ROBBO WAS HULL RAISER
RONNY ROSENTHAL insists he identified Andy Robertson’s talent long before he enjoyed Premier League and Champions League glory at Anfield.
The former Liverpool and Israel striker knows Scotland skipper Robertson can scupper his country’s World Cup hopes at Hampden on Saturday.
Rosenthal, now a London-based football consultant, was a huge fan of Robertson long before his big money to the Reds.
He said: “I saw how much of an influence Robertson was at Hull and I was always convinced he was a player who could play at a much higher level.
“He has done so well with Liverpool, winning the Premier League and the Champions League, and you can see how important he is for Scotland.
“He’s a player who can make a big impact in moves that lead to goals and he’s certainly someone Israel will watch for.”
Rosenthal believes going to Hampden is not the disadvantage everyone thinks it is for Israel.
He said: “I feel Israel have a better chance of winning in Scotland than they would at home.
“Scotland are more under pressure at home so they take more risks.
“It’s as much a huge game for us as it is for Scotland and it has been 50 years since we qualified for the World Cup so we are dreaming too.
“I’m realistic, though, and I don’t think we have the quality or the top players.
“You need athletes as well as talent and Israel don’t have enough athletes.
“I’ve seen enough from this Israeli team to know they could qualify but it would be a surprise.
“Scotland have more athletes in their team and teams with those players win more games. They’re a yard quicker and it will be an important factor.”
Rosenthal, who played 60 times for his country and scored 11 goals between 1983 and 1997, insists last month’s 5-0 loss to Denmark will count for little on Saturday.
He said: “Losing 5-0 to Denmark was the same as losing 1-0 or 2-0.
“We still lost so I don’t see the need to get dramatic about it.
“The name of the game is to pick up points so I would ignore it now.
“It’s all between Scotland, Israel and Austria to see where they can pick up points. Players like Eran Zahavi and Manor Solomon are capable of winning games for Israel.
“Zavahi is a top scorer and a player a lot of teams would love to have.”