Will Steve’s squad have a twist in the tail with McGregor?
Steve Clarke will announce his 26-man Euro 2020 squad on Wednesday.
He has many big calls to make. Most of the places will already have been decided, and we can expect Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Callum McGregor to be there.
But there is lively debate about a few of the lads, and whether or not Nathan Patterson, Billy Gilmour, Leigh Griffiths, David Turnbull, James Forrest, Lawrence Shankland and Kevin Nisbet should be involved.
Let me be clear. I’m not going to tell Steve what he should do. He knows far better than me what will be the right calls to make.
Having worked with him at Liverpool when he was my assistant manager, I’m well aware of how good he is, and his knowledge of the game. I trust his judgment 100%.
I do think that Turnbull and Forrest will be included.
And with Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams looking top of the list for the striker positions, it might come down to one between Nisbet, Shankland and Griffiths.
The latter hasn’t played much football this season, and struggled to find his best form when he was on the pitch. That may well count against him.
Nisbet appears to be the man in form, but Shankland can’t be dismissed.
Gilmour put in a first-class performance for Chelsea against Manchester City last weekend, and kept his place for the midweek clash against Arsenal.
He was taken off, but that was down to a tactical switch rather than how the lad was performing.
There is no doubt that Gilmour has the ability and the confidence to be in the squad. I have no concerns about him.
Patterson is a lad I have raved about this season. Yes, he blotted his copybook with his Covid-19 case, but that can’t be held against him whenever it suits a particular agenda.
He can play, and he does provide a realistic option down the right-hand side to be in the squad.
But Steve may well feel that it wouldn’t be too beneficial to have too many inexperienced players in the camp. So it could well be that one or two of the highlyrated youngsters are left out.
If that is the case, then at least we can look forward to them for the World Cup campaign which has already started.
Even though UEFA increased the squad size to 26 places, it doesn’t mean Steve is not going to have one or two headaches in the next couple of days. Trust me, he will.
There will be 23 outfield players and three goalkeepers.
At the moment, David Marshall, Craig Gordon and Jon McLaughlin have been the men battling it out to be between the sticks.
David has been in a struggling Derby County side this season, Craig has been playing in the Championship with Hearts up here, while Jon has been largely been on the Rangers bench.
Could there be a twist in the tale, and a late shout for Allan McGregor, as some have been calling for?
The Rangers keeper has been outstanding this season, and is one of the best in the business.
However, the first question to be answered is whether McGregor wants to be involved in the squad?
It was his decision to retire from the Scotland team.
I always thought it was down to the international team to retire you.
That aside, if Steve does have an inclination to sound out McGregor, it would need to be done in private.
Then you need to decide if it is fair on the three other keepers to look to bring someone else in? That definitely has to be taken into consideration.
We also need to take a moment to think of Ryan Jack and Kenny McLean. Both played important parts in the qualification process, and it’s heartbreaking both are now ruled out through injury.
The positive aspect is that such is the depth in the squad, they will not be replaced with players of inferior quality.
Once the squad has been chosen, there will be a week or so when they will be on their own, and some will decide to grab a few days away with the family or some may decide to let their hair down and grab a few beers.
Every individual will have different needs, and it’s all about allowing them to do what suits them best so that they turn up for duty at the Euros in the best possible frame of mind.
It’s edging closer and closer, and we can all feel it. The 23-year wait is almost over.