Interview
This month it is newley Signed striker Charlie McLean:
Well First of all how are you feeling in general about Joining Elgin?
I am feeling good. I had spoken to the club on a number of occasions previously and have had thoughts of coming to Elgin in my mind since last summer. That was probably not the right time, I am confident that I have now joined the club at the start of what could prove to be a promising year.
Was it hard to leave Albion after a successful period at the club?
I knew my time was coming to an end there, but still hoped I would have been retained as I enjoyed my football at the Rovers, but you learn to move on. The thing that disappointed me most was that after being through so much with the club was that I learned of my release by letter. It would have been nice if someone could have informed me on a more personal basis.
How do you feel after missing out on promotion on the last day two years in a row?
Not too bad really, you have to be philosophical about these things. Over the season we simply were not good enough and that is what it came down to in the end. To be honest, in both seasons we probably lost promotion by dropping points against Elgin in games we should have won. Looking back now I still cannot believe the 4-4 from 2001/02 after leading 3-0 at half time. I firmly believe that game cost us promotion that year. By the time Monday morning had come I had put it behind me.
What do you think of the new Squad?
I am impressed, very impressed in fact. I thought the Elgin side last season performed poorly and I was slightly apprehensive about the standard when I came at first. However, we have some great players here who are better than most in the third division. Martin Pirie has been outstanding every time I have played against him and I am certainly pleased we are now on the same side. Rab Coulter is a commanding centre-half whom I played with at ARFC and he will add some steel to the defence. Neil McLean seems to be a player with lots of ability in the Stan Petrov mould and in Alex Bone and Stephen McCormick we have two of the best technically gifted strikers in the lower divisions.
Do you think we have what it takes to challenge for promotion this season?
Yes. I have seen teams with less ability achieve success so if we are consistent and maximise our potential I see no reason why we should not gain promotion this year. Other than the players I mentioned we have some other talented players in the squad who will make life difficult for our opponents.
How do you feel physically about the season ahead?
This is the first time I have done pre-season for a number of years. Last year I had a Lateral Release done on my right knee and never fully recovered during the season. We have been training hard recently and I am feeling the benefit of that, though I do feel that I could be a little sharper which should come with more games.
We have seen you can score goals against Rangers and Deveronvale, How do you think you will do in front of goal?
Tricky question. I would love to score twenty goals this season. That is the figure I have in mind and I will strive towards it. If I play well enough to be included in the side regularly, then with the quality of attacking players we have I would hope to reach that target.
What do you think of your new Strike Partner Alex Bone?
He is a good player, very good in fact. He has qualities as a striker that I do not possess which can help improve our game as a partnership. He has shown he can score goals as well as create them which should be good news for the Elgin supporters.
Could this maybe be a partnership the third division will dread playing this season?
Ha, ha. I would certainly like to think so. I think we have linked up quite well so far, but we are not quite a dynamic duo. Plus there are other strikers at the club, good strikers who are ready to come in should we not perform and I know that defenders in the third division should certainly be wary of that.
From past experience, what do you think of the city fans?
There are certainly more of them than we had at the Rovers and they seem just as dedicated. They have been very welcoming to me since I joined the club so I hope that my team mates and I can give them plenty to shout about in the months to come. I seem to have had a knack of scoring against Elgin in the past couple of seasons and they don’t seem to be holding that against me which is a good thing.
How much do you remember of the goal you scored that knocked us out of the cup last season?
In 2002/2003 I scored the goal that knocked you out the Scottish cup in a 1-0 victory. I actually remember it very well, it was Paul Bonnar who played a low cross from the left and I sort of flicked it with a back heel past Pirie and into the net. I think I deserved that goal as Martin had taken the game to a replay with 3 outstanding saves against me at Cliftonhill. I will need to ask Martin how much he remembers of that particular goal.
What has been your most memorable game of your career?
After defeating Elgin we knocked out Brechin and played Livingston at the Shyberry. We where 2-0 down and I scored to pull one back, but we just could not get the equaliser. As we threw everyone forward Livvy scored 2 more goals in the last few minutes. We where up against premier league opposition and David Fernandez was playing fantastically well, but I won man of the match. So that kind of sticks in my mind.
Best player you’ve played against?
I cannot think of anyone in particular whom I would rank as the best, though I have enjoyed competitive matches against a few players.
Best Player you’ve played with?
As an apprentice at Celtic I played with lots of great players, no one has ever come close however to Dariusz Dziekanowski. He was the most unbelievably talented player I have ever had the pleasure to play with. He had a big reputation for going out and partying, but in his defence I have never seen anyone work so hard at the technical side of their game. He could do some magical tricks with a football and scored some wonderful goals. I was lucky enough to play in a few reserve games with him at Celtic and he was simply amazing.
Did you have any idols growing up?
Like many other Celtic supporters my age, Charlie Nicholas was my idol when I was a kid. Luckily enough when I signed for Celtic he had just rejoined from Aberdeen and I had the opportunity to play and train with him and Peter Grant who was another hero of mine. I also loved Maurice Johnston, despite what happened later. Away from Celtic Park it was Eric Cantona and I must admit. I had great admiration for Ally McCoist.
Finally, what do you think of new manager David Robertson?
I think he has a tough job ahead of him. He has been allowed time to build his own team, but as of August 2nd he will be answerable to the supporters for the results his team achieve. He obviously wanted the pressure and believes in himself or he would not have taken the job. He has played under some great coaches and I am sure he has learnt a thing or two that will assist the team in our promotional push.
