Kev’s got a passport to big time.. he won’t get his pocket picked like me
»»Sir Alex urged Cormack to get gaffer that can topple Old Firm »»Legend told chief it’s critical to make it someone he can trust »»And he called on him to remember everyone has it in for Dons
SCOTLAND squad announcements for me as a player were a story of wrong time, wrong manager and wrong pocket.
I look back at the Berti Vogts era and still think I’m the only Scot who didn’t get a cap under the German, who handed out an astonishing 40 debuts with his Tombola approach.
Yet my phone never rang while it did for the likes of Warren Cummings, Gareth Williams, Graeme Murty, Andy Gray and Scott Dobie.
Firstly, congratulations to Kevin Nisbet for getting the nod for this month’s World Cup qualifiers. Secondly, don’t forget your passport!
I’ve never told anyone this but I was part of a Scotland Under-21 squad set to fly to Latvia and the night before an SFA official came to the rooms to get everyone’s passport. I couldn’t find mine, it was blind panic. Phoned home, checked everywhere, no passport.
I had to go at 6am the following morning to get an emergency passport and nearly missed the flight.
After the game we flew home and as I walked into my house I put my hand into the inside pocket of my Scotland blazer and there was my original passport!
Kevin’s inclusion in the latest senior squad was a surprise to many, myself included.
He has been off the boil a bit but came off the bench to score the winner at Ross County on Saturday and you could see what it meant to him.
All the frustration came out and it was great to see.
Now the carrot of playing for Scotland at the Euros is there for him and he needs to take his game to another level.
Before Christmas he looked a shoo-in for a call-up but his form dipped amid speculation over a move out of Hibs.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has seen enough to include him though. There is no doubt he has the attributes to be a Scotland international but he needs to work on parts of his game such as his link-up play.
There is no greater feeling than lining up in the dark blue and hearing that national anthem being played and I loved it. The greatest moments of my career were pulling that Scotland jersey on from Under-16 to B internationals against Germany and Turkey. It still gives me immense pride and I know how much it means to players. Some believe it has been devalued because of the Champions League and the money on offer in the English Premier League but now that we are finally looking forward to a major tournament, Scotland takes priority. So many players will get a fantastic opportunity to go and do their country proud.
Clarke has also selected Southampton’s Che Adams and someone of his stature in attack is badly needed when you assess the striking options we have at the moment.
Leigh Griffiths isn’t fit enough and is out of the picture at Celtic, Lawrence Shankland’s been playing in a poor Dundee United team and isn’t getting much service.
You look around and see Lyndon Dykes struggling to get a game at QPR. The fans have been slaughtering him as he hasn’t scored a goal since
November. One-goal-a-season man Oli McBurnie isn’t doing it at Sheffield United and his Blades team-mate Oliver Burke doesn’t look the answer either.
So we have a dearth of quality strikers and there’s a gap in that market which Nisbet can fill in time for the Euros.
Adams has been scoring goals in a good Southampton side and is a big, powerful unit who is capable of playing that lone striking role for Scotland, which is a huge plus.
Nisbet now has his chance and hopefully he’ll take it. I know I was close but just how close I’ll probably never know.
I think I’m the only Scot who didn’t get a cap when Berti Vogts was the manager
SIR ALEX FERGUSON has urged Dave Cormack not to settle for second best and go for an Aberdeen boss who will try to topple Rangers and Celtic again.
The Dons’ greatest ever manager called Cormack last week to give him advice as the Pittodrie board seek to appoint a replacement for the recently departed Derek McInnes.
Atlanta United 2 gaffer Stephen Glass, with Scott Brown as his assistant, is the favourite to become the next Aberdeen manager but the club are going through the interview process.
The chairman revealed he had a great chat with Ferguson, who led the Reds to domestic and European glory in the ‘80s, and plans to use him further as a sounding board in their managerial search.
Cormack said: “Sir Alex called me on Friday and he reminded me that Aberdeen FC is the hardest club to be manager of outside Celtic and Rangers.
“I agreed with him. It’s a prestigious position for anyone. He said, ‘Find a coach that you can work with, someone who will go to Glasgow and aim to beat Celtic and Rangers.’
“Don’t look for second best as far as that goes.”
Cormack is close friends with Glass from their time together in America so that could be a major factor in the next appointment.
And Ferguson has told Cormack, who is making his first managerial appointment, that he has to pick a boss he feels he can work with to take the club forward.
Cormack said: “It was really nice of Sir Alex and he said, ‘Dave, as you look forward and make the appointment, the relationship between chairman and manager is critical. Pick someone who is the right person for you to work with and for the club.’
“He reminded me we’ve got a clear strategy of how we want to play. He reminded me Neil
Simpson (caretaker coach) is a great asset and suggested he be involved with the first team, as he’s a winner through and through.
“He epitomises what it is to be an Aberdeen player.”
The legendary Manchester United manager knows the importance of having good people around him.
And Cormack said: “He did ask me how I was feeling about it. I’m nervous but really excited and he said, ‘Good, that’s the way I should be.’
“He suggested I lean on Bobby Clark and I agree with Sir Alex in that he’s one of the best human beings I’ve ever encountered.
“We’ve got a strong board. Darren Eales managed Spurs for Daniel Levy and West Brom. He’s got great experience. I’ve been heartened by the number of ex-players – Willie Garner, Joe Harper and Bobby Clark – who have encouraged me.”
Fergie was famed for his mind games when he was manager. He drilled it into his Aberdeen players there was a west-coast bias against his team and that doesn’t seem to be something he is about to let lie anytime soon.
Cormack joked: “He reminded me as well that perhaps there’s pundits in the media who don’t want Aberdeen to do well, who don’t want me to do well. I ignore all that.
“Sir Alex has made himself available for me to use him as a sounding board and you can bet I’ll take him up on that.”
The Aberdeen chairman has come in for stick in some quarters for the way he handed McInnes’ departure.
But Cormack has made it clear he wants a more successful club than the one that has delivered just one trophy over the past quarter of a century.
The software tycoon said: “Constructive criticism is healthy. None of us are perfect, I’m not perfect, far from it but I say to people, ‘Judge me on how I respond.’ Constructive criticism is fine and fair and it is important to be transparent about that but it is part of the territory of being chairman of a football club, particularly Aberdeen.
“Some of the criticism from some of the media pundits and ex-players, criticism of me and of our fans of expecting too much, there’s a lot I’d like to say but I will hold my tongue and rise above it.
“But what I will say is this: Is it wrong of Aberdeen fans to want more than one trophy in 26 years?”
Cormack insisted it was in the club’s best interests to let McInnes leave now but is adamant that he leaves a legacy after dragging the Dons out of the wilderness.
He said: “We had a constructive talk around the timing and I
Sir Alex himself has a made sounding available you can board as bet I’ll and him up take on it DAVE CORMACK FROM A ON ADVICE LEGEND
explained to Derek that I didn’t want to wait until the summer where there’s so many players out of contract, that we would prefer to make the move now.
“We had that conversation and came out with the mutual consent statement and that’s really the rationale behind it.
“As for the reasons, clearly the performances over that period have been challenging for the club and at the end of the day it’s a judgment from my perspective.
“We felt the timing was right as a board to give the new manager coming in time to get ready for next season.”
Cormack has also vowed to go ahead with the controversial online question and answer session with fans that he cancelled last month because of speculation over McInnes’ future.
The Dons chief, speaking on RedTV, insisted: “I said it was postponed but we’ll pick a time in a couple of weeks to go ahead.
“We still have the questions and I’m sure there will be new ones to add.”