I’ll show Strach – Mac
Wigan's James McArthur celebrates Franco Di Santo's goal against Stoke
JAMES McArthur is hoping to hit the ground running tonight in Gordon Strachan’s first game as Scotland manager.
Gary Caldwell has been forced to pull out of the squad through injury and returned to Wigan for treatment. But there will still be two Latics representatives with Shaun Maloney also in there.
And McArthur admits the Scots will not be lacking in motivation trying to catch the eye of the new gaffer.
“With it being Gordon’s first game, we’ll all be trying to impress him,” McArthur told the Evening Post.
“Everyone has a new slate when there’s a new gaffer, and we all want to show him what we can do.
“He’ll obviously have an understanding of the team he wants to put out and the way he wants to play. But we’ll all be going there to train well and play well and hopefully impress him.”
McArthur and Maloney are two of nine Wiganers away on international duty this midweek, which has played havoc with Roberto Martinez’s preparations for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea.
James McCarthy, Ireland’s newly-crowned Young Player of the Year, will start against Poland, while Jean Beausejour and Angelo Henriquez are in Spain for Chile’s friendly against Egypt.
Franco di Santo is hoping to win his second cap for Argentina during their friendly in Sweden, while the other three representatives are rather more far-flung.
Ali Al Habsi is back in Oman, who face Syria, while Maynor Figueroa and Roger Espinoza will play together for Honduras for the first time as Wigan players against the USA. Filip Orsula, meanwhile, is in the Slovakia Under-21 squad.
The contingent would be more but for the injuries to Caldwell, Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay) and Ryo Miyaichi (Japan), while Fraser Fyvie has been forced to pull out of the Scotland Under-21 party.
Arouna Kone completes the set, although the striker is on his way back to Wigan after the Ivory Coast’s elimination from the African Nations Cup.
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Weather for Wigan
Sunday 19 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
