It’s important no one starts to finger-point. Shouting & swearing won’t help, it has to be done in a positive way. This is a group of mates fighting on the pitch for each other

SAYS CALLUM McGREGOR

THE crescendo of boos which boomed out from the Tartan Army at the end of Saturday’s humiliation in Dublin turned the air dark blue at the Aviva Stadium.

But Callum McGregor insists that abusive outpouring of rage won’t be allowed to seep into a squad where shouting, swearing and the blame game is never on the agenda in a Scotland squad focused on calm but self-critical reflection.

That three-goal weekend mauling from the Irish was bad as it gets – and it has ensured tonight’s Nations League clash with Armenia is a must-win to help banish some of the gloom.

McGregor admits Steve Clarke’s side have been forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror during a post-mortem which hasn’t been allowed to become counter-productive.

He said: “It’s super-important now that nobody starts to finger-point, we stay united, find the solutions to the problems and go forward together.

“If we do that it will help us be stronger.

“In football when you drop below the standards you have set yourself then there’s going to be a lot of disappointment, both collectively and individually.

“It’s a good sign when things don’t go well that people are willing to speak up and want to help each other.

“That is the main thing, it’s constructive and everyone wants to help each other out.

“You don’t need to be shouting and swearing, doing things in a negative way – it has to be done positively.

“That’s the good thing about this group, everyone wants to find the positives, asking how we can get better and how we can move on. It has to be constructive, there’s no point coming in shouting and swearing – it has to be done in a positive way.

“You always have the next game, it’s a group of mates you are on the pitch with and you have to fight for each other.

“You have to stick together in the difficult moments, even when it seems hard to do.

“That’s why you are a good group who have had success because you stick together when things don’t go the way you want.

“Rather than finger pointing, you have to work to find a solution to the problems.

“This group is a positive group and you don’t achieve success without having that, you have got to be together.

“You have to have each other’s back, everyone is in it together.

Minds will need to be refocused tonight in the stifling heat of Yerevan as Scotland look to get their campaign back on track. McGregor also made a call for solidarity and the need for the nation not to lose faith in a squad which had been making progress as he looked at the bigger picture of their recent appearance at the Euro finals.

He said: “With the success of being at the last tournament, that has given everyone the belief and expectation that we should be getting there on a regular basis.

“That’s the type of team we want to be, we want to be achieving things as a group.

“As players we want to achieve things individually too, so we have to meet the standards we have set ourselves in the last 18 months or so.

“It’s important we don’t forget the good work that has happened in that period, that we don’t lose belief in ourselves

and also that the nation doesn’t lose belief in us either.

“So Tuesday is important because we have to get back on track quickly.

“We have to go away with a positive result and be ready to come back in September to make sure it’s a successful campaign.”

The Celtic midfielder will bring another marathon campaign to a halt tonight but insists his 63rd game for club and country can be a match to reclaim some redemption for the Irish savaging.

Armenia have already put Ireland to the sword at the Republican Stadium and McGregor is adamant nobody will be looking at Scotland’s 2-0 success over the minnows at Hampden as any reason to believe this tie will be anything less than a huge hurdle.

It’s one the Scots will have to leap in searing heat and McGregor said: “There has been a lot of reflecting on Saturday’s game and looking at the negatives from it.

“Ultimately, we have to brush ourselves down now and go again because we have a big game on Tuesday.

“We want to finish this strongly, go away and come back in September looking to put it right again.

“Last weekend was disappointing but we have to look forward now and look to the games we have coming up.

“You never underestimate any opponent at this level. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and they had a great result against Ireland recently.

“That tells you they are capable of putting in a good performance and getting a result.

“We have done our homework. We looked at the last game on Sunday night, things that we did well and little bits we can tidy up too.

“We have to be ready for the game with Armenia. “We are disappointed from the weekend but the best way to show your disappointment is to go into Tuesday night and play together, play strong and get a positive result. That’s what we need to do. “We have to come back and try to put things right. “It’s been a long season but there’s one more push and we want to give everyone a slightly better feeling going into t h e summer.”

Everyone in it together. Have each other’s back McGREGOR’S MANTRA