"WHEN WE GOT IT BACK TO 2-1 AGAINST GILLS IN THE LAST MINUTE, I KNEW I'D GET ONE MORE CHANCE"

The tireless Scot on starting at Arsenal, his lethal partnership with The Goat and - of course - Manchester City’s incredible 1999 comeback at Wembley

- Interview Ed McCambridge

So, you made your professional debut for George Graham’s Arsenal in 1990...

I went down there as a 16-year-old, having just scored for Scotland in the 1989 Youth World Cup Final in front of 50,000 people. I was confident in my ability, but that soon changed when I saw the level of player in the Arsenal youth academy. I felt really out of my depth. I started trying too hard in games, hogging the ball and losing my rag. George Graham sat me down and told me to stop trying to be something I'm not. “You're here on merit, son,” he said. “We brought you here because of your energy, your work rate and your attitude. There are players here with more talent, I'm sorry to tell you that, but you will make it if you play to your strengths.” He was right. From that day on, I simply played my own game. It was a magical time at the club, with some great players and personalities: Tony Adams, Micky Thomas, David Rocastle - bless his soul - and so many others. I cherish all of those memories.

What was it like to play under five different managers in 1996-97, your first season at Manchester City?

They won't mind me saying this now: it was an absolute shambles of a football club when I arrived, especially as I'd just spent seven years at a very structured and successful Arsenal. I signed for Alan Ball and I remember reading on Ceefax that he had been sacked - less than 40 hours after I'd got there. Then it went from bad to worse. Asa Hartford took over for a month, Steve Coppell replaced him, there was a brief stint from Phil Neal and then Frank Clark came in. The squad was massive and there was no cohesion. It wasn’t until the following summer, when Joe Royle took charge, that some stability returned to the club.