Booze ban no bother for Scotland

Scotland’s players will have no problem complying with manager Craig Levein’s decision to ban alchohol while they are on international duty according to striker James McFadden.

Last year, Scotland’s failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup was compounded when former captain Barry Ferguson and Rangers keeper Allan McGregor were banned from international duty following an all-night drinking session between two World Cup qualifiers and a subsequent furore over obscene gestures they made to photographers.

But those punishments were imposed when former manager George Burley was in charge and Levein has since made it clear the bans no longer apply, although neither Ferguson nor McGregor is in the squad for Wednesday’s friendly against the Czec Republic here at Hampden Park.

However, Levein has banned his players from having alcoholic drinks while on Scotland duty and Birmingham striker McFadden said Monday: “I don’t think anyone has any major problems not being able to have a drink.

“We are only here for a short period of time.

“I think it’s right to have a drink at the right times, if you want to because some players don’t drink at all. But the manager has his own way of doing things and the players will stick to that.”

McFadden is confident that under Levein, Scotland can enjoy the forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifying campaign which begins with an away trip to Lithuania in September as Scotland look to get through to a major competition for the first time since the 1998 World Cup in France.

The Czech Republic are also in Scotland’s group as are European champions Spain and Liechtenstein.

“We have always had a decent bunch of players but we need to believe,” McFadden said. “We need to believe and we need to have confidence, it’s a big part of football.

“If you are playing with confidence, it’s easier, you play better.

“We just need to put what’s happened in the past behind us and carry on.

“Obviously we need to win more games and get more points.

“But we need to be hard to beat and make sure we are battling for every ball and every point.”