Gordon Smith believes Scottish football’s export business of shipping young talent abroad has never had it so good.
Aaron Hickey and then Lewis Ferguson have shone at Bologna, Josh Doig is thriving with Hellas Verona and teenager Max Johnston is set to complete a move from Motherwell to Austria with Sturm Graz. Throw in Liam Henderson starring for Empoli plus Ryan Gauld’s time in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon before the MLS and it’s further endorsement for taking a leap of faith with a continental club.
Smith bucked the trend of staying on these shores in 1986 by swapping Oldham for Austrian side Admira Wacker. The former Rangers and Brighton striker believes the stream of native traffic heading to Europe is all about embracing new cultures and expanding games in other footballing frontiers. Smith said: “The first thing I discovered in Austria is that each player was almost like his own business. There wasn’t any great camaraderie off the field and we hardly ever met up away from the club in groups for a drink or dinner.
“We only met up when there was training or for a match. Another big difference was the dressing-room environment, which in British football was always a very critical one.
“People would be giving each other verbal abuse all the time for a laugh but it’s not the case abroad. Players are very friendly and every morning they would all shake hands as though they were just meeting for the first time.
“I believe players latch on to a different type of management and training. These boys go abroad and their level of focus and concentration on football changes to become the main aspect of being there.
“What happens is a mentality change where their full focus is on how to improve at that level. You look at the recent success stories from young Scottish lads going to Italy and elsewhere and I believe they have all done very well because of that.
“Football becomes the main element of your life because that is why they are there. The focus isn’t as much on family life and friends – your full focus is on improving as a footballer.”
Smith’s trailblazing move to Austria was not without its obstacles, mind you. Coping with the language barrier was one issue he managed to navigate thanks to becoming a self-taught German speaker aided by the assistance of a local priest.
He said: “Moving to a different country to play football is difficult. When I first arrived at Admira Wacker, not one of my team-mates, the manager or his coaches spoke any English. That turned out to be a good thing in one respect, even though it was daunting and I would sit myself inside the dressing room and the manager would be trying to explain things to me but it was all in German.
“I bought myself a cassette, which was a German language course, and the only guy at the club who could speak any English was the club chaplain.
“He would come in twice a week and I would practise my German on him. Gradually I learned the language that way.
“It turned out well as it gave me an incentive to learn German, even though it was tough to begin with. When I moved to Austria to play, it was unusual at that time but there also weren’t that many foreign players coming into this country either. British players, predominantly, wanted to play in England.
“But that has slowly changed and players are now prepared to look beyond this island. My move to Admira Wacker came out of the blue and, to be honest, when I was first offered the chance to go, I wasn’t too sure.
“My plan back then was to eventually become a coach and a manager, so I felt moving to Austria would gain me good experience. That was the main reason I decided to go.”
Smith would go on to have a spell in the political side of the game as chief executive of the SFA and he’s adamant talents such as Ferguson, Hickey – now back in Britain at Brentford – and Doig are all benefitting from being exposed to a more sophisticated tactical side of the game.
He added: “From a football perspective, even back then Austrian teams didn’t have keepers who kicked the ball straight up the field. Every move started from the back and that was unusual from the football I had been used to. They were also very advanced in terms of the medical side of the game and the training side.
“Doctors would come in and test us in terms of our fitness levels. The club would set out a training schedule for you in terms of your level of fitness.
“Learning a new language and seeing a different side to football ensured my move abroad was a good experience. People have a different upbringing in terms of being from a different country, it’s not the same as Britain and you need to be able to cope.
“The game has moved on from when it was only about playing in your own country. People see so many foreign players coming to play here, so why shouldn’t Scottish players be doing the same?”
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