Stuart McCall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stuart McCall

McCall as Sheffield United coach in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Andrew Stuart Murray McCall
Date of birth	(1964-06-10) 10 June 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Leeds, England
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Preston North End (assistant manager)
Youth career
	Pudsey Juniors
	Holbeck
	Farsley Celtic
1980–1982	Bradford City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1982–1988	Bradford City	238	(37)
1988–1991	Everton	103	(6)
1991–1998	Rangers	194	(14)
1998–2002	Bradford City	157	(8)
2002–2005	Sheffield United	71	(2)
Total		763	(67)
International career
1988–1990	Scotland U21	2	(0)
1990–1998	Scotland	40	(1)
Managerial career
2000	Bradford City (caretaker)
2007–2010	Bradford City
2010–2014	Motherwell
2015	Rangers
2016–2018	Bradford City
2018–2019	Scunthorpe United
2020	Bradford City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stuart McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a well-known professional football coach and former player. He is currently an assistant manager at Preston North End.

McCall played in 763 league games during his career. He also played 40 international matches for Scotland.

He started his career at Bradford City in 1982. He played there for six seasons. During this time, his team won the Division Three championship. This victory was overshadowed by the Bradford City stadium fire, where 56 people died. McCall's father was injured in the fire.

After Bradford, McCall played for Everton and then Rangers. With Rangers, he won many titles, including five league titles. He later returned to Bradford City and helped them reach the Premier League. He finished his playing career at Sheffield United in 2005.

Even though he was born in England, McCall played for Scotland because his father was Scottish. He played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and two European Championships.

After retiring as a player, McCall became a coach and manager. He managed Bradford City three times and also managed Motherwell and Rangers.

Stuart McCall's Early Life and Family

Stuart McCall was born in Leeds, England. His parents were Scottish. His father, Andy, was also a professional footballer. Stuart was the youngest of three children.

He grew up near Leeds United's stadium and dreamed of playing for them. Stuart played football for his primary and middle schools. He even captained the Leeds under-11 boys team.

When he was 14, Stuart played for local youth teams like Pudsey Juniors and Farsley Celtic. He thought he might not become a professional player. However, he impressed a coach from Bradford City during a friendly game and was offered a trial.

Stuart's son, Craig, also became a footballer.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at Bradford City

Stuart McCall joined Bradford City in 1980 when he was 16. He made his first team debut in 1982. He played as a right back at first, but soon became a key midfielder.

In the 1984–85 season, Bradford City won the Division Three championship. McCall scored eight goals that season. The team celebrated their title on 11 May 1985, but a terrible fire broke out at their Valley Parade stadium. Fifty-six people died, and McCall's father was badly injured.

After the fire, the team played away from their home stadium for 19 months. McCall became team captain in 1986 when he was just 21. Bradford City almost won promotion to a higher division in 1987–88. However, they missed out by one point.

McCall then left Bradford City to join Everton in June 1988. He had played 238 league games for Bradford City, scoring 37 goals.

Time at Everton

McCall joined Everton in 1988. He made his debut on 27 August 1988. He played 29 league games in his first season.

In the 1989 FA Cup Final, McCall scored two goals for Everton against Liverpool. Both goals were equalizers, but Everton still lost the game 3–2.

He played 103 league games for Everton over three seasons. During this time, he also started playing for the Scotland national team. However, he did not win any trophies with Everton.

Success with Rangers

In 1991, McCall moved to the Scottish club Rangers. He joined a very successful team that had already won three league titles in a row.

With Rangers, McCall won many trophies. He helped the club win six Scottish league titles in a row. He also won three Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.

In the 1992–93 season, Rangers won all three domestic trophies. They also nearly reached the UEFA Champions League final. McCall said it was an "incredible season."

He stayed at Rangers for seven seasons. In February 2008, Stuart McCall was added to the Rangers Hall of Fame.

Returning to Bradford City

McCall returned to Bradford City in 1998 as club captain. He helped the team win promotion to the Premier League in 1998–99. This was the first time Bradford City had been in the top division in 77 years.

Bradford City managed to stay in the Premier League for their first season. They avoided relegation on the very last day of the 1999–2000 season with a 1–0 win against Liverpool.

McCall became assistant manager in 2000. He also served as a temporary manager for two games. Bradford City was relegated in the 2000–01 season.

He left Bradford City in 2002. He played 157 more league games for the club during his second spell.

