Steve Clarke warned decision to omit in-form Scottish Premiership duo from squad risks Tartan Army morale

The Scotland head coach has come in for some criticism after opting not to call up a number of in-form Scottish Premiership stars, such as Hearts defender Craig Halkett, in favour of more tried and tested options. The only new name in the squad is that of Kilmarnock’s on-loan winger, Findlay Curtis.

Earlier this week, Clarke bit back at the notion he doesn’t experiment enough, claiming that his squad has taken on a “natural evolution” in recent years. However, Premier Sports pundit Michael Stewart, capped four times by Scotland, admits he was left deflated by the lack of fresh faces named in the 26-man squad earlier this week.

"You can talk about players that have been standouts this season,” said Stewart on The Scottish Football Social Club. “But ultimately it comes to where the space in the squad is as well. If the positions are pretty full with players that are playing at the top level, then it becomes difficult. But when you look at Craig Halkett, for me he has been an absolute standout. He's got himself in great shape, missed very few games. Dom Hyam is in, Grant Hanley is obviously injured at the moment, but he's in. The manager knows what they are going to be capable of.

“That's a gut punch for the likes of Halkett. He does deserve to get in, even if the manager is just testing it out to see how he settles into the squad, with an eye on him having an outside chance of maybe making the World Cup. We know what Hanley is capable of. Will Halkett be capable of going toe-to-toe with Hyam? I personally think he can.

"You look at Elliot Watt for Motherwell. Someone else you're looking at and thinking 'get them in the squad'. Andy Irving is out at Sparta Prague now. We're not seeing him every week, so it's not to say he's not doing very well, but I also think it is really important for the domestic Scots, where possible, when they're at a level, to be given an opportunity in the squad.

“It sends out a bigger message to Scottish football in general. This is not to dismiss the anglo-Scots, but the point is Scottish fans watch Scottish football, and if you're not making that connection where possible, it is dispiriting for the punters as well. There's two friendlies here, and it is a little bit disappointing not to see them in the squad.”

Fellow pundit and ex-Scotland assistant coach, Peter Grant, echoed Stewart’s criticism as he added another name to the mix of players he believes deserved a maiden call-up. "Findlay Curtis is a top-quality player,” said Grant. “I think he's going to become that the more he plays. He's very direct. It's very unlike Steve Clarke to put a young one in. I don't mean that disrespectfully. We thought in the Euros [in 2024] that he'd take some young ones.

"But if you're looking for a winger who has played all season, I'd have been saying Calvin Miller [of Falkirk]. He'll be sitting back disappointed, because he's been outstanding all season in an outstanding team. Curtis has gone to Kilmarnock and done exceptionally well. Against Hearts at the weekend, I thought he did very well, very direct and very positive, which is how you want your wingers to be. But if I were Calvin Miller, I'd be sitting in my house very disappointed.”

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