I was sick with envy watching Scotland at Euro 24

SAYS STEVEN NAISMITH

- BY KEITH JACKSON

STEVEN NAISMITH doesn't mind admitting it.

When he had to walk away from Steve Clarke's Scotland setup in order to concentrate on managing Hearts, he was sick with jealousy at missing out on the European Championships.

Which is why, second time around, his whole focus is solely on reaching the next World Cup and scratching an itch that’s been bothering him for almost 20 years, since he first broke into the international scene as a player.

“There was real jealousy there,” Naismith said, when asked about his decision to leave Clarke's camp midway through a successful qualification campaign for last summer's big one in Germany.

“At the time we were just on the back of beating Spain at home. It's a significant moment - you go, ‘If we do what we have been doing, we'll make it’.

“Id missed out as a player. You're coming to the end of your time and youre trying to hang on and you don't make it.

“Tve spent the last 20 years thinking about it from a player's point of view, you get the opportunity at coaching.

“These are these moments in football that come along and you've got to make the decision. I made it.

“Fortunately the manager has seen that I can add value at the moment.

“Again, it is slightly different, the condensed period that this is - we could be sitting in three months’ time at a World Cup! What a target that is to have for three months’ hard work’

Naismith is also more than happy to concede that working under Clarke has played a huge part in his own education as a coach.

This time, he’s hoping the partnership will go the distance - all the way to Canada, Mexico and the USA.

The hard yards begin in Copenhagen on Friday night with a Group C opener against Denmark.