Carver encourages Fraser to continue international form
QUALIFYING for the Euro 2020 knockout rounds from a group that comprises England, Croatia and the Czech Republic this summer will be a test of the Scotland players’ mental resolve as much as their ability.
But John Carver is confident that Ryan Fraser, the Newcastle United forward who scored against Israel and the Faroe Islands in the two Qatar 2022 qualifiers that he played in during the international break, will be well placed to deal with the challenge when the finals roll around in June.
Fraser is currently attempting to help the St James’ Park club, who host Spurs this afternoon, to avoid relegation from the Premier League and Carver appreciates from personal experience just how demanding that will be on him both psychologically and physically.
He has worked in a number of different roles at his hometown club, including for a spell as caretaker manager, over the years and knows how important top-flight survival is to their supporters and how much pressure there will be on the former Aberdeen and Bournemouth man in the coming weeks.
“You have to be mentally tough to handle it,” he said. “One of the toughest clubs to play for is Manchester United because you have to be on top every single week no matter where you are in the world.
“But Newcastle can be just as difficult. It’s a one-club city which is covered morning, noon and night by the media. There’s a spotlight on it, there’s expectation.
“We’ve had great times, like the entertainers with Kevin Keegan or in the Champions League with Sir Bobby Robson. So, we’ve had a taste of that at Newcastle. The situation at the moment isn’t a nice one to be in.
“We want them to stay in the Premier League, but there’s an awful lot of pressure involved in it. The pressures of being Newcastle manager are extreme, I’ve been there. More extreme than most clubs in the country.”
Carver added: “It’s amazing when you see the transformation in Ryan when he comes away with the national squad. Sometimes players get a bit of relief when they come away with us because they’ve been under so much pressure.
“Because Ryan plays at my club, we have a good relationship. We talk about things at Newcastle. He’s had one or two issues with injuries, but it was great to see him come up here and look in great form.
“He scored three goals in three games [Fraser also netted in the Nations League match against the Czech Republic last year], but it was more about his contribution for the team. And that will be vital for Newcastle in the run-in, to stay in the Premier League.”
Fraser’s goals and all-round performances in the final two Group F matches – he sat out the opener against Austria – should ensure he is involved when the Euro 2020 opener against the Czechs kicks off at Hampden on June 14.
Carver has certainly been impressed with the 5ft 4in 27-year-old’s contribution and versatility since he joined Steve Clarke’s coaching staff.
“He played in a number of positions for Scotland,” he said. “He’s been a second striker or he’s come in off the left as he did for the goal against Israel. And then he played as a right wing-back against the Faroes. So, we’ve asked him to play in different positions in a short space of time.
“But you talk about players enjoying being part of the national team now – and you can see that in Ryan’s face. You can see the emotion and delight especially when he got his headed goal at the far post the other night.
“I’m hoping he takes that confidence that’s been developed with Scotland back to his club football. I hope all the players do that.
“Sometimes when boys are having a tough time, like the ones from Sheffield United, they go back to their clubs on a bit of a high.
“We’re sitting second in the group just now, which is great and a nice position to be in. Of course, we’d love to be top with nine points. But we’re on an unbeaten run which will put us in good stead for the next phase of games, which is the Euros.
“So, the players will be going back to their clubs with confidence, particularly Ryan because it’s been tough for him.”
There was time when Newcastle United were interested in landing Kieran Tierney – and having worked with him in the Scotland setup now Carver is annoyed they didn’t.
“I have always liked him,” he said. “There was talk about him joining us at Newcastle many years ago – I wish he had of done because he is up there. He is what I call a thoroughbred.”