Teale Gets Scotland Call
Last updated : 12 February 2004 By Paul Farrington
Squad in full:
Goalkeepers
Neil Alexander (Cardiff City) Robert Douglas (Celtic) Paul Gallacher (Dundee United)
Defenders
Gary Caldwell (Hibs) Steven Caldwell (Leeds) Christian Dailly (West Ham) Jackie McNamara (Celtic) Graeme Murty (Reading) Paul Ritchie (Walsall) Steven Pressley (Hearts) Andy Webster (Hearts)
Midfield Colin Cameron (Wolverhampton W.) Darren Fletcher (Manchester United) Tommy Miller (Ipswich Town) Gary Naysmith (Everton) Stephen Pearson (Celtic)
Gary Teale (Wigan Athletic)
ForwardsStephen Crawford (Dunfermline) Paul Dickov (Leicester City) Paul Gallagher (Blackburn Rovers) Kevin Kyle (Sunderland) James McFadden (Everton) Kenny Miller (Wolverhampton W.)
Teale spoke to the clubs official website upon news of his call up, he said:"Obviously I'm delighted to get the call up as playing for your country is the ambition of everyone that plays the game. I've not really been thinking about it but to get international recognition is great, although I'd already told myself that I shouldn't lose too much sleep if I didn't get in the squad.
"There's another game in March I think so my aim was to just keep my head down and do my best here and then hopefully the international call up would look after itself.
"I feel I've simplified my game a little bit and that means I'm utilising my pace better and I've certainly played more consistently of late. It's been great to get a run in the side here and obviously from that my form has got me the call up. The reason I moved down south was to better myself and improve my game and that has certainly happened.
"I don't know what my chances of getting a game are but if I do get a run out there won't be many better places to start than against Wales at the Millenium Stadium. I'm really excited about just joining up with the squad and obviously as I said, it's what every player wants. I'll join up with the squad and give it my best shot and hopefully this will be the first of many more call ups in the future if I can stay in the team here at the JJB."
Manager Jewell also spoke to the site, he joked:"I've always thought I was a good manager but even I didn't think I was good enough to turn 'Tealey' into an international footballer and get him a Scotland call up!!"
"Seriously though, I'm delighted for him as we all are here and he deserves his chance as he has been one of our best players for the last couple of months. He's simplified his game and has become even more dangerous as a result and is now looking like the player that we hoped he would be when we bought him here originally.
"It hasn't always gone his way here because he's been in and out of the side a bit, but of late he's played well and has made it impossible for me to leave him out. As I said, we're all delighted for him and it's a sign of how far we've come as a club that Gary's in the squad itself and that Lee McCulloch and Steve McMillan are on standby too."
Good luck to Tealey for all Wigan Athletic supporters and everyone associated with wiganer.net.