IT’S FUL STEAM AHEAD FOR TOM
Cairney’s done the hard graft.. now he’s desperate to seize his big chance and prove that he’s no flash in the pan
TOM CAIRNEY has been knocking his pan in for years to catch the eye of Scotland boss Gordon Strachan.
So he is desperate to make sure his stint of national service isn’t over in a flash.
The Fulham playmaker has had to grind it out in the meat market of the English Championship for more than seven years to get the Scottish summons.
The Nottingham-born 26-year-old did the hard yards at Hull as a youngster before busting a gut at Blackburn.
But he has found fame at the Cottagers this season as they have overcome the cutbacks to mount a serious promotion push.
Strachan has raved about the midfielder – hailing him as the best man in the middle of the park in one of the most competitive leagues on the planet.
The boss is preparing to chuck him in against Canada at Easter Road tonight but Cairney has no intention of slipping back into the shadows after Slovenia on Sunday.
He said: “I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. I want to be part of the squad for a number of years, as tough as that may be. Once I am in I would like to stay in if I can.
“I wanted it for a long time but to get the call-up was quite surprising in a way.
“I was waiting for international breaks but it had never happened. So when it happened for the
first time, no matter how the season has gone, it is surprising.
“I thought it would happen at some stage and it’s just nice that it’s finally here.
“A few boys kept saying to me last season and earlier this term, ‘When is it happening?’ But obviously it is out of my hands. I did what I normally do and thankfully that has been enough.”
Cairney might have been born down south and the accent is more Midlands than Milton but there should be no doubting the blood that courses through his veins.
The playmaker was raised as one of Jock Tamson’s bairns thanks to his Glasgow dad and he still has family in the east of the city.
Cairney was not allowed to forget his roots on regular jaunts north of the border and having turned out for Scotland at youth levels all the way up to the Under-21s, there is no question about his commitment to the tartan cause.
The Anglo revealed he is dyed in the wool thanks to his dad – and admitted he used to kick about as a kid in Celtic strips.
Cairney said: “I used to come up at half-term and visit my family in Uddingston in Glasgow. I used to get Celtic kits. I have good memories of being up here.
“It is harder to come up these days being in London but I had very good times here. “My dad, especially, is a big Scotland fan and as soon as I got called up it was a proud moment for him as well as myself obviously.” Cairney is looking to bring his club form to the fore tonight after a blistering run of displays for Slavisa Jokanovic’s Fulham.
He has been the driving force behind the Cottagers’ charge up the Championship this season and has chipped in with nine goals from his role just behind the frontline.
The classy performances have not gone unnoticed by Strachan but other sides have also picked up the scent, including Newcastle. Magpies boss Rafa Benitez made a move for the midfielder in January only to be warned off by the Craven Cottage club but he’s preparing to launch another bid in the summer, with a £12million price tag refusing to put him off.
Benitez reckons the playmaker can make the step up to the Premier League and Cairney admitted his shift to a more central role in midfield has allowed him to finally flourish.
He said: “I have never had a season as good as this one.
“I owe a lot to the manager Slavisa Jokanovic and his staff as well for that but I feel confident. And if the gaffer wants me to play I will be ready.
“A few managers have played me on the right wing.
“I can play there but I never felt it was my strongest position.
“I have been playing in the middle of a three and it is more natural to my game. That is a big factor in my form this season and I have enjoyed it a lot.”
I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. I want to be part of the squad for years TOM CAIRNEY