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Hearts’ Berra For Scotland?!

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I think I can now add the word ’embarrassed’ to others like ‘bored’ and ‘apathy’ in connection to comments attributed to Stevie Frail in the press about Hearts.

It seems that Frail now believes that captain Christophe Berra should be in line for a Scotland call-up if he continues to play like he has done recently. Now, it’s fair enough praising your players
in public if you think they’ve been playing well, but surely this is taking things just a little too far given the sort of season that we’ve been enduring?

I realise that Scotland aren’t exactly blessed with a plethora of world-beating centre-halves right now, but Berra has been very fortunate to even be in a poor Hearts side for long spells this season, let alone anything else. To me he is no more than a very average central defender, the sort that you generally see playing for most run-of-the-mill SPL sides. He does have his attributes of course, but then so do the likes of Lee Wilkie and Darren Dods, both of whom are players I would class as being at a similar level to Berra. In other words, capable enough but nowhere near international class, and it’s therefore unfair for him to have these unrealistic comments placed into the public domain. It’s only going to make him look stupid somewhere down the line, a bit like Stevie Fulton was after Billy McNeill compared him to Roberto Baggio!

Perhaps I’m being a little hard on Frail, who once again it would appear had very little of any substance to say to the media this weekend, hence this nonsense coming out. But really, is it not about time that a new policy of ‘only say something when you really feel the need to’ should be adopted by the club? I’m not sure I can take much more of this!

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MrH

Come on the famous!

8 comments

  • StockportJambo says:

    You’re not the only one. pal. Berra for Scotland… well… you’ve said it all really. He’s average at best. Because of his age, and the fact that he may develop into a better player, he could possibly be touted as being part of the 22-man squad – but he’s nowhere near good enough to be first pick for his country. Not yet at any rate.

  • Dalien says:

    Oh dear… Honestly I am beginning to sound like a supporter of any other team but Hearts with most of my comments. Berra is always going to be overrated as he learned from Pressley etc. I don’t even think he merits being in a 22 man squad but ho-hum what do I know.

  • StockportJambo says:

    The whole thing is about bigging the players up. We don’t have any Scottish internationals left (they’ve all either moved on or been forced out) so the management are scrambling to find someone… anyone… who can be Hearts’ stalwart in the national team, to give the team some identity that the fans can believe in. Sad fact is, Berra isn’t good enough and probably never will be. The only British player we have who might be worthy of a call-up for Scotland is Andy Driver – and he’s English. Lee Wallace maybe, but he’s inexplicably lower in the pecking order than bomb-scare “I’m-a-left-back-no-I’m-not!” Goncalves.

  • Specs Haver says:

    I agree its a very unfair comment from Stevie Frail. Berra probably has been our best performer this season – partly because he gets a regular game and partly because is is good defender. Unfortunately the chopping & changing of players around him has not done the team any favours, and that has shown his limitations as a captain. However he’s still a young lad (22 or 23), and a settled defence around him would be of enormous benefit to him I reckon – and it looks like Frail recognises that also. Remember how Elvis and Hartley were both late developers – both emerging from mediocrity in their late 20s. Personally I think Berra is doing pretty well – but not yet international standard. As for your suggestion (Stockport) that Driver would be wotrthy of a Scotland call-up …. well, I have to disagree. The boy certainly has skill and talent – but (in my opinion) he’s destined to be a “nearly” player unless a strong manager gets a hold of him and boots him up the *rse. He doesn’t do nearly enough work for the team – and doesn’t put his talent to best use.

  • MrH says:

    Driver would have no chance of an England call-up that’s for sure!

  • Dalien says:

    Aapparently though Driver is going to become the latest member of Celtic 11-man midfeid.

  • hoopymo says:

    heard that as well, but remember when he was linked with rangers as well

  • MrH says:

    That would be typical of their nonsensical signing policy these days.

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