Jason Scotland out to make headlines for right reason.

By Andrew Smith (Scotland on Sunday).
08-Jan-2006 - Few First Division footballers will have Jason Scotland's headline-making potential this year. The St Johnstone striker's very name has, naturally, always been one to conjure with. But that the Trinidad and Tobago internationalist can look forward to his country taking on England in the World Cup finals has created endless, delicious, possibilities for newspaper wordplay.
Already we have been treated to "the Scotland who will be in Germany" and all manner of variations on that theme. Meanwhile, you can rest assured the "Scotland versus England" line will be trotted out more times than is decent before the Caribbean side face Sven-Goran Eriksson's men in Nuremberg's Frankenstadion on June 15.
"I remember when Dundee United first came in and offered me a trial," recalls Scotland, forced to move to St Johnstone in the summer after being denied work permit to extend his two-year stay on Tannadice. "I had no idea where Scotland was or anything about the place, but my agent said being Jason Scotland in Scotland could make me a legend in the country."
Among sub-editors, the 26-year-old is all of that. Anything approaching legendary status as a footballer, however, is restricted to his homeland. Scotland was largely a fringe member of the Trinidad and Tobago squad that achieved the seemingly-unachievable with a 2-1 aggregate win over Bahrain in November. But having made a sprinkling of appearances throughout the qualifying campaign, and come off the bench in the Trinidadian first leg of the Asian-CONCACAF play-off, Scotland is one of Leo Beenhakker's history-makers.
A group of men, indeed, whose astonishing efforts will see Trinidad and Tobago, with little more than one million inhabitants, become the least populated nation ever to appear in a World Cup finals, and only the fourth from the Caribbean to do so. Yet, on the final whistle sounding on a triumph in Bahrain that still seems more fable than fact, Scotland's first thoughts were for others.
"I didn't cry and didn't really know what to do with myself the moment we knew we had made it," he says. "What made it for me was looking across and seeing Russell [Latapy] and Dwight [Yorke] in tears. My happiness became for them because I remembered being at primary school and watching on the television as they wept after we lost out to the USA in a decider in 1989. It was amazing to think that 16 years later, they had finally done it.
"What we have achieved still hasn't really sunk in. But when you talk to people back home about the excitement over it, it begins to seem so much more real. It was the dream of all of our lives to play on the world stage and now it has come true."
It is a dream that Scotland reveals he and his fellow Trinidadian football imports dared to discuss in their regular get-togethers over the months of 2005. He says he has a special bond with Falkirk's Latapy, Rangers' Marvin Andrews, Dundee's Kelvin Jack and former Dundee United team-mate Colin Samuel. "We try to make a home away from home, be close, be a unit here, so we are like a unit when we go back to the national team," he states.
Yet, Scotland is more naturalised in his temporary abode than such as his main mucker, Jack. The keeper was fined for returning late to Dens Park after too long soaking up the celebrations that greeted the squad on flying back from Bahrain. Even if it seemed so, not every Trinidad and Tobagan was at that party.
"I phoned my gaffer and he said he needed me back so I missed out," Scotland says. "Some of the guys told me that the scene at the airport was overwhelming. After arriving tired and sleepy, the numbers of people crammed in to the airports made them come alive and many of them said it was the best experience of their lives."
Airports will figure prominently in Scotland's memories of 2005. The player's low point of the past 12 months probably came when he had to spend ten hours wrangling with custom officials at Heathrow