Have boots ...will travel
Jamie: I refused to believe my World Cup dream was over so I took studs with me on holiday to Dubai and now I’m off to Russia
There has always been a feeling in my gut that I could have this chance JAMIE MACLAREN
JAMIE MACLAREN has revealed how jamming a pair of boots into his holiday luggage won him a place at the World Cup. The striker’s magnificent five-month spell at Hibs has earned him a crack at Russia 2018 with Australia. However, having originally suffered heartache in his bid for a ticket to the finals, it was only the snap decision to stick his studs in a suitcase alongside his shorts and sunglasses for a trip to Dubai which saved the day. When Aussie coach Bert van Marwijk axed him from the squad just 48 hours after a stunning final-day hat-trick against Rangers in the Premiership, the hitman was in agony. While the World Cup-bound squad headed to Antalya in Turkey for a pre-tournament training camp, shattered Maclaren booked a holiday for Dubai as he prepared to relax in the Middle East.
Yet, at the back of his mind, there remained some hope.
So much so that he decided when packing his suitcase to find that spot for his boots.
It was an inspired decision. While munching his breakfast in Dubai preparing for a day by the pool, the call unexpectedly came which changed everything.
Van Marwijk had performed a U-turn and the 24-year-old was told to get moving. Thrilled Maclaren BY CRAIG SWAN revealed: “They said you might need to be on the next plane to Turkey. On holiday I actually packed a pair of boots.
“It has been a bit of a whirlwind but there has always been a feeling in my gut that I could have this opportunity.”
Maclaren raced to the airport, got to Turkey and then set about the next part of the Russia mission.
Although called to camp, he still had to convince van Marwijk he was worth a shot in the 23-man final selection.
Maclaren said: “He pulled me aside in a warm up the first day and said, ‘This is your opportunity.’
“He said, ‘Forget about what has happened in the last few weeks, I know you’ll be a bit disappointed. In terms of fitness and stuff like that, you haven’t been able to come in as fresh as you’ve wanted but now you’ve got six days to really push your case.’
“I think in a few days he did see that I’m a different player to what we’ve got in the squad. He was honest.”
It was the type of straight-to-the-point chats which he savoured at Hibs with Neil Lennon.
The Easter Road gaffer’s bold management brought the best out of Maclaren and he shone in his loan spell in Leith from German side SV Darmstadt.
Maclaren’s move to Scotland was designed to get him to Russia and it worked. He said: “I’ve had a good six months, I want to continue.
“My confidence is sky high in front of goal. I always know that if I have a coach who believes in me, that automatically comes through my system and I want to go out there and play well and score goals. “I had that with Neil Lennon and I got that feeling off Bert last week.”
Now Maclaren is all set for Russia and insists the boys from Down Under are ready to go.
He said: “It’s probably a cliche but it’s the Aussie spirit. “People can say you’re not the side with the most ability but we believe in ourselves. When we come together in camp you can see everybody’s laughing
and joking.”