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The Scotsman

Alan Pattullo talks to Mark Atkinson ahead of Scotland's upcoming games

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00:00Good afternoon, it's Mark Atkinson and Alan Pattullo here at the Hampden Cafe ahead of

00:06the Scotland international doubleheader this week. Starting off against Croatia on Friday

00:12here in the National Stadium and then off to Poland on Monday to take on them in Warsaw.

00:17That will conclude Scotland's Nations League Group A1 campaign. And Alan, Scotland sit

00:24bottom of the pile currently on one point. They need to win one of these two games at

00:30least to avoid relegation. It's been a tough year for Scotland competitively, no wins at

00:36all. What's the expectation level for Steve Clarke's team going into these final two Nations

00:42League matches? I think, yeah you're right, what a year that started off with such optimism

00:49and such great excitement and great fervour given what was ahead in the summer has soured

00:58slightly, well soured a lot actually over the summer to the extent that I think Steve

01:03Clarke, many people might have been surprised that he'd still be in charge of these last

01:08two games of the year. So perhaps the bare minimum would be possibly is a win, a win,

01:17Scotland's first competitive win of the year, which you don't want to finish a calendar

01:21year without a competitive win. It was done as recently as 2012 which I was actually quite

01:26surprised at that. Craig Levine was in charge but of course Craig Levine did pay for that

01:31with his job. I'm not sure the same pressure is on Steve Clarke's team because he really,

01:36Scotland have played well in the last four games of this Nations League campaign. I think

01:44he's managed to do what some possibly thought was the impossible and restore his reputation

01:50to an extent with some strong performances against three very good sides. Of course we

01:57meet Croatia again, a very good side on Friday having been unfortunate in the Zagreb last

02:04month not to gain anything from the match. So this game I think possibly is being looked

02:11at as a game where Scotland could get this win, this elusive win. Of course it's the

02:18target so a win on Friday and then see how the group's placed and see what Scotland can

02:26achieve in Warsaw against Poland. Of course there's still the possibility that Scotland

02:30could finish second incredibly. I think the main task really is to avoid finishing bottom,

02:38avoid relegation, at least give them a chance in the play-off next spring to remain in this

02:45League A. I think that's what John Carver was talking about this afternoon, just how

02:50important it is to keep amongst the big boys and Steve Clarke I think said that as well

02:55when he named his squad last week. It raised a few smiles didn't it in the press conference

03:01when John Carver talked about finishing second in Nations League Group A which I think some

03:06might see as fanciful but of course two wins against Croatia and Poland and that may well

03:11be the achievement. I think what we've seen Alan in the past couple of matches is this

03:17team has almost shed its skin and started again. They're playing in a new formation

03:23and they're also playing against a really high calibre of opponent but the team has

03:28improved hasn't it? I think if you look back at that first match against Poland at

03:32Hampden where we lost 2-2 to how they played against Portugal in the 0-0 draw last time

03:37here, that team's evolved again hasn't it? Yeah I think you're right, the formation's

03:42actually been changed slightly but you know the players haven't changed to any great degree

03:46have they? Ben Doak obviously has come in on a couple of starts last month and I guess

03:54he'll be in line to start on Friday as well so yeah there's been some minimal tweaks and

04:02definitely a new sense of purpose almost about the team, a bit more attacking, a bit more

04:07adventurous and of course they'll go for Friday with the new Jay Adams as I've said.

04:13Absolutely. There'll be a new striker up front, I've been guessing London Dykes,

04:19possibly Laurence Shanklin isn't that a story isn't that? Another fascinating aspect of the

04:24games coming up is can Laurence Shanklin get his shooting boots back on for Scotland?

04:38John Carver spoke about that as well, the amount of love all the players are showing him when he

04:42arrived on camp and just to try and get him G'd up for these next two games. Of course he'll be

04:48slightly down, all strikers are down aren't they when they don't score goals?

