There's a simple point at the heart of this debate: nationality doesn't tell you how a player will behave on a pitch. I was pleased with the McCrorie and Shankland signings and always thought Mulligan on a Bosman made sense. It's about character, not passport.
Why nationality gets blamed
Fans are quick to pin blame when things go wrong. If a player looks lazy, gets out of position or fades from a game, the shorthand becomes 'they're foreign, they don't care'. That is lazy analysis. Plenty of Scottish players have given us the cold shoulder at times, and the issue is rarely a matter of where someone was born. It's more to do with temperament, training background and whether the manager can get them to buy into the team's shape and pressing. We need to call out poor displays for what they are, individual failings or system breakdowns, not a nationality problem.
What matters when signing players
When we look at transfers, the boxes we should be ticking are clear: attitude, adaptability and how a player fits the pattern of play. Familiarity with the Scottish game helps sometimes, but it's far from decisive. Players from abroad have improved the league and adjusted quickly because they had the right mindset or the tactical tools to slot into the system. Conversely, domestically known players can struggle if they lack fight or positional discipline. That's why scouting and coaching must focus on character and football intelligence as much as physical attributes. If we do that, the passport becomes irrelevant.
Keep the standards high
We can celebrate signings like McCrorie or Shankland because they look like players who will graft and fit into a pressing shape. Saying you'd have been happy if they were Romanian or Bulgarian underlines the point: it's about output. I don't want excuses when a player lapses, homegrown or foreign, the badge should mean work ethic and standards. Fans will always be critical when standards slip; that's our job. But criticism should be fair and specific. Point to missed duties, poor positioning, weak pressing or low intensity. Don't hide behind nationality. Call for better recruiting, sharper coaching and higher expectations. Do that and we'll get the consistency we crave, whoever wears the shirt.
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