Scotland assistant manager John Carver has dismissed fears that a change of training base could allow the national team’s opponents to spy on them ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Scotland have moved from Oriam outside Edinburgh to Lesser Hampden in Glasgow due to concerns over the state of the playing surface they used at the national performance centre.
The former Leeds United and Newcastle United coach has been impressed with the condition of the pitch at Queen’s Park’s ground, which is being redeveloped at a cost of £8m, this week.
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The Englishman admitted that Steve Clarke’s training sessions can now be seen by people in the tenement flats which overlook the South Side venue.
However, Carver is unconcerned about onlookers posting videos on social media websites or rival managers being able to find out about team formation or tactics before big games.
“We came up and looked at the facility a good few months ago,” he said as he looked ahead to the Group A opener against Cyprus at Hampden tomorrow.
“I was so enthralled. The pitch was so nice and the plans they had were so impressive that I didn’t actually realise there were flats behind one of the goals.
“People were saying: ‘They’ll be watching us training’. I didn’t even notice that because I was so fixated on the pitch and what they were going to do to the place.
“I think we will be quite clever with it. Don’t worry about it, we will be quite clever with it. We are quite good at mixing things up.”
Carver sparked controversy earlier this week when he described the pitches at the £33m Oriam complex as “a safety hazard”.
But he believes that training in the shadow of Hampden will have a positive impact on Andy Robertson and his team mates ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain.
“You have got Hampden right there,” he said. “The national stadium is right there. So what an inspiration. You are training every day looking at it.
“Willie (businessman Haughey) and Queen’s Park and their staff are desperate to help the national team. They want us to be successful, they want the best facilities, they want everything right.
“It is amazing. Hopefully we can get the whole of Scotland behind us like that.”
