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.