Son of a Gunn: Dad Bryan and household have gathered en masse to help Angus in Munich… a metropolis the place the previous Scotland goalkeeper loved success twice

MUNICH is a metropolis near Bryan Gunn’s coronary heart. A member of the Aberdeen squad who secured a goalless draw there on the way in which to lifting the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983, he returned a decade later with Norwich Metropolis and have become the primary — and solely — Scottish goalkeeper to win within the Bavarian capital.

He returns on the age of 60 along with his spouse and household to look at son Angus preserve aim for Scotland within the opening sport of Euro 2024 this week. By the top of a nervy 90 minutes in opposition to hosts Germany, he hopes to welcome a brand new entrant to an elite and unique membership.

‘I’m nonetheless the one British goalkeeper who has received in opposition to Bayern in Munich,’ he tells Mail Sport. ‘Norwich had been 2-1 up heading into the ultimate minutes of the sport after I made my best-ever save.

‘Adolfo Valencia had a diving header from six or seven yards out and I saved it with my midriff. If you wish to say b******s, that may be extra correct.

‘We completed up defending for our lives and people are nice recollections. We’re perpetually within the historical past books now as the one British membership to have received within the Olympic Stadium as a result of Bayern have now moved to the Allianz Enviornment, in fact.

‘I’d make a sentimental return to the previous place to get a number of photos. I nonetheless play in charity golf days and get launched as Bryan Gunn of Norwich and Scotland and that’s an evening everybody needs to speak about. Munich has been good to me.’

He’ll fly there on Wednesday with spouse Susan, daughter Melissa, his granddaughter, and Angus’ girlfriend Jay. His different daughter Mimi will fly 10,000 miles quite than miss out on the largest sport of her brother’s profession to this point.

‘Mimi really left to go to Australia in January and I stated: “See you subsequent 12 months”. She stated: “No, see you in Germany, I’m not lacking that”. So we may have a household reunion at Munich Airport on June 12.

‘I’ve a full folder upstairs with accommodations and timetables. Angus booked us a lodge in Munich and I’ve booked accommodations in Cologne and Stuttgart. It’s a navy operation.’

Born in Norwich, 28-year-old Angus performed for England’s Underneath-21s workforce in Gareth Southgate’s first sport in cost. He was referred to as as much as the senior squad for a pleasant in opposition to Brazil after Jack Butland withdrew with a damaged thumb.

Skirting across the edges of the Three Lions set-up however by no means fairly breaking by, the catalyst for a change of allegiance was a shattering double leg break for Craig Gordon on Christmas Eve 2022.

‘There have been a number of experiences saying Angus had turned down Scotland,’ remembers his father.

‘What a load of garbage. He by no means turned down something. He nonetheless had alternatives to play for England and was in England squads — and that chance hadn’t gone away.

‘The change got here when Craig obtained injured in December 2022.

‘We had been down in Norwich and we had been spherical at Angus’s for a pre-Christmas drinks get together. Kenny McLean was there along with his spouse. Massive Grant Hanley was there along with his spouse and youngsters. Everybody was devastated to listen to the information of Craig’s harm within the sport that Christmas Eve.

‘So we’re sitting there and Kenny and the boys began saying: “We have to get the large man in”. I stated: “Effectively, have a number of extra drinks after which get into him”. There have been positively seeds planted that evening.’

Steve Clarke’s long-term scout Tony Spearing set the ball rolling with a name to Bryan. Gunn senior urged his previous worldwide team-mate to ask the query for himself, and Clarke visited Norwich earlier than the top of January.

‘Angus tells the story that he most likely wished to say “sure” right away,’ he says. ‘He really referred to as him up the following day and stated: “Yeah, I’d like to do it”. Then got here his debut in March 2023 in opposition to Cyprus.

‘Apart from the kids being born — we misplaced my first daughter Francesca when she was younger — seeing Angus enjoying for Scotland made me most proud. My 83-year-old mom Jessie was there for an actual household gathering.

Angus’s sister despatched him the phrases to Flower of Scotland and he stated: “Shut up, I do know the phrases off by coronary heart…”.

‘Individuals overlook that Angus had me in his ear rising up, watching Scotland matches on the telly and shouting on the video games. I’ve household photos of him with Scotland kits on when he was younger.

‘So it was at all times in there, fermenting. I did my finest when he was born, calling him Angus Fraser James Gunn and I’ve accomplished my bit. Stevie requested the query and the remaining was historical past.’

Clarke and Gunn senior turned from boys to males throughout a rearguard motion within the seething cauldron of Mexico’s Azteca Stadium in June 1983. Earlier than a raucous crowd of 86,582 dwelling followers, they had been in a Scotland youth facet who had been already champions of Europe and beat the hosts of their ultimate group sport within the FIFA world championships due to a aim from the present Scotland supervisor.

Each males would win six senior caps every, their worldwide careers ending the identical evening after a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in Could 1994.

The place Clarke describes his omission from Italia ’90 because the bitterest disappointment of his profession, Gunn would journey to Italy as understudy to Jim Leighton and Andy Goram.

‘That was the summer time I made my debut in opposition to Egypt within the build-up which, paradoxically, was at Pittodrie,’ says Gunn. ‘All my household had been down from Thurso and Invergordon. My landlady from Aberdeen was there too.

‘I’m much less eager on speaking concerning the sport, as a result of we misplaced 3-1.

‘I used to be gutted as a result of I felt that was a chance. To not play within the World Cup, possibly. However to impress individuals a minimum of.

‘Me and Maurice Malpas had a mix-up for the primary aim.

‘I gave Gordon Durie stick after I was up for a Rangers sport just lately as a result of he handed the ball again to me from the midway line. That was within the days when you might choose up passbacks and I’m popping out to choose it up when Hossam Hassan nicks in, flicks it and it leads to the online. He ended up in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a result of I double-fisted him and he obtained stretchered off.

‘The third one, I can nonetheless see large Alex McLeish me pondering: “Ought to have saved that, large man”.’

Regardless of Gunn senior’s half-dozen caps, 400 membership appearances and clutch of particular person awards, it wasn’t written within the stars that Angus can be a goalkeeper. When he was a composed midfielder for Loddon Grasshoppers, the native beginner workforce, his father thought he had the following Patrick Vieira on his palms.

‘He was tall and chic on the ball and he went on trial at Norwich academy as an outfield participant. However Colin Watts, who was accountable for growth, stated: “I don’t assume he’s going to make it as a footballer. He’s too tall, a bit gradual… why don’t we put him in objectives?”’

The transfer paid off. Regardless of Gunn persevering with to play outfield for his faculty workforce, Manchester Metropolis paid a big charge to snap him up for his or her academy at 15.

‘Bodily, he has all of the attributes,’ says his father. ‘Mentally, he is excellent at overcoming dangerous issues in a short time. Letting in a aim is the worst factor ever as a keeper however it’s a must to react rapidly and get on with it.’

He’s hoping that all the coaching, educating and laborious work pays off on June 14.