
John Sillett paid a club record fee of £900,000 to sign the speedy Scottish winger cum striker from Dundee United in January 1990. Kevin had made his name at Tannadice appearing in two Scottish Cup finals and the 1987 UEFA Cup final as well as winning five Scottish caps. After a tentative start – Stuart Pearce gave him a rough ride in his second game – he proved to be an outstanding acquisition, capable of great wing play as well as using his speed to deadly effect in the penalty area. In his first full season, 1990-91 he was top scorer and netted a memorable hat-trick in the 5-4 League Cup win over Nottingham Forest. Injuries hampered his career but he was top scorer again the following season without ever being the deadly finisher that was required. He regained his Scotland place, appearing at Euro 92 and won 10 caps whilst at Coventry. In March 1993 in a bid to balance the books he was sold to big-spending Blackburn Rovers for £1.5 million plus £1 million rated Roy Wegerle. The move was an excellent move for Kevin, he scored on his debut against Liverpool and soon developed an excellent partnership with Alan Shearer. In 1994-95 he suffered two broken legs and missed out on a Premier League winners medal but bounced back and made over 150 appearances for Rovers. After their relegation in 1999 Kevin became Bobby Robson’s first signing at Newcastle but at 33 his legs were going and he finished his career with short spells at Preston, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield. He is now a radio and TV pundit in Scotland and for BBC Radio 5 Live. Gallacher, grandson of the famous Celtic player Patsy Gallacher, won 53 caps for Scotland. He represented Scotland at Euro 92, Euro 96, and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He scored 9 goals for his country. He has recently received critical acclaim for his book, Tartan Turmoil: The Fall & Rise of Scottish Football, a semi-autobiographical look at the problems faced by Scottish football.
Hat tricks (1)
1990-91
28 November 1990 v Nottingham Forest H




































































































































































































































































Scotland, 10 caps
Selected for the Scotland squad for UEFA Euro 1992 (squad #14)
1990-91
1 May 1991 San Marino v Scotland, Serravalle, UEFA Euro 1992 Qualifying Group 2, 0-2
1991-92
16 October 1991 Romania v Scotland, Bucharest, UEFA Euro 1992 Qualifying Group 2, 1-0, substitute
13 November 1991 Scotland v San Marino, Hampden Park, UEFA Euro 1992 Qualifying Group 2, 4-0, substitute
19 February 1992 Scotland v Northern Ireland, Hampden Park, friendly, 1-0, substitute
3 June 1992 Norway v Scotland, Oslo, friendly, 0-0, substitute
12 June 1992 Netherlands v Scotland, Gothenburg, UEFA Euro 1992 Group 2, 1-0, substitute
15 June 1992 Scotland v Germany, Norrkoping, UEFA Euro 1992 Group 2, 0-2, substitute
18 June 1992 Scotland v CIS, Norrkoping, UEFA Euro 1992 Group 2, 3-0, replaced
1992-93
9 September 1992 Switzerland v Scotland, Berne, 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group 1, 3-1, substitute
14 October 1992 Scotland v Portugal, Ibrox Park, 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group 1, 0-0, replaced
4 previous caps for Dundee United, 30 further caps and 8 goals for Blackburn Rovers, 9 caps and 1 goal for Newcastle United (total 53 caps, 9 goals).
Selected for UEFA Euro 1996 and FIFA 1998 World Cup squads. Scottish FA International Roll of Honour.
Scotland B, 2 caps
1989-90
27 March 1990 Scotland B v Yugoslavia B, Motherwell, 0-0, substitute
24 April 1990 Scotland B v East Germany B, Perth, 1-2, substitute
7 previous caps and 3 goals for Scotland U21 with Dundee United