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Daniel Fergus "Danny" McGrain (born 1 May 1950) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played for Celtic and Hamilton Accies in defence. McGrain was also a Scotland international, winning 62 caps for his country and taking part in two World Cups. McGrain began his career at Celtic and was one of the 'Quality Street Gang', the outstanding reserve team that emerged in the late 1960s during Jock Stein's nine-in-a-row glory days. He progressed to the first team and went on to play 659 competitive games for Celtic between 1970 and 1987. He won seven League Championships, five Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. He spent his final season of his career with Hamilton Accies, where he helped win them promotion to the premier league. He played in the 1974 and 1982 World Cups for Scotland, captaining the side in their opening match against New Zealand at the 1982 World Cup. His 62 caps have earned him a place in the Scotland Football Hall of Fame. His performances at both club and international level in the 1970s saw him described by many as being one of the best full-backs in the world. McGrain had to overcome several health concerns during his playing career. He suffered a fractured skull in 1972 and in the summer of 1974 was diagnosed with diabetes. A mystery foot injury ruled him out from playing for nearly 18 months in the late 1970s, causing him to miss Scotland's campaign in the World Cup in Argentina. After retiring from playing, McGrain had a spell as manager of Arbroath in the early 1990s, and is now currently part of the coaching staff at Celtic. McGrain is regarded as one of Scotland's greatest players and sports writer Hugh McIlvanney commented, "Anybody who saw him at his best had the unmistakeable impression of watching a great player, probably one who had no superior anywhere in the world." ==Club career== McGrain signed for Celtic in May 1967. He became one of the so-called 'Quality Street Gang', the great Celtic reserve team that also included players such as Kenny Dalglish, Lou Macari, Davie Hay and George Connelly, who eventually took the places of the ageing Lisbon Lions. At first, McGrain was regarded as a midfielder but was utilised in a variety of roles in the reserve side before becoming established as a right-back. McGrain made his first-team debut for Celtic as a substitute in a Scottish League cup tie against Dundee United at Tannadice on 26 August 1970.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dundee United 2 - 2 Celtic, League Cup (26/08/1970) )〕 He then went on and made his league debut three days later in the opening fixture against Morton at Celtic Park.〔〔 McGrain was used sparingly by manager Jock Stein in his first couple of seasons in the first team, but the young full-back played well in these games.〔 Having made only 10 league appearances, McGrain suffered the first serious set-back of his career on 25 March 1972. He sustained a fractured skull during a match at Brockville against Falkirk after a clash of heads with forward Doug Somner.〔 McGrain, however, made a full recovery and began the following season, 1972–73, as Celtic's first-choice right-back in place of Jim Craig who had left the club at the end of the previous season.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Celtic Player Jim Craig Details )〕 McGrain now became a first-team regular and made 30 league appearances that season.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Celtic Player Danny McGrain Details )〕 He also rose through the ranks at international level; making two appearances for the Scotland Under 23 side in the spring of 1973, before finally making his debut at full international level for Scotland in May 1973 against Wales at Wrexham.〔 McGrain picked up his first winner's medal at the end of the season when Celtic clinched their eighth successive league championship title. By the mid 1970s McGrain was considered by many to be one of the best full-backs in the world.〔 He played as what is known today as an attacking full-back and contributed significantly in both attacking moves as well as in defence.〔 His abilities included a burst of speed, skill and control on the ball, vision and anticipation and, when required, a strong but fair sliding tackle. He won a further league championship title and a Scottish Cup in 1974 and played in the World Cup for Scotland that same year.〔 However, McGrain was diagnosed with diabetes immediately after the World Cup, but with the benefit of medication and a controlled diet and lifestyle, continued to play without adverse effect. In 1977 McGrain won his second league and cup double. He was also voted Player of the Year by the Scottish Football Writers' Association. McGrain became captain of Celtic at the start of season 1977-78 in the wake of Kenny Dalglish's departure to Liverpool. However, a troublesome foot injury that medical staff struggled to identify or treat adequately saw McGrain miss most of the season with Celtic. He also missed the 1978 World Cup for Scotland. Celtic finished the season trophy-less and failed to qualify for European competition for the first time since the early 1960s. McGrain eventually recovered from his mystery foot injury〔 and after a tentative re-introduction into the Celtic team, now managed by Billy McNeill, played in the club's last 18 league fixtures of the season in the spring of 1979.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Celtic Player Danny McGrain, Games Played )〕 On his return from injury, a change in his style of play was apparent. There was a noticeable reduction of pace, which in turn was compensated for by a greater reliance on anticipation of play and distribution of the ball. McGrain went on to pick up his fourth league championship medal at the end of that season as Celtic clinched the title with a dramatic 4–2 win over Rangers in their final game of the season. McGrain continued to be a mainstay of the Celtic side during the early to mid 1980s; captaining them to a further three league championships, two Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup.〔 He made his 600th competitive appearance for Celtic in a 2–0 win over St Mirren in October 1985. Manager Davie Hay described him as a "superb player and professional" and said he was "the best tackler on the field" in the match against St Mirren. In the summer of 1986, Airdrie made an approach for McGrain to become their player-manager. Negotiations reached an advanced stage until a last-minute change of heart by the Airdrie board.〔 McGrain remained at Celtic for a further year; playing regularly at the age of 36: he missed only two games in the second half of the season.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Celtic Player Danny McGrain, Games Played )〕 He played his final game for Celtic on 9 May 1987, a league fixture away against Hearts.〔 In May 1987, McGrain was given a free transfer by Celtic. He joined Hamilton Accies in the summer and helped them win promotion to the Scottish Premier League before finally retiring from playing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Danny McGrain」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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