Scotland call ups a 'laughing stock', says Kris Boyd

Some of the uncapped players called up by Scotland are a "laughing stock", according to former international striker Kris Boyd.

Scotland face the Netherlands in a friendly at Pittodrie on Thursday, with Malky Mackay the interim coach.

Kilmarnock captain Boyd told BBC Scotland that the Aberdeen contingent are involved "to sell tickets".

And the 34-year-old questioned the inclusion of Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack.

"He's had more red cards than good games for Rangers this season," said Boyd, who won 18 caps for Scotland, scoring seven goals.

Jack, 25, has been sent off three times since his summer move to Ibrox from Aberdeen, with two of those red cards later rescinded.

Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie is joined in Mackay's squad by club-mates Kenny McLean and Ryan Christie, who is on loan from Celtic.

McLean, 25, was capped once by former manager Gordon Strachan, who called up Shinnie once before but did not select him.

"Not good enough," was Boyd's blunt assessment of Shinnie, 26, who spends most of his time in central midfield for the Dons, having shone at left-back for previous club Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

"He's not going to play at left-back because even Barry Douglas, who's at the top of the Championship [with Wolves] can't get in," said Boyd, who made himself unavailable for Scotland duty during the reign of manager George Burley.

"He doesn't even play at left-back for Aberdeen and Scotland's best two players are left-backs [Kieran Tierney and Andrew Robertson].

"As for central midfield; I watched [Celtic trio] Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor run all over the top of him last week."

Boyd made the last of his Scotland appearances in 2010

Boyd then suggested the selection of Shinnie, McLean and Christie had more to do with boosting the crowd.

"We've got [Hibernian duo] Paul Hanlon and John McGinn in the squad and had this game been at Easter Road, we might have seen Dylan McGeouch and Simon Murray [also of Hibs] called up too.

"It's for the SFA and Malky to appease the fans and media who didn't like Gordon and then there's the key thing - to sell tickets. That's why they're all in the squad.

"It's gone back to the days of Berti Vogts, giving players caps for nothing."

Former World Cup winner Vogts was Scotland manager from January 2002 to November 2004, handing international debuts to 40 players.