Gough believes Boyd's call-up is devaluing international football

Published on Wednesday 6 May 2009 22:41

RICHARD Gough believes Englishman George Boyd should not be given the chance to play for Scotland – despite the former Scotland captain himself having been born in Sweden.

Boyd, 23, from Chatham in Kent, is eligible through his Motherwell-born grandad.

However, the Peterborough winger had not set foot in Scotland until yesterday when he turned up to meet his Scotland B team-mates ahead of last night's game with Northern Ireland at Broadwood. Boyd was handed a starting berth in attack for the match and was due to pull on the dark blue of Scotland for the first time.

Gough, born in Stockholm with a Scottish father and Swedish mother, was brought up in South Africa. But after moving to Scotland as a teenager, he began a career in football which saw him play for, among others, Dundee United, Tottenham, Rangers and Everton and he captained Scotland eight times in his 61 appearances in dark blue.

However, the former Ibrox favourite believes the recruitment of Boyd is a step too far.

He said: "I'm a good one to ask about that seeing that I was born in Sweden. But my father would have shot me if I had played for Sweden. I came to Scotland at 15 or 16, I grew up as a Rangers fan and the Scottish thing was ingrained in me.

"I think your grandfather is taking it a bit far. I think it should go back one generation. Otherwise you get into that Irish thing of having a pint of Guinness and you can play, like they did.

"They did have a decent team when they did that but I think it is taking it too far.

"It's not, 'I'm only playing for Scotland because England hasn't picked me' sort of thing – I don't think that's right."

Before the game, Boyd's Peterborough team-mate Craig Mackail-Smith also expressed an interest in representing Scotland.

The prolific goalscorer, 25, who has been attracted attention from some top clubs in England, said: "If I could get a Scotland call-up it would be absolutely brilliant. I qualify through my gran Margaret, my dad's mother. I'm sure it would make her really proud if I was selected for any future squads and it would be a great honour as far as I'm concerned."

Mackail-Smith, who has hit 26 goals this season to help Darren Ferguson's side win promotion to the Championship, turned out for the England semi-professional side, but is now keen to catch the eye of Burley. He added: "I've played with George (Boyd] for quite a while and we have a good understanding on the pitch. I'm delighted he's received the call-up and if I could get into the Scotland set-up too it would be just really amazing."

&#149 Scotland's place at No24 in the Fifa World Rankings is unchanged following the release of the latest figures. European Championship winners Spain remain top of the list ahead of Germany, Holland, Brazil, Italy, Argentina and England.

Northern Ireland remain 27th. The Republic of Ireland stay in 34th and Wales are 73rd.