There was all manner of pearl-clutching back in March when Lennon Miller declared his intention to quickly become Scotland’s best player after earning his first call-up.
The 18-year-old was seemingly criticised from all corners for showing some ambition, but admitted this week that he had misspoke when delivering those now infamous remarks.
The Motherwell captain said the episode taught him to be careful what he says, but he did his talking on the pitch earlier this week when handed his first senior international start against Liechtenstein.
The teenage midfielder ran the show in the 4-0 victory in Vaduz, assisting Che Adams’ second goal and was a constant livewire throughout, always looking to create for his team-mates. He strolled it.
Granted it was a low level of opposition but this was still an encouraging full debut for the young man. It also adds even more intrigue to his next move.
Miller was the chief playmaker as Scotland bounced back from defeat to Iceland with a win
Miller set up Adams (right) for the second goal of his hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Liechtenstein
The 18-year-old was named SFWA Young Player of the Year for his displays with Motherwell
Miller has been targeted by a host of top clubs after another impressive season at Fir Park. It’s easy to see why Motherwell would be keen to cash in on their prized asset but the fear is that once he leaves, he may struggle for game time wherever he goes.
There’s plenty of examples of young players leaving Scotland only to struggle to fulfil their potential elsewhere due to a lack of opportunities. As he tries to establish himself in what is easily the strongest part of the national team, let’s hope Miller chooses his next move very carefully. Whatever it is, he should continue to back himself.
SFA’s strong stance on fan trouble is welcome
The SFA is making the right noises about tackling fan trouble but whether it will lead to meaningful change remains to be seen.
Agreement was reached at the SFA’s annual general meeting that clubs face greater liability if fans misbehave at Scottish Cup matches.
The update follows the SPFL adopting stricter rules for the Premier Sports Cup, which saw Celtic, Rangers and Motherwell sanctioned after pyrotechnic displays held up semi-final kick-offs.
Celtic fans set off pyrotechnics ahead of last year’s Premier Sports Cup final at Hampden
Speaking on Thursday, SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: ‘We had one change to our cup rules from a crowd behaviour point of view which brings us more in line with SPFL regulations.
‘If someone wants to come into a stadium and throw a seat at a player, I don’t think you’re ever going to be able to stop that because it’s a criminal activity and what can you do?
‘But it certainly gives us a bit more teeth, it gives us a bit more ability to take action.
‘The fundamental is we’ve got hundreds of thousands of fans that come and watch football every week and want to do it in the right way.
‘They want some noise, they want some activity, they want some energy round about the stadium and we’re not saying for a minute that we don’t want that either, but fundamentally, it has to come from a place of safety.
‘We see, particularly at Hampden, if there’s significant pyro use, there are a large number of supporters that have to leave the stadium because of breathing difficulties, because of safety concerns, because kids are frightened and it’s those supporters that we need to look after.
‘It needs us to do as much as we can along with the SPFL. It needs the clubs to do as much as they can. It needs the police and the stewarding teams on a match day to do as much as they can.
‘It needs the Crown and the judiciary system to do as much as they can. It’s a real collaborative approach that’s required.
‘We’ve got a government roundtable that we’re at next week to discuss measures because it’s a problem.
‘There have been more significant instances, particularly towards the end of last season and we need to take steps to eradicate it.’
Aberdeen’s Jack MacKenzie was struck by part of a seat thrown by his own fans last month
There has been much debate about the so-called Ultras culture and Maxwell stressed the need to work with younger supporters.
‘I think there’s a educational element to it,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if people that bring pyro into a ground actually know that it’s illegal in a lot of cases because you see individuals doing it and it’s not part of a group.
‘I’m not sure if they actually understand that you’re breaking the law by having a pyrotechnic – even on the way to a football stadium now – but at the moment, there’s a lack of consequence for that behaviour.
‘People are difficult to identify on a match day, it happens more afterwards that we’ll look at CCTV and try to identify them – and then when they do get into the court system, sometimes there’s not a lot of action taken because of the way the legislation is worded. So we’re talking to the Scottish Government about how we change that.
‘Everybody talks about the ultras groups. The ultras groups as a form of excitement, as a form of noise, as a form of activity, as a form of making the match-day experience what everybody wants it to be are absolutely fine, nobody has an issue with that.
‘It’s when it boils over into “there’s a risk of harm, there’s a safety concern”, that’s when we need to be able to take some sort of action to try and stop that type of behaviour.’
No surprise to see Townsend name a strong squad
A summer tour of the pacific looked an ideal opportunity for Gregor Townsend to give experience to new faces, and rest some more familiar ones after a long, hard season. In truth, though, it was never likely.