04:52One goal all season for an albeit a struggling hearts team but when you think about Laurence

04:56Shanklin's exploits last year scoring 31 goals at club level and of course I think it would have

05:03been this month last year scoring for Scotland against Georgia so he's in a very different place

05:10but I think you've seen a bit of Shanklin yourself, he's still getting involved, it's not like he's

05:16not getting chances, he's not linking up, he's actually playing pretty well apart from the goals

05:20would you start against the Croats? I mean Che Adams I think we all feel is probably Scotland's

05:29main striker but the Dykes isn't playing regularly either, would you go Shanklin without a doubt?

05:35Of course with Tommy Conway. Well there you go, that's the wild card, he's scored a couple of

05:38goals for Middlesbrough recently. Ben Doak, they've got quite a nice synergy going on at

05:43Middlesbrough. You spoke to Conway didn't you last week and how did he come across? I always

05:48get the impression he's quite a confident young guy. Yeah definitely, definitely, maybe not quite

05:51as confident as Ben Doak but he's certainly no shrinking violet so yeah I think he, I think Steve

05:58Platt would definitely have that idea in his head, yeah actually and why not, end of the year,

06:04end of the year try something a bit different, you know yeah good Conway, good Conway chance and

06:10maybe have him and Dykes to come on, Laurence Shanklin to come on later on in the game so

06:15all these dilemmas I'm sure he'll be wrestling with. Do you think Alan that given what we've

06:24played this year Scotland, we've played some really really top nations, be it in the friendlies,

06:29be it in the Nations League, be it at the Euros, the World Cup qualifiers are the next really big

06:35thing, forget the defeats and what comes in the next two matches, do Scotland bounce into

06:42March next year when the qualifiers could start, in a better place than they were 12 months ago,

06:47are they better equipped to navigate the qualifiers? Yeah of course I think so, yeah I mean you know

06:52you say you learn in diversity don't you, there's certainly been plenty of that this year,

06:58so yeah I think of course we are, we go into the World Cup qualifiers with no illusions that's for

07:03sure, I think we were just talking earlier there's not 16 teams from Europe, only 12 direct qualifiers

07:09to get to the World Cup so it's going to be a mighty task, we know that

07:16and a lot of games packed into a year next year isn't it, I'm just saying if Craig Gordon

07:22plays them all next year he'll be approaching them. I think he'd be too, if Craig Gordon plays

07:28the next two matches in this Nations League campaign, which he's expected to do because

07:32Agatha Scott isn't here, and then was to play all of Scotland's matches in 2024, which I think we

07:38calculated is probably 10. Yeah, 91 caps, but I'm sure he's just looking at getting to

07:46obviously these next two, 78 and 79 I think isn't it, even getting to 80 is going to be an

07:51achievement so, but yeah it's fascinating to look ahead to the World Cup, but it would

07:58obviously, I mean I just think just with everyone's sort of peace of mind, just to go there with a

08:03victory, you know going to these games with at least one victory on the back of them, the record

08:08looks pretty solid record right now, 116, so yeah it's going to be, I think it's a lot

08:15it's a lot riding on these next two games. If I was to ask you Alan, which one do you think is

08:19more winnable, the one here that hits Croatia? I thought Scotland played quite a lot against Croatia

08:24in Zagreb, you were there that night, or do we go to Warsaw and look at the polls and go

08:30they're probably the most beatable team, which one? I'd say Friday night, you know full Hamden

08:36Park Friday night, under lights Hamden, Croatia team obviously are good, but we showed in Zagreb

08:42that you know that we can, Scotland can compete, so yeah I would earmark Friday as the winnable.

08:48Okay, well you're back here on Thursday for pre-match press conference day and then

08:53the match itself on Friday, we'll have all the build-up analysis previews ahead of the game

08:58against Croatia on Friday night, so log on to the website scotland.com

09:03or buy paper and we'll have it all there. From myself and Alan here at the Hamden Cafe, it's goodbye for now.

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