**Clark** Are They Good Enough for Their Country? WRitten & Posted by Ibrox Noise Ever since Rangers expulsion from the SPL, the club has become an incredibly sensitive and divisive subject in Scottish football circles. One of the more trivial issues, albeit a nevertheless important one, is that of Rangers players playing for Scotland. This subject in itself leads to a wider debate; which Rangers players are good enough to play for their countries, do play for their countries, and which ones just are not up to that level of quality? Let us begin in defence, and the furthest back a team gets; its goalkeeper. Cammy Bell has had a few call ups, during his Kilmarnock days, and amassed a solitary cap. But in light of Allan McGregor being far and away the first choice, with David Marshall and Matt Gilks in reserve, both of whom play in Englands Championship, Bell is probably some way off further call ups. Furthermore with Partick Thistles Scott Fox earning a call up for the upcoming Scotland friendlies it pours cold water over the idea of Bell getting one any time soon. Moving onto left back and without a shadow of a doubt Rangers possess Scotlands best left back in Lee Wallace. Steven Whittaker has shown he is some way off the level required in international football, despite plying his trade for a Premiership team, and Wallace has now asserted himself in that slot - he would have featured against Croatia recently but for injury ruling him out. Over to right back, and given the quite awful season Richard Foster is having, coupled with the fact he has never been called up before, it is barely worth debating. In the middle Lee McCulloch has made himself available again for his country, but no longer gets invitations from the national regime; his last appearance was almost 3 years ago and at his veteran years it would suggest his time in a Scotland jersey is a thing of the past. His defensive partner Bilel Mohsni, a 26 year Frenchman, has never been called up at international level under any age umbrella. His underwhelming career, despite his popularity at Ibrox, would put paid to any notion of him ever featuring for Les Blues. In front of them the plot thickens; Ian Black, having a stellar season at Ibrox after an indifferent inaugural one last year is a distinct candidate now. He is unlikely to usurp Brown, Adam, Bannan, McArthur and the like, but he could be used as a squad player and has proven with his passing range and dead-ball delivery that he has decent distribution. However, after his maiden cap during which the Tartan Army booed him, his selection would be a taboo area. His partner, Nicky Law, is English, but like Mohsni has never featured at any level for his country. Despite his impressive displays at Ibrox he is not going to earn a call up for Roy Hodgsons men. It is another one unworthy of discussion. Out on the wing there is the increasingly controversial David Templeton. Isolated this season, unable to gain any momentum or match sharpness never mind form, Temps as he is known was lauded widely when he joined Rangers from Hearts, portrayed as a great hope and a lucrative signing. Sadly it has not worked out, and Templeton, despite his unearned reputation, never even amassed a call up for Scotland in his Gorgie days far less one from Govan. He did managed a few appearances at youth level but the winger is 25 now and increasingly looks like a player unable to achieve his potential. Or indeed, stay fit enough to allow it. He has neither the form, consistency, or right to play for Scotland at the present moment. Then there is Lewis MacLeod; quietly going about his business and accumulating several youth caps for Scotland U21s. Right now he will find the senior team tough to break into for the same reason Black does, but he has age on his side and could be a fixture for Scotland in the future. But not yet. Then we have arguably our most successful current international; Arnold Peralta, the Honduran enforcer who has had an indifferent time at Ibrox but holds 17 caps for his nation and will feature at next summers world cup in Brazil. He has struggled slightly with manager Ally McCoists unorthodox wing position, given his own natural berth is defensive midfield, but he manages to feature alongside players like Izaguirre, Espinoza and Palacios. He is clearly doing very well and Rangers can be proud to have a player at the world cup despite being in the Scottish League One. Up front Andy Little is little more than a Northern Ireland squad player. He has a reasonable number of caps, not quite 10, and has never scored, but while his career is not overly impressive he does continue to be on standby for his country. Then there is Jon Daly; aged 30 and with decent experience for Ireland at youth level, but Daly never made it to senior level and is very unlikely to now. He has had an outstanding season so far at Ibrox, arguably McCoists finest signing, or at least one of, but it is not probable that it will earn him a call up given Ireland have a fairly decent pool of strikers to choose from. Nicky Clark is the last major name at Ibrox; the former QotS man had a staggering season last year hence earning his move to Ibrox. He is slowly adapting to the demands of Ibrox and at age 22 it is not beyond the realms of possibility he could earn a call up to the national side albeit he would find earning a cap difficult faced with Naismith, Rhodes, Fletcher et al. Life in the Second Division means that Rangers players are not prized by the national regime the way they once were. But Gordon Strachan is doing a decent job and has shown willing to call up Rangers players like Black and Wallace. Despite his Celtic past Strachan is a reasonably fair individual as national boss, and it is not impossible he will call up Rangers players again. Peralta and Little are probably Rangers only other two senior internationals these days, but the day will come again when Rangers players make up a significant portion of various countries national teams.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 09:53:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015