Scotland Men's Football Team

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Steve Clarke says it is "important" to have free-scoring Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland back in his Scotland squad because "if you need someone in the squad for goals, Lawrence is your man".

Shankland takes the place of Hibernian striker Kieron Bowie and joins Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes and George Hirst as Clarke's forward options for this month's crucial World Cup qualifying double-header against Greece and Denmark.

A recall to the squad is a reward for Shankland's stunning start to the season, in which he has scored 10 goals in all competitions for the Scottish Premiership leaders.

"Lawrence has been good, he's hit the ground running again this season," Clarke said. "His team are flying at the top of the league. Lawrence is getting his goals.

"If you need someone in the squad for goals, Lawrence is your man."

"He's shown he can be a part of the Scotland squad before. He's been involved in a lot of squads, he's got the experience.

"I think in these two games coming up we're going to need experienced players and Lawrence has certainly got that experience to help us.

"I have a good relationship with most of my players. Lawrence is one. We are always very honest with each other.

"He's a good player. He's a striker who lives on goals, thrives on goals. He's the captain of a Hearts team who're doing very well at the moment.

"He's in a good place and when you've got a striker in a good place scoring goals, it's important to get them involved."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Head coach Steve Clarke has been facing the media after naming his Scotland squad for November's crucial World Cup qualifying double-header with Greece and Denmark.

Here are the key lines:

• Clarke says he's got three good goalkeepers to choose from and will monitor them in training before deciding who will play in the upcoming qualifiers, which could take the country to its first men's World Cup since 1998.

• Number one keeper Angus Gunn has been ruled out for six weeks after tweaking the medial ligament in his knee, with the Falkirk's Scott Bain brought back into the fold having last been capped six years ago.

• Despite not playing for Hearts this season, veteran keeper Craig Gordon will also vie for a starting spot along with Rangers' Liam Kelly, who's only featured once for the Ibrox side this term.

• Clarke revealed he's had text messages from Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour, who had to come off injured during his last club game, assuring him he will be fit to play against Greece a week on Saturday.

• The Scotland boss says defender Aaron Hickey is also fully fit and back training despite limping off against Belarus last month.

• "Aaron is fully fit and back in training," Clarke said. "Billy got injured and had to come off for Napoli, but I've spoken to him by text and he says he should be OK."

• Clarke says he's delighted to recall the Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland, who has scored 10 goals in all competitions for the Premiership leaders this season.

• Clarke added "we would have been delighted to be in this position" of having guaranteed a play-off spot at worst before the qualifiers began.

• Defenders Josh Doig and Ross McCrorie have also been added to a squad that is slightly larger than normal, with the national team boss taking the players to Turkey for a warm weather training camp to prepare for the double-header.

• Clarke accepts Scotland are highly likely to require at least a draw in Greece to ensure a winner-takes-all clash with Denmark at Hampden, with the winner of the group automatically qualifying for next summer's World Cup.

Brondby defender Luis Binks, 24, has expressed a desire to play for Scotland, having represented both England and Scotland at youth level. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Denmark have suffered a blow before this month's crucial World Cup qualifier in Scotland after Wolfsburg full-back Joakim Maehle was ruled out of the game. (Herald - subscription required), external

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has been handed a welcome boost before November's World Cup qualifying double-header with Greece and Denmark after key defender Aaron Hickey returned to training with Brentford this week following injury. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Former Scotland defender David Weir has become Strasbourg sporting director. (Sun), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Angus Gunn could be a doubt for Scotland's crucial World Cup qualifying double header next month.

National head coach Steve Clarke will name his squad to face Greece and Denmark next week.

But, speaking before Saturday's Premier League meeting with Manchester United, Forest manager Sean Dyche said: "Angus Gunn, who is currently not playing but is obviously part of the squad, he's opened up his knee ligaments."

Dyche gave no indication of the length of time the 29-year-old would be on the sidelines.

However, the latest blow comes on top of the fact Gunn has not featured for Forest since signing a one-year contract this summer after leaving Norwich City.

His only outings this season have been Scotland's four previous World Cup qualifiers.

Gunn, who has 20 caps for Scotland, said last month he would be looking at a possible move in January if he did not get more game time with his club.

He expressed disappointment at not having received promised game time under two managers - Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou - and that has continued in two games under new boss Dyche before the goalkeeper's injury blow.

Scotland are behind Denmark on goal difference at the top of Europe's Group C qualifying group before visiting Greece on 15 November and then hosting the Danes three days later in what will be a head-to-head for the automatic qualification place, with the runner-up progressing to the play-offs.

The two other goalkeepers in Clarke's last squad - Heart of Midlothian's Craig Gordon and Rangers' Liam Kelly - have also found themselves on the bench for their clubs.

