Kevin Gallacher


Kevin William Gallacher is a Scottish football pundit and former professional player. He played as a forward from 1983 until 2002, notably in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers where he was part of the title-winning squad in 1994–95.
Gallacher started his career in his native land with Dundee United and went on to also play in the English top flight for Coventry City and Newcastle United, as well as in the Football League for Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town. He made 53 appearances for Scotland, scoring 9 goals.

Club career

Gallacher started his Scottish League career with Dundee United, where he spent seven years as part of a successful team under the guidance of Jim McLean. He made his first team debut in December 1985 aged 19 years old in a UEFA Cup tie against Neuchâtel Xamax and three days later played against Rangers at Ibrox. He soon established himself in the side with his fast and penetrating wing play. He helped United reach the 1987 UEFA Cup Final, scoring against Barcelona in the quarter-finals en route. United, however, lost on aggregate to IFK Göteborg. The following year Gallacher scored Dundee United's goal in the 1988 Scottish Cup Final, in the 2–1 defeat by Celtic. A week later he made his full international debut for Scotland against Colombia.
Gallacher moved to Coventry City in January 1990 for a transfer fee of £950,000 and became a fans favourite for three years. Having played for most of his career to date as a winger, Gallacher was used as a striker for most of his time at Highfield Road, and was the club's top scorer in seasons 1990–91 and 1991–92.
He then joined Blackburn Rovers in March 1993 for £1.5 million, as they looked to fill the gap up front left by the long-term injury absence of Alan Shearer. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut in a 4-1 win over Liverpool. However, two broken legs the following season restricted him to just one Premier League game in 1994–95 when Blackburn won the FA Premier League. He did score in that game, a 2–1 win against Crystal Palace.
Gallacher returned to full effectiveness in 1996–97, however, scoring 10 goals to help avoid a relegation scare. In 1997–98 he formed a potent partnership with Chris Sutton, scoring 16 goals himself as Blackburn finished 6th. However, injuries and inconsistencies meant he missed much of 1998–99, although he was the team's top goalscorer with 5 goals. Blackburn were relegated in 1999, just four seasons after having won the title.
He then moved to Newcastle United, becoming Bobby Robson's first signing as Newcastle manager. Gallacher was mostly used as a right winger, a role he adapted to well, and despite a lack of goals, was fairly popular with the Newcastle fans for his work rate.
Spells at Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town followed before hanging up his boots in 2002, ending a career which had seen him score a total of 106 goals in 430 games in the English and Scottish leagues.

International career

Gallacher won 53 caps for Scotland, and was in the squads for the Euro 92, Euro 96, and 1998 FIFA World Cup tournaments. He scored nine goals for his country, six of them in 1998 World Cup qualification, a significant contribution to the successful campaign which included perhaps his most famous international goals, a double against Austria at Celtic Park in 1997.

Media career

Gallacher has worked as a co-commentator and studio analyst for BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports, Setanta Sports, BBC Scotland and Channel 5. In addition to this he is also a columnist in the Lancashire Telegraph. In 2006 he published a book, Tartan Turmoil: The Fall & Rise of Scottish Football, a semi-autobiographical look at the problems faced by Scottish football. In 2010, he started working for ITV, commentating on FA Cup games.

Personal life

He is the grandson of the late Celtic forward Patsy Gallacher, who died before he was born. His uncles Willie and Tommy and cousin Brian were also footballers. The Gallachers are also related to another footballing branch of the family, John Divers and his son of the same name who both played for Celtic.
He married Aileen Binnie in 1987.

Honours

Individual

Club

Additional sources: , , , ,

International

;Appearances
;Goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
119 May 1993Kadrioru Stadium, Tallinn1–03–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification
213 October 1993Stadio Olimpico, Rome1–21–31994 FIFA World Cup qualification
32 April 1997Celtic Park, Glasgow1–02–01998 FIFA World Cup qualification
42 April 1997Celtic Park, Glasgow2–02–01998 FIFA World Cup qualification
530 April 1997Ullevi Stadion, Gothenburg1–21–21998 FIFA World Cup qualification
67 September 1997Pittodrie, Aberdeen1–04–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification
77 September 1997Pittodrie, Aberdeen3–04–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification
811 October 1997Celtic Park, Glasgow1–02–01998 FIFA World Cup qualification
911 October 2000Maksimir Stadion, Zagreb1–11–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification