Mark Atkinson and Matthew Elder discuss the latest Scotland squad selection from Steve Clarke.
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00:00Hello and welcome back to the Scotsman football show. Today we're looking over the Scotland
00:08squad announcement that's just been made by Steve Clarke ahead of the Nations League playoffs
00:13against Greece later this month. My name is Matthew Yelder and I'm joined by our sports
00:18editor Mark Atkinson. How are you today, Mark?
00:21Good, thank you. Matthew just digesting this squad as we'll come to some pretty interesting
00:27selections from Steve Clarke.
00:29Yes, I think there's probably only one place to start, really. I think we're all quite
00:34taken aback by the call-up for Hearts forward James Wilson. He only turned 18 last week
00:42and obviously had a very good season with Hearts. We all thought that Lennon Miller's
00:46inclusion would be the main talking point, but I think it's now been slightly overshadowed
00:50now by Wilson getting his first call-up directly from the under-19s. He's never even been capped
00:56for the under-21s yet, but Steve Clarke making quite a statement by bringing the teenager
01:00into his senior squad.
01:02Absolutely, Matthew. I mean, Steve Clarke's been criticised by some for not being particularly
01:09creative with his squad and sticking with the tried and trusted, but this is a real
01:13change to what Scotland's squad looked like in the past. Not one, but two uncapped teenagers.
01:20Wilson, I've been really impressed by Wilson when I've seen him. He doesn't look like an
01:2318-year-old. Physically, he looks older and he's a very intelligent forward, very good
01:27in the air. So often you see an 18-year-old with such a good spring and such an intelligence
01:34about him where he looks to lead the ball off. Even still, I don't think we were expecting
01:38to see Wilson in this squad. I think that is a complete curveball. He's helped by the
01:42fact that Scotland have got some injuries in that area. Lyndon Dykes is out and I think
01:48they tried to get George Hurst in, but there were paperwork issues. But even then, you
01:52thought that someone like Laurence Shankland or maybe even Jacob Brown would get in ahead
01:55of him. Laurence Shankland, obviously his captain and team-mate at Tyne Castle. He starts
02:01more often than Wilson at the moment. But yeah, it's refreshing to see Wilson in that
02:06squad. It's hard to imagine him featuring in those two matches. He's definitely behind
02:11the other strikers in that squad. But it gives Scotland fans something to look forward to
02:18right now and also in the future. And it's a sign that Clarke is trying to build for
02:24maybe the next campaign by bringing in guys like Wilson.
02:28Yep, and like you said there, I think George Hurst might have been the person to take that
02:34slot if paperwork had been completed in time. There's obviously been reports that there
02:40might be a delay in getting these Allegiance swits from England. George Hurst, Clarke obviously
02:44watched him score for Ipswich last week in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. He looks
02:50like one that Clarke's definitely got his eyes on for the World Cup qualifiers which
02:53start later this year. But it's certainly good to get a look at James Wilson at that
02:58level. And as we already mentioned, Lennon Miller, a much-muted call-up finally arrives
03:04for the Motherwell captain. Over 100 appearances now at the age of only 18. Real standout for
03:13Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership and obviously links to Celtic, Lyon, just two
03:19of the clubs linked with him. Multi-million pound moves there, possible this summer. So
03:25yeah, less of a surprise probably, Miller being called up, but certainly a welcome move
03:31from Clarke, I think.
03:33It is. I am a bit surprised that Miller's on the squad. I wonder if he might wait until
03:37the summer finalists to bring Miller in, just given the strength that Scotland may feel.
03:41But then you look at some of the absentees. Ryan Gauld got injured last week, so he's
03:46out of the equation. Stuart Armstrong as well. He's back in British football with Sheffield
03:51Wednesday, but he's been omitted. And that's obviously opened the door for Miller to come
03:56in. I'm sure Motherwell are rubbing their hands at this because it means they can potentially
04:01up the asking price if he does feature for Scotland. It's the most competitive part of
04:06the Scotland squad, so again, will he get game time? It remains to be seen. But what
04:10I would say is that it's really pleasing to see not one, but two teenagers from provincial
04:15clubs being put into the squad. There's always been a complaint that you only get into the
04:20Scotland squad if you play for a Celtic Rangers or somebody outside of these shores. So it's
04:27good to see his form at Motherwell and his influence at Motherwell being rewarded. A
04:34couple of weeks ago, I watched him play against Rangers at Ibrox and he didn't look out of
04:37place at all. He was very strong in that win for Motherwell against Rangers. I wonder
04:42if Steve Clarke potentially saw that and thought, right, you know what, it's time for this guy
04:45to come in. Very intelligent player as well. Lovely right foot, good vision, physically
04:52looks ready to play international football. He'll do well to get in ahead of some of the
04:57other guys that are in that squad right now, but it will help his development no end to
05:02be in there.
05:04Yeah, and he has been pretty impressive for the under-21s as well, whenever I've watched
05:07them. There was some suggestion that Luke McCowan might have been the one to get that
05:13midfield berth. Do you think it's the right call to go with Miller ahead of McCowan, given
05:17his impact at Celtic this season?