Image source, SNS

Tottenham are keen on signing 28-year-old Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay from Napoli. (Teamtalk), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Scotland cap Calvin Ramsay could be in line for a shock Liverpool recall for Wednesday's League Cup tie at home to Crystal Palace - three years after his last senior game for the Premier League champions - because of injuries to fellow right-backs. (Daily Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay could be set for a return to the Premier League with the 28-year-old struggling with life off the pitch in Italy despite success on it with Napoli. (The Sun), external

Scott McTominay has equalled the record for the top-scoring Scot of all time in Serie A with fellow international midfielder Lewis Ferguson of Bologna, his goal in Napoli's 3-1 win over Inter Milan in Serie A at the weekend taking his tally to 14 in just 40 starts since his move from Manchester United in August last year. (The Herald), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Everton's Scotland right-back Nathan Patterson, 24, has a plantar fascia tear and also requires surgery on a hernia. (Sun), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

James Penrice hopes his AEK Athens gamble eventually pays off with a Scotland call-up despite admitting it has "taken me time time adjust" to life in the Greek Super League after leaving Hearts this summer.

The uncapped 26-year-old caught the eye of new AEK head coach Marko Nikolic after an impressive year at Tynecastle but has yet to cement himself as a mainstay in the side despite his transfer of around £2.6m.

Like PAOK's former Celtic left-back, Greg Taylor, Penrice was an unused substitute in Sunday as AEK lost 2-0 to relinquish their lead at the top of the table to the visitors.

"It has been very different, very up and down, but I have enjoyed every minute of it," he said as he prepared for Thursday's Conference League meeting with Aberdeen.

"I expected it to be hard, but maybe the moving, the new language, new team-mates, it has taken me time to adjust.

"It's totally different, but the reason I came to this huge club was to experience things I've not experienced in my career before. Hopefully we can go on and make it a successful first season for me."

Penrice, who has made seven starts and four substitute appearances so far, hoped his move would bring him more to the attention of Scotland head coach Steve Clarke amid stiff competition from Liverpool's Andy Robertson and Celtic's Kieran Tierney.

"Obviously it's a very difficult position to get yourself into with the players we have in the Scotland set-up," he said.

"The reason why I came here to a massive club like this was to put myself closer.

"Every football player wants to play every game possible. I have spoken to the coach a number of times about the adjustment and it is different.

"It has probably given me a better feeling towards players in the past who have come to Scotland and not settled.

"The first month I was in a hotel, it's stuff like that people don't see which makes it difficult. Now I am really settling in, getting used to life out here. I am enjoying going to my work every day and that's important."

Scotland midfielder John McGinn is close to signing a contract extension with Aston Villa. (Sky Sports), external

Aston Villa are ready to offer 31-year-old Scotland midfielder John McGinn a new deal. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke is keeping tabs on Birmingham City midfielder Marc Leonard amid a successful start to the season after helping his side win promotion back to the Championship. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke is encouraged to keep tabs on Birmingham City's Glasgow-born midfielder Marc Leonard, 23. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Former Danish international legend Peter Schmeichel admits he was "so disappointed" that a stubborn Scotland held Denmark to a goalless draw in the opening match of the World Cup qualifiers last month.

The 61-year-old made 129 appearances for Denmark, while his son Kasper - who is also between the sticks for Celtic - has 118 under his belt so far, wearing the captain's armband for their 3-1 victory over Greece on Sunday.

With 10 points apiece in Group C - with the Danes top on goal difference - the sides are set to face each other again in November in a match that could determine who will have a spot in the finals and who will have to wait for a shot at the play-offs.

"I was so disappointed that we didn't beat you in Copenhagen," he told the BBC's Sacked in the Morning podcast. "After that game, I was nervous.

"When the draw was made, I was sure we were going to qualify.

"We started at home to Scotland, which is a good game to start with. We beat them, it's out of the way and then there are three points on the board. And then the second game away to Greece - not so tasty.

"But we drew 0-0 and then went to Greece and beat them comfortably.

"That was unexpected from having watched that game against you guys.

"It's going to be interesting to see how it all pans out."

Image source, SNS

Che Adams believes fans "were right" to show their dissatisfaction and frustration following Scotland's World Cup qualifying victory over Belarus on Sunday.

A small section of the Hampden crowd booed when the full-time whistle blew on a 2-1 win over Belarus after sub-par performance from Steve Clarke's side.

And there had been a similar reaction at half-time against Greece three days earlier after a goalless 45 minutes that were dominated by the visitors.

With head coach Clarke admitting Sunday's win left him "disappointed" and supporters unconvinced, Adams insists the team camp was positive while admitting they can "do better".

