THERE will be few who call Lee Wallace a nerd.
The select bunch will be marked by reckless stupidity and will not be wingers in the lower leagues of the Scottish game.Wallace, the Rangers full-back, is strong, focused and direct in action and word.
The 26-year-old's considerable physical attributes have elevated him from the third tier of Scottish football into Gordon Strachan's squad for the World Cup qualifying match against Croatia on Tuesday but if there is mild surprise in the outside world at this elevation any Scottish shock would be reserved for Wallace's description of himself.
"I am actually quite a geek. I am relentless, I am borderline insane when it comes to studying and research," he said yesterday. The subject of Wallace's reflections was coaching and the player was bright and animated on his passion and where it hopes it will take him.
His study project on Ajax for his B licence was stimulated by how the Dutch club plays the game, with Wallace conceding with a grin: "I will give Neil Lennon a bell if he wants. If he gives me his email address, I can email it over."
Lennon and Celtic, of course, face Ajax next in the group stages of the Champions League but Wallace has his individual priorities and they encompass success as a player at club and international level and a career beyond the playing field. "Hopefully, it will all pay off in 20 or 30 years' time," said Wallace of his work on his licence and his coaching duties with Heriot Vale, an Edinburgh amateur side.
The present and the immediate future, though, make considerable demands on his attentions. Wallace readily answered questions yesterday about how he faces the challenge of training and playing at a higher level. The defender, who came off the bench in the away victory against Macedonia, admitted: "There was the obvious step up in quality but I feel I can adapt to the tempo and the speed of training. I felt I trained fine the last time we met up."
He said there was a heightened "tempo and intensity" when training with international players but was not discomfited by the shift. Strachan recalled Wallace after Craig Levein, the previous manager, had concerns about selecting a player from a lower division.
Wallace was not deterred by this verdict but was encouraged by Strachan's confidence in him. "That gave me a fighting chance," he said. "I've always tried to do as best as I can at Rangers."
He explained why he continues to play at the club. "Part of the reason I went there was to win trophies and be successful," he said. "Circumstances dictated otherwise with the club going into administration and then being liquidated. But I've still got a great chance of doing that. I managed to get the first title last year which I hold in great regard. It was my first as a footballer and my first for Rangers. Hopefully, it's the first of many and that will justify my decision long term."
Wallace is convinced he is a better player than the one who signed for Rangers from Hearts in 2011. He struggles to pinpoint specifics but knows he is a more mature player and personality than the one who could find trouble on and off the pitch as a youngster. He has also come back from a serious knee injury sustained in a match against Liechtenstein in 2010.
"I feel more confident in myself. When I used to come to Scotland squads when I was at Hearts, there was always that wee feeling of was I quite right to be involved at this level of football," he said. "I feel I've matured and that's given me the confidence and belief that I can come into international football knowing if I give it my best, I'll be happy. It justifies my decision to stay at the club."
His coaching is also offering fulfilment. He has been working with players at Heriot Vale for three years and that experience has been highly educational.
"It has had a huge benefit for me. It has given me a great platform and a great way to look at what works and what does not work and what the players enjoy. It makes it easier that half the team is made up of my pals."
He added: "I am hungry to learn." These classes continue at the elite level at Scotland sessions where Wallace questions other players on the ideas of their managers while observing with admiration the work of Strachan and his assistants Mark McGhee and Stuart McCall.
Of Heriot Vale, he said: "They are sitting top of the league just now. We got promoted two years ago and finished second last year and this is as high as you can go in this particular league. It's the LEAFA , the top amateur league.
"We are playing 4-1-3-2 at the minute, I love it. It is difficult for my friends sometimes sitting in a dressing room listening to me but they have got a bit of respect and they have been tremendous."
His homework on the B licence has been handed in for assessment. If he passes, Wallace will enrol on the A licence course in the summer. His study of Ajax began with an interest in Frank de Boer, the manager of the Dutch champions who also played for Rangers in 2004.
"Everyone knows they are renowned for a philosophy and a way of playing so I thought it would be good to touch upon them," he said. "I learned a lot and it was encouraging. Whereas some people might not enjoy the written work and the laptop work I am quite a geek on that front, I enjoyed it."
He craves the opportunity to be involved against Croatia. "It's still an ambition of mine to play against world-class players." The swot is desperate for play time.
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