The Scotland head coach has named a strong 36-man squad for the tour, which begins on July 5 in Whangarei against Maori All Blacks, with Tests against Fiji in Suva and Samoa in Auckland to follow.
The travelling party will be captained by Rory Darge, with regular starters such as Darcy Graham, Ben White, Grant Gilchrist and Jamie Ritchie also included. There are also welcome returns for George Turner after a year playing in Japan, and Andy Onyeama-Christie, back in the squad following long-term injury.
Only three uncapped players make the squad; Glasgow Warriors prop Fin Richardson, Saracens fly-half Fergus Burke and No8 Alex Masibaka, who has spent the last two years with French second tier side Soyaux Angouleme XV Charente, on loan from Montpellier.
Townsend is under pressure after a disappointing Six Nations campaign earlier this year
While it would perhaps be more exciting for fans to see more young players given a chance, it’s no surprise to see Townsend stick with what he knows given the circumstances.
For a start, good results against Fiji and Samoa will be crucial if the Scots are to improve their world ranking ahead of the World Cup draw in December.
Townsend is also mindful of the need to keep his stars in good condition with the Lions tour happening at the same time. The threat of injury is never too far away, a fact highlighted this week with Zander Fagerson having to pull out of Lions duty with injury.
The Scotland boss revealed he would be delighted if any of his travelling party were required to join up with Andy Farrell’s men.
‘We want them to do that,’ said Townsend. ‘We’re so pleased and proud that eight guys were originally selected but we were disappointed that there weren’t more. And if it means that opportunities open up, we will be wishing them all the best.’
Secretly, however, the head coach will know that good results are also be vital to his long-term job security moving forward. His contract is set to expire next year and he admitted this week that no talks had taken place yet with Scottish Rugby over a new deal.
Another disappointing Six Nations campaign raised uncomfortable questions around the squad’s lack of progress and Townsend’s future in the role. Three wins from three on the upcoming tour is the minimum requirement if he is to start building his case to stay on longer term.
Coaching appointments hinting at Smith’s future?
Franco Smith is not a man to wear his heart on his sleeve, so when the Glasgow Warriors head coach does speak candidly, people tend to listen.
The South African has a year left on his contract at Scotstoun but didn’t totally shut down links with the Wales job earlier this year. After Glasgow’s defeat to Leinster in the URC semi-final last weekend, he once again seemed to hint he was not a certainty to return for next season.
‘I’m looking forward to reflect a little bit,’ he said. ‘I think it’s 44 weeks we’ve been at it, there’s only 52 weeks in the year, so it’s a full year’s work.
‘If you defend the title you have to be on top of your game in all of it, so it will be important for me now to go and reflect a little bit, and take a bit of downtime, and hopefully see what’s going to come next.’
Smith has a year to run on his contract with Glasgow, but there is speculation over his future
But what will come next for the 52-year-old? That Wales role still hasn’t been filled, and he has not hidden his frustration with key players such as Henco Venter, Tom Jordan and Sebastian Cancelliere leaving Scotstoun as the SRU look to prioritise bringing through young talent.
The Scotland job is also potentially going to be available in the near future, with Gregor Townsend’s current deal with the national team expiring around the same time as Smith’s contract with Glasgow.
However, Warriors fans will have been pleased to hear this week that the boss has wasted little time in bolstering his coaching staff at Scotstoun.
Former Edinburgh back-rower Roddy Grant and ex-Scotland Sevens international Scott Forrest have both joined the Scotstoun set-up, filling the void left by the departure of defence coach Peter Murchie. Attack coach Nigel Carolan has also agreed a new deal to stay on at Glasgow.
‘We’re pleased to be able to confirm our coaching group as we turn our attention towards the new season, and to retain Nigel’s services as we prepare for the new campaign,’ Smith said, and those words will be music to Warriors’ fans’ ears.
Of course, nothing is set in stone, but it’s the clearest indication yet that Smith is prepared to see out the final year of his deal.
Monty wants an Open return for Turnberry
Scottish golfing legend Colin Montgomerie has backed calls for Trump Turnberry to return to The Open rotation.
There appears to be increasing pressure on the R&A to give the USA President what he wants – and that means the Ayrshire course once again hosting the Championship despite reservations about its ability to do so.
However, Monty, for one, appears to be siding with Donald Trump on this decision at least.
Montgomerie would like to see The Open return to Turnberry at some point in the future
The 61-year-old, who has 31 European tour wins to his name, made the claim in a recent interview with BBC Scotland.
He said: ‘As a professional golfer, a professional Scottish golfer, I really hope it is [used].
‘It’s ranked number one in Scotland and in Britain, and rightly so. It’s the best course in Scotland, and it deserves to host an Open.
‘And let’s hope the authorities can all get together and find a way around it, and make that happen, and the sooner the better.’
