Greece Vs Scotland Preview

Why Does This Tie Matter And Is the Scottish FA Website wrong?

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT

The Scotland squad for the two-legged relegation playoff against Greece was named without several injured players who might have featured - Angus Gunn, Nicky Devlin, Ryan Gauld, Lyndon Dykes, and most notably, Ben Doak. The Middlesbrough winger has been exceptional this season and is one of Scotland’s hottest prospects in years. Even if his is a season-ending injury, he will hopefully still return fit enough to play a vital role in our World Cup qualifying campaign later this year.

George Hirst - current Ipswich striker and son of three-cap England forward David Hirst - was added to the squad after the initial announcement, due to the late processing of his paperwork confirming his allegiance switch from England to Scotland. The 26-year-old qualifies for Scotland through his grandfather and has amassed 31 goals in 169 career appearances, including 2 in 17 English Premier League matches this season. While his scoring stats might not instantly excite fans, with Dykes injured and Shankland out of form, the 6ft 3in forward could provide a valuable option from the bench over the two legs.

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GIVING YOUTH A CHANCE

Two debutants likely to generate much more excitement than Hirst are the young duo of Motherwell’s Lennon Miller and Hearts’ James Wilson, both aged 18. Depressingly, this means they were born after Zidane’s infamous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup Final.

Lennon Miller Reacts To Scotland Call Up At Motherwell Training

Giving his first interview as a member of the Scotland squad, Miller said:

"I'm obviously not going to go in and be the best player there, but I believe that I could maybe in a couple of months be the best player there. I think that's how you need to think as a football player - you need to want to be the best."

That confidence is exactly what we want to hear from our emerging talent, and that gallusness is no doubt a key ingredient that’s allowed him to make it this far in the game. However, it was disappointing to hear our assistant manager publicly label Miller’s remarks as a “mistake” from which he “needs to learn”. John Carver claimed he would be the one to chat to Miller and give him some guidance about his media comments. Even if the comments were a mistake, the Scotland staff should be backing him publicly and having a quiet word behind closed doors if needed. But this is the same John Carver that, after the majority of Scotland fans were disappointed with the Euros performances, incredibly stated that actually no Scotland fans were disappointed with the Euros performances. If anyone needs guidance on comments given to the media, it’s not Miller - it’s Carver.

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YOUNGEST EVER PLAYER?

There are some media reports that, having just turned 18 two weeks ago, Hearts’ James Wilson would become Scotland’s third-youngest male international if he plays - behind only Tom Wylie in 1890 and Johnny Lambie in 1886. The Scottish FA website supports these dates, however it is incorrect: