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Icons of Football Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
6 Episodes 2023 - 2023
Episode 1
Charlie Nicholas
Growing up in Glasgow, Charlie Nicholas dreamed of playing for Celtic, the team he loved. And when the chance to make his dream come true came along, he grabbed it, scored goals for fun, and earned himself the nickname Champagne Charlie after hitting 48 goals for Celtic in one season. However, when negotiations stalled on a new Celtic contract, Charlie decided he needed to make a move, and he headed south to join Arsenal, where he became known for making an impact at the showbiz parties and clubs of London. There was also success on the pitch at Arsenal, and his cavalier style made him a fan favourite. However, it didn't make him a hit with manager George Graham, and eventually Charlie headed back to Scotland to sign for Aberdeen, where he enjoyed a new lease of life. But Celtic eventually came calling, and Charlie couldn't resist. However, his second spell at Celtic Park never saw him hit the dizzy heights of his first spell at the club. After hanging up his boots, Charlie decided his next step would be talking about the game he loved, and he forged a new career as a pundit on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday. So how does he look back at his career, and what does he think about the nickname that stuck with him throughout it all?
Episode 2
Paul Sturrock
Known affectionately as 'Luggy', Paul Sturrock spent his entire club career at Dundee United, and under one manager - the legendary Jim McLean. Famous for his free-flowing skills and for wearing his socks round his ankles, Sturrock was in many ways the opposite of his stern manager and mentor. Paul reflects on his relationship with Jim, a man he thinks was a tactical genius, but who was also renowned for his lack of smiles and praise for his players. He reveals how it shaped him as a player, and later as a manager. Sturrock speaks on what it felt like to win the league with Dundee United, and the highs and lows he and his team-mates experienced playing against some of the biggest names in Europe, including shocking Spanish giants Barcelona. After Paul finished playing, he moved into coaching and management, becoming known as a manager who excelled at winning league promotions for his clubs. And then came the news that changed his life forever - Paul was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
Episode 3
Rose Reilly
All Rose Reilly wanted to do was play football. But to do that, she would have to face unfairness, sexism and misogyny, and do things her own way. As a young girl, she had her hair cut like a boy so that she could play for her local team, and was even spotted by a Celtic scout, who noticed her goal-scoring talents. However, because she was a girl, the interest went no further. Rose wasn't going to let that stop her, and eventually she became part of the Scotland team that took on England in 1972 in the first international game between the women's teams - a game the SFA refused to sanction or recognise at the time. With women's football in Scotland derided, Rose headed off to Italy, where the women's game was supported. But while Rose's professional career took off abroad, back home, the SFA banned her from playing for Scotland. Italy wanted Rose, even if Scotland didn't, and she was capped for the Italian national team. There were struggles adapting to her new country, but Rose faced the challenge like she had others in her life. She won friends in the dressing room and important games on the pitch. And none was more important than Italy v West Germany in the World Cup final, where Rose became the only Scot to win the trophy. Rose is now enjoying well-deserved recognition back in the country of her birth, with her life story being brought to the stage, and her lost caps as a Scotland international finally being recognised.
Episode 4
Archie Macpherson
Originally a teacher, Archie also dreamt of being a writer, and he made the leap to broadcasting after having a short story accepted by BBC Scotland. After offering to be the voice reading his story, he also found himself auditioning for the BBC Scotland's sport department, who ended up hiring him. He made his debut on 27 October 1962, commentating on Hamilton Accies v Stenhousemuir. Archie was there when football TV broadcasting was in its infancy, making a name for himself with his confident style. He was also there when Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen challenged for glory in European finals, and at various World Cups, including Scotland's infamous 1978 Argentina campaign. Archie's voice became known to a new generation in the 90s, when his commentary became part of Trainspotting, one of the biggest films of the decade, and his style and delivery was impersonated and caricatured as part of hit comedy series Only an Excuse. However, along with all the amazing highs of travelling the world to work at some of the biggest sporting events, there were also the lows, including a battle with depression. Archie opens up on how depression affected him, and how he eventually overcame it. His iconic style, confidence and talent kept Archie at the forefront of sports broadcasting, and in Scottish living rooms, for decades. So how does he feel looking back about living his life in the public eye?
