Steve Clarke has revealed the difficult phone calls he had to make to Andy Considine and Liam Palmer after leaving them out of the Scotland squad for Euro 2020.
Considine and Palmer were the two most notable omissions from the squad for the tournament, with Liam Cooper earning a recall and Nathan Patterson a maiden call-up.
Patterson, Billy Gilmour and David Turnbull were all called up for the first time, while Ryan Fraser was also included, despite concerns from his club manager Steve Bruce.
Considine and Palmer were both part of the previous camp in March, but did not make the 26 selected, although there is scope for changes should there be any injury or Covid concerns prior to Scotland’s first game.
Clarke said: “I tend only to work one camp back. Before the March camp, I had four or five difficult phone calls. This time was only two difficult phone calls, Andrew Considine and Liam Palmer.
“Both were obviously very disappointed, but we have the opportunity to make changes to the squad right up until the day before first game of the tournament.
“I’ve told them all – and this is a message to anybody who maybe thought they had a chance to be involved – is to stay fit, because with the Covid situation and the injury situation you never know.”
Clarke is pleased to be able to give the three new players a chance in the Scotland squad and expects them to be able to complement the group he already has.
“It’s three very talented players,” he said. “Three places in the squad you have to fill in the best way possible and try use it as an advantage for the squad and country moving forward.
“Nathan Patterson and David Turnbull have caught the eye in Scotland with their performances for Rangers and Celtic. Billy Gilmour is a player I’ve known for a long time and I know he’s very well-regarded at Chelsea.
“It was nice to see him getting a few games recently and he looks like he’s over his injury. I’ve tried to stick as much as possible with the nucleus of the squad, which is important. The camaraderie of the squad was a big part of the qualification and I’ve added three young ones to liven it up a bit.”
The Scotland boss also acknowledged Bruce’s concerns over Fraser’s fitness, given he has been troubled by a groin injury recently. However, he indicated it was a gamble he was prepared to take.
Clarke said: “Ryan is fine. He is progressing well. He did well for me in the last camp, the March camp was good.
“He is excited to be part of the squad and is looking forward to the tournament. So I know what Steve is saying. But if it is a gamble and Steve thinks it’s a gamble then it’s a gamble I’m willing to take.”
The Scotland squad who qualified for the Euros back in November were hailed as heroes around the country.
The 26 players picked to represent Scotland at UEFA #EURO2020. pic.twitter.com/uV5epmAEJc
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) May 19, 2021
However, Clarke insists the stage is there for them to make legends of themselves at a major tournament.
He added: “It is always important to try and be as competitive as you can be. I feel the group has grown in stature. The more caps you get, the more international experience you get, the more confidence you get with the results against the bigger and better teams. Hopefully in the summer we can go and cause a few problems to the other teams in the group.
“We will go there with the intention of getting out the group, of course. There is no point in going there if you are just going there to make up the numbers. We are going there to be as competitive as we can be.
“If that gets us enough points to get out of the group and get into the knockout stage then, like I said before, the lads can become legends.”
