News that World Cup squads will be picked from an initial pool of 55 players may have come as a boost to those dreaming of gatecrashing the Scotland party for this summer’s tournament.
But time is against them, as is the overwhelming feeling that head coach Steve Clarke will stick with what he has and reward those who contributed to Scotland’s qualification.
No one is knocking louder on the door than Southampton striker Ross Stewart, who scored his fifth goal in eight games in Tuesday night’s 5-1 Championship win over Wrexham. He also grabbed the headlines by scoring their FA Cup winner against Arsenal at the weekend.
The Irvine-born 29-year-old may have a confusing nickname down south, The Loch Ness Drogba, but there is no doubt about his eye for goal. After a prolific spell in League One with Sunderland, injuries have held back him on the south coast but he is hitting form at just the right time to stake a claim for a World Cup place and add to the two caps he earned back in 2022.
Clarke is to be admired for his loyalty to ‘his favourites’ but has it come at a cost as we seek to improve upon our regrettable and forgettable contributions to Euros 2021 and 2024? Has the Scotland head coach missed the chance to upgrade a few players in his pool?
The likes of Stewart and Oli McBurnie would have been disheartened not to be called up for the friendly double-header against Japan and Ivory Coast. During the latter game, Clarke’s attitude was encapsulated by a late substitution at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. When Billy Gilmour was subbed off it was 34-year-old Kenny McLean who came on, not 19-year-old Lennon Miller. Under Clarke, we look back, not forward.
Ross Stewart has been among the goals for Southampton recently
Oli McBurnie is another Scottish forward who is scoring in the English Championship
You might argue he has earned the right to do as he pleases without any scrutiny or criticism. But his legacy as a Scotland manager is a delicate thing.
Qualify for the knockout stages this summer and they can start building the statue outside Hampden. But if we stink the place out like we did in Germany? Well, it won’t be pretty.
Clarke probably stopped caring what other people think of his decisions a long time ago but it can’t be denied that the nation feels a collective wince when his squads are announced.
The chosen playing pool almost always includes a smattering of players who spend their weekends sitting on the bench, or worse, in the stand.
Third-choice goalkeeper Liam Kelly is apparently a very popular squad member but his only appearances for Rangers this season have been against Alloa, Annan Athletic and Queen’s Park. His rustiness against the Ivory Coast was plain to see.
Anthony Ralston and Grant Hanley haven’t played much either this season, but Clarke appears to have dismissed the fanciful idea that there are better footballers at right-back or centre-half playing at a decent level. Don’t back down, double down.
Luke Graham has garnered praise for his composed performances at the heart of Dundee’s defence this season and would appear to at least merit consideration.
Centre-back Luke Graham has impressed in the Scottish Premiership with Dundee
Ex-Hibs striker Kieron Bowie now of Hellas Verona is thwarted by Fiorentina’s David de Gea
Clarke puts a premium on the harmony of his group but to achieve this we seem to have sacrificed the opportunities to find better options in the weakest areas of the squad.
Lyndon Dykes has had some great moments in a Scotland jersey. The Charlton attacker is a decent option off the bench but this Scotland team should have evolved beyond the point where he is seen as a likely starter.
Ipswich forward George Hirst looked sharper and more mobile against Japan and Ivory Coast.
McBurnie and Stewart have both scored more goals this season playing for better teams and at the same level as the former Livingston man is operating in England. Hull City striker McBurnie has 14, Stewart is now on eight, Hirst has nine with Dykes lagging behind them all on six. All evidence suggests McBurnie and Stewart are simply better strikers than Dykes in an area of the park where Scotland look worryingly weak.
We need better and sentimentality shouldn’t be a millstone around our necks.
While one goal in eight matches for Hellas Verona isn’t on the face of it a compelling case for inclusion, Kieron Bowie proved with Hibernian that he possesses a knack for the inventive and may feel playing in a technically demanding Serie A strengthens his case to add to his two caps.
The goalkeeping situation is also a massive cause for concern. Of the three players picked for the March double header, only Scott Bain is playing regularly. When asked about this, Clarke stated that he would speak to goalkeeping coach Chris Woods before deciding who would play.
Maybe Clarke and his backroom team spent all of 2025 scouring the English leagues for a solid No 1 with a Scottish granny.
You would certainly hope they did. Angus Gunn doesn’t always fully convince but the comfort zone between him and Kelly or Cieran Slicker is precariously thin.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke is extremely loyal to a current crop of players
England are among the favourites to win the World Cup and head coach Thomas Tuchel seems to delight in making his players fear for their place in his plans. If a country like England are taking that approach, why does it feel like our squad is picked based on some sort of supermarket loyalty points scheme?
Clarke surprised us all by calling up Findlay Curtis for the March friendlies but it would be astonishing if the Rangers youngster is on the plane come June. Is the plan Ben Gannon-Doak or bust?
When the Bournemouth winger went off against Denmark our lack of pace in attack was worrying and there is little to suggest that has been addressed.
No harm to Ralston. He battled manfully at the Euros but if he was suitable for international football he wouldn’t be fourth-choice right-back in the weakest Celtic squad since the 1990s.
Clarke seems reluctant to turn the page. These guys had their passports stamped all through the qualifying campaign so they WILL go to the World Cup.
But if we stick too close to the same formula, would it really be a surprise if we end up with the same outcome?