Episode 5
Steve Archibald
A Rolls Royce car mechanic who dreamed of owning one of those iconic vehicles, Steve Archibald's journey to football superstardom is the story of a born winner. His career started with part-time football at Clyde, where he had to avoid the greyhounds also using the stadium's race track. Steve honed his winning mentality at Aberdeen, under the ultimate winner, Sir Alex Ferguson, helping bring glory back to the Granite City. Determined to keep on pushing himself, his next stop was London and Tottenham Hotspur. His goals and his strike partnership with Garth Crooks quickly established Steve as a fans favourite, and his winning mentality helped Spurs to success at home and in Europe. But a dispute with the manager set him on course to a new adventure in a new country, when he signed for Spanish giants Barcelona. Archibald may have found himself wearing the Number 10 shirt recently vacated by Diego Maradona, but that wasn't going to daunt him. Again, his winning mentality brought success, with Steve's goals helping Barcelona to a league triumph that had evaded his Argentinian predecessor, and earning Archibald the nickname "Archi-goles". Loved by the fans in Barcelona as much as he had been by the fans in Aberdeen and London, Steve's time in the Catalan capital would be cut short by a rule that only allowed 2 foreigners to be registered to play at Spanish clubs. But he would be loved by the fans at his next club too, bringing some sunshine and goals to Leith when he joined Hibernian in 1988. With 27 caps for Scotland, Archibald speaks on how it's not just enough to play for your country, and of his frustrations at the time his Scotland career ended. But with his attitude bringing success on the pitch throughout his career, did he ever get his hands on the keys to that Rolls Royce?
Episode 6
Richard Gough
On 7 May 1997, injured Rangers captain Richard Gough looked on from the side-lines at Tannadice as his team took on Dundee United, looking for the win that would secure their 9th league title in a row. Gough had played an integral part in the previous eight titles and getting them to the brink of the nine. But now, at the ground where his career had begun, all he could do was watch. Born in Sweden, and raised in South Africa, Richard Gough's early promise on the pitch spurred his dad, who had been a semi-professional footballer, to arrange trials for his son in Scotland. First up was Rangers, the team Gough supported, but his trial there didn't work out. The next stop was Dundee United, and this time the trial was a success after Gough impressed Assistant Manager Walter Smith. His next step? To impress legendary-but-unsmiling United manager Jim McLean. After an initial spell at Tannadice, a homesick Gough returned to South Africa, escaping the depths of the Scottish winter. However, Jim McLean was not to be denied, calling Richard's dad daily in an attempt to get Gough back to Dundee. Which he duly did, and Gough immediately became a mainstay in the United defence for the next 6 years. After helping United win the league in 1983, and reach the European cup semi-final the following year, Gough eventually left for London in 1986, joining Tottenham Hotspur after Jim McLean refused to sell him to a now interested Rangers. In his time at Tottenham, he became Captain, led them to the FA Cup final, and appeared in the obligatory Chas and Dave FA Cup final song. But in 1987, one year after joining Spurs, Gough was back in Scotland, having been signed for a record fee as part of Graeme Souness' Ibrox revolution. An impressive start, including an infamously fiery Old Firm derby debut against Celtic, saw Gough quickly become a fans favourite. Rangers didn't win the league in the 97/98 season, but they did win it the season after. And then they just kept on winning. As the titles racked up, the pressure mounted, as the prospect of equalling Celtic's record of 9 league titles in a row started to seem like a possibility. In the meantime, Gough became Rangers captain, and also captain of Scotland. His international career was to come to a premature end after a fall-out with the Scotland management team, and Richard opens up about his regret on how that was handled. With eight league titles now in the bag, Rangers were going for the ninth. A season of cup finals saw them on the brink, but the team was ravaged by injuries, including to their talismanic captain. Could they get over the line at Tannadice? Richard had already announced he was leaving Ibrox at the end of that season - so could he go out by making history with the team he loved? Gough opens up on his relationships with Jim McLean and Graeme Souness, and on his fall-out with the Scotland management team. And he speaks about his career-defining relationship with the man who managed Rangers to most of their titles on the way to nine in a row, and a man he loved, Walter Smith.
