Dalglish, Souness & Rod Stewart – Scotland’s World Cup ’86 remembered

Dalglish, Souness & Rod Stewart – Scotland’s World Cup ’86 rememberedImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Michael Laudrup and Denmark faced Scotland at the 1986 World CupByRichard WintonBBC Sport ScotlandPublished1 hour agoOn a veranda at the Scotland squad hotel, captain Graeme Souness is discussing the players he is trying to sign for Rangers. Manager Alex Ferguson is in his room mulling over interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. And thousands of miles away, Kenny Dalglish – the country’s most-capped player – is sitting idle.To say the national team’s Mexico 1986 campaign was infused with intrigue would be doing the dictionary a disservice.After all, this was a campaign in which the manager died in the dressing room before qualification was clinched. His replacement was the greatest the game has ever seen. Three future national team bosses were on bibs and cones duty. The player-managers of two of Britain’s biggest clubs were named in the squad. As, belatedly, was a striker from European Cup finalists Barcelona. And the Scottish FA president almost sparked a diplomatic incident by labelling opponents “scum”.Furthermore, in the build-up you had players drinking mudslingers with Rod Stewart, hanging out of stretch limos on Sunset Boulevard, appearing on Grandstand drunk and – apparently – heckling John McEnroe at the Australian Open.World Cup fixtures and group standings