I won two league titles with Liverpool but I was never called up for Scotland

A TWO-TIME English league title winner with Liverpool has revealed he could have played for Scotland – but was never asked.

The Glasgow-born midfielder was involved in a Scotland Under-18 squad with Andy Roxburgh.

6

6

But he failed to gain a cap and ended up representing the Republic of Ireland after qualifying through his father.

Ray Houghton made 73 international appearances between 1986 and 1997 following his unsuccessful Scotland trial.

Speaking about that try-out on the Sacked in the Morning podcast, he said: “I’ve got to be honest with you, it didn’t go very well.

“The manager, a certain Mr Andy Roxburgh, didn’t take to the lads from England, to be honest with you.

“There were I think it was five or six, there were two or three lads from Middlesbrough, one from Millwall, a striker, and myself. And he didn’t have a clue where we played.

“We were playing in a small game at Largs in the indoor, five-a-side thing. And he said, ‘Right, you Anglos get a team together.’

“So he didn’t really endear us to being there.

“And I didn’t do particularly well. I did all right. He didn’t even know where I played.

“He just said to me, well, at the last game, go and play on the wing.

“I said, I play in the middle. He went, ‘Just go and play on the wing.'”

In 1994, Houghton won Senior International Player of the Year from the FAI – a year in which he scored the winner against Italy in the World Cup.

The now 64-year-old also netted the only goal in a 1988 Euros win against England, arguably two of the biggest goals in the country’s history.

He’s since patched things up with the legendary Scotland manager.

He added: “I did meet him subsequently at Anfield, at the training ground. He said, ‘Why didn’t you come and play for Scotland?’.

“I said, ‘One, I was never asked. No one ever asked me. You can’t go somewhere you are never asked to go.’

“And I said, ‘By the way, when I was under 18 and you were the manager, you weren’t very engaging towards us’.

“He was a lovely fellow, I got on great with Andy after that.”

The life and times of Ray Houghton

1979-82: West Ham United – 1 appearance

1982-85: Fulham – 145 appearances, 21 goals, 1x Second Division PFA Team of the Year (82-83)

1985-87: Oxford United – 105 appearances, 11 goals, 1x League Cup (85-86)

1987-92: Liverpool – 200 appearances, 38 goals, 2x First Division Titles (87-88, 89-90), 2x FA Cups (88-89, 91-92), 1x FA Charity Shield (1990), 1x First Division PFA Team of the Year (91-92)

1992-95: Aston Villa – 126 appearances, 11 goals, 1x League Cup (93-94)

1995-97: Crystal Palace, 88 appearances, 8 goals

1997-99: Reading, 56 appearances, 1 goal

1999-00: Stevenage, 3 appearances

1986-97: Republic of Ireland, 73 appearances, 6 goals, 1x FAI Senior International Player of the Year (1994)

6

6

6

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page