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Strachan Faces A Torrent Of Criticism For The Crime Of Not Picking Sevco Players For Scotland

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Today much of the media is engaged in an orgy of Strachan bashing.

The reek of it is all too familiar to those of who’ve smelled it before. Part of his problem is simple; he’s selected too many players with a Celtic connection in a country which shamefully once made a virtue of finding excuses for overlooking those in the Hoops.

The rest of the charge-sheet is even more obvious; failure to select players plying their trade at Ibrox.

It’s that, as much as anything, that infuriates the blue horde.

Now there’s reason for bafflement at some of the inclusions in the team.

Why Tony Watt is getting the nod ahead of better players with better form is a difficult to understand at best. It looks like a crazy decision, but we all know Watt has ability, but he’s also got that attitude thing that infuriated coaches and people at Celtic Park.

Gordon has always charted his own course, and I appreciate that he’s talking about giving certain players a chance in the squad who otherwise wouldn’t be.

This is an experimental team, and most Scotland fans seem to realise this.

The media has chosen to ignore it, and focus on the lack of Sevco players in the two squads.

This is why Strachan is being lacerated in the press; because he didn’t include Lee Wallace, who’s eight caps in total don’t suggest that any of Scotland’s previous coaches has any more faith in him than Strachan does; or Danny Wilson, one of the most over-hyped defenders in the recent history of our game, who is frequently slated on Sevco fan’s own sites; Andy Halliday, who has one good game in five, against part time opposition … and others too obscure to remember.

These are the footballers the media seems to think were worthy of consideration for the national team, ahead of proven players, most of the plying their trade in England’s two top tiers, where there are no part time teams, no butchers, bakers, candlestick makers or car mechanics playing the game for a few extra bucks.

Not one outlet has suggested who amongst those squads should be dropped to accomodate the Sevco stars, who would in all probability drop out of the team just as quickly as they got into it, an Ibrox tradition of old which we all remember well.

I understand their bitching though; this looks bad for Sevco in many ways.

That John McGinn of Hibs gets into the squad ahead of some of their own midfield misfits means he will have a higher profile for clubs who want to sign promising midfielders in the summer. Selecting Kenny McLean from Aberdeen but not someone from their squad suggests how Strachan regards the hype that surrounds them and begs the question; if these guys are not rated amongst the best in Scotland, how can anyone believe they’ll “challenge Celtic for the title” next season, as one breathless hack wrote this morning, apparently in all seriousness, although we can’t rule out the possibility that he did it last night whilst pissed as a fart.

Much of the anger swirls around the omission of Wallace, of course, and that coupled with the inclusion of Kieran Tierney is more than most Sevco-loving hacks can handle.

Because how can the captain – the captain, no less – of their favourite club not make the cut in front of a kid who’s not even been out of the Celtic Development squad a year?

The answer is simple; class tells and Tierney has it and Wallace doesn’t.

Gordon has not had to deal with a lot of press flak in recent years.

Those who’ve watched the Scotland team since he became manager will know there have been disappointments along the way, but that the former Celtic boss has worked miracles considering what’s available for him to work with.

We have a good chance of reaching a major finals under his management, if he’s given the time and the freedom to work.

The media doesn’t want him to have that time or that freedom, not if it comes at the expense of players from their favourite club.

Who can forget how they clamoured once for the inclusion of Ian Black, perhaps the single worst footballer ever to pull on our national jersey?

They have no shame, and it’s becoming apparent that Gordon Strachan, once a media darling, is fast running out of friends in their ranks.

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