STEVEN NAISMITH firmly believes that Scotland are at least as good as Wales, and says that the national team can emulate their success by becoming regulars at major tournaments.
Naismith, who is now part of Steve Clarke’s coaching staff, was gutted that Scotland missed out on a place at the World Cup following their play-off semi-final defeat to Ukraine, who were then subsequently edged out by Rob Page’s side in Cardiff in Sunday's final.
The frustration from that defeat to Ukraine is heightened by Naismith’s belief that the Scots performed well below their capabilities on the night, and that this group of players could then have gone on to defeat Wales had they been playing at the level they have shown over the past couple of years.
“What they’ve got is probably slightly more experience,” Naismith said. “And they’ve got a group that is probably at the end point. That experience as a group is more than we’ve got.
“It’s small margins like that that make the difference at international level. Within the squad, there is still real confidence and there is still real belief.
“It’s got to be the aim [to emulate their success]. The manager is driven. That’s what the manager is saying.
“This is a setback. This is a disappointment. But we need to recognise how this feels and we need to recognise how getting to that Euros felt.
“Where do we want to be at the end of a campaign? That’s what’s got to be the driver.”
Naismith revealed that the Scotland players and staff have watched the Ukraine match back, and that has intensified the feeling that the game was an opportunity missed.
"The modern day footballer wants to watch it back, they want to learn and it's such a big part of modern day football,” he said.
“It's the disappointment that we didn't give ourselves the best chance. We didn't do what has consistently been there over that last three year period where the manager has come in.
"Even when the draw was made, you are sitting there and knowing it will be tough but that we have a chance of going through here.
"It's not as if we are pulling a group A team like when Scotland played Italy in a play-off and everyone thinking we'd have our backs to the wall.
“This wasn't like that so that's where the frustration comes from.”
