Blast From The Past: On This Day 1996 – Gary Mac, Scottish International Star Comes To Cov

Gary in Sky Blue action

Thanks to CCFC historian Steve Phelps for reminding us of the signing a legendary former Sky Blue player who strutted his stuff on Coventry City’s top level footballing stage at the turn of the millennium. The memory above is excerpted from his book ‘Coventry City On This Day’ (Pitch Publishing 2010) which points up lots of interesting Sky Blue related anniversaries*.

Gary McAllister- Sky Blue ‘gaffer’

Scottish international Gary McAllister had two spells with CCFC first as a player from 1996-2000 and later, with less success, as player-manager from 2002-04. When he first came to Highfield Road from Leeds United in July 1996 in a shock £3m big money move to join up again with both City’s gaffer ‘Big’ Ron Atkinson and influential player (later successor to Big Ron) Gordon Strachan (both now CCFPA members) Sky Blue fans felt this was a great marker of intent.

The Scottish midfielder had developed his illustrious career with Leicester City (well over 200 games from 1985-90)  after starting out at Motherwell in 1981. A core player at Leeds United between 1990-96, where he played 231 League games netting 31 times, Gary gained a reputation as a consummate ball player and a cultured and forceful midfield influence.

Gary in the Sky Blue

When he first joined the Sky Blues he was therefore a seasoned professional aged 30 and he captained the side under Big Ron and then WGS through difficult times with relegation escapes as well as some memorable performances. On their day, with the likes of Noel Whelan, Dion Dublin, Darren Huckerby, John Salako, Moustapha Hadji, Steve Froggatt, Youssef Chippo (all CCFPA members) as well as George Boateng and Robbie Keane) the Sky Blues could beat anyone. Despite their flair and excitement these Sky Blues’ teams never achieved the sort of solid consistency needed for a top finish. Gary wore the Sky Blue with distinction on 140 occasions (netting 21 times) in his first Coventry spell.

Gary (by then aged 35) left City before their relegation season in July 2000 for a late chance with Liverpool where, again, the cool, intelligent play of the ‘enforcer’ proved a stabilising influence on younger players. However, he was attracted back to Highfield Road in May 2002, for his first shot at management. With CCFC (now in Division One) his early managerial experiences were not without difficulties but he also kept his playing boots on, leading by example, playing for a further sixty times scoring a dozen goals. In December 2003 Gary was forced to relinquish the gaffer’s chair to Assistant Eric Black in order to look after his ailing wife.

CCFC 2002-03

After four years out of the game Gary returned to manage former club Leeds United in 2008 for a couple of seasons. Then followed a brief period in 2010 as first team coach at Middlesbrough and later the same year he moved to Aston Villa in a similar capacity (later acting as Caretaker manager on the illness of Gerard Houllier). From 2015 Gary assisted another former club Liverpool but most recently (since May 2018) Gary became Steven Gerrard‘s Assistant Manager at Rangers where the Sky Blues played and lost a friendly by two clear goals in pre-season game in  2020. He then moved with Steven in November 2021 to Aston Villa to be his assistant and took over as manager for a couple of games when Gerrard had Covid. Both departed from Villa Park in October 2022 but Gary is frequently consulted by the media today.

*Steve’s most recent work on the Sky Blues about the 1980-81 squad ’29 Minutes From Wembley’ was published by Pitch Publishing in 2017 and all his CCFC books are available online and from all good bookshops.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.