Stephen’sdadisorganising anotherminibus– thistime withoutkennyandryan
Stephen O’donnell fondly remembers the trip to a London football tournament when his dad was in the driving seat.
Sadly, the injuries that forced Kenny Mclean and Ryan Jack out of Steve Clarke’s Euros squad means there will be no repeat when Scotland travel to play England at Wembley on June 18.
The Motherwell full-back’s dad, Patrick, drove parents of an Aberdeen Under-12s squad to the English capital to watch their boys.
He recalled: “When we played Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham in an Under-12s tournament for Aberdeen, he organised the parents’ minibus.
“Kenny and Ryan were in the team, and the two of them were certs for the Scotland squad.
“So it’s a real shame they’ve missed out with injury.
“Still, my dad has booked to go to London, and is hoping to drive the family down. He loves that sort of stuff.”
O’donnell, capped 18 times, has new competition for the right-back spot, with Rangers uncapped starlet, Nathan Patterson, called up.
But looking over his shoulder is nothing new. O’donnell has been told the position is up for grabs, ever since debuting under Alex Mcleish three years ago in Peru.
He admits he’s still struggling to convince himself he’s a Scotland regular.
O’donnell confessed: “I was always comfortable in the surroundings, but don’t know if I believed that I belonged.
“Believing I’m good enough is the stage I need to make sure I get to for this tournament.
“I’m getting there. But there’s still a way to go. Cap after cap, I always think I’m on the chopping block.
“It doesn’t help when every right-back in the world is better than you, as seems to be portrayed. So it’s nice to hear the manager say I’m improving with every cap.”
O’donnell certainly hasn’t suffered for ex-rugby Park manager Clarke being appointed. And it’s not just the Scotland manager’s calm style that brings out his best form.
Having managers who played right-back – Jackie Mcnamara (Partick Thistle), Nathan Jones (Luton Town) and Graham Alexander (Motherwell) – has served O’donnell well.
He said: “I perform better for managers who are a bit calmer. That’s not a slight against those who are a bit fiery. It’s just my personality.
“Some of my best football was played under Jackie. Similar to Steve, he was calm, and trusted players to do their job and what they were good at.
“He gives you the base structure to go from, then an element of freedom.
“Jackie predicted I’d play for Scotland. Until I was 27, people would have laughed at him!
“But it must be a compliment that full-backs as managers have gone on to play me every week.”
O’donnell’s two children, Cillian and Olivia, are far too young to appreciate this summer’s events.
But he hopes kids throughout Scotland fall in love with football as the nation returns to a Finals.
He said: “We should look forward to reigniting passion for the game amongst kids.
“There’s a decline at grassroots because there are so many things out there for them. They want everything quick and easy. “Social media encourages that lifestyle. So, hopefully, this Scotland team can grab the interest of the next generation at
the Euros.”