A couple of months ago, Steve Clarke was asked about what sort of role he envisaged Findlay Curtis playing for Scotland.
After turning in a series of impressive performances whilst on loan at Kilmarnock, the young Rangers winger had just earned his first call-up to the national team.
Was Curtis one for the future, or could he go straight in and make a difference?
‘If he’s in the squad, he’s for right now,’ said Clarke. ‘He brings something a little bit different.
‘People always tell me I don’t look for different things. Again, I think the young boys are important for the future.’
Yet, when push came to shove, those words were not reflected in Clarke’s actions. Curtis was given just 10 minutes off the bench against Japan at Hampden.
Findlay Curtis was one of the most in-form players in Scotland towards the end of the season
Against Ivory Coast a few days later, he was an unused substitute. Instead, Clarke opted to bring guys like Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean off the bench.
That was the real failure of those two friendlies in March. It wasn’t just the fact that Scotland suffered two 1-0 defeats, lost some momentum and were booed by fans. It was the fact that we emerged from them without really learning anything. Especially in the case of Curtis, it was a missed opportunity.
Heading into the two World Cup warm-up matches, starting with Curacao at Hampden on Saturday before Scotland face Bolivia in New Jersey the following weekend, Curtis needs to be given a chance to shine.
He should not be going to this World Cup as a passenger or purely to pick up experience for the future. He’s better than that.
He is more than good enough to make a difference in the here and now — as his performances at club level have shown.
Over the last six weeks of the season, Findlay was outstanding for Kilmarnock. He was one of the form players in the country.
The Rangers youngster found his feet in style at Kilmarnock and was a popular Scotland pick
He scored four goals in four matches to help Killie move clear of relegation trouble. In terms of wide players, he was as good as anyone else in the Scottish Premiership.
Quick, direct, and with an eye for goal, Scotland need to tap into that confidence rather than suppress it by parking him on the bench.
Especially when you consider the situation with Ben Gannon-Doak, who has yet to get a consistent run of games under his belt since returning from injury.
Gannon-Doak has not started a football match of any description since picking up his injury for Scotland against Denmark last November. He made only four appearances off the bench for Bournemouth towards the end of the campaign, seeing a grand total of 52 minutes of action.
Of course, Scotland could benefit from that. If he has been lightly-raced, he could be fresh and raring to go come the World Cup. But, on the other hand, there is also a concern that he is heading to America lacking match sharpness.
This is why it becomes imperative that Curtis is given some meaningful game time over these two warm-up matches.
Ben Gannon-Doak hasn’t started a game for Bournemouth since his injury against Denmark
He is the closest like-for-like replacement we have for Gannon-Doak. They could also both play in the same team; Curtis on the left and Gannon-Doak on the right.
That would offer a glimpse of Scotland’s future. If Clarke is to stay on as manager, he needs to show an ability to evolve the team and move forward.
Throw Curtis in from the start against Curacao on Saturday and let’s see what he can do. His form deserves recognition.
He is fearless, has the exuberance of youth, he has pace, he can beat a man, and he’s brimming with confidence. In other words, what’s not to like?
He could easily have chosen to stay with Rangers over the second half of the season, content to sit on the bench and pick up some minutes here and there. But he wanted to go out and prove himself. He saw an opportunity and he grabbed it. That kind of attitude in young players is to be admired.
Curacao may not be Brazil, but friendlies exist precisely for this reason: to test things, to discover new options, to build belief.
Curtis was in Clarke’s squad for recent friendlies but was afforded only 10 minutes of action
Hampden will be rocking. The boos of a couple of months ago will be parked as the Tartan Army look to give the team a fitting send-off. Wouldn’t it be nice to also see some new heroes emerge before we even get to America?
If Clarke persists with safe options and guys we’ve seen 100 times before, nobody will learn anything. It will feel like a pointless exercise.
Can you imagine the roar that would go up and the excitement levels if Curtis were to start on Saturday and have a stormer?
We don’t have many players with his attributes and skillset. Let the boy go out and show what he’s capable of.
Scotland might just discover they have a gem on their hands — one ready to shine when the world is watching.
EPL guards of honour were cringeworthy affairs
It was most refreshing that this season’s title race in the Scottish Premiership went all the way to the final day.
Not only because of the drama and excitement around it all, but because it also spared us from the usual nonsense about guards of honour.
Every other year, when Celtic usually have the title wrapped up by the time we enter the split, the last few weeks are spent talking about whether opposition teams will give them a guard of honour.
Mo Salah takes the acclaim of players and staff as Liverpool’s game was temporarily halted
These teams are expected to applaud the champions on to the pitch. It’s just the done thing now. Apparently.
But when a competitive game of football is stopped so that an individual player can be clapped off the pitch? It’s utterly ridiculous.
Watching the final round of fixtures in the English Premier League last weekend, the cringe factor was off the charts.
Manchester City and Liverpool were the chief culprits as they said farewell to the likes of Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Mo Salah and Andy Robertson.
Clubs love doing it because it looks good on social media. Players lap it up because it feeds their ego. Doing it mid-match is complete and utter tinpot nonsense.
It’s contagious. Once one club does it, everyone feels they must follow. Before you know it, we’re stopping games for players with 150 appearances and a couple of decent seasons. Where does it end?
Enough is enough. Do the guard of honour before kick-off or after the final whistle. Otherwise, get it in the bin.
