THE WORST EVER

This Scots team is just the pits, says Thomas

WELSH legend Mickey Thomas last night turned up the heat ahead of Fri day’ s World Cup showdown by claiming this is the worst Scotland team he has ever seen. The f ormer Manchester United and Everton attacker won 51 caps for Wales, locking i nternational horns with European Cup winners Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen.

And, in an outspoken attack on the current crop of players, the 58- year- old — a former team-mate of current manager Gordon Strachan — claimed sacked Craig Levein had no chance of t urning t hings around.

‘This is the worst Scotland team I have ever seen,’ Thomas (right) told Sportsmail.

‘ Let’s be honest, I played against the likes of Souness, Dalglish, Hansen. I played Scotland on many occasions when they had great teams.

‘ But this current Scottish team, for me, is nowhere near it.

‘The last manager, Craig Levein, wasn’t

sacked because he had no ability. He was sacked because of the lack of quality of the players available to him. ‘I know Gordon Strachan well. I played with him at Manchester United and I know him well. ‘But he has taken over a national team which has nothing there at all.’ Thomas is now a radio pundit and a patriotic Welsh fan and, he insists, his country are favourites to do the double over Scotland on Friday following a Gareth Baleinspired triumph in Cardiff in October. ‘I don’t think Wales should fear this game in any way,’ said Thomas. ‘I’m not saying Wales will walk it in Scotland or that they are far superior. ‘I’m just saying they have a better opportunity against a side like Scotland than, say, Belgium. ‘The reasons for that are obvious. Listen, it’s only my opinion and we all have them. I know my comments might create a bit of a stir. ‘But I have to be honest and say what I think. ‘And this is the worst Scotland team I have seen in a long, long time. ‘Let me put it like this. Is there a Hansen in the back four? No. Is there a Souness in midfield? No. Is there a Dalglish up front? No. ‘You have Steven Fletcher doing well at Sunderland but, if you are talking natural goalscorers and great players, then there are no players in the current squad who come into that category. ‘Listen, we only have one world-class player in Wales ourselves. ‘Let’s be honest, Aaron Ramsey is good, but Gareth Bale is the man. ‘I’m not drawing a direct comparison with Wales when I say Scotland are bad. ‘I’m not even saying we will automatically beat them on Friday. All I am saying is that I played professional football a long time. ‘I played against Scottish players year after year in the top league in England. ‘I played against Scotland in the Home International Championships numerous times. And when I look at them now I think: “They’ve got nobody”.’ Thomas played against Scotland on the tragic night of Jock Stein’s death and on many other occasions. But he earned an unwanted reputation as a footballing bad boy after serving 18 months in prison for a currency counterfeiting scam. Now a speaker on the after-dinner circuit, he added: ‘I played in Scotland many times. I love the fans, I love the way they support their team. I love the place. ‘But I felt really sorry for Craig Levein. He had nothing to work with. ‘To succeed, he would have to have worked miracles. ‘People need to understand that. Football fans need to understand the reality of the situation. You can only win football matches if you have players. ‘He didn’t have that. There was nothing there to work with at all.’