JAMES McFadden's untimely demotion to the Birmingham City bench will not impinge on his ambition to start Scotland's crucial World Cup qualifier against Norway at Hampden Park on Saturday.
Terry Butcher, the Scotland assistant manager, yesterday assured the player that little was being read into his return to a substitute's existence. However, Butcher did add that the extent of his contribution at Hampden Park will depend on how man
ager George Burley decides to set out his team against Norway.
Butcher described McFadden as a "match-winner" and claimed the less hectic arena of international football is a more natural habitat for someone who has sometimes struggled in club football in England.
As ever, the manager has not had his troubles to seek on the injury front this week. But McFadden is at least relatively fresh after being restricted to just a 15- minute cameo appearance at the end of Birmingham City's 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
It follows a run of games in which he has only scored once for the Championship side, with manager Alex McLeish having explained that all his strikers must accept the need for a rotation policy.
Another Scotland striker proved the beneficiary of McLeish's decision, with Garry O'Connor – passed over for Burley's squad on this occasion – starting his first league game for Birmingham this season. The former Hibs player set up the winning goal for Kevin Phillips.
"The thing about Alex (McLeish] is that he has a lot of good strikers there – (Cameron] Jerome, (Darren] Bent, (Kevin] Phillips, Faddy and O'Connor," said Butcher, who was speaking at an event organised by the official partner of the Scotland team, Nationwide Building Society. "There is a pool of strikers he can select from. Whenever I have seen Faddy down south he has done all right. He's played sometimes through the middle with Jerome and he's played in a three on the right-hand side. He is quite adaptable."
Butcher did accept that McFadden can also prove frustrating, and joked that the player had driven him to drink during their days together at Motherwell. But then this is often the way it is with mercurial talents, whose shortcomings are eclipsed by the special qualities they are able to offer.
Unusually, McFadden has shone at international more than club level, and at Everton was often restricted to substitute appearances. He is set to win his 40th cap for Scotland this weekend.
"He just seems to relish the challenge and opportunity (with Scotland], and also possibly relishes a little more space than he would get a club level," suggested Butcher. "International football is not as frantic as club level. He is a talent that can win matches for you, and can keep the ball for you. But he must also concentrate on the other side of the game, and work hard within the framework of the team. But he is mature enough now to realise what he has to do."
"If you are under the cosh a little bit, or you need possession, he will keep possession for you," continued Butcher. "He does sometimes give it away, or holds onto it too long. I have known that over the years. That's why I drink – because of Faddy!"
Despite his support for McFadden, Butcher also cautioned anyone against thinking the striker is an "untouchable" for Scotland. McFadden has become an unofficial mascot for the Tartan Army, but international football can be a harsh environment.
Past achievements do not tend to influence a manager's thinking. Michael Owen's exclusion from the current England squad illustrates this point, though Butcher, a former England skipper, declined to comment on Fabio Capello's decision to omit the Newcastle striker from a second successive squad.
He did, however, reflect on his former England days later when considering the question of international players who are essentially "undroppable." Even Butcher, who won 77 caps for England, was left out of a vital group match against Egypt during the 1990 World Cup finals.
"There weren't many who were actually untouchable," recalled Butcher. "Bryan Robson was one. If he was fit, he played. And then Peter Shilton of course. But there wasn't that many who you would say demanded to be picked each game, although we did have a good squad. I don't want to talk about England.
"Even with the Scotland set-up, and in reference to James (McFadden], it depends on what sort of shape you want to go with. It may be that the manager wants to play a certain way – can James play that way?"
The issue of who will captain the side must also be addressed by Burley. Despite McFadden having scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Livingston on the one occasion Butcher named him captain at Motherwell, the arm- band is more likely to be worn by one of either Gary Caldwell, David Weir, Darren Fletcher or goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
"George will make that decision," said Butcher. "He makes all the decisions. He does speak to us first and we do have a bit of input. Then he goes and decides what he wants to do, and we back him up."
Fletcher, set to win his 39th cap this weekend, is one of the leading contenders, and Butcher backed the Manchester United midfielder to make his mark in a Scotland jersey after what some have perceived to be a string of indifferent performances. "He works his socks off for the team," insisted Butcher.
"There is a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. I think he is like the other guys, and is just getting used to the system that George wants to play. I can only see us getting better and better. (Darren] is desperate and hungry to do well for his country. There is a lot more to come and we are all confident it will come, hopefully on Saturday."
The full article contains 993 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
