Lambert warns Scots fans: Stop living in the past

FORMER Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert has called on supporters to lower their expectations and get firmly behind Alex McLeish’s new-look team.

Fans booed the national side off the park after they had been beaten 2-1 by Israel in a Nations League game in Haifa last Thursday evening.

And the pressure is now firmly on McLeish to lead the country to victories over Albania away and Israel at home next month and land a Euro 2020 play-off spot.

However, Lambert, who played for Scotland the last time they featured in a major competition at France ’98, feels the Tartan Army has to be more realistic.

He knows McLeish, who he worked under at Motherwell, has limited resources and he thinks supporters should bear in mind he is building for the future.

“This is the team we’ve got and we have to support them to try to get them through,” he told the BBC. “Forget what’s happened in the past. We’re not there any more.

“We have to try to rebuild. And if fans can go with it and get through this period hopefully it will get better, because it’s not great at the minute.

“The expectation levels – I think we’ve got to lower them now.”

Lambert added: “There’s nobody else there. We’re not in a good place at the minute but he’s doing all he can to get better.

“We have to win. If we don’t beat Albania then you don’t know what will happen.”

Meanwhile, Israel have applied for special permission from UEFA to avoid playing their obligated friendly match before their do-or-die Nations League showdown in Scotland.