THE mind boggles at the thought of what a Mr Lithuania contest might actually involve but when it comes to football in the Baltic nation few can match the attributes of Andrius Skerla. The 40 year-old is best known here for the five years spent as a defender with Dunfermline Athletic but in his homeland he is revered as their record international appearance-holder, turning out for Lithuania 84 times between 1996 and 2011.
That ought to be enough for his views on the state of the national team to be treated with the utmost respect but he has other strings to his bow too that help offer a more rounded perspective.
Since retiring four years ago – “I try to play a little bit for the old boys’ team and that’s enough for me now” – he has moved into coaching, taking on twin assistant roles with defending champions Zalgiris Vilnius and the Lithuania under-21 team.
And his view, ahead of Scotland’s World Cup qualifying tie on Vilnius’ artificial pitch tomorrow. is that the future is looking rosy for Lithuanian football. If that upbeat opinion hardly comes as a surprise from someone so ingrained in the fabric of the game, then he backs up his stance with some supportive insight.
“I think we have a lot of good players coming through,” Skerla said. “In the under-21s we have a lot of players who are two or three years younger than they need to be, guys who were born in 1998 and 1999. So they are getting good experience of international football from a young age.
“And we have maybe 10 players or more playing abroad. Maybe not at the biggest clubs but they are getting experience of playing away in different situations and against new clubs. So I think we have a bright future.”
Of the senior team’s attempts to qualify for next summer’s World Cup finals in neighbouring Russia, there are some regrets. Conceding late equalisers in their first two games – at home to Slovenia and then away to Scotland at Hampden – meant they started with only two points when six had looked a distinct possibility. They have tailed off in the remainder of the campaign but with Edgaras Jankauskas, the former Hearts striker, starting to find his feet as national manager, optimism has not been extinguished.
“We have a relatively new coach and something has changed in the mood of the people,” explained Skerla. “They are now coming to the national stadium and looking forward to watching the team play.
“Edgaras has made a big difference. The team is always very well-prepared, they are very good at analysing the other sides, and their training camps always seem very professional. All the players respect him as Edgaras is one of the best players in Lithuanian history. He won the Champions League and nobody else from our country has done that. So all the players look up to him.”
Skerla has enjoyed a peripatetic career – playing in the Netherlands, Poland, and Russia – but it is his five years in Scotland that he looks back on with particular fondness, not least because his daughter Stella was born here.
“I had a really good time in Scotland. To play in the Premier League was a good experience not just for me but for Dunfermline as well. I still remember the games against Rangers and Celtic, especially at Ibrox and Parkhead with really big crowds. The atmosphere at both stadiums was amazing.
“My daughter was born in Scotland. We left maybe when she was only one years old so she doesn’t remember any of that. She has never been back. But I will bring her with me some time soon.”
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