Aberdeen's Barry Robson hopeful that he win Scotland recall

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BARRY ROBSON reckons the work ethic of new Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes could help him add to his 17 prized Scotland caps.

 

The pair were team-mates at Tannadice where the playmaker watched McInnes spend long hours in the gym trying to extend his career.

 

Robson, 34, has been handed a one-year deal by his hometown team after failing to settle with Vancouver Whitecaps.

 

And he said: “Derek McInnes was the captain of West Brom and Dundee United and led by example in the way he lived his life and did the extra sessions.

 

“He was always in the gym and staying behind like myself – although I was always practising free-kicks.

 

“The best players are always the hardest working ones. He’ll bring that to this club and has done already – getting players to stay behind and work on their game.”

 

Robson – who has played under national manager Gordon Strachan at Celtic and at Middlesbrough – believes he could earn a Scotland recall.

 

But he said: “I need to prove myself.

 

“Everybody says you don’t need to prove anything if you look at what you’ve achieved but my view now is I’ve achieved nothing.

 

“Everything I’ve done is now gone and behind me – that’s the way I work. It’s about what can I achieve now.

 

“This is a year’s contract and I need to show I’m good enough for another year after that. It’s up to me.

 

“I haven’t called time on my Scotland career. I spoke to the manager not that long ago and will be chapping at the door.

 

“I want to play for my country no matter where I am in the world and he knows that.

 

“If he needs me he just needs to give me a shout. As soon as I signed the contract in the MLS I was never seen again.

 

“Everybody thinks you want to wind down when you go to America but that was never the case with me.

 

“I had come off a season at Middlesbrough where I was player of the year and playing as well as I ever have.

 

“It was hard to take but I’m still available. Let’s see how well I do and if I can play well enough to get back in the fold.

 

“I’d never retire from Scotland – who am I to retire from my country?

 

“I just couldn’t get into the mentality in the USA.

 

“Vancouver was a terrific club with a great set-up but the mindset was different in terms of the football.

 

“There just wasn’t the same intensity in games as there is in this country and I missed that.”

 

Robson believes Bristol’s decision to sack McInnes was merely a minor blip in his manager’s bid to become a top boss.

 

And he said: “I always knew he’d be a manager, it was never a hard one to see.

 

“There is a lot more to the Bristol thing than any of us know.

 

“He set up the club infrastructure superbly and saved them from relegation in the first season. He has a real good future in the game.”

 

Meanwhile, Robson is backing his gaffer to make Aberdeen a force again in the SPL.

 

He added: “I’m not promising we’ll win a cup this season.

 

“What I will say is we’ll work as hard as possible and we’ll try to win every game.

 

“And if we do fall short then at least we can say we did our best.”

[stubo72]

“And if we do fall short then at least we can say we did our best.”

 

All we've ever wanted really. Let's see them live up to it.