When Sebastien Pocognoli's first Scotland line-up dropped, there was excitement at the inclusion of Robbie Ure and Stephen Welsh for the first time. Then, the official Uefa teamsheets started doing the rounds in the media box at the Stozice Arena - and there was particular intrigue at Welsh's position of left centre-back and Ure's introduction as 'R.Ure'. Then, the players came out to face Slovenia and there was only one thing dominating the discourse.
Not Pocognoli's cool and casual cut in the dugout with his cap, or even the debate of whether the away strip is coral, salmon or pink. Why does Robbie Ure have 'Robbie Ure' on the back of his shirt? Seldom do footballers - particularly from this neck of the woods - have their full name on their shirt, so it captured the attention of many Scots in a first half they'd rather not focus on anyway.
BBC Scotland asked the 22-year-old the big question after his big day as he wore the number 10 shirt for his country... Scotland begin Pocognoli era with encouraging Slovenia draw "A lot of people will just call me, they'll always say 'Robbie Ure'," the Sevilla striker explained. "They wouldn't just say Ure, so that was a reason.
"And then, to be honest, I think U-R-E is just so small, I just don't really like it. "So, I put my first name in as well. I've got it at club level too, I just prefer it." It's his form for club - well, his previous club IK Sirius that earned him his summer move to Spain - that got him here, playing alongside Oli McBurnie as Pocognoli opted for a bold line-up as he made his bow in the dugout.
The aggressive, energetic style the Belgian prefers asks a lot of his strikers. In the three who featured - including Kieron Bowie who replaced Ure after 67 minutes - they have the legs required to do the power of work. "I loved every minute of it," the former Rangers youth said of his debut.
"Obviously, disappointed not to win the game. With the second half performance we probably deserved to but making my debut for Scotland, it's an amazing feeling and I'm really proud and hungry for more. "The gaffer put the team up on the screen in the meeting and I saw my name.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
