WILLING DEPUTY
Mulgrew is able to step into midfield should Strachan need him
CHARLIE MULGREW is quite prepared to step in and deputise for Scott Brown this week but suspects Gordon Strachan will unearth the answer to replacing the stricken skipper from within his midfield ranks. Mulgrew formed a defensive partnership with Christophe Berra last month to clean-sheet effect against Lithuania then Malta, yet could be called upon to display his versatility to fill a sitting-midfield role.
However, Mulgrew pointed to a surfeit of solutions available in the
centre of the park, who can be utilised to cover for Brown and the further blow that in-form Stuart Armstrong, a scorer in Lithuania, will miss the doubleheader against Slovakia and Slovenia.
‘I’d be more than happy if the manager thought for either of those games that was a role I could play for the team,’ said Mulgrew. ‘I’ve played there before, alongside Scott and without him, and I’m pretty comfortable in there.
‘Midfield is one of the strongest areas of our team. Darren Fletcher plays with Stoke every week, Barry Bannan is a great midfielder, there’s James McArthur and James Morrison. There’s a lot of quality there and whoever does it will be confident they can do well.
‘The last time I played the role was against Manchester United in the FA Cup last season, but I’ve played it before and I was quite happy. But I’m sure the manager will have thoughts.
‘Scott and Stuart are great players but there are others in the squad who are itching to get a game. They turn up every squad ready to play, so I’m sure they’re looking forward to getting a chance.
‘We’d rather have them in the squad, but we have a lot of depth and strength in midfield, so whoever steps in can do as well as they’ve done. We will need to cope. If they’re out, we need to get on with it.’
That the 31-year-old is involved with Scotland this season has come as something of a relief. Relegation with Blackburn has seen Mulgrew play in England’s third tier since August. Southend, Scunthorpe and Shrewsbury have been visited so far in this campaign, so Slovakia and Slovenia with a World Cup finals play-off place on the line represents a significant step up.
However, Strachan’s trust in the former Celtic man has remained strong and the inclusion was rewarded by two fine performances as Scotland collected six precious Group F points last month.
‘Of course I was concerned,’ said Mulgrew. ‘But there’s nothing you can do about that. You just have to get on with it, work hard and do your best. Hopefully, then, you get the chance to prove you deserve to be there.
‘Gordon’s always been good at keeping in touch, whether it’s been when I’ve had an injury or anything like that, so I knew if there was any issue he would call me. ‘When the first squad was announced I was in it. ‘So, hopefully, I had done enough in previous squads to keep me there. Each time I’ve gone away, no matter which club I’ve been at or league I’ve been in, I’ve always worked hard to show how desperate I am to play, because no one’s guaranteed a spot.
‘I’ve played the last two Scotland games and enjoyed them. But that still doesn’t mean I’m going to start the next one. The manager treats every game differently and I’ll need to go there and work hard again.
‘I enjoyed playing with Christophe and I don’t think playing in League One will affect me that much. I’m desperate to be involved with Scotland, I always am — I love playing for my country and whenever I get a call-up, I’m excited to go and, hopefully, be involved.’
Four points from the first four games, thanks to a win over Malta and a home draw against Lithuania, was the discouraging haul from last year’s opening set of fixtures in the section. Now Scotland are two wins from earning a pathway to Russia.
Mulgrew stressed: ‘As players, we couldn’t afford not to believe. We had to go right to the end. As long as it’s possible, we’ll keep trying to pick up points.
‘We’ve taken points in the last four matches and, although we’ve achieved nothing yet, we’ll go into these games well prepared and confident we can pick up what we need. It has been a long time since we qualified but we need to play the game, not the occasion.
‘It’s easy to get sucked in and overthink it. That can work against you sometimes. We know how much it means to everyone but we need to keep cool heads.’
Whoever steps in can do a job. We need to get on with it