World Cup - England kid gets Scotland call
England U20 international Matt Phillips has been called up by Scotland boss Craig Levein for his side's friendly international in Slovenia next week.
The Scottish Football Association is awaiting clearance from FIFA to select Blackpool winger Phillips, but expect to receive that this week.
Phillips, 20, was born in Aylesbury and has represented England at U19 and U20 level, but has opted to play for Scotland, for whom he qualifies through his grandparents.
Scotland manager Levein said of Phillips: "I’m very excited about the young lad. Great things are expected of him."
Phillips, who was a £325,000 buy from Wycombe Wanderers in August 2010, has already hit 15 goals this season from his 29 appearances.
The 20-year-old has replaced Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam as the club's key man, and Seasiders manager Ian Holloway had to fight off bids from Cardiff for the winger last month.
Holloway had previously championed Phillips for England duty when he said: "He's English, he's 20, and he's improving all the time.
"I believe it's only a matter of time before we either get good enough to keep Matt or someone else comes in who deserves him.
"I think they (Cardiff) were a little bit ambitious there, if he goes anywhere it'll be one of the top five clubs in the country."
Charlie Mulgrew was also called up by Levein with his cause championed by Celtic manager Neil Lennon after he scored during his side's 5-0 win against Hibernian on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon has won his first call-up in almost 12 months.
Full squad: Gilks (Blackpool), Gordon (Sunderland), McGregor (Rangers); Bardsley (Sunderland), Berra (Wolves), Caldwell (Wigan), Hanley (Blackburn), Hutton (Aston Villa), Martin (Norwich), Mulgrew (Celtic); Adam (Liverpool), Bannan (Aston Villa) Brown (Celtic), Cowie (Cardiff), Dorrans (West Brom), Forrest (Celtic), Morrison (West Brom), Phillips (Blackpool), Robson (Middlesbrough); Goodwillie (Blackburn), Mackail-Smith (Brighton), Mackie (QPR), Miller (Cardiff), Snodgrass (Leeds).
Comment 94 - 113 of 113
I have Irish blood on one side and qualify to play for Ireland, but i class myself as English and would NEVER play for another country.
Thats the trouble with England, to many people ready to jump for 30 peices of silver.
RE Comments 101 & 102 - At least we were at the bloody finals, more than you jocks have managed for several years! And even if you do fluke an appearance you go home after the first round.
That the same Euro 2012 that Scotland hasn't qualified for when was the last time you did qualify for anything, lets face it N.Ireland have got closer then you lot, Phillips is a good young player but is not a premier league player yet to inconsistant, it shows how bad Scottish football has become that they have to rely on English born players to get them anywere close to qualifying for any major tournement, i wonder what would happen if Stuart Pearce called up Jordan Rhodes who after all was born in England, bet there would be a major outcry from the Scots then, and then they would probberly understand were alot of English fans are coming from.
112 / can't spell & can't put forward anything constructive .
yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn & YAWN .
@ 102 .Yeah he is lowering himself.The kids has the owrld at his feet he is in a different league to any of the other england young wingers.But hes obviously impatient or billy big time and thinks he should be playing sooner than he really should.So yeah as i say he is lowering himself,to be associated with Scotland in any way shape or form is lowering yourself.Never said england will win anything they are under achievers and lack the only thing you scots have-guts!But sayng that they will be @ every major tournament for the forseeable future and if your in it you have a chance.Unforutnately he cant wait and as a result now wont ever make a tournament unless 18 nations have there fottballers legs chopped off!!Lets say he gets another call tomorrow from England, he would jump @ the chance whch goes to prove his ego makes him think hes ready now which he isnt.Your welcome to him, with england he would imrove and becme a world beater in their set up,with scotland he'll end up eating fried marsbars on the shelf!
god this is soooo funny reading all the comments from the english babies who have thrown all there toys out of the pram , all because a guy want to play for scotland instead of england .
get a life you bunch of tossers .
HE HE its greats listening to all the jocks on here laughing at how bad we did in the last world cup when they could not even qualify, tell us when was the last time you or any of the other so called home nations qualifiy for anything,,,yeah thought so,,,sad scum, never won anything never will scotland the crappy little nation he he....
He obviously see's Independence looming and wants to be on the winning side with a new dynamic fair and prosperous country. Scotland wishes him well.
Lets face it he would never have gotten in the full england side, we have to many good youngsters coming through, so they are welcome to him,,he he,,sad that the scots have got to poach our rejects though,,a black englishman playing for the racist scots should be fun to watch.....
This guy is a @#$%.
Obviously the boy has no ambition.
of course engerland would never do this sort of thing would they , must have been my imagination that engerland picked owen hargreaves , john barnes , tery butcher & many others to play for them .
How embarrasing for the sweaties - snapped up one of our rejects - loving it.
The Scots should play in kilts.
@99 - He's not lowering himself. He just doesn't want to be associated with the team of duds that are going to crash out of the group stage of Euro 2012. I bet you were one of the people saying that England could win the World Cup in 2010. How I laughed when Germany whipped your backside. I laughed for a fortnight.
I think most English players would want to play for Scotland. If the 2010 World Cup is an indication of how fantastic the English team is then it's one big joke. What a hilarious and fantastic day it was when Germany trampled them into the turf in South Africa. Laugh? Of course I did.
Some harsh comments and undeserved. Ok lets look at the reverse the 1000's of 1000's of players from Scotland who have been snapped up by English clubs - why because the English Clubs needed good players to progress and so snapped up the Young Scots year after year after year - you know them -you cheered them on at your clubs and still do.Football Club Managersin England how many of the top Clubs through the years have had Scots steer them to Glory -you know them too Busby,Shankley, The Doc, Frank, George GrahamAlex Ferguson, Dalglish, Souness and so on etc. etc etc. When 1 young guy decides he would rather play for Scotland - it starts nationalistic uproar. Also to answer the question/statement that Scotland could never win the world cup -every Scot is aware that is most probable - but hey with over 10 times the selection of players that Scotland has England has only ever won it once - 'and that was hotly disputed after extra time at home' So give it a rest and cut out the stupid comments -its the lads life not yours - and HE CAN ACTUALLY PLAY FOOTBALL - which is probably more than those who decry him can!
Once a pround nation that produced the likes of Dalglish, Souness and Gemmill are know reduced to picking players like Gilks, Martin, Bardsley, Mackail-Smith and know Phillips, because they don't have enough good Scottish born players, i wonder what would happen if Phillips was named in the England squad on Thursday unlikely yes but would Phillips still chose Scotland then, i am sick tendous links oh he had Scottish granparents, whats next he ate an haggis or drunk Scottish Whisky, listen the whole thing is pathetic, Scotland will never win a world cup and are even struggling to make finals of major tournements, ok England aren't going to win anything soon but even the proudest Scot has to admit, England are more likely to win a major tournement then Scotland, i just wonder if England stole a good young Scottish player how the Scots would react?
Honestly-why on earth would someone with as much talent as this kid want to represent Scotland-the land of the alchy and the deep fried pizza!!@#$% me, hes gonna regret this in 5 years time when he could have been leading england in a major tournament instead he'll be playing in a friendly in zagreb cos again scotland havent qualified.......come on kid change your mind and dont lower yourself.!!
Well done lad, you'll get a game and hopefully you'll go far and you won't have some tit like capello barking at you or some div like Terry next to you trying to bone your missus.
Good move m8.
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