Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Strachan adds feelgood factor
S C OT L A N D m a n ag e r Gordon Strachan sought to add more positivity to his squad to face England by including more players with the feelgood factor.
Strachan has called up Aberdeen pair Mark Reynolds and Kenny McLean after t he Dons finished ahead of Rangers in the Premiership before their William Hill Scottish Cup Final against Celtic, while Jamie Murphy i s included after helping Brighton win promotion to the Premier League.
There i s no place for in-form Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor with Strachan highlighting the strength of his midfield as the reason but six other Hoops players retain their spots for the World Cup qualifier at Hampden on June 10 after ending their league campaign undefeated.
Scotland kept their qualification hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Slovenia in March when Strachan handed Stuart Armstrong a debut alongside five of his Celtic team-mates.
The Parkhead confidence rubbed off and Strachan wanted more of the same this time around.
“We thought about that the last game, people who were feeling good about themselves,” he said. “They bring that positivity to the squad.
“They (Celtic players) have had a great season, the Aberdeen lads have had a good season, the West Brom l ads have had a decent season.
“So we look at that when we pick the squad, who is feeling good about themselves.
“We have eight players in the squad who will be in the final at the weekend. Some will be disappointed but, rest assured, whatever happens in the cup final, the players from both sides can be really pleased about what they have done this season.
“Because I actually think it’s going to be a right good cup final.”