Pocognoli insists he won't beg players to play for Scotland

Sebastien Pocognoli is adamant that he won't beg players to play for Scotland.

The Belgian named his first squad as national team manager on Tuesday with half of the 28 players he selected not involved at the World Cup under his predecessor Steve Clarke.

There are seven uncapped members of the party - Robbie Ure, Luis Binks, Colby Donovan, Luke Graham, Stephen Welsh, Josh McPake and keeper Jon McCracken.

Overlooked by Clarke since March 2021, Oli McBurnie is recalled on the back of scoring 19 goals for Hull City last season with Sergej Jakirovic's side now sitting fourth in the Premier League. Scott Bain, Kieron Bowie, Lennon Miller and James Wilson also return.

Pocognoli revealed that he made a point of phoning every one of the players who will travel to a training camp in Spain next week ahead of facing Slovenia in the Nations League the following Saturday.

Relating the conversation he had with Binks - a former England youth international who now plays centre-half for Danish side Brondby - the Belgian made it clear that he's not going to waste time trying to persuade players to wear Dark Blue if their heart isn't in it.

'I think the most important thing is that I don't need to convince players to represent their country,' said Pocognoli.

'For me it's timing, the timing was right with him. We can avoid the topic about many players who can eventually be there for the same situation.

'But the feeling and the timing about him was the right one. But if I have to convince players to represent Scotland, he will not be there.'

Asked specifically about the cases of Harvey Barnes and Hayden Hackney, both born in England yet still eligible to play for Scotland, Pocognoli replied: 'Like I said, it's about timing. Just about the feeling.

'And the doors are never closed. So, we will see in the future. But we just need to feel if it's the right timing or not.'

The former manager of Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco, Pocognoli took the unusual step of calling every one of the 28 players who'll also be vying to face Switzerland and North Macedonia in a quadruple-header.

Explaining his reasoning, he added: 'I do not usually do it because I normally work with clubs, but I had the experience with the (Belgian) youth team when I tried to connect with my players.

'The camp is five days and the first days, the first approach, the first eye contact can give a lot of advantages. I did that over the last two days and they all reacted well.

"It wasn't just 'you are selected, I will see you'. It was informal conversations. I will continue to do this in the camp.'

Selected by the SFA after Clarke stepped down following the World Cup, Pocognoli revealed that he'd a lengthy discussion with the man he replaced ahead of his first squad announcement.

Encouraged by the words of the man who led the side for seven years, the Belgian said: "For me, it was important to speak with him. I contacted him and he was open to have a discussion.

'It was class from him, and I was very happy to have that 10-minute conversation.

'We talked about the national team, the culture. It was not about talking about what was working and what was not. What happened in the past was fantastic, but I need to make my own perception.

'But he was talking about his own experience and what it means to represent Scotland. And he was really positive about me and very kind, to be honest. I think we will see him around the stadium which is right given what he achieved in the past."