Scottish midfielder John McGinn believes the boos that followed Scotland’s recent loss to Japan at Hampden Park have been exaggerated.
In their first World Cup warm-up match, Scotland, led by Steve Clarke, suffered a lackluster 1-0 defeat against a sharp Japanese team in Glasgow.
Some fans expressed their dissatisfaction by booing as the match concluded, leaving Clarke both surprised and disappointed by the audience’s response.
McGinn suggests the situation requires more perspective, highlighting that he’s encountered far more intense and widespread booing earlier in his international career.
“I’ve faced much harsher booing during friendlies as a Scotland player,” said the Aston Villa midfielder. “I recall playing against Belgium at home in 2018, among other games, where the reaction was much more justified.”
John McGinn was in typically jovial mood ahead of Scotland’s friendly against the Ivory Coast
“There probably needs to be a bit of balance. I get both sides of it,” he added.
‘We’ve got to be aware of the standard of teams that we’re playing. We can go gung-ho, we can fling bodies forward — and get embarrassed. Now, that would be proper booing if that was the case.
‘So, the onus is on us to get bums off seats and try and take the game to teams, but we’ve also got to be cautious.
‘I think over the years, whether some people enjoy watching it or not, it’s what’s got us to where we are now and what’s made us successful.
‘I know how expensive it is to go and watch football these days. On Saturday, it was flat in terms of attacking opportunities from both teams.
‘Even though Japan probably deserved to win and probably played slightly better than us, I don’t think either team created many chances.
‘Friendlies are games where there are so many changes, the second half always becomes a little bit bland.
‘But I do understand both sides of it. There has to be a realisation that we need the opportunity to tinker a little bit, change personnel, formations and things like that.’
After losing to a Japan side ranked 18th in the world, Scotland now face another decent test against an Ivory Coast team ranked 35th in the world, five places above Clarke’s side.
The Ivorians come into the match in good form having thumped South Korea 4-0 at the weekend and have also qualified for the World Cup in the summer.
Scotland are seeking to re-inject some momentum into the camp, but they have a dreadful record in friendlies over the past decade.
However, McGinn is adamant that the outcome in these matches are of little consequence. Asked whether results actually matter, he replied: ‘I would probably say no, they don’t.
‘What matters is getting to tournaments, competing better in tournaments. If we weren’t successful in the qualifying campaign, we’d have two play-off games, which we’ve become a lot more used to.
‘Do you go into any game to lose or draw? No, of course not. You go into it to win, of course you do. You’ve got professional pride and you represent your country and you want to win.
‘But the priority in these games is to get minutes into the legs for players who aren’t playing at club level, which is unfortunately for us quite a few.
‘The opportunity to see players in a Scotland jersey, which in playoffs you might not potentially get that chance. So there is a balance there.
Junya Ito’s goal gave Japan a Hampden win over Scotland and dampened the mood of a nation
McGinn and his Scotland team-mates reflect on yet another disappointing friendly result
‘We want to win because we’re aware the friendly record, or the lack of victories in friendlies, is a little bit alarming. But the priority is to get minutes into the boys’ legs, give people a chance to show what they can do leading into the summer, which is the priority for these two games.
‘Whatever team the manager decides to pick will be going out to win, but aye, it’s a huge opportunity and a great one and probably a luxury that we’ve never had before.
‘So I understand certain frustrations, but we won’t actually get a better chance than this with a World Cup now only a few months away.
‘It’s a completely different challenge for us again. We’ve got the luxury of not playing a playoff, so we get the chance to play against African opponents for the first time in a long time.
‘The main aim for us is obviously to try and prepare for the Morocco game, and this team in Ivory Coast gives us the best chance to try and prepare for that.
‘They’re a different style of team to the Japanese, a few players I know from playing against, a couple from playing with. So it’s going to be a big test. But what it is is an opportunity for the manager to see new players, give players a chance to stake a claim for the World Cup.’
