By Graeme Dey

ST JOHNSTONE players have been ripping in to Jody Morris this week after he admitted turning out for Scotland was something he’d consider.

Dressing room pranksters have had a field day winding up the former Chelsea star who was capped seven times at under 21 level by England.

“I’ve been at clubs where this sort of thing doesn’t happen—and it can be a long season,” revealed midfielder Martin Hardie, who is rumoured to have been one of the ring leaders.

“But fortunately at St Johnstone, Derek McInnes and Tony Docherty like having a bit of fun. And we’ve certainly enjoyed a laugh over this stuff about Jody playing for Scotland.

“He’d actually told me more than a year ago about his grandad having come from the Glasgow area.

“But there was no way there wasn’t going to be banter over Jody—the wee Londoner who played through the age levels with England—pulling on a Scotland shirt.

“Mocked up posters have gone up at our place depicting him wearing a kilt and tartan bunnet, with a bubble coming out from his mouth saying, “Gonnae gie me a pound of square sausage”.

“Attempts were also made to get hold of the picture from Braveheart of William Wallace sitting on a horse which we were going to superimpose Jody’s face onto complete with the blue warpaint.

“Unfortunately we had to settle for mocking up his official club pic with the tartan bunnet and a speech bubble saying “Freedom”.

“To be fair—he took it in good part!”

If Jody for Scotland has caused much amusement around McDiarmid Park, it’s been a case of bemusement over the exclusion of Murray Davidson from the under 21 and full Scotland squads.

International boss George Burley has had scouts representing the interests of both sides watching Davidson.

But despite speculation that the former Livi player was in line for a call-up for the friendly with Wales after being omitted from the under 21s—his name did not feature in the pool announced yesterday by Burley.

“It’s a real surprise Murray not being named in either squad,” said Hardie.

“You’d have thought he’d have got in the under 21s at least.

“But maybe being with a smaller SPL club hasn’t done his chances any good.

“I mean, there are guys being picked who aren’t playing for their club sides when Murray has missed just one game for us.”

Boss Derek McInnes, though disappointed by Davidson’s snub, expressed the view that he will eventually get an opportunity.

“If Murray keeps playing as he has been and progressing his career then at some point in time his talents will be recognised,” he said.

Of more immediate concern for Davidson, McInnes and Saints is tomorrow’s league clash with Aberdeen.

“Pittodrie is going to be a test for us,” admitted McInnes.

“They’ve been a bit up and down so far but over the course of the season they will climb the table and finish quite high up.

“But tough ask though this is, we go there on the back of two victories which we can take confidence from and if we turn in the kind of performance that we are capable of then hopefully we can bring something back from there.”

Saints will be missing Stuart McCaffrey, Steven Milne and Euan McLean.

There also have doubts over Collin Samuel (knee) and Steven Anderson (toe) although Samuel resumed light training yesterday and Anderson is expected to follow that lead this morning.

St Johnstone will find out their Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final opponents on Monday when Scotland and Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon makes the draw at Tynecastle. Hearts, Rangers and St Mirren will also go into the pot.