How tactics talk with stranger on a plane shaped Scotland set-piece guru

Perhaps the story that encapsulates the colourful journey of Austin MacPhee best — and there are a few — is the one that led to a job scouting for Mexico at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil: the first of two major international tournaments on foreign soil, it should be noted, that Steve Clarke’s set-piece coach has experienced in the 26 years since Scotland previously ventured overseas for a European Championship or World Cup.

Back in 2014, MacPhee was on a flight to Canada when he happened to be sitting next to an agent who was recruiting for a vacant head coach position at the Mexican club Galeana. They got chatting. MacPhee pointed the agent in the direction of some match analysis he had compiled