Ryan Christie says Scotland are taking the hurt of Euro 2024 into their World Cup campaign. Scotland are on their way to the tournament for the first time since 1998, and Christie thinks the mood in camp is less about nerves than a point to prove. Steve Clarke has also signed a new four-year contract, while Billy Gilmour's injury has forced a late change.

Why Christie thinks the mood has shifted

Christie did not dress it up. “Some of that comes from the Germany Euros in terms of coming away and there was a lot more of a feeling of not giving a true representation of ourselves,” he told dailyrecord.co.uk. “It still hurts when you feel like you've let yourselves down a bit.”

That is the backdrop for the line that matters most. “That chip on our shoulder will definitely help us going into this World Cup when we're desperate to really show how good a team we are,” Christie said. He added that Scotland are “desperate to go over there, give a good account of ourselves, be successful and get out of the groups.”

Steve Clarke said this is the third tournament this group has been at, but the target is bigger than participation. Scotland want to be the first Scottish team to get to the knockout stage, which gives the whole camp a clear edge. Christie is not talking like a player trying to lower expectations, he is talking like one who believes frustration can sharpen the group.

The squad picture is still changing

The other story running through the camp is the late reshuffle after Billy Gilmour was injured in Saturday's friendly win over Curaçao. Tyler Fletcher, 19, replaced the Napoli midfielder in the squad.

The numbers tell you how abrupt that move was. Fletcher had made just two senior substitute appearances totalling 17 minutes before the call-up. Kenny McLean backed the teenager strongly after seeing him up close, saying: “I can see something special in him.”

Scotland still go into the World Cup with a squad trying to turn a painful summer into something harder and cleaner. Christie is giving that idea some shape, and the first real test will come with the group stage starting from zero points, not sentiment.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →