In the second of a two-part series, oceaniafootball.com takes a lot at the achievements of some of these former stars and finds out what they are up to now.
Neil Emblen
One of the most accomplished players to grace the game in this part of the world, utility man Emblen was a stand-out figure in England’s second-tier for much of his career and his signature cost Crystal Palace £2 million when he finally joined the Premier League ranks in 1997. Emblen’s form during a three-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers had earned him the big-money move but his time in London did not work out as he would have hoped and he made only 13 appearances, mostly off the bench, before returning to Wolves the next season for another three years. Further stints at Norwich City, where he was captain, and Walsall followed before he headed south to join the New Zealand Knights in the inaugural A-League. When the club folded after just two years, he linked up with Waitakere United and became player-coach in 2009. He featured in a handful of matches last season, including Waitakere’s national league final win over Auckland City, but is likely to concentrate solely on coaching in the next campaign. He is also part of Ricki Herbert’s All Whites set-up in a technical support role.
Paul Gothard
Goalkeeper Gothard can now be found on Auckland City’s bench, where he offers support and advice to the club’s custodians as goalkeeping coach. But it was not so long ago that he was starring between the sticks himself, even entering the Guiness Book of World Records in 1999 for his run of 12 consecutive clean sheets, the longest ever in England at the time. The real estate agent began his career with Colchester United but made a name for himself during spells at a number of non-league clubs and was regarded as the best goalkeeper outside the Football League for much of his career. His crowning moment arrived in 1997 when he lined up at the famous Wembley Stadium for Dagenham and Redbridge in the FA Trophy final against Woking, a match the Daggers lost 1-0. Gothard was also capped five times by his country at semi-pro level before bringing his wife and two children to Warkworth, a small settlement just north of Auckland. He played for the town’s local club but it was clear his talents were still worthy of a much bigger stage, a fact recognised by Auckland City when they stepped in to sign him in 2009. He took part in City’s remarkable fifth-place finish at the FIFA Club World Cup that year but has since passed the gloves on to former All White Jacob Spoonley.
Jonathan Gould
Another former goalkeeper to have made the switch to New Zealand late in his career, Gould brought with him a wealth of top-class experience when he turned up at Hawke’s Bay United in 2005. The former Scotland international first came to prominence at Coventry City in the mid-90s under the managerial reign of his father, ex-Wimbledon and Wales boss Bobby Gould, but joined lower division Bradford City in 1996. He soon lost his place to Australian Mark Schwarzer and his career seemed to be heading for a dead end until Scottish giants Celtic plucked him from Bradford’s reserves in 1997 and made him a mainstay of the legendary 1998 side, whose championhip win prevented Rangers picking up ten titles in a row. That form saw him receive a late call up to Scotland’s 1998 FIFA World Cup squad and he was also involved in the Euro 2000 campaign. Gould joined Preston North End in 2003 and also had brief spells at Hereford United, on loan, and Bristol City before heading to New Zealand, a country he was no stranger to after playing for Napier City Rovers prior to turning professional in England. Upon returning to the area, he became a member of staff at Hawke’s Bay United and played occasionally for the team in the national league before joining Wellington Phoenix as goalkeeping coach. He left that post earlier this year to devote more time to his family and now works for New Zealand Football as a development officer in Hawke’s Bay.
Malcolm McPherson
Glasgow-born McPherson passes on his knowledge to young players these days as a development officer for the Northern Football Federation and there are few men in the country better placed to offer such advice. The former striker first caught the eye at Yeovil Town where his prolific form – over 60 goals in two seasons of youth and reserve football – quickly earned him a place in the first team. Within months, he had secured a move to top-flight West Ham United and appeared on path for a promising career at the highest level. But he spent more time on the treatment table than the pitch during his three years at Upton Park and left for Brentford in 1996 without a first-team appearance to his name. Again, injury was to prove his nemesis and a torn thigh muscle put an end to his professional career after around a dozen appearances. He then opened a new chapter in his life by focusing on business and it wasn’t until he migrated to New Zealand that the boots were strapped on once more, this time for Birkenhead United on Auckland’s North Shore. As well as his work for the Northern federation, McPherson coaches the Waitakere City senior men’s team and led the Waitakere United youth side to the national league title last season.
Ian Porteous
Having played under arguably the finest manager of all time, Porteous is in an ideal position to succeed in his current role as director of football at Wellington club Waterside-Karori. The former midfielder carved a reputation in his native Scotland with Aberdeen during a six-year spell from 1982, much of which was spent being guided by the legendary Alex Ferguson, now regarded as one of the world’s greatest ever managers following his exploits with Manchester United. Ferguson’s reign at Aberdeen included four Scottish Cup successes, two league titles and a European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph in 1983, which remains the last piece of silverware won by a Scottish team in Europe. But Ferguson headed to Manchester in 1986 and Porteous didn’t stay much longer, making the short trip across the North Sea to Denmark. After enjoying a good season at Herfølge Boldklub, he returned to his homeland to play for Kilmarnock and played a key role as they were promoted to the top division. The highlight of his time at Rugby Park came in 1993 when he had a hand in one of the club’s most famous victories. “We were in our first year back in the premier league and won 2-1 at Ibrox, which was Rangers’ first home defeat in a long time,” Porteous says. “We were drawing 1-1 at the time, and I was sent on as a sub right at the end of the game to waste a bit of time. But we got a breakaway, the ball broke upfield and it came to me, and I got my only touch of the ball. I took the shot and it came off the goalkeeper and back to Bobby Williamson, who had an easy job to just roll it in.”