GET MURRAY
Andy is the man to fire up Scotland, says Barry
FORMER Scotland skipper Barry Ferguson insists Andy Murray is the perfect man to fire up the national team ahead of Friday night’s crunch clash with England.
The Wimbledon champion became the first British singles player to become No 1 in the ATP world rankings after leapfrogging arch-rival Novak Djokovic yesterday.
Murray has been invited to take in the World Cup qualifier against the Auld Enemy as a spectator at Wembley but has yet to confirm his attendance. The proud Scot is attending an official function at the O2 Arena in Greenwich on Friday afternoon and may struggle to get across London in time for the 7.45pm kick-off.
Ferguson, however, believes Gordon Strachan should ask the nation’s most decorated athlete to address the Scotland team before they take on Gareth Southgate’s men.
And while doing so right before kick-off may prove difficult logistically, there would still be scope to get Murray at some point this week.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, the
Clyde boss said: ‘Someone said Andy was going to the game on Friday. Get him in to do the team meeting. ‘Even to the hotel before the game for half an hour, just to have a chat. ‘I would love someone like that to come into the dressing room and talk. ‘He is the best sportsman about just now. For him to walk through those doors pre-match or at Wembley, what a lift it would give you.’ Scotland boss Strachan has considered an invitation to Murray after assistant Mark McGhee revealed the 29-year-old’s plans to turn up at Wembley as a fan — and the English FA are said to have extended their own invitation. ‘For the players to know that he is up there and for them to replicate his achievement, I think every single one of us is a huge Andy Murray fan and respects what he has done for himself and the country,’ said McGhee. ‘To emulate that in some way would be just fantastic.’ McGhee, meanwhile, insists Scotland will travel south on Thursday with no fear of their opponents. The Scots are heavy underdogs after drawing 1-1 with Lithuania and suffering a 3-0 defeat in Slovakia, with question marks over the future of manager Strachan. Buoyed by the return of Celtic captain Scott Brown and fit-again Robert Snodgrass, however, McGhee says the Scots are upbeat ahead of their first competitive clash with the Auld Enemy in 17 years. ‘There is no fear of this game and that’s really important and encouraging,’ said the Motherwell boss. ‘I wouldn’t ever expect it to be doom and gloom in Gordon’s camp because he is somebody that gets over things very well. ‘He’s realistic but he moves on quickly because there’s another game now. It’s not a false bravado. ‘We know the difficulty of the game and the scale of it. If we go there and get a great result, it will be a fantastic achievement. But we’ve got to enjoy ourselves to do that. ‘To have any chance, we have to be in the right frame of mind and it has to be upbeat. And that’s the one thing Gordon is good at.’ Brown was one of a posse of players — including Celtic colleague Leigh Griffiths and Sheffield Wednesday striker Steven Fletcher — who failed to train yesterday. Insisting the former skipper will be fine by Friday, however, McGhee said: ‘I could hear Broony’s voice this morning — you know he’s back. It’s great. ‘He has a good chance of playing but that’s not been decided yet.’