Young Lions may be able to make a case for defence
IN a week in which his England counterpart Gareth Southgate was being given additional responsibility as caretaker of the country’s senior side, Scot Gemmill was getting comfortable in his new role as Scotland Under-21 coach.
Appointed as successor to Ricky Sbragia in the summer – on the back of leading the country to three successive European Under- 17 Championship Finals – the 45-year-old will kick off his new role with a double-header against Iceland and Macedonia.
While the squad now have no chance of reaching the latter stages of the tournament and the games are a dead rubber, Gemmill is nevertheless excited about the opportunity to progress a group of young players who have consistently excelled under his charge.
“I’m hanging in there!” he said, laughing at a comment about the longevity of his connection with the likes of Dundee striker Craig Wighton, one of 10 new Under-21 faces who will hope to make their debut.
“I’m obviously delighted to be asked to coach the 21s, and it’s a huge honour for me.
“At the same time – and I don’t wish to sound in any way arrogant – it feels like quite a natural progression to carry on working with these players.
“While I’m really looking forward to that, it is not about me, really. It is not my team.
“It is Scotland’s team, and I feel very fortunate to coach them.
“I have not had any opportunities to go elsewhere. I haven’t pursued any opportunities, either. I’m very happy working at this level, selecting the best players in the country.
“I am really looking forward to seeing how I can help these players.”
And in the process advance the country’s cause.
In qualifying for the European Championships, the Scotland Under-17s recorded wins against Wales, Malta and, most impressively, Portugal.
Better still, they did so without conceding a goal, fostering hope they might just be a golden group, holding the answers to the country’s perennial problems in central defence.
“Last week’s Under- 17 games were very impressive,” admitted Gemmill. “We had three different challenges. “In the first game against Malta, we were expected to win. We dominated, were 5-0 up at half-time and eventually won 6-0.
“The second game was against Wales,
who had won the Victory Shield. It was a really tough, British-type game, and it required a different kind of performance and resilience to get us the 1-0 win.
“Then it was Portugal. They are obviously a very tough team, but the players executed our game plan brilliantly well and came up with a big win, again 1-0.
“I think the 2000 age group, which are this year’s Under-17s, are really strong.
“I was concerned about qualifying for the Elite Round, and was relieved we got there because there is a lot of potential within the group.
“They are all playing at a good level and there is a lot of competition. It is not just a starting XI, there is real strength and depth in the squad.
“Defensively we were really solid, and kept three clean sheets. That was really the foundation for us doing so well.
“So we have young players who have
shown in recent times that they can be trusted to play. For me, that’s the only measure you can go on.
“Last year Zak Jules, Kyle Cameron and Alex Iacovitti were playing in teams that beat Mexico and drew against Germany, pushing them all the way.
“I’ve brought them into the Under-21 squad and, in my opinion, they are very deserving of the support they should be getting right now.
“They are athletic, and they are capable of playing football. The real thing for me is their application and game intelligence.
“They are able to play as they’ve been asked to play, which – as making that progression as young players – is a key indicator whether they are going to be able to go all the way.
“For me, up until this moment the fact they can play in that manner shows all the signs are good.”
Scotland expects.