Matt’s surprise to get the call from Scotland
Crises of confidence are an occupational hazard for pro sportsmen and women.
As the old line, “Form is temporary, but class is permanent” reminds them, no one can be at their best every week.
What happens, though, when a player whose whole game is built on self-belief begins to doubt himself?
It is a question with which Matt Phillips, the Scotland matchwinner in Budapest, has been preoccupied.
His club, West Bromwich Albion, have been caught up in a vicious circle of disappointment and defeat. And the 27- year- old admits he has feared losing his place for both club and country.
“I am a confidence player, and when you are not winning games, not getting goals, not getting chances even, then it plays on your mind.
“Certainly with the type of character I am, it does,” Phillips said.
“That is the mental side of the game and it is something you have to be able to deal with.
“It is fair to say, though, there have been points this year when I have thought, ‘ Hey, I’m struggling a bit here’.
“On my last return from injury, after the last international game back in November, I tried to get back to fitness as quickly as possible because I wanted to get out there and help the team.
“Because of that I maybe went out not quite at 100%. Games kept going by without me scoring and it started to become a worry.
“Also the team’s results weren’t helping. In football, once you lose a few games, everyone’s confidence goes.
“So in terms of Scotland, yes it was probably a surprise for me to get the call this time.
“It was something I had been concerned about. I kept thinking, ‘ Have I done enough? Am I doing enough?’.
“I say that because when you are out of sorts, and not scoring you start taking that extra touch.
“Or you maybe take half- a- yard and cross it when you should be driving to the by- line and getting a better ball into the box.
“These might sound like small things, but at the top level they make a difference.
“Also the tables show it has been a tough season at club level, with West Brom bottom. I tend to think these things get taken into consideration.
“If you are part of a club team that is never winning games then the implication is that you can’t be playing well.”
As Phillips explained, his experience – not least of having to endure relegations with Queens Park Rangers and Blackpool – has taught him a way to cope.
“I think for me it all starts on the training pitch,” he went on.
“I like to think when I am out there I train as I play. By that I mean I try to always give 100% to be the best player in training.
“Do that every day and eventually things will change for you in the games.
“You will be in the opposition box and the chance will come and you get a goal.
“And, just like that, your form will lift again.
“I think basically it is just about remembering what you are good at and persisting with it.
“Ian Holloway said something to me many years back when I was at Blackpool, ‘Don’t think – just do’.
“I know it sounds simple, but I feel it goes a long way.
“I would say that when I am playing at my best I am quite an instinctive player. I will be playing and things just kind of happen off the cuff, as it were.
“So I have been striving to get to that form and the international manager saw enough to pick me for his first two games (friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary), which I’m absolutely delighted about.
“That was great because it is important for me to keep coming getting in the squad and coming away with the lads.
“You see different faces, different managers and hear different ideas in different surroundings and it keeps you fresh, you keep learning things.
“That is what football is about. Nothing in the game is ever set in stone, everyone has a different way of playing and it is exciting.”
Specifically for Phillips, the challenge has been to showcase his versatility by taking a turn at centre-forward.
“It is a position that is relatively new to me.
“A few managers in the past had spoken to me about that position. But I had never really given it a go,” Phillips revealed.
“As a winger, normally there are challenges involved with the switch for me.
“You need to be able to get more shots off and score goals as well – that’s a massive part of it.
“But you know defending starts up top as well. First and foremost you need to work hard for the boys behind you.
“It is not totally new to me. At QPR, Neil Warnock played me up front in a couple of games. He tried it in training and that was the start of it.
“I am not too sure why it didn’t take off. We had a couple of injuries up front, so it was more a case of filling the void than, ‘ You are going to be a striker now’.
“I think knowing the game a bit better from my younger years it is something you can adapt to.
“Like I say, I am still learning it now, still taking bits of advice. I don’t do it at my club side, though, just internationals.”
If you are part of a club team that’s not winning, the implication is you can’t be playing well
Which is possibly just as well, as life with the struggling Baggies is tough enough playing in his regular role.
“I have been through these times before with Blackpool and QPR which helps a bit,” Matt admitted.
“Don’t get me wrong, they were really tough, albeit in slightly different ways.
“Blackpool only went down on the last day of the season, by a point.
“So we were right in it until the end, but had that huge low at the death.
“With QPR, although we had a really good go at it, we still went down with a few games to go.
“And now with West Brom, we have seven games to go and are looking at a situation where we need to pull off the Great Escape to survive.
“There are still games in there that are winnable, so we will go back and really give it a go.
“There is quality in the group. We have eight internationalists and a terrific set of lads in the changing room.
“You look around them and it is so disappointing we are in the position that we are in.
“I don’t think anyone would have forecast it at the start of the season – we started off with three wins on the spin.
“That was very much a follow on from last year, too.
“I know we slipped up in a few games towards the end. But over the piece, we were resilient and we were strong.
“Since those three wins things haven’t been going our way and that is disappointing.
“We have got a good set of lads who are fighting for the club so you never know.
“We just need to find a win from somewhere to get our confidence going.”