Boab Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 THERE'S a new kid on the block and the old boys he could elbow out of the record books could not be happier. Denis Law and Willie Henderson will find themselves overtaken as the youngest players in the modern era to have been capped by Scotland if George Burley throws a jersey to Rangers prodigy John Fleck for the World Cup qualifier in Amsterdam next month. On Monday, Burley indicated his willingness to cap Fleck against the Dutch if he continues to show the form he has displayed for his club in recent weeks and the teenager would become the second-youngest Scot of all time to don the dark blue. If Fleck gets the nod on March 28, he will be 17 years, seven months and four days old. To beat that you'd have to go back to 1886 to find Queen's Park's John Lambie - not the cursing, smoking, legendary Partick Thistle pigeon racer (or maybe it is) - who was four months younger when capped for Scotland against Ireland. But Fleck would make history by overtaking Law and Henderson, previously the two youngest Scotland players since they stopped lacing upfootballs. Manchester United striking legend Law might live south of the border but he gets Scottish papers and watches any SPL games shown in London, so heis already aware of the impact Fleck has made at such a tender age. And the man who scored on his debut - the first of 30 goals in 55 games - againstWales in October 1958 at 18 years, seven months and 24 days old believes age should prove no barrier to the Rangers starlet. Law, now 68, said: "Obviously, Fleck hasn't been in the Rangers team for long, so I haven't seen that much of him but I like what I have seen and I know he is making quite an impact in Scotland from the Scottish papers. "We all like young talent coming through and in this boy we might have unearthed someone exceptional. I certainly hope so because we need all the good players we can find. "If George Burley is considering him for the Holland game I don't have aproblem with that because if you are good enough, you are old enough. "I was only 16 when Bill Shankly gave me my debut for Huddersfield Town in 1956, so obviously I believe in giving young players a chance. "Two years later I was playing for Scotland. That was a huge thrill for an 18-year-old and I was lucky enough to score in my first game against Wales. "I was also lucky to have a lot of experienced pros around me - guys like Tommy Docherty and Bobby Collins talked me through the game. "Having several Rangers players in the squad should help him settle." Law knows Fleck will be nurtured properly at Ibrox under the guidance of manager Walter Smith. The former Manchester United star said: "Walter is like Alex Ferguson in that he knows how to look after players. Fergie has brought through Old Trafford talent like Beckham, Scholes and Giggs for about 150 years and he protects them brilliantly. "Walter will be the same. He won't let young Fleck get ahead of himself. "I'm sure he'll go on to have a great career and if he does get a cap at just 17 nobody will be happier than me." Ex-Rangers winger Henderson, now 64, won the first of his 29 caps at 18 years, eight months and 25 days old. Again, Wales were the opposition and again, the teenage debutant scored in a Scotland victory. Henderson, who still works on the matchday corporate hospitality side of Rangers' business, said: "I know young John is getting a lot of publicity at the moment and I hope he goes on to live up to the hype. From what I've seen, he isn't short of confidence and has no fear. I like that. "The other week I enjoyed seeing him winning that penalty against Dundee United, then getting up and demanding to take it. "It wasn't as if the score was 3-0 at the time and the game was over. It was 0-0 and it was a crucial moment yet Fleck showed he has a lot of bottle. "If George thinks he can do a job against Holland, I am sure he will use him and not even think about age. That's what happened when I first got called into the Scotland team. I was only 18 but had no fear. "I also had really good men looking out for me. Bobby Shearer was a great help and John White and Dave Mackay - fantastic players - went out of their way to make me welcome. He'll definitely get all the guidance he needs at club level because Walter and Ally McCoist are different class. "On the pitch, he'll have the likes of David Weir making him a better player and he will need help because it's far harder for young players these days. "I had a lot of publicity when I was breaking through but that's magnified 100 times now and it is harder for boys to stay on the straight and narrow, especially when they are earning the kind of money going around now. "But Fleck looks like he is on the right road. Walter has known him since he was 14 and if he thinks he's got a chance I'll go along with that. "McCoist has done everything in the game. He knows all the tricks and pitfalls and while there's a jocular side to him, Ally can be hard when he has to be. "He wouldn't hesitate to haul a player into line if he felt it was needed. That's what John needs right now." http://www.<No links to this website>/football/spl/...86908-21114205/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralCartmanLee Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I wish they would just let Fleck get on with it without all this ridiculous hype, I hope the boy is level headed because the press is over the top. I can’t imagine what it is going to be like after he scores the winner on Sunday……….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvager Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I wish they would just let Fleck get on with it without all this ridiculous hype, I hope the boy is level headed because the press is over the top. I can’t imagine what it is going to be like after he scores the winner on Sunday……….. Will be GREAT!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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