'Vital for Scotland that Griffiths and McLeish make up' says McCulloch

Griffiths withdrew from the current Scotland squad after claiming that he needed to take time to himself to improve his fitness. 

He opted to miss his nation's fixtures against Israel and Portugal, feeling that his time would be better spent conducting a personal fitness program, much to the annoyance of his teammates and the coaching staff. 

Manager McLeish publicly insisted that there were no underlying issues between himself and Griffiths after the withdrawal, although it was admitted that the striker was unhappy at playing a substitute role in Scotland's match against Albania last month. 

 

October 8, 2018

Now former Rangers and Scotland fan favourite Lee McCulloch has spoken out against the rift, stating that the men had to put their issues aside  "for the greater good of the country", as they hope to qualify for the European Championships in 2020 via the UEFA Nations League tournament.

McCulloch is not convinced by the Scotland manager's denial of a rift, and has stated his belief that there is a deeper issue between the pair, saying of striker Griffiths: "  His country needs him. He's a natural goal-scorer that we haven't really got at the moment."

The former Rangers man called for a quick resolution to the fighting, saying: ""So let's put our differences to the side and let's do it for the greater good of the country. Let's get them both around the table, have a chat, and hopefully get him in the squad for the next game."

Manager McLeish is already under pressure after just eight games back at the Scotland helm; the team having suffered five defeats in their last six matches under his stewardship.

However ex-international McCulloch, who played under McLeish during his first spell as national manager, believes that McLeish will turn things around for Scotland: "There is hope. We can still finish top of the (Nations League) group. We've got some fantastic players in our squad - it's just getting them to gel together. It was never going to happen at the click of a finger when the new manager comes in. It's a tough job."