McPake aiming to shoot down Andorra
CRAIG SWAN
RANGERS forward Josh McPake wants Scotland Under-19s to take out their frustrations on Andorra this afternoon.
Billy Stark’s young guns threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Belarus on Wednesday and now need a win to get their qualifying campaign back on track.
McPake, on loan at Dundee this season, GRAEME MACPHERSON reckons the outcome would have been different if he had been awarded a second penalty – and can’t believe the ref booked him for diving instead. He said: “We’ve still got a good chance of getting through but we’re annoyed we didn’t win the other night. It’s frustrating as we got ourselves into such a good position but let it slip. We were coasting at 2-0 and just didn’t take our chances.
“We hit the post and the bar late on. The way we started I felt we could have gone on to score four or five but we let them back into it.
“I don’t know how I got booked for that challenge on me. I was tripped in a goalscoring position so there was no reason to go down. If we had got a second penalty it could have made a big difference.” c.swan@dailyrecord.co.uk SHATTERED Robert Snodgrass insists Scotland must get back to basics to halt their alarming slump.
But the West Ham star is adamant his country’s committed stars are fighting every second to salvage the pride of the national team.
Snodgrass was a picture of utter dejection in the aftermath of the defeat to Russia on Thursday night.
The midfielder was almost lost for words. He struggled to speak on occasions. It hurts. Badly.
Supporters and critics can say what they like about Steve Clarke’s group of players but they cannot be accused of not caring.
As each individual dripped through the bottom floor of the Luzhniki Stadium and out of the exit after being stuffed 4-0 for a second successive match, pain and anguish were painted all over their faces.
Snodgrass wasn’t alone. Just as he says he won’t be alone as the squad try to turn things around.
Right now salvation and redemption feels a long way off but the English Premier League star won’t ever stop fighting and insists the only way to begin mending matters is by stripping it all back.
Basic errors, simple mistakes, are killing the Scots at the moment. Bad goals are being lost and the players are being punished for their mishaps.
Snodgrass said: “The manager has spoken about every game for your country and wanting to wear the jersey with pride every single time we turn up.
“That isn’t a problem. That is the case. The lads love playing for Scotland. We turn up for every camp and try to push to make things better.
“That’s not really been the case for Scotland over the years. Someone would maybe put one in the top corner or it was just small details.
“But set-pieces were again a problem. You can’t teach mental strength but it’s disappointing. Two 4-0 defeats. It’s hard to talk about it.
“We need to look each other in the eye and say we worked our balls off for 60 minutes. Even though we lost 4-0 we still worked hard.
“You win a game 4-0 and you are covering 10 or 12 kilometres. You lose the game 4-0 and you are still covering those 10 or 12 kilometres. We’re still working as hard but it’s about shape and can we get a chance?
“The manager had obviously been working a lot on trying to be a bit more resolute when we went to Moscow.
“Defend with a shape and try to make something happen in the latter stages of the game. I thought it was happening in the second half but the timing of their first goal and then the next goal was bad.
“The last half an hour we were all over the place and it was disappointing. The manager is trying to get a solidness about us and a bit of fight and dig.
“But the last half an hour we just went. We went to Russia and felt there was an end game and a chance but we ended up with another bad result.”
Before Scotland’s collapse, Snodgrass was at the centre of two major moments which could have changed the course of events.
Snodgrass couldn’t pull it off as the ball was cut out and after the break it was roles reversed as he made a brilliant run and was free in acres of space when Fraser didn’t spot him and the chance was lost.
He said: “I felt there were two vital moments when if we’d got in you never know what might have happened. But it’s all ifs and buts.
“It seems as if I’m repeating myself every time that I come back to Scotland camps.
“The good thing is we have Sunday to make it right but then we go away for a month and you return wondering again if we are going to be solid, are we going to get it right?”
Snodgrass is referring to tomorrow night’s match against lowly San Marino at Hampden.
The minnows are the only side below Scotland in the table at the moment and Clarke’s team simply have to produce a strong display to claw back some positivity after their punishing recent run.
Snodgrass insists Hampden is not going to be a place for people to hide.
The Hammers star added: “We need to keep working hard and we need us, the experienced boys, to keep driving it on.
“There are capabilities in there and I just keep going back to working on how we can get better. We need to take Russia on the chin like men and move forward. There can be no feeling sorry for ourselves.” COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCO