They played together as kids .. now Burgess has big Scotland job like Strachan

from the terracing. I get it tight, as a manager you got it tight – you just respond to it.

“Gordon will get slagged off for selecting five Celtic players.

“I’ ll get stick for picking three Pollok or Beith players. I’ve now got three Bonnyrigg defenders after a call- off and I pulled another of their centre-backs.

“They’ve got the best defence in the east by a mile – why not bring three from the same club?

“I’ve got two Beith strikers in the squad and one on standby but they’re scoring for fun.

“Yet people are like, ‘ He’s got too many in from Beith’.”

Burgess has called up 20 players from 168 junior teams after going around the grounds since the middle of last season.

He said: “I want the best. I don’t want one player from Kirkintilloch, one from Petershill, one from Auchinleck – that doesn’t work.

“We’ve gone over it with a f ine toothcomb to pick this squad. They’re the best we have available.”

A number of players given the nod seem to have been unaware the tournament was even on after just one friendly in the four years since the Republic snatched the trophy from Scotland.

Burgess still believes a call-up means as much now as in the past, although he insists the game will only attract a higher profile if Scotland Juniors are seen in action more regularly.

He said: “A lot of players don’t appreciate it until they get called up and get involved with it. There used to be a tournament at least every year-and-a-half.

“A friendly with the Republic two years ago – that’s the only game we’ve had in that four-year period.

“The Republic guys go to Portugal and America. What’s happened to us? Poor cousins as usual.

“But even the Quadrangular Tournament gets knocked by everybody and people have said, ‘ I didn’t even know it was on’.

“We could do with one every six months but it’s all money. It’s getting us booked in a hotel for a night, 20 players, five coaching staff and a couple of committee officials.

“It’s a lot of money, I understand that. But if we’re going to make our game higher profile …”

Burgess hopes this tournament, which will see Scotland play three games in the space of four days, will help achieve that – by showing the interest is there.

He said: “We need to rekindle junior football supporters’ love for the game and for international junior recognition games because it has died over the years.

“Junior fans will always be loyal to their team, we’ve got to kick that back into life and hopefully transfer that into getting them supporting the national team.

“And hopefully because the event is in Scotland this year for the first time since I took over there are going to be decent crowds.”