleep a wink tonight. The Oldham-born kid was thrown on after just six minutes for his first Scotland cap but was at fault for ALL of Iceland's goals as the visitors inflicted a 3-1 defeat on Steve Clarke 's side. Goals from Andri Gudjohnsen, Victor Palsson and a Lewis Ferguson OG condemned the Scots to an embarrassing home loss. And ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which kick off in September, it was far from ideal preparation. Clarke gave first starts to Max Johnston and George Hirst - and Lennon Miller got his first cap from the bench - but it was young Ipswich stopper Slicker who grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons. After replacing the injured Angus Gunn early on, a poor clearance resulted in Iceland going one up, then he let Ferguson's deflection slip under him. John Souttar pulled a goal back for Scotland but when Slicker flapped at Palsson's header, the Icelanders secured the victory. Here are Record Sport's five talking points from Hampden: Friendly ban required Scotland should be banned from playing friendlies. The Nations League has been a God-send in that regard, in that we haven't had to feature in too many in recent years. But given our record, it would be better if we didn't have to play any at all. And last night's horror show against Iceland at Hampden just added to the catalogue of friendly disasters. Since Clarke took charge in 2019, he's now played 12 of them and won just TWO - against Luxembourg and Gibraltar. As a nation, we've won three of our last 21. When we were preparing for Euro 2024 last summer, we lined up Finland and Northern Ireland as supposed cannon fodder before we headed off to Germany. But we couldn't beat either of them. It was the same last night - Iceland should have been disposed of comfortably as we look to build momentum ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. Instead, a woeful performance resulted in jeering from the home crowd and our confidence suffering yet another blow after a 3-0 defeat to Greece last time out. Slick as a dog Ciaran Slicker has only played nine MINUTES of competitive football since August 2023 - as a sub in an FA Cup tie for Ipswich against Bristol Rovers. When his name was called out over the Hampden tannoy last night, you got the impression that most of the Tartan Army punters had never heard of him. The young keeper was thrown on for his debut in place of injured Angus Gunn early on. Almost immediately he gave the ball away from a clearance - and Iceland striker Gudjohnsen buried it in the top corner. Before the break, his butter fingers allowed Lewis Ferguson's OG to slip past him as well. Then in the second half, he tried to produce a World Cup save from a header that was straight at him by parrying it over the bar - only to see the ball go through him into the net. Slicker's introduction only highlighted a huge problem for Clarke - we have a dearth of quality keepers good enough for Scotland. Daunting Denmark date It's probably just as well the 2026 World Cup qualifiers don't start until September for Scotland. Because judging by this performance, there's so much work to do before the serious stuff starts. These games are supposed to be for honing systems and patterns of play - developing a formation and style before attacking the qualifiers. But if anything, this display set Clarke's team back. At the end of a long, hard campaign it's understandable that players look jaded and in need of a break. But the lack of cohesion, tempo and speed of Scotland's passing should be a concern for the manager. A chronic lack of width is another problem which needs to be addressed quickly, along with the troublesome goalkeeping situation. This certainly did nothing to get the Tartan Army excited and on board again. And come September 5 when we go away to Denmark to play a top side in our first World Cup game - these players will need to find their A game if we want to dream of going to USA, Canada and Mexico. 50th cap to forget for KT Kieran Tierney took his place in the SFA's Roll of Honour by earning a milestone 50th cap at Hampden, as Steve Clarke again deployed a back five to get the Celtic-bound defender into his Scotland team. He was used as a left centre-back in the hope of him linking up with skipper Andy Robertson down that side. But it wasn't a great night, even for Scotland's best players, as Clarke's side toiled against the Icelanders and suffered a humiliating defeat. Thankfully, Celtic fans already know all about Tierney's quality and what he'll bring to their side next season. And after finally leaving Arsenal, it would have been nice for Hoops supporters just to see their prodigal son back in Glasgow again. Hirst trap Cautious Clarke joked at his pre-match press conference that he rarely experiments with a Scotland team. But he did give a couple of young players their debuts in Johnston at right-back and Hirst up front. And despite the ropey performance, both players will be better for their first Scotland starts. Sturm Graz ace Johnston deserved his chance after a terrific season in Austria. He fluffed his lines with a chance at the back post but he showed promise on the flank with his energy and athleticism. Hirst was given an opportunity ahead of Che Adams and he could have had a double in the first 45. He just couldn't jump high enough for a header over the bar - but was unlucky with a shot that looked destined for the top corner before Iceland's keeper clawed it wide. After the break, he looked sharp again with a six-yard effort the keeper kept out and he thought he'd scored a tap-in only for it to be chalked off by VAR for offside.
