Grant: Tomdeserves another chance to shine in dark blue
Peter Grant believes Fulham’s fantastic form can propel Tom Cairney back into the Scotland reckoning.
The Championship leaders have been blowing teams away in recent weeks, netting 19 goals in the space of just three games.
Cairney got in on the act himself in the 6- 2 win over Birmingham City in midweek, after the Cottagers had beaten Bristol City by the same scoreline and hit seven goals at Reading a few days earlier.
They hit another three at Stoke yesterday, a run which has captured the imagination of the English game and, Cairney’s former coach for club and country argues, it will not have been missed by Steve Clarke.
Grant said: “If Tom keeps doing as well as he is doing, then he has got to come into consideration.
“Steve always likes to have players who are on form, and Tom certainly falls into that category.
“He missed a bit of football through injury, but now he has clearly got his mojo back. A fit and flying Tom Cairney would be an asset for any side.
“He is technically very good, has an eye for goal and is really good at retaining the ball. That is crucial at international level and there are very few countries who don’t have a few players of that type.
“When you are talking about someone with his quality, it would be silly not to keep an eye on him.
“It is true midfield is an area where we have been very strong for a while now. At the same time, if we get to Qatar, you are hoping you go nine months without an injury – and you know what football is like.
“So you have to not only have quality for your first picks, but also quality in reserve.”
Critics of the 31-year-old – who won the last of his two Scotland caps in 2018 – have argued a lack of dynamism in his game makes him a luxury player to have in a team – a luxury a country of Scotland’s size cannot afford.
It is a claim Grant rejects. “Listen, some people might think Tom is not for them because you maybe won’t see him running all over the place, and smashing into tackles,” said Grant (inset).
“He has that bit of quality you get in certain players, which m o re th a n makes up for it.
“If you think about Luka Modric aga in s t England in the World Cup semifinals in 2018, and
against ourselves in the Euros last summer, he was a great example of what I am talking about.
“You would never say he was fast, or a tackler, but they trusted him to do the other things that matter.
“His technique, his vision and his understanding are second to none. “You don’t need to run fast if you can find space well, and that is what Tom Cairney does too.
“When I was with Scotland, Alex Mcleish asked me about him because he knew I’d had him with me at club-level for a couple of years. “I was happy to recommend Tom. But, to be fair, I think Alex was a l re a d y keen to ge t him involved because he had watched him for Fulham, and liked
what he saw.
“Although he did not manage to stay in the group, that was no slight on Tom because it was a difficult time, and we were up against some top teams.
“He is older now, and more experienced, and would be joining
a group who are playing with a lot of confidence.
“Another plus in his favour is that with the heat there will be in Qatar, players who can keep the ball are going to be very valuable.
“Of course, we have got to get there first!”
Dismissed by Dunfermline at the end of October, Grant himself is keen to get back into the game as soon as possible.
“Football is my life, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit to missing the dayto-day bits and pieces, training sessions and so on,” he said. “It is tough because if there are no vacancies, all you can do is wait for something to come up.
“I am hanging in there, though, because I know everything can change in the space of a day.”