Vogts holds fire before naming squad

Scotland manager Berti Vogts today named a skeleton squad for the Euro 2004 double-header with Iceland and Lithuania - and admitted…

Scotland manager Berti Vogts today named a skeleton squad for the Euro 2004 double-header with Iceland and Lithuania - and admitted he was still undecided about who else deserved a call-up.

Just 18 players were named today ahead of the visit of Iceland a week on Saturday and the German is still mulling over the squad's final composition.

A number of players are in the frame but they have either not been playing enough club football recently or not impressed when under the German's scrutiny.

As a result, Vogts has vowed to wait until Sunday night before picking up the phone.

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He said: "I have a lot of players on stand-by. Now only 18 players are nominated and there is a match tonight and other matches on Saturday and Sunday.

"On Sunday I will watch the cup match between Dunfermline and Rangers. Maybe five of six players will join us from the stand-by list."

Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson, Rangers quartet Steven Thompson, Neil McCann, Maurice Ross and Bob Malcolm, Celtic duo Jamie Smith and Jackie McNamara, Preston defender Graham Alexander and Newcastle's Stephen Caldwell were all left off the initial squad list despite featuring against the Republic of Ireland in Brian Kerr's opening match last month.

Scotland

Alexander (Cardiff), Douglas (Celtic), Gallacher (Dundee Utd), Caldwell (Newcastle), Dailly (West Ham), S Pressley (Hearts), Webster (Hearts), Wilkie (Dundee), Cameron (Wolves), Gemmill (Everton), Devlin (Birmingham), Ferguson (Rangers), Lambert (Celtic), Naysmith (Everton), Crawford (Dunfermline), Dickov (Leicester), Hutchison (West Ham), Miller (Wolves)