05:19It's a difficult call because Luke McCowan is playing mostly, albeit as a starter, for
05:27Celtic, who are by far and away the informed team in the country. I suppose if Learon Miller
05:33was a Celtic player and he has been linked with Celtic, would he be ahead of McCowan
05:38in that squad? That's up for debate. They're slightly different players as well. I think
05:42McCowan's slightly more dynamic. He tends to break forward more. Miller quite often
05:48sits a bit deeper and tries to dictate play. I think McCowan will feel a little bit disheartened
05:54because whenever he's been called upon by Brendan Norris at Celtic, he's done well.
05:57He got an assistant at the weekend against Hibbs. But as we said, it's such a competitive
06:02part of the team and maybe Steve Clarke feels that he's got better options in terms of what
06:09role McCowan would have in that squad. Andy Irving has missed out as well, for example,
06:14another one who plays in the EPL for West Ham. So again, it just shows the strength
06:18we have in that department. I like McCowan and I didn't wonder if he might get in. But
06:23ultimately, Miller is seen and regarded as a real top prospect for Scotland and I suspect
06:31his ceiling is higher than McCowan. And that's maybe why he's gone in.
06:39Two welcome returnees from injury. Ciarán Tierney, who we've not seen since Euro 2024.
06:46Back in the Scotland squad, obviously. He's signed for Celtic on a pre-contract.
06:51Not really getting much of a look at Arsenal, but good to see him back in the Scotland squad.
06:56Lewis Ferguson, even longer out than Tierney, obviously. He missed Euro 2024. I think this
07:02is his first call-up since March last year, so a full 12 months since we've seen Lewis Ferguson
07:06in the Scotland squad. But we all know that he could become a real important player for Scotland
07:13going forward. He's sort of struggled, like you said, that strongest area of the Scotland team.
07:17He's struggled to break into that area, but you feel like with these World Cup qualifiers coming
07:22up, his time might just be coming for Scotland. Yeah, again, Lewis Ferguson back to full fitness,
07:28captaining a Bologna team that's doing really well, up to sixth now in Serie A. They're on
07:32a good run of form. How do you cultivate a midfield with all these options? Because Ferguson's absence
07:39in a way has helped Steve Clarke because he's been able to not have to disappoint some of his
07:45players. And if you think about the way Scotland have been playing, the returns of Ferguson and
07:51also Tierney, they pose a tactical issue as well because Scotland have been playing a 4-2-3-1
07:57and that's really, really helped. And that access in the field of Billy Gilmore and Kenny McLean
08:02has done really well. How do you get Lewis Ferguson into that team? Kenny McLean is two
08:08caps away from hitting 50. He's been really good for Scotland in the past six months, so it would
08:14feel a little bit unfair to drop him. But Ferguson at the age of 25, playing at that level, it's hard
08:20to ignore, isn't it? And you just feel that his time is coming. Tierney, I wonder where Tierney
08:27would play in the Scotland squad. We all remember how Scotland changed to a 3-5-2 to accommodate
08:35both Tierney and Andy Robertson, the captain, two left backs, making Robertson the left wing
08:40back and Tierney the left centre half. Does Tierney play in a back four at the centre half
08:45or is he a reserve left back? I think that's going to be really interesting to see what happens with
08:49him. But great to have these options. These are two top-level players, Champions League-level
08:54players, so to have them in the squad on paper should enhance us. Indeed, indeed. Two other uncapped
09:02players in the squad, as well as Lennon Miller and James Wilson. Kieran Slicker, the goalkeeper
09:07from Ipswich, who hasn't started any matches this season at first-team level. Nine minutes
09:14as a substitute in the FA Cup. And Max Johnson, the right back from Sturtgratz, who has been
09:22starting games regularly for them in the Austrian top flight. We don't expect to see Slicker, I
09:28think. I think he'll be there as third choice behind Craig Gordon and Liam Kelly. But
09:32interested that we might see a first cap for Johnson. He has been called up before.
09:39And Anthony Ralston has been obviously playing for Scotland on the right, but not really getting
09:42much game time at all at Celtic. Might be the time to bring a new right back into the starting
09:48lineup? Oh, debatable on that one. I can't say I've seen much of Max Johnson, but of course,
09:55he did play in the Champions League earlier in the season. What I would say about Tony Ralston
09:59is that he's never let Scotland down of late. He's actually, I think, grown into that Scotland
10:05right back slot. I suspect Clarke will stick with him. I'd like to see Johnson given a chance,
10:11but do you give Johnson a chance in these games against Greece, which are high pressure matches?
10:17He's still very young, Johnson, and I think a different type of right back to Ralston. I think
10:23he's a little bit more forward thinking. I think you could have also said that Nathan Paterson,
10:29I think people expected him to come back in because he's now back to full fitness, albeit
10:33not playing regularly for Everton. And with Ross Pecoria and Nicky Devlin injured, there weren't
10:39too many more options to bring in there. Goalkeeping wise, Kieran Slicker, clearly the third choice.
