If Gordon McQueen wanted to have an impact with his words about Scottish-born footballers playing for Ireland, he is having the desired effect.
The former Scotland defender's belief that Aiden McGeady and James McCarthy should be given a horrible reception when Ireland face Scotland at Celtic Park this Friday has led to uproar.
It also led Sky Sports News to look at the number of Ireland players born outside this country today:
The Republic of Ireland take on Scotland this Friday. Here is a breakdown of their squads places of birth #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/ITcVPk7M2k
— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) November 12, 2014
Predictably that did not go down well on Twitter, with timely reminders that the England cricket and rugby teams should also be under the microscope, if Ireland are put under this scrutiny.
However, Sky did take a glance at the Scotland squad and there can be no denial that a significant proportion of their players were also born outside their home nation:
And here is a look at the Scotland squad: #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/syGIDZlPRP
— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) November 12, 2014
As Glaswegian manager Owen Coyle - who also played for Ireland - emphasised on Off The Ball, critics from a Scotland perspective are being "hypocritical" when it comes to their negative views of McGeady and McCarthy given the number of non-Scottish-born players in the Scotland ranks.
