Strachan to include Lee Wallace in Scotland squad

By CRAIG FORBES
Published on 31/01/2013 00:06

GORDON Strachan will prove that operating in the Third Division will be no obstacle to Rangers players being selected for Scotland, when he names Lee Wallace in his first international squad today.

Strachan will reveal his squad in Aberdeen this lunchtime ahead of his first match as Scotland manager, a friendly against Estonia at Pittodrie on Tuesday, and he will send a clear signal to Rangers players that if their form is good enough they will be considered for the senior squad.

Wallace hasn’t featured for Scotland since Rangers lost their place in the SPL and returned in the Third Division. The left-back won his sixth cap in the 5-1 friendly defeat in Florida to the United States last May.

Strachan’s predecessor, Craig Levein, was criticised when he selected Ian Black for a friendly against Australia last year, having initially suggested Rangers players would not be considered for his squads as they were not playing at the top-level.

After Black’s brief appearance in that 3-1 win at Easter Road, however, Levein chose no Rangers players for the competitive matches which followed in World Cup qualifying.

Meanwhile, Rangers have ­insisted they will fight on after losing the latest stage of their dispute against those players who left the club claiming freedom of contract last year.

An independent arbitration panel yesterday ruled that the company which now runs the club did not have the right to continue the process begun by the old company before it went into liquidation. But Rangers said in a statement: “This was always a possible outcome of what was purely a procedural hearing. The club had argued that since oldco’s registration had been transferred to newco the right to continue the case would also have transferred. Nothing has been won or lost at this stage and the club will continue with its action.”

Rangers claim they are entitled to transfer fees for players such as Steven Naismith, who joined other clubs as free agents last year, citing employment law.