Stewart welcomes Scotland return

* Ewan Murray

Given that he won his previous three international caps under the inauspicious Berti Vogts regime, it is little wonder Michael Stewart refused to panic after Scotland's uninspiring goalless draw with Northern Ireland on Wednesday.

The Hearts midfielder, who has been plagued by claims of underachievement and attitude problems since his younger days at Manchester United, returned to the Scotland scene after a six-year absence. His impressive, 20-minute cameo appearance was one of the few positives George Burley could gleam from the Hampden encounter.

"I'm well aware myself what I can do and where I should be," said Stewart. "I try not to listen too much to what everybody has to say. I'm only 27 years old and I've got plenty time ahead of me. Hopefully that's the first step back to keeping myself in there."

Stewart is aware of how his career has stuttered since leaving Old Trafford and the subsequent impact on his claims for international recognition. "You want to be involved but I wasn't stupid. I knew from where my career was that I wasn't going to be involved.

"Paul Hartley was 28 or 29 when he broke on to the international scene and he's done tremendously well. That's maybe something I can emulate in the next few years."

One player who does not have such time on his side is David Weir. The 38-year-old, like Stewart, was a late call-up to Burley's squad for the Northern Ireland match amid a growing sense that he may have been subtly retired from Scotland duty. Now, Weir has his sights firmly set on retaining his place for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Iceland even if he concedes that is far from a foregone conclusion.

"Time will tell if I'm involved and that's the manager's decision," said Weir. "We will have to see how it develops but I would love to be involved. I am available. That's how it is and that's how it's been for a while. I enjoy playing for my country. But I understand how it is and have to be realistic. I know I'm not going to be here forever. I want to play as long as I can and enjoy it as long as I can. If the manager makes a decision then I understand it."

Weir also played down Scotland's display against the Northern Irish, stressing Burley's team will be fully prepared for the qualifying ties. "There's an edge to competitive games," he added. "There's a spark, the crowd's got an extra spark and the atmosphere's that much better. It means more no matter how you dress it up."

Taken from the Guardian/Observer