McGinn puts his energies into putting critique
SCOTLAND midfielder John McGinn i s approaching the Euros in relaxed fashion after burning off nervous energy by heckling golfers and celebrating their putts in style.
McGinn discovered a handy outdoor pursuit on Friday evening by engaging in some good-natured ribbing of the local golfers at Scotland’s Rockliffe Hall base near Darlington.
The Aston Villa midfielder caught manager Steve Clarke’s eye by going over the top with his reactions to one putt but he feels the down time will help him prepare for Scotland’s European Championship opener against the Czech Republic at Hampden on Monday.
“I burned all my energy last night heckling golfers in the hotel,” he said on the ScotlandHQ Live programme on social media. “Not one of them holed their putt but they all took it in good spirits. We eventually got someone to hole a putt and the gaffer clocked me running about with my top off. It was a wee bit too much.
“The excitement’s there but this is what you have been working towards, so it’s forcing yourself to do something else, watch different things, don’t get caught up in it too much and burn all your energy. I’m saving my energy for the golfers on the 18th here at Rockliffe.
“But it’s getting close to the game now so it’s getting serious. The whole experience won’t really be the same if we don’t do ourselves justice. So it’s getting the balance of seeing the buzz, seeing everyone looking forward to a nice social-distanced pint, and I’m hopeful that come quarter to four on Monday there will be a massive celebration.”
McGinn feels the atmosphere in the camp is aiding their mentality as he brushed off pre-tournament nerves.
“You get bored of saying it, everyone has been saying it this week, the team spirit and the big word that everybody uses that nobody can spell – camaraderie – is superb here, and I think it will stand us in good stead for the tournament,” he said.