Through Sheffield Wednesday spectacles, Scotland sit-outs have been a crying shame

It’s no small number and is a tally only a select few will ever reach. Playing for your country that many times is an elite sporting achievement some bona fide football icons never managed in the blue of Scotland; Alan Hansen won three European Cups but only 26 international run-outs, Jimmy Johnstone ended on 23, Ian St John 21 and Eddie Gray a head-scratching 12. John Robertson was described by Brian Clough as the ‘Picasso of football’ yet played only once more for Scotland than Bannan.

Watching Scotland labour to another group stage exit at the European Championships in the last fortnight will not have been much of a chore for the majority of Star readers, you’d suspect. But homeward they are, out without registering a gallop in an attacking sense all tournament. It seems to have been something of a British endemic this summer.

Opta’s post-match stat pack provides reading that’d either make you want to bile yer heed or boogie to, depending on your outlook and on what side of Hadrian’s Wall you reside; “There have only been two instances at Euro 2024 of a team failing to have a shot in the first half of a match and both have been Scotland – on MD 1 vs Germany and tonight vs Hungary.

“Scotland had just 17 shots at Euro 2024 in total – since the group stage was introduced in 1980, that is the joint fewest by a nation in a group stage, along with Northern Ireland at Euro 2016.”

By Bannan’s own admission when asked of his international credentials in 2021, midfield is not Scotland’s primary dearth of talent and hasn’t been for ‘a wee while’. A scour down the midfield section of their squad list shows the technically-gifted Rangers man Ryan Jack (20 caps) as the only player with less than 30 appearances in front of the Tartan Army and there’s no divine right for Bannan to be in there with six of their eight midfield operators playing in top tier football and the other two having been involved in the Championship play-offs.

But through the eyes of those who watch Sheffield Wednesday regularly, you couldn’t help but feel Bannan could have - just maybe - made a difference even at the age of 34. Those same eyes looking at failed campaigns gone by since he made his last Scotland outing in October 2017 - a few years on from Darren Fletcher suggesting he could go on to be Scotland’s ‘Xavi, Iniesta or Paul Scholes’ - would certainly suggest a place could have been there for him in the right environment.

What of Liam Palmer, who was overlooked as potential right-back cover with Anthony Ralston? The preferred Celtic back-up was without a minute of senior football since February. He battled hard but ultimately cost Scotland with an errant back pass that surrendered their lead against Switzerland. With hindsight, squinting hard through blue and white tinted specs, perhaps there was a more dependable option in South Yorkshire.

As a second Euros involvement for Scotland ends in disappointment, it leaves a feeling that while qualification was a monumental achievement in itself, the boys from north of the border could have put on a better show.

In a September 2019 conversation with The Star, Bannan hinted politely at a frustration over ‘pointless trips’ he had been involved in where international duty had been and gone without him stepping off the bench. He spoke philosophically about the competition for caps in his position and pointed out that his priorities had maybe shifted just a touch since the birth of the first of his two children.

“If I knew I was going to play every time the internationals came around that would be the best thing in the world,” he said. He’s passionate about his country and has described international involvement as the greatest honour.

The time has long since gone. But whatever the reasoning, it’s hard to shake the feeling Barry Bannan’s unique skillset could have unlocked doors for Scotland in years gone by. His competitive international debut raised a man of the match gong and a standing ovation from the Hampden Park crowd. His last appearance came when he was just 26 years old.

As it has happened, Bannan has been able to use those times to recuperate to the benefit of his club. That he’ll end his career with 27 international caps seems a shame for all involved - except Sheffield Wednesday.