Scotland axe Rangers duo over drinking spree

Scotland captain Barry Ferguson and goalkeeper Allan McGregor have been dropped from the side to face Iceland in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, the Scottish Football Assocation confirmed on the morning of the match.

Amid reports that the Rangers duo had stayed up drinking into the early hours at the team hotel after the squad’s return from a 3-0 defeat by Holland on Saturday, an SFA spokesman confirmed a “breach of team discipline” had taken place.

“This has been dealt with within the squad,” he added. “The focus of today is victory this evening and we will be going all out for three points.”

Manager George Burley had been considering dropping McGregor and recalling regular first-choice goalkeeper Craig Gordon, but the decision to omit Ferguson, Scotland’s most experienced midfielder, represents a huge gamble for such an important game.

Failure to beat Iceland would severely dent Scotland’s hopes of claiming second place in group nine and clinching a place at next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa via the play-offs.

In the absence of Ferguson, Celtic skipper Stephen McManus is expected to captain the side. McManus missed the defeat in Holland but has recovered from an ankle injury.