MACKAY MAKES HIS PITCH
Caretaker Malky opts to shake things up as he bids to strike all the right notes in his Scotland audition
IT’S a squad as noticeable for its absentees as for the men called up. Put together by a manager whose reign may not stretch beyond a single friendly.
Scotland’s national side are a team in transition, all right. In transition to what or where is a matter of some debate. As is the question of who will be doing the steering from here on in.
Malky Mackay, being both Scottish by good fortune and a professional football coach by trade, would definitely accept any offer to become something more than just interim gaffer.
He knows next week’s friendly against Holland at Pittodrie is an audition for a role still coveted by men of commendable reputation and standing in the game.
Yet t he 24- man squad he named yesterday, including eight uncapped players, clearly hasn’t been picked with the sole aim of getting one eye-catching result.
In alongside the likes of Celtic skipper Scott Brown, a veteran whose l ong- term i nvolvement remains unclear, there are a couple of eyebrow-raising selections.
Ryan Jack, who wouldn’t be a first pick for Rangers in the eyes of many Ibrox regulars, is given a crack at a first cap. As is Paul Hanlon, a Hibs defender who turns 28 in January.
With a whole host of Gordon Strachan’s regulars missing, including six who were involved in t he c l osi ng World Cup double-header against Slovakia a nd Sl o v e ni a , c hange has obviously been the watchword.
Laying out one of his key o bj e c t i v e s y e s t e r day, SFA performance director Mackay said: ‘This isn’t just a one- off, throw people together and see how things go. I’m aiming that the bulk of this squad then grows. I want to make sure this squad comes together — and stakes their claim.
‘The biggest thing is that some of these players start to come together for the next campaign.
‘I would take two or three of our Under-21s at the moment and put them in this squad as well — and they would have a chance. But I won’t do that to Scot Gemmill (Scotland Under-21 boss) because he has two qualifiers to play.’
A complete overhaul is just what so many wanted, of course, with Strachan’s departure expected to herald a complete revitalisation of a squad stocked with ‘favourites’.
Mackay stresses that, although some veterans had asked for a break, ‘no one said they’d like to retire’. As for whether that will be the case up to the start of the next qualifying campaign in September, nobody is offering any guarantees.
Asked about the l ong- term i ntentions of Brown — not included in the first SFA Tweet of the squad yesterday, then hastily inserted via the miracle of cut and paste — Mackay confessed: ‘That’s something to ask him and find out where he is. Over a campaign, a season, you see how you’re feeling, how many games you play, how the family feels. That happens in the twilight of your career.
‘I don’t see any decision being made for a while. There are no qualifiers until September, so he has plenty time on his hands.’
Darren Fletcher is also in the squad, aiming for an 81st cap. Mackay praised the Stoke City midfielder f or his f ootballing ability and leadership role in a group with so many new faces.
Defending his decision to pick Hanlon, a former Scotland Under- 21 skipper, he said: ‘I watched him for Hibs v Hearts and he cruised. Paul is due a chance and it does not matter what age that comes at. Sometimes players mature at a different rate and have a period of their career when they are doing well. Why should they not be given a chance as well?’
Jason Cummings getting in ahead of Nottingham Forest team-mate Barrie McKay has caused some flutters, the interim manager’s description of the former as a ‘young Leigh Griffiths’ not quite convincing.
As for Jack, a player with three red cards to his name following his summer switch to Rangers, Mackay said: ‘ He was Aberdeen captain and was a consistent performer. He has gone to Rangers in different circumstances, playing a different style of football.
‘But, through people I speak to at his club and previous club and scouts, he is another talented player we are giving a chance to.’
That willingness to take on board opinions is what has made Mackay so right for his role as performance director. He has brought the same attitude, having consulted with virtually every living Scotland head coach of the modern era.
All have emphasised one key point, according to Mackay: ‘Work ethic. They want players to work
harder. These managers have all worked at the very top level and see what it takes to reach there.
‘They also talked about the need to keep going on to players about concentrating on the task at hand and making the right judgments.
‘But it was putting work ethic into our players — and keeping them striving harder and harder to be better players.
‘From Walter (Smith) to Sir Alex (Ferguson), Craig Brown and Andy Roxburgh, Alex McLeish and Craig Levein, I’ve been lucky enough in the last ten months to have time with them all.
‘I regularly spoke to Gordon, so he has been involved in my thoughts, as well.
‘ These guys have had massive experiences in their football lives.
‘So we should be tapping into these guys, trying to learn from them,’ added Mackay, who will have Southampton coach Eric Black by his side next week.
Taking advice is all well and good. Come next Thursday night, however, he will be judged — rightly or wrongly — on 90 minutes against opponents with a big reputation, a familiar head coach in Dick Advocaat… and a gap in next summer’s schedules after their failure to reach the World Cup.
‘Absolutely,’ said Mackay, when reminded the game is effectively an interview for the Scotland job. ‘When you step out there, you put your head above the parapet against a top nation. I get what we’re doing here. Honestly.’
SCOTLAND, England, Wales and Northern Ireland will request permission from FIFA to wear poppies in November’s international matches. It comes after the law was changed last month allowing the home nations to wear the emblem if opposing teams and the competition organiser agree to it. Each nation was fined for displaying poppies during games last year.