Anthony Ralston has set about challenging people’s impression of his footballing abilities all season, and in the main he’s been successful in doing so. Yet it appears there remains at least one man who requires further convincing.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke announced his Scotland squad today for the upcoming friendly with Poland – and a further game against the loser of the Wales/Austria World Cup play-off match – and one surprising omission is that of Ralston.
Steve Clarke has named his Scotland squad to face Poland and Austria or Wales in our two international friendlies later this month. pic.twitter.com/yWfIqvx3Tg
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) March 15, 2022
The Celtic full back of course has been ripping it up at club level, jousting with Josip Juranovic for Ange Postecoglou’s right sided full back position and supplying five goals and seven assists, as a consistent and impressive performer when called upon.
It’s the sort of form that eventually saw Ralston win his first cap for Scotland as an 87th minute replacement for former Celt Kieran Tierney in Scotland’s impressive 2-0 Hampden win over Denmark in November.
Having previously ignored previous calls for the player to be called up, the addition of Ralston and his subsequent debut perhaps pointed to the Scotland manager now being convinced of Ralston’s worth as an international contender, now however it seems the Celtic full back is going to have to sustain club form, if not improve upon it, to be considered for national service.
It seems a harsh call from Steve Clarke, especially given the competition for his position are not without their respective flaws.
Nathan Patterson seemed of late to have pushed himself in front of Motherwell captain Stephen O’Donnell as first choice for the right back berth, yet Patterson, having moved from theRangers to Everton, has struggled to say the least to bother a Goodison starting line-up under Rafa Benitez or Frank Lampard and was even substituted at half-time after failing to carry out his manager’s instructions in the FA Cup.
Meanwhile O’Donnell, whilst perhaps a player Clarke feels a certain level of loyalty to, has been functional at best for ‘Well this season and has shown nowhere near the level of form Anthony Ralston has on a consistent basis.
The addition of Bologna’s Aaron Hickey perhaps explains Clarke’s decision to exclude Ralston, given the former Celtic youth player has a versatility that allows him to play both as a left sided full back as well as a right back. And in truth Hickey’s inclusion is long overdue after performing as a regular starter in Serie A.
However, to leave out Ralston entirely, despite excellent club form, should perhaps come at the expense of either Patterson or O’Donnell rather than Aaron Hickey, particularly when the opportunity to play two friendly games has come unexpectedly and as such would surely offer a chance to blood a few new faces at the expense of someone the manager already knows his opinion of.
For Tony Ralston omission from Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad will no doubt come as a blow but you’d imagine he will be far from disheartened, after all he’s turned around the opinions of thousands of Celtic supporters this season, as such he’ll certainly back himself to alter the thinking of Steve Clarke in time.
Niall J
Ralston better served if included by Celtic as a Right wing back for tough remaining fixtures.