Craig Burley has hammered Scotland after the 3-0 World Cup defeat to Brazil, but he made a Celtic point that is impossible to ignore.
The former Scotland midfielder tore into Steve Clarke’s side after another miserable night against Brazil.
But one look at Burley’s own World Cup Scotland side tells a different story.
He said: “There should be no celebration of Scotland being the first team to qualify from the group if that’s what happens. It would be by default.
“They don’t really deserve to go through, if we’re completely honest. And I don’t think they will.
“We’re just rewarding complete mediocrity here. If they do go through, it’s just going to continue the embarrassment of what Scotland are – it’s just second rate, isn’t it?
“But we had world class players in the past, guys at the back like Alan Hansen who couldn’t get a game at times.
“Players who could pass the ball for fun. They just don’t have that.”
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Celtic players helped shape Burley’s World Cup Scotland side at France 98
Burley played against Brazil at the World Cup in France 98 in a Scotland team with serious Celtic influence.
Tom Boyd started in defence. Paul Lambert and John Collins started in midfield. Tosh McKinlay came off the bench.
Scotland lost 2-1 that day, but Collins scored against Brazil and pushed the world champions far harder than Clarke’s side managed this week.
The Scotland side he remembers had Celtic players trusted in the biggest game on the world stage. The Scotland side he is now filleting had none in the starting XI.
Celtic absence from Scotland cannot be ignored
Against Brazil this week, no Celtic player started for Scotland.
Kieran Tierney was the only Celtic player to feature, and even he had to wait until the second half before getting on the pitch.
That is where Burley’s argument becomes awkward. Because Tierney was one of Clarke’s best performers on the night.
The current Scotland team has no Boyd, no Lambert and no Collins. Yet Celtic are often blamed whenever Scottish football’s standards come under scrutiny.
If Scotland are now the ‘second rate’ team Burley described, Scottish football should be asking why it no longer produces enough players capable of becoming the next Boyd, Lambert or Collins.
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