Connor Barron should listen to the advice of those around him after being linked with a move to Celtic.
The Aberdeen midfielder has put in some very good performances whenever I’ve watched him and he showed on Sunday with the Scotland under-21s in their goalless draw with Belgium how good a prospect he is.
He should be flattered with the link to the Hoops – they are the Scottish champions after all – but my advice is to try to ignore if it he can.
He cannot influence what happens here but he should listen to his agent, his manager and his team-mates around him at Pittodrie.
It is very easy, especially for a teenager, to have their head turned when they are linked with a big move but Barron has only been in the Dons first team for a matter of months.
He is clearly a part of Jim Goodwin’s plans at the club and my advice for what it is worth would be to stay focused on trying to gain as much experience as possible.
If he continues to impress and realises the potential his manager sees in him then he has a bright future ahead of him.
But what he needs now more than anything is matches and experience. He will get both with Aberdeen.
Dons interested in Celtic defender Scales
It seems the transfer speculation is beginning to ramp up at Pittodrie with Liam Scales of Celtic the latest player to be linked with the Dons.
At 23 he is a good age and the Irish football market has served Goodwin well in recent seasons.
Scales has some first team experience with the Hoops after making the move from Shamrock Rovers and the Aberdeen manager has made it clear he is eager to have a left-sided central defender on board.
Time to give new faces their Scotland chance
I’m disappointed Scotland haven’t made the party for the World Cup finals in Qatar but I’m not going to join the queue of pundits who have been quick to criticise Steve Clarke and his players.
I don’t buy this ‘Scotland didn’t turn up against Ukraine’ narrative at all. Our lads ran themselves into the ground in a hugely emotional game and were beaten by a slicker team who took their chances.
The national team has given us all something to cheer for in what has been a hugely difficult couple of years.
Yes, Wednesday’s 3-1 loss in the World Cup play-off was disappointing but I won’t let it cloud my judgement on the progress the national team has made overall under Steve’s leadership.
While I’m disappointed we won’t be there I’m looking forward to seeing Wales take part as it gives me a home nation to root for in November and December.
My wife will be cheering on England so I can at least bring some balance to the Shearer household.
As for Scotland, the focus has now switched to Euro 2024 in Germany.
We face Armenia at Hampden tomorrow in the opening game of the Nations League and the warning is there for Scotland after Armenia’s victory against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
With Lyndon Dykes missing out due to injury I hope Steve gives Ross Stewart his chance.
It is a competition we have to take seriously but there is no point taking boys away with the squad if you are not going to give them a crack of the whip and Stewart is as deserving as anyone of a chance in Dykes’ absence.
We’re at the end of a long season for our players but I can remember my debut. I felt fresh, energised and my chest was puffed out full of pride at donning the dark blue for the first time.
That’s exactly how the Sunderland striker will feel if he is giving the nod tomorrow.
Can Inverness find the funds for title push?
I’m intrigued by Caley Thistle chief executive Scot Gardiner’s estimation that the club missed out on an extra £3million by failing to win promotion to the Premiership.
It is not money lost as Inverness never had it but Gardiner has worked in football a long time and I’m sure that potential pot of gold would have been known to Caley Thistle back in January.
With that information to hand it makes me again question why the club did not gamble a little more in their January recruitment.
It’s easy to be wise after the fact but with hindsight two or three experienced players in the mould of Kirk Broadfoot could have pushed them over the line in terms of the Championship title.
They were neck and neck with Kilmarnock at that point and I felt Killie were there for the taking.
Now it feels back to square one again with Inverness trying to find the right blend of youth and experience to mount another promotion push.
Billy Dodds has a big summer ahead of him and while I know how tough it is for the club I hope they can find a way to increase his budget somehow to give him the chance to bring in the reinforcements he needs.
