Big Eck will give us Hart
Paul Hartley is convinced Alex McLeish can spark an excit ing new era for Scotland.
Big Eck names his first squad tomorrow and is sure to shake up the old order with fresh faces.
And Hartley reckons the Tartan Army should be optimistic about the future under his old international boss, starting with this month’s friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary.
Hartley played under McLei sh du r ing the gaffer’s first spell in charge of the national team when he came close to leading the country to Euro 2008.
And the Falkirk gaffer said: “There will be a lot of new faces in the squad.
“The boys that have been touted for call-ups from Alex are quite young.
“I think it’s exciting and it’s the best possible time to do make changes, in the friendly games. It will give the younger ones a chance to see if they can handle playing for Scotland at senior level.”
McLeish’s appointment split the Tartan Army with some unhappy that the former Rangers and Hibs manager’s quit last time after just 10 months.
But Hartley said: “Alex knows the Scotland scene pretty well and knows what it ’s like being an international manager and the pressure that comes with the job.
“We all want to try to qualify for Euro 2020 and I’m sure he knows the job in hand.
“It’s a massive job, you’ve got the nation looking at you to get results.
“One of Alex’s key strengths is his manmanagement, he’s a good motivator.
“We won some big games with Alex – like beating France away.
“He had a good record in his 10 games, getting seven wins, and he’ll be ready for the challenge.”