Billy Stark offered a frank perspective yesterday about the quantum leap facing his young Scotland players when they return to European duty on Thursday night.
The Scotland Under-21 coach believes that that their Slovakian and Dutch counterparts are so good, they would comfortably hold their own in the Scottish Premiership. Stark takes his side to Slovakia for their penultimate qualifying match in a campaign in which the young Scots have been forced to grow up quickly.
Scotland have two matches left in their European Under-21 Championship group three. A win over second-placed Slovakia in Senec, and another in Luxembourg on Monday, could see Stark’s side clinch second but with only the best four of the ten group runners-up advancing to the play-offs, Scotland’s hopes of reaching the 2015 finals in the Czech Republic are slim. The 6-1 humbling inflicted by Holland in Paisley in May is something that Stark must hope will have no lasting psychological effects. The fact that Slovakia drew 2-2 at home to the Dutch underlines their quality and Stark has drafted in some new recruits to freshen things up.
“If we won the last two games, I think that would probably get us second place because Slovakia have to go to Holland for their last game,” Stark said. “It’s a big task on Thursday because Slovakia are a very good side. That’s why I’ve kept a wee core of the older players but it’s a chance to bring in some of the younger ones and get a look at them.
“Everyone watches Scottish football and judges them on what they have done there, but in my experience it is a big jump from league football to playing Slovakia and Holland. I think that those teams would do very well in the Scottish Premiership.
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“This campaign been up and down. There was a real down in the last game against Holland, there’s no hiding from that. The Dutch boys at Paisley were highly motivated because there were five or six pushing to get a place in the full squad for the World Cup finals. They need to learn from it and I hope they use that experience in the next campaign.”
One of the players whom Stark could hand a baptism to on Thursday is Ryan Christie. The 19-year-old Inverness Caledonian Thistle forward has been one of the impressive talents to emerge this season.
Christie’s father, Charlie, was a young striker at Celtic in 1988 when Stark was part of the teamthat won the double. Christie senior scored 25 times for the reserves but was kept out of the first team by the prolific Frank McAvennie and Andy Walker, prompting Christie to return to Inverness where he became a long-serving player and manager
“I don’t feel any pressure,” Ryan said. “My career and my dad’s are two different things. The older lads at the club help me out a lot and I get to play with a bit of freedom.
“My dad gives me advice off the pitch. He coached me from a young age. He loved his time at Celtic. He loved the experience of being at the biggest club in Scotland. He said they were so professional.”