"I think they were right [to boo]. It was some poor decision-making, not concentrating in key moments of the game," said the Torino striker.

"We need to do better next time. At times it felt like we were pressing singly or not together as a unit. It's difficult to put a finger on anything specifically.

"But it was a positive camp. Six points all round. So we know how difficult it's going to be next camp but we need to stick together now and get things right.

"Everyone knows how important the two games are and how much we have to stick together.

"It's a long and difficult campaign to get to the World Cup, but we're two games away from achieving great things, so everyone's concentrating on that."

Image source, SNS

Anthony Ralston is determined to focus on the positives as he and his team-mates leave the Scotland camp having secured six points from six in World Cup qualifying.

Steve Clarke's side were far from convincing in either victory against Greece and Belarus respectively, with the head coach admitting the latter left him as "disappointed" as he's been during his record-breaking 72 games in charge.

But while the Celtic right-back admitted everyone knows "we can do better" he wants to "look at the positives" which include Scotland being sure of a play-off place at worst.

"We had a chat and, as a collective, obviously we know we can do better, performance-wise," Ralston said.

"That's the negative out the way, the positives are that it's six points from the two games, we are a step closer to achieving our goal that we want to achieve. Going into next month we stand in a good position.

"We're all experienced in the dressing room now, we've all been in these positions at different points in our careers, where you know yourself when you come off the pitch as a collective, the performance wasn't there.

"It's easy, so soon after a game, you get caught up in what you could do better, you look at yourself, you look at the team, you look at everything.

"But we're two games off our goal, so we're not in a bad position. We'll build on that and we'll go from there."

Image source, SNS

• Scotland are now unbeaten in 13 consecutive home World Cup qualifiers (excluding play-offs – W10 D3). Their last defeat was more than 12 years ago - 2-0 to Belgium in September 2013.

• Che Adams netted his first home goal for Scotland since scoring against Denmark in November 2021, ending a barren run of 12 games.

• Scotland have won back-to-back matches at Hampden for the first time since June 2023 (run of six consecutive victories). They have as many wins at home in their last two as they managed in their previous 10 (W2 D3 L5).

• John McGinn made his 81st appearance for Scotland, moving him level with Craig Gordon in joint-fourth on the all-time appearance list. Only Kenny Dalglish (102), Jim Leighton (91) and Andy Robertson (88) have more caps.

• None of Scotland's seven goals in qualifying have been scored or assisted by players based in Scotland. Players based in Italy's Serie A, have provided five goal involvements (Che Adams - Torino, 2 goals; Lewis Ferguson - Bologna, 1 goal; Scott McTominay - Napoli, 1 goal & 1 assist).

• Scotland conceded to a nation ranked 100th or lower in the world rankings for the first time since November 2019 against Kazakhstan, ending a run of eight straight clean sheets against such opposition.

We asked for your views on Scotland's unconvincing 2-1 victory over Belarus in front of a discontented Hampden crowd.

Here is what some of you said:

John: Very disappointing performance from Scotland. They looked nervous from the start. Three points in the bag, but there has to be a serious improvement in the next two games or I fear we are in for disappointment.

Brian: Six points from two games is what we wanted, although we played badly for most of those two matches. Zero creativity and very little pace or energy, and there's a nagging feeling that better teams would have trounced us. Anthony Ralston is a liability at the back and I don't understand what Steve Clarke sees in John Souttar either.

Grant: Frustrating watch, but we've been here before many times, played better and got nothing. We'll need performances to be a thousand times better to beat Greece and Denmark next month.

Alan: Better to have won and know we need to improve, than to lose and have to pick ourselves up. That said, the rigidity of the side was apparent. There was not enough confidence to push forward, but an outright refusal to adjust the system or personnel.

Brian: Big results, but expected more from Ben Gannon-Doak. He is a tremendous player who has still to reach his potential. He runs like a whippet with the ball only to find no-one there to assist him.

John: Soulless, heartless and tired. No cohesion and baffling tactics. Belarus outplayed Scotland in every department but couldn't shoot in front of the goal.

James: We got the three points and are guaranteed at least second in the group, but there were absolutely no other positives on a night that should have been a relative formality. But this is Scotland and, as usual, we conspire to make things unnecessarily difficult. The performance was laboured throughout, and the entire team looked lost and lacking confidence. Without a huge improvement we will have to ride our luck to get anything in Greece or against Denmark at Hampden other than two heavy defeats.

Mark: We really need a stronger defence and proven goalscorers. We are strong in the middle of the park but I think we need to play two up front to give the opposition defence more to worry about.

Manager Steve Clarke says he was speaking to Ben Gannon-Doak about his "final ball and pass selection" as Scotland headed in for half-time during the unconvincing win over Belarus. (The Herald)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.