Steve Clarke rages as Everton ace Nathan Patterson pulls out of Scotland squad
Steve Clarke has slammed the decision to allow clubs such as Everton to hold onto their players during the international break.
Nathan Patterson has withdrawn from the Scotland squad which is set to face Turkey on Wednesday evening (15 November).
Clarke is less than impressed with the international break not being called “an official” window which subsequently allows clubs to retain their players.
“The baseline is that it’s not an official international window,” said Clarke (The Scotsman, 14 November).
“I don’t know why because there’s a World Cup window going on. That sounds pretty official to me. The clubs don’t have to release their players and Celtic have chosen not to release their players for this game.
“I’m disappointed with that decision but we have to take it on the chin.”
Not worth the risk
Clarke’s frustration is understandable, with the World Cup a fairly important break in the football calendar. However, for Everton and Frank Lampard, it’s not the worst thing in the world to see Patterson withdraw from the Scotland squad for what is a fairly pointless friendly against Turkey.
Lampard simply has to get to work on the training ground and during the Toffees’ trip to Australia. There are a number of players who will be competing in Qatar, however, Everton’s fringe players have massively underperformed this season, with the break giving the Everton boss chance to assess whether they will be part of his long-term plans.
With the January window fast approaching as well, the club must start casting an eye over potential targets to strengthen the squad for the second half of the season. Attacking reinforcements simply have to be at the top of Lampard’s priorities heading into the winter window.
Everton have gone into the break in dire form, with there being a bad feeling around the club. Lampard simply has to hit the ground running when the Toffees return to prevent the pressure from becoming too much.