Final Years at Sheffield United

On 2 July 2002, McCall joined Sheffield United. Even though he was 38, he played an important role in the team. He also coached the reserve team to a league title.

He played 71 league games for Sheffield United over two seasons. He helped them reach the play-off final in 2003. McCall retired as a player in 2005, just before his 41st birthday.

He played a total of 763 league games in his career. This placed him among the top British footballers for appearances.

International Career for Scotland

McCall (right) playing for Scotland during Euro 96

In 1984, Stuart McCall was chosen for both the England and Scotland under-21 teams. He chose to join the England squad first. However, he did not play in the game, so he was still able to play for Scotland.

He later chose to play for Scotland because of his Scottish father. He made his Scotland under-21 debut in March 1988 against England.

McCall was called up to the senior Scottish team in 1990. He played his first game on 28 March 1990. He was part of the Italia 90 World Cup squad.

He played in all three of Scotland's World Cup games. He scored his only international goal against Sweden in a 2–1 victory. Scotland did not make it past the group stage.

McCall also played for Scotland in the European Championships in 1992 and 1996. His international career ended in 1998. He played a total of 40 games for Scotland.

Coaching and Managerial Career

Early Coaching Roles

In July 2000, McCall became assistant manager at Bradford City. He briefly took over as temporary manager for two games.

After leaving Bradford City, he joined Sheffield United as a coach. When he retired from playing in 2004, he became assistant manager to Neil Warnock. He helped Sheffield United get promoted to the Premier League in 2006. He left Sheffield United in 2007.

Managing Bradford City (First Time)

Stuart McCall became the manager of Bradford City on 1 June 2007. The club had just been relegated to League Two, the fourth division of English football.

He aimed to get the team promoted back to League One in his first season. Bradford City finished 10th in League Two that season.

In the 2008–09 season, McCall's team started well and were at the top of the league for a while. He signed a new contract in February 2009. However, the team did not reach the play-offs for promotion.

McCall stayed on as manager and even took a pay cut. He made changes to the squad for the 2009–10 season. After a difficult run of results, McCall left Bradford City in February 2010. He had managed 133 games for the club.

Managing Motherwell

In December 2010, McCall was appointed manager of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell. His first game was a 0–0 draw on New Year's Day 2011.

He led Motherwell to the semi-finals of two Scottish Cup competitions. They reached the final of the Scottish Cup in 2011.

In the 2011–12 season, Motherwell finished 3rd in the league. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history.

In the 2012–13 season, Motherwell finished second in the league. This was their highest league position since 1994–95. McCall won the Clydesdale Bank Manager of the Year award for this achievement. He also joined the coaching staff for the Scotland national football team.

Motherwell had another successful season in 2013–14, finishing second again. After a poor start to the 2014–15 season, McCall resigned as manager in November 2014.

Managing Rangers

McCall was appointed manager of Rangers on 12 March 2015. He signed a contract until the end of the 2014–15 season.

Rangers finished third in the league. In the play-off final, they lost to McCall's former team, Motherwell. McCall left Rangers in June 2015.

Managing Bradford City (Second Time)

McCall returned to manage Bradford City for a second time on 20 June 2016. He also stopped his coaching role with the Scotland national team.

In his first season back, the team reached the 2017 EFL League One play-off final. However, they lost 1–0 to Millwall. After a series of defeats, McCall was sacked by Bradford on 5 February 2018.

Managing Scunthorpe United

McCall became manager of Scunthorpe United on 27 August 2018. After a good run of results in January 2019, he won the League One Manager of the Month award.

However, the team's form declined, and McCall was sacked in March 2019. He later said he might prefer coaching over managing in the future.

Managing Bradford City (Third Time)

On 4 February 2020, McCall was appointed Bradford City manager for a third time. He left the club on 13 December 2020.

Recent Coaching Roles

McCall joined Blackpool as assistant head coach on 22 July 2021. His father had also played for Blackpool many years ago.

On 25 November 2021, McCall left Blackpool to become assistant manager at Sheffield United. He and manager Paul Heckingbottom left the club in December 2023.

Most recently, on 20 August 2024, McCall was appointed assistant manager at Preston North End.

Playing Style

Stuart McCall was known as a "box-to-box midfielder". This means he ran tirelessly all over the field, helping both in defense and attack. He was good at tackling and also scored goals regularly.

He was rarely suspended from games. He was sent off only once in his career. McCall was a passionate player who always wanted to win. He scored several important late goals, showing his never-give-up attitude.

See also

In Spanish: Stuart McCall para niños