Wolverhampton Wanderers are portrayed as the Championship’s entitled elite but there is a wonderful counterstory within.
On Friday, aged 28, Barry Douglas could make his Scotland debut as Costa Rica visit Glasgow. Hampden Park was once his football home. Douglas played for two full seasons at Queen’s Park, the amateur club perennially of Scotland’s lower echelons, before a switch to Dundee United kick-started what has been a career worth celebrating even before it reaches the promised land on the horizon.
Endearing detail lies within. Douglas turned up for pre-season training at Queen’s following an invitation from a coach who was struck by his skill when playing five‑a‑side with his friends. Elevation was never likely to go to Douglas’s head; an upbringing in Glasgow’s tough Pollok estate and some firm family guidance ensured that much.
“I had an apprenticeship to be a refrigeration and air-conditioning engineer,” the left-back says. “I had the chance to go full-time at Queen’s but my grandpa always said: ‘Get a trade behind you to fall back on.’ So I stayed part-time and got my apprenticeship papers.
“I always had ambition. I always thought I was good enough to play professional football but it was just about getting a break, then playing at the highest possible level I could.”
A decade ago Douglas was in the throes of 5am rises with days lasting until 6pm. Sometimes that would involve a drive straight to training. “It meant when I do things in football, even to this day, I appreciate them more,” he says. “I don’t take anything for granted because I have experienced the real world. I know what it’s like.
“If I see any of the guys from the apprenticeship when at home, I’ll stop and speak. It’s always nice to catch up. I wouldn’t change anything. I’m in a great place football-wise and long may it continue. I’ve had not a bad career so far.”
He is noticeably modest, despite his status as one of the players of the season in a Wolves team apparently destined for the Premier League. Upon his exit from Dundee United in 2013, he headed for Lech Poznan. A Polish title, cup and European football followed. Douglas had broken with convention as a young Scottish player succeeding on foreign soil.
“It was just about opportunity for me,” he says. “I went over to see the facilities, which were excellent, then it was a bit of proving to myself that it could be done. There is a stereotype that Scottish or British players can’t go abroad and do well. I wanted to show: ‘You know what, it can be done.’ It was a massive club, I didn’t realise how big until I was out there playing.
“I think a lot of it is about options. The opportunities to go abroad maybe aren’t there for Scottish boys so it becomes easier to go and play in a lower league in England. I came back more confident. I had experienced a lot in football and life but it was a nice time to come back and be part of a project at Wolves. I don’t think anyone expected us to do as well as we have done, albeit we haven’t achieved anything yet. I knew their ambitions, I knew how they were going to play and that suited my style. All the boxes were ticked.”
In between Poznan and a €750,000 switch to the Midlands came a stint in Turkey with Konyaspor. Once more, silverware and European football were delivered. “I actually enjoyed being away, enjoyed the adventure and being outside of a comfort zone. Again, when the chance came we thought: ‘Why not, let’s give that a try.’ It was a different style of football, partly because of the weather because you can’t press a game for 90 minutes in that heat. So I was learning the game.”
Scotland managers failed to take notice but he is not the type to dwell on that. “I never really focused too much on it to be honest. There was maybe a little bit of out of sight, out of mind. You don’t get much coverage playing abroad. I never got stressed about it, it would always have been an honour to be called up but I focused on my club and was happy to let anything else take care of itself.”
Douglas laughs when contemplating the fact that two of Scotland’s best players – Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson – are also left-backs. Tierney’s injury means Douglas should feature at some point during a friendly double header in which Alex McLeish’s Scots visit Hungary next week. “You want to train and play with the best players so it does me no harm even getting to train with these guys,” Douglas says. “You play for your country wherever you get a chance to play. If asked, I’d try to adapt to any position.”
Thereafter comes the quest to haul Wolves back into the top flight for the first time since 2012. “It’s not just about winning, it’s about how we win; we have played some really nice football and that’s enjoyable to be a part of.”
They have also become the team everyone wants to beat. “We have noticed that but that’s credit to ourselves,” he says. “We have to take it as a compliment because we have set standards,” he says. It means we have to be fully focused, prepare right and go about our job properly.”
Douglas’s fairytale, from old fridges to Old Trafford, is almost complete. “I can’t really think about that or get ahead of myself. That’s when complacency kicks in.” There has been no trace whatsoever of that so far.
(The Guardian)
