Credit where it is due at Gers over Middleton
Scot Gemmill reckons both Steven Gerrard and Glenn Middleton deserve equal credit for the emergence of the Ibrox winger. Middleton will be a vital member of the Scotland Under-21s squad when they travel to face Ukraine in Kiev on October 12, before facing England at Tynecastle four days later. Gemmill has been a huge fan of the 18-yearold for several years and has picked him in his squads from Under-17s to the 21s. Middleton was surprisingly released by Norwich at the start of this year, but has thrived since getting snapped up by the Ibrox club. New boss Gerrard has not only included him in his squad, he’s even considering using him as his main striker for the Betfred Cup semi-final against Aberdeen after his two-goal haul against Ayr United in midweek, with Alfredo Morelos suspended and Kyle Lafferty cup-tied. And Gemmill is not surprised at his path to success.
He said: “I selected Glenn to play for Scotland’s Under-17s when he was just 15. I can remember driving to Norwich to watch him train and it was inside one of those air domes in the middle of nowhere.
“I could tell, even back then, that he was a player we needed to get involved.
“You have to give Rangers and Craig Mulholland credit for signing him and he deserves a lot of praise for that. Then you credit Steven Gerrard for giving him the opportunity to play.
“In a short period of time it’s been a rollercoaster of experiences for Glenn. Credit to him for dealing with that. “Knowing a bit about Glenn and that his dad is really influential, it’s no surprise that he’s thriving. Whenhewasatnorwich he was involved in three youth cup finals.
“In terms of handling the disappointment of what happened at Norwich, I’m sure his family and his environment was strong to help him deal with that.
“So huge credit also goes to him for the way he’s handled it and came away from it.”
And Gemmill has been heartened by the fact that so many of his squad for the double-header are now regulars for their club sides – in contrast to a few years ago.
And he believes it will be a big help to the young Scots for their tricky tie in Kiev a week on Friday. He admitted: “If you looked at a Scotland Under-21 squad of a few years ago, over half of the players would have been on loan to try to get firstteam experience.
“So this squad shows just how well the players are doing.
“We are in that privileged position where we can give them that further development and experience at international level.
“To go to Ukraine with no room for error, is the sort of game you want to play in. That’s the biggest privilege you can get as a player.
“These players know how big an occasion it is going to be for them.”