10:44Liam Kelly has played for Rangers this year. Obviously, Jack Buckland got an injury and Kelly
10:48did quite well when he came in. Craig Gordon will be number one. Poor Angus Gunn times his injuries
10:53purely. Injured his hamstring jumping over an advertising board while playing for Norwich a
10:58couple of weeks ago, and that's what's meant that he's out of the squad. So, Craig Gordon will almost
11:02certainly be number one at the age of 42 years old, and that could have ramifications for Craig
11:07Gordon's long-term future in terms of whether he decides to keep going another season. So,
11:12the goalkeeping issue is certainly interesting. Chris Brady at Chicago Fire might come in,
11:17but that's not happened either. 21-year-old playing over in the MLS. I do think we're a
11:22bit light at goalkeeper, and I think Kieran Slicker needs to go and play first-team football
11:27sooner rather than later if he's to put himself up the pecking order.
11:32We don't have that many options there. I'd like to see him play a bit more.
11:37Yeah, quite a few notable absentees from the squad as well. We obviously don't have Lyndon Dykes
11:43through injury, Ben Doak as well. He's obviously developed as a key player for Scotland in that
11:48new system that Steve Clarke's been playing. So, we'll certainly miss him. Penny for the thoughts
11:56of Lorne Shankland obviously dropping out when his much younger team-mate takes his place up front.
12:03And obviously Greg Taylor dropping out as well. Lost his place in the Celtic team to
12:13Geoffrey Sloop and now not being called up into the Scotland squad either. So,
12:18not a great time for Greg. No, I think Greg Taylor has had a few injury issues this season,
12:26but I suspect he'll want to stay in the Scotland set-up. It's ironic, isn't it,
12:32the man that's going to take his place at Celtic is the one that's coming in the Scotland squad as
12:36well. Taylor's a mainstay of the squad, but very rarely actually plays for Scotland. So,
12:45you're taking out essentially a backup man there. I think Lorne Shankland is a sore one. He's been
12:52playing most weeks for Hearts. In fact, he was injured, but then has come back and I thought
12:56looked a bit better, but playing in this different role, not a number nine anymore,
13:00more of a creative midfielder. He'll be hoping that his Scotland career isn't ended by this.
13:07It shouldn't be. He should still take heart because actually Kevin Nisbet, who isn't in the squad,
13:11has come back from the cold after scoring 10 goals for Aberdeen this season.
13:16But I think he'll be a bit stung, Shankland. This time last year, Lorne Shankland was the name on
13:21everyone's lips. Scoring goals for fun at Hearts, talk of a big money move to Rangers the previous
13:28winter, and then obviously what could happen in the summer. And ever since then, it's not really
13:32happened for Shankland. I'm sure there'll be a bit of soul searching from him about what's
13:39happened over the past six to nine months. At the end of the day, though, you still would fancy
13:44Shea Adams, who's doing well at Trino to lead the line, regardless of who's in that squad,
13:48because he's doing well over in Serie A. But yeah, the squad is without a couple of its key players.
13:54I'd like to mention Ryan Gauld as well. I think he's been quite good for Scotland
13:57since whenever he's come on. He's got that little bit of spark and creativity that
14:02not many players in the squad have. But he got injured for Vancouver Whitecaps
14:06last week, and I think his absence will be felt as well. The squad, the first 11 looks good on paper,
14:13as always. I do think if you were to compare the squad to maybe even the last one, it's a bit
14:19lighter in terms of options, especially about Ben Doak. That's a big loss, because who else in that
14:25squad could take on a player the way he does? Not to worry, we've got Scott McTominay in there, so
14:33all is well whenever Scott McTominay is involved.
14:38But yeah, so that's the squad, 23-man squad for these games. Obviously, Greece,
14:43away to Greece on Thursday the 20th of March, and then the return leg at Hamden on the 23rd,
14:50Sunday evening, five o'clock kick-off at Hamden. Those games will determine whether we retain our
14:54League A status or are relegated to League B. Mark, obviously, we've got the Steve Clarke
14:59press conference today on the back of that announcement. Can you just explain how we're
15:04covering that? Yep, our Chief Football Writer Alan Patillo is speaking to Steve Clarke as we speak,
15:10hence why he's not joining us. Alan will no doubt digest the squad, give Steve Clarke's views,
15:16and also give his own opinions. I know, speaking to him before the press conference,
15:19he was a bit surprised to see, in particular, James Wilson's name in there. So, I'll be curious
15:25to see how Alan looks at the squad, given that I know he's pretty confident about Scotland this
15:31year. So yeah, we'll have Alan's thoughts, Steve Clarke talking, obviously, and then,
15:37I suppose, next week, it all kicks into gear for Scotland, doesn't it? Those games
15:42come thick and fast. As you said, it's a really big year for Scotland,
15:45Nations League matches followed by the World Cup qualifiers. We're going to be over in Greece next
15:51week in Piraeus for that massive match. So, plenty to get your teeth into on the website and also
15:57in print. Good stuff. So, as Mark says, you can catch up with Steve Clarke's press conference
16:03and Alan Patillo's thoughts on scotsman.com later today. But for now, we'll say thanks for watching
16:10the Scotsman football show and see you on the next one. Cheers.