Hardie is overlooked for latest Scotland squad
STEVE Clarke has picked just three strikers in his latest 25-strong Scotland squad with Plymouth Argyle’s Ryan Hardie still not getting a first senior call-up for his country despite his fine form in the Sky Bet Championship this season, writes Chris Errington.
Clarke has stuck with a tried-andtrusted trio of forwards in Che Adams (Southampton), Lyndon Dykes (Queens Park Rangers) and Lawrence Shankland (Hearts) for the friendly internationals away to the Netherlands in Amsterdam on March 22 and against Northern Ireland at Hampden Park, Glasgow, on March 26.
Luton Town’s Jacob Brown (knee) and Kevin Nisbet of Millwall (hamstring) are both unavailable for selection due to injuries, but even that has not opened the door of Stranraer-born Hardie to be called up.
It would appear to pretty much end any hopes of 26-year-old Hardie being part of the Scotland squad at the Euro 2024 finals in Germany this summer. They will play warm-up games before the tournament begins against Gibraltar in Portugal and Finland at Hampden Park in June.
Hardie has scored 12 Championship goals this season, plus one in the FA Cup, and has a similar record to Adams for Southampton, who has netted 10 times in the league, with two more in the FA Cup.
Dykes is more of a traditional target man as a forward rather than an out-and-out goalscorer so brings some variation to the Scotland squad. He has made 24 starts and nine substitute appearances for QPR in the Championship this term and managed just four goals.
Shankland has had a superb season for Hearts, scoring 20 goals in 29 Scottish Premiership starts. He has also netted seven other times in cup competitions.
Sunday Mail chief football writer Scott McDermott told Herald Sport a fortnight ago that he thought Hardie would definitely be on Clarke’s radar ahead of the games against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland, but he would likely miss out. McDermott’s assessment has proved spot on. The
Northern Ireland squad to face Scotland later this month is expected to include Argyle goalkeeper Conor Hazard, who played in his country’s final three Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Argyle defender Brendan Galloway will have the chance to his two international appearances for Zimbabwe after being selected in a 24-strong squad for a four nations tournament to be held in Malawi later this month.
Zimbabwe will take part in a four nations tournament with Kenya, Zambia and the hosts Malawi from March 18 until 26. Harare-born Galloway will join up with the squad after Argyle’s Championship clash against Preston North End at Home Park on Saturday.
ENGLISH football is “finished” if the EFL does not remain “competitive and sustainable”, Preston chairman Peter Ridsdale has warned as he criticised the Premier League for having not yet made a funding offer.
Premier League sources were hopeful top-flight teams would make the EFL an offer at the end of a clubs meeting on Monday, but the focus instead is on agreeing new financial rules in the Premier League first.
EFL board member Ridsdale said the lack of an offer was “very frustrating” and told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We’ve made it clear to the Premier League that if they put their proposals into a formal offer, we would recommend acceptance. We’re sitting here today and we have not had that offer, despite the fact we were told it was coming last September.”
EFL chairman Rick Parry told MPs in January that the deal discussed, but still not formally offered, was for his organisation to receive 14.75 per cent of pooled net media revenues with the Premier League, projected to be worth an extra £900million to the EFL over six years.
But that offer still has not come, amid reports 10 clubs are opposed to offering a deal.
Ridsdale added: “All we want is to make sure we have a sustainable and competitive EFL and obviously you see the cliff-edge between the Premier League and the Championship, with the parachute clubs coming down getting something like £50m in the first year and £40m-odd in the second year, having got relegated.
“We’ve got teams at the top of our division paying five times more in wages than (Preston) are, and that’s showing because they’re at the top end of the Championship - and they’re doing that based on parachute payments that are coming down from the Premier League.
“The top three teams are Leicester, Leeds and Ipswich, then Southampton are fourth. Three of those four came down last year and have got parachute payments. If we don’t keep it competitive and sustainable, then English football is finished.”
There is pressure to conclude a deal from Government, which has warned the new independent regulator will have the power to impose a settlement if the two sides cannot reach agreement themselves.
The Football Governance Bill setting out the scope of the regulator is believed to be close to being tabled for parliamentary debate.
The EFL board is meeting today to discuss the situation.