Scotland

Steven Naismith: "Totally different dynamic" in Scotland camp

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 25 March 2015

Steven Naismith reveals how a previous Celtic-Rangers divide in the Scotland camp has now been banished to the past under manager Gordon Strachan.

Steven Naismith believes that there is a "totally different dynamic" in the Scotland camp these days, with the previous club-like atmosphere surrounding the side now banished to the past.

Gordon Strachan's charges have made a strong start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, taking seven points from their opening four games to remain in contention to finish inside the top two in Group D.

Attention turns towards a test of a different kind this evening with a friendly against Northern Ireland at Hampden Park, and ahead of the match Naismith revealed how a previous divide in the squad is now a distant memory.

"From when I joined the national team to now, it's a totally different dynamic in that every single player is chatting away to anybody," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"It's just normal. We're a bunch of guys who are at similar points in life - starting families, getting married but all driven. Seeing what we have here and what we can do is what's driving everyone. It's great that we're all of similar mind-sets and it works.

"[Previously] I wouldn't say it was as tight as it is now. Everyone wasn't as open as they are now. I wouldn't say there were cliques and people not talking to each other. But the Rangers boys and the Celtic boys did tend to stay together. It's just who you are familiar with."

Scotland return to competitive action at the weekend when they play host to minnows Gibraltar.