NO FOOLING US
Grant says Scots won’t accept flimsy excuses for call-offs
PETER GRANT has warned that Scotland are now operating a zerotolerance approach to players pulling out of squads with flimsy excuses.
Ahead of the concluding Nations League games with Albania and Israel, Alex McLeish has been hit with a raft of calloffs including Charlie Mulgrew, Matt Ritchie, Craig Gordon, Stephen O’Donnell and Kevin McDonald.
Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack, who was belatedly calledup on Sunday, yesterday became the latest name to withdraw through injury with Aberdeen’s Mikey Devlin also a major doubt.
The latter potentially opens the door for Hamburg’s David Bates to make his full debut in Shkoder on Saturday.
Appreciative of the increased demands on players these days, Grant has no issue with any player who stands down from international duty because they are not fully fit.
But McLeish’s right-hand man is adamant that anyone deemed not to have a valid excuse for not reporting will simply not be considered.
‘I think that’s what you have seen,’ Grant said.
‘You will have noticed that with some of the selections we have had. That’s what has happened. There was no doubt about that.
‘Myself, Alex and James (McFadden) see a situation where the ultimate for us was
to get picked for the national team. If you don’t want to play, no problem. We’re not going to force you. We’re not going to fight and ask you to come. ‘If you don’t want to play for your national team, that’s it. You will be very, very fortunate if you get selected again. If you don’t want to play through injuries, that’s completely different. ‘But if it’s down to the fact that you don’t want to play, I don’t think you will be back in.’ Confirming the latest disruptions to McLeish’s plans, Grant added: ‘Ryan’s out and Mikey’s a concern. He trained yesterday but just felt something after it. ‘We’ll know better later. We’ll let things settle and the doctors will have a look at him.’ Asked if the door was now open for Bates to make the step-up from the Under-21s this weekend as a partner for Scott McKenna, Grant said: ‘Absolutely. Everybody comes into the squad with a chance. ‘We talk about the boys who have got to go out, but then you look at the boys who have come in. ‘David Bates was here before us. That’s how enthusiastic he was to be here. But he’s got a talent as well. ‘He went to Germany, he’s got a belief in himself in that’s what he wanted to do. It’s hard to leave a club like Rangers, let’s be perfectly honest, for a young man. ‘But he did that, went over to Germany and we spoke to his coach, who is delighted with him. ‘He picked up a suspension and was out of their team at the weekend. ‘But we’ve got no qualms about
him. He’s fitted in with the boys. But he knows them. It’s not as if he’s been away for a long time and doesn’t know these players. ‘He’s settled in well with these players and he’s trained very well.’ Scotland’s victory in the section opener with Albania was followed by a dismal defeat in Israel. While a one-goal loss on Saturday would still leave McLeish’s side only needing to beat Israel on Tuesday to top the group, Grant concedes that a defeat cannot be countenanced. ‘The game in Israel was really poor. I think everyone admitted that,’ he said. ‘There were things we did in the game, which is not the way we wanted to play in any shape or form. But we have to be careful. While it’s certainly disappointing, certain things did not happen we asked to happen, not through fault, but that’s what happens when the game goes against you for a bit. ‘We have to put that to bed. We spoke to the boys about it. That’s to bed now. It’s about focusing on these two games. ‘Our aim is winning the two games, nothing else. Win the first one. It’s the old cliché but it is fact you have to go out and win the first game. It’s away from home but it does not matter. ‘We want to win it. Then the Israel game will look after itself. ‘We have to be single-minded. As professional footballers, you cannot look too far ahead. The next one is the most important one for us, which is Albania. We know that’s the challenge: to win in Albania. If we win the two games we top the group, that’s it. Bottom line. That’s the aim.’