Glasgow will forever be the city associated with Scottish football.
Celtic and Rangers tend to win all the trophies every year, but there is a small team from Edinburgh this season that is leading the race in the best of the rest for the third spot: Heart of Midlothian FC.
Hearts won’t be challenging for the title, but third place looks a realistic option as Motherwell and Hibernian struggle along this campaign.
They may not have the following of the two big guns from Glasgow in Australia, but that could soon change with the transfer of yet another Australian.
Melbourne City’s Nathaniel Atkinson will be the club’s first signing in the January 2022 window, after his departure was announced earlier this week.
Atkinson has quickly established himself as one of the best right backs in Australia for the past few seasons and the boy from Tasmania will look to make an impact in Europe.
(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
If he needs any advice, all he has to do is ask compatriot Cameron Devlin.
Devlin had been expected to line up for the Newcastle Jets after coming off a career-best season with the Wellington Phoenix.
However, Hearts made the Jets an offer they couldn’t refuse and Devlin was on his way to the cold of south Scotland.
While locals were skeptical of the young, diminutive midfielder, he has quickly become one of the stars of their season.
Devlin has been a combative lynchpin in Scotland. Opta stats have him ranked near the top for midfielders in Scotland for defensive actions, possession-adjusted interceptions and defensive duels per 90 minutes.
Hearts fans have even started singing quite a funny, profanity-laden chant about Devlin, who surprisingly still hasn’t been called up for a maiden Socceroos cap yet.
Atkinson will be hoping this move will firmly establish himself as the number one for the national team’s right-back position.
Sydney FC’s Rhyan Grant appears to slowly being transitioned out of the team, while Bresica’s Fran Karacic and Maccabi Haifa’s Ryan Strain have had injury-plagued 2021 campaigns.
(Photo by Getty Images)
If Atkinson starts well at Hearts, the right-back position with the Socceroos looks his to lose.
Atkinson will become the 31st Australian player to have taken part in the Scottish Premiership – and his path to the first-choice right back at the club looks good with the incumbent Taylor Moore only being on a temporary loan deal from Bristol City.
Hearts manager Robbie Neilson is a big admirer of the mentality and hard work that Australian footballers are known for, and it would be no surprise to see him sign another Australian player in the next year or two.
Neilson’s main priority right now will be hoping his medical staff can help keep Atkinson fit after his injury-plagued start to this season in the A-League Men with Melbourne City.
Swapping the warmth of Australia’s summer for the blistering cold of Scotland’s winter could prove a challenge for the player whose body has struggled with soft-tissue injuries recently.
Scotland and Australia have a long, storied history together when it comes to football.
The Scots are now starting to take a closer look at the recruitment of players and coaches from Australia after the success of 2021.
Ange Postecoglou has won many admirers only several months into the Celtic head coach job and the resurgence of a hungry Tom Rogic has been a long time coming.
Cameron Devlin has been key to Hearts’ climb up the ladder and Martin Boyle has been his usual, consistent self with Hibernian.
Although Scottish football isn’t the most technical of leagues and many teams look like headless chickens running around, this is the first step into hopefully a long European career for Nathaniel Atkinson.
GRIFFO
Guest
Atkinson needs to be called up.to the senior national team asap. Karacic is historically a centreback not a right back. Its only since he has been at Parma over the last season that he is playing mostly as a right back. He would be a great CB and back up right back. Certainly better than Sainsbury. But Arnold insists on playing him.at right back. Der!
GRIFFO
Guest
Sorry about the typos.
GRIFFO
Guest
Folemi gave Aitkinson a very hard time in the derby. That was a good sign for the future of aussie soccer. Folemi was player of the match. Folemi is still only 21.
GRIFFO
Guest
There are visa restrictions for aust players that do not apply to Scottish players
GRIFFO
Guest
I agree. I was saying on social media weeks before the away game in the middle east against China it is a really dumb idea to fly overseas players to Aust then fly them back to the middle east after a game to play china who had already been in camp in the middle east for two weeks. Fatigue and jet lag would be serious disadvantage. If Arnold makes the same mistake against Oman he should be sacked because austs hopes of qualifying are seriously dashed. Managing players is as important as strategy.
GRIFFO
Guest
I think visa requirements are the biggest problems for Aust players not language. Mark Milligan said the biggest problem he faced playing in England was the visa requirenents. To get a visa to play in the EPL a non English player must play 80% of his national.teams games in one year. Milligan said injury always deprived him of getting the required 80% of Socceroos games to qualify for a visa. Likewise Arnold tecently said he was saving Azani's career. What he likely meant by that is that in order for Azani to stay in Man City's squad Azani had to be sel3cted for enough Socceroos games in order for his visa to he renewed so he could continue at Man City. So it is not the fact that aust players are nothing good enough. In my view Aitkinson is one of the best juniors in the world and he is still age eligible for uU23s. It is the visa requirements that are hurting the development of Aust players and inevitably the national team. This problem could have been addressed by the 'free trade' agreement ScuMo & Co recently sighed with the UK but doesn't seem to have been. Blame idiot ScuMo not the players or FFA.
stu
Guest
Does sound as though the deal breaker on going to continental europe or Scotland is based on 'language'. On the point of your last post, I can only agree that having Australian players play in leagues of a higher level than the SPL is preferable, however I think we may both concur that it is an 'if only' scenario as it highlights that they are simply not good enough when playing in the a-league to make that type of transition. Perhaps Australia needs the SPL more than the SPL needs Australia.
Harry Selassie
Roar Rookie
Well the point of my post was not to determine whether the SPL or A League is producing more candidates for the English Premier League. Frankly I don't care about that and the English Premier League is not the ultimate barometer. My point about preferring Australian players in places like Denmark, Belgium or Netherlands is in those leagues I believe Australian players can better develop their technical ability. I want current or prospective Socceroos improving their technical ability and playing in leagues which encourage technical play.
stu
Guest
'Language'... interesting. Nah, the A-league is simply not producing quality players into the SPL. However, the SPL are supplying quality Scottish players into the EPL rather than Australian players. Simply look at the current Scotland line up in regards to player club. The problem is not the SPL, it is the player talent. Hopefully that will change but first step would be to get rid of the rose coloured glasses, and secondly to stop blaming the SPL.
stu
Guest
Point is....there players are making a conscious decision to go there. To be clear, any fault does not rest with the SPL. If you need to cast any fault it should be fare and squarely with the player. The SPL has arguably provided more EPL players in more recent times than Australia, so hard to argue that Australia are providing better quality. It may also be a reasonable proposition to suggest the a-league is not as great as some may suggest.
Harry Selassie
Roar Rookie
I'm with Saffi, I'd prefer players in better technical leagues like in Denmark, Belgium or the Netherlands than in Scotland but let's be honest, it is the language which helps drive players to Scotland. I think Atkinson is a promising player but would have preferred he remain in the A League through the end of this season and then move to Europe during the Northern Hemisphere summer rather than mid season.
Saffi
Roar Rookie
I think Atkinson is a star. I thought he and Tilio were standouts in the game against Victory (and I’m a Victory member!). However, as far as Leagues, I’m a bigger fan of the Danish, Dutch and Belgian leagues for our younger players. Scotland is just too harsh. As others have said, Aussie kids do not have a good track record there and most times have regressed. Hope I’m. Wrong on this occasion.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Irvine would have played more if he stayed in Australia, look at the players who have gone to Soctland where is the technical improvement. Emerton for example was rough in the NSL in Holland he improved a lot. Martin Boyle even did the SPL do anything for him, he seemed to dominate lower levels scoring heaps of goals then got shunted aside for a while.
stu
Guest
Brainstrust, kicked off for him at age 16....his decision to stay so one would assume he was comfortable with it and during that time he played for his country. So his time in Scotland gave him game time and as a result he represented his country...is this an issue again caused by Scotland? Are you saying Australia is so bad that they would rely on a player playing in the SPL? You never know, all of the Australian team could be represented by players in the SPL!!
Nick Symonds
Guest
11 players plus a coach. I knew there was a lot happening in Scotland, but when you lay it out like that then you realise just how many links that there actually are. There was an Australian consortium trying to buy a club in England, but maybe they should try Scotland instead. There's also another consortium interested in Bohemians in Prague, led by John Didulica. - https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/czech-mate-aussie-consortium-in-talks-to-turn-prague-s-kangaroos-into-european-power-20210430-p57nv3.html
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Arnie is delusional, he failed because he flew his players from Europe mid week while Saudi Arabia flew in en masse on Saturday before and Chinese were in the Middle Eaast from the previous match. What is 1000% evident is Arnie has no grasp of logisitics, a good excuse maker but is clueless regards to logistics. Rogic is going great, but he is based in Scotland which is one of the worst places to come from to Australia in summer only Iceland would be a worse position. Mooy is playing again at least in China, Taggs when he has ever been a big player for the Socceroos and he is coming from surgery you wonder where Arnie mind is at in the clouds.
Nick Symonds
Guest
“Tommy, Aaron and Taggs - they’re all big players for us. Any time you have them out on the pitch together we’re going to benefit from that.” - Graham Arnold - https://www.ftbl.com.au/news/hes-an-amazing-talent-arnold-hails-socceroo-world-cup-saviour-in-waiting-574306
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
cant play together for the national team, but playing together in a club side is different
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
rogic & postecoglou at celtic atkinson & devlin at hearts millar at st mirren boyle at hibernian cummins at dundee maynard-brewer at ross country then you've got mcgowan, lennox, baynham and miller in the lower divisions im probably missing a few more names, but thats already a sizeable australian contingent in scotland this season
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
its a dumb move in my opinion, Celtic was great for Viduka because it was a top team who could run all over the opposition and do all the running for him, he came fully developed. If you look at what Scotland did to Jackson Irvine he was better in the Australia youth teams technically , so many years in Scotland did nothing for him. I dont know how a rich club like city would sell to Hearts either its embarassing. Karacic is a dud at right back defensively, he should be the one to go from the squad for starters. The biggest issue I see is the complete insanity of taking players from a European winter into a hotter southern hemisphere summer. We haven't had to do that normally the schedule avoids summer games. The last time this was tried Man U got beaten by a Mexican side. The only team they could beat was South Melbourne. I think we are is massive danger in the next WCQs because Arnie will pick a Euro squad and the combination of heat and jet lag will be devestating.