Scotland duty is a labour of love

I flew to Croatia with the squad, but my wife went into labour the day before the game. I spoke to Craig Brown and then jumped on the first plane back home, arriving all of 10 minutes before my wee girl was born. Kevin Gallacher scored for us in a 1-1 draw and I remember the episode well because, quite simply, I wouldn't have missed a Scotland game for anything else. Even if I was carrying a knock I still tried to play for my country.

Scotland are back in Zagreb for a World Cup qualifier on Friday night and, let's be honest, we all knew there would be call-offs for this one. I know what it's like to play in end-of-season games like this, such as the one in Belarus in 1997, where you had to stay fit beyond the end of the season and train for an extra three weeks.

Two or three of the boys have genuine medical reasons for not being involved. As for the rest, I don't like having a go at players but can only say I think more would have turned up if it had been an important game. I am not saying playing for Scotland doesn't mean a lot to these players, because it does. But I would like to see a bit more commitment from some of them.

I am not surprised Kris Commons has been getting it in the neck for flying off to Las Vegas just days after retiring from international duty to spend more time with his family and no doubt there will be a few people questioning how the fixture can clash with Charlie Mulgrew's wedding. He must have known the game was coming because these fixtures were unveiled 18 months ago.

Although Charlie was only in and out of the team under Craig Levein when the section was drawn, everyone knows the dates and I genuinely think Charlie could form part of the spine of Gordon Strachan's team. We are crying out for a centre-half and Charlie can also play left-back, left midfield or centre midfield. It isn't so much a result we need on Friday night as a performance. With all the chopping and changing, and new players coming in, the national team is a bit all over the place just now. There were wholesale changes for the Wales game, then big changes again for the Serbia match and we didn't play well in either of them.

I am a very upbeat person by nature and usually go into a game thinking we can win, but I really wonder where we are with Scotland right now. Gordon has called up Steven Hammell and Gordon Greer to his squad. While I would never grudge these guys a cap – they have done well in their careers with the attributes they have – I can't help feeling they are stand-ins, and will not to be involved in the Strachan regime going forward.

I'd like to see a core developing of maybe six players, but I don't think we are in a position for that to happen at the moment in terms of personnel, team structure or shape. I hope Leigh Griffiths plays because Gordon is going to need a new generation coming through and any experience they can get is a help.

We won't beat Croatia – we will be lucky to take a point – and we then play England away, Belgium at home, Macedonia away and Croatia at home so there is a real possibility of a damaging run of defeats and a slide into pot five for future qualifying campaigns. It is unfair, I know, but I am already wondering how long Gordon will get before people start to question him and to wonder where is our next victory is coming from.

RANGERS fans must be delighted they have some sort of figurehead back in charge who they can trust, in the form of Walter Smith. Some odd characters have been through the club in the last three or four years, but the board have obviously agreed it is time to get a bit of stability back.

Rangers are still in turmoil, but hopefully Smith's appointment as non-executive chairman is the start of their problems being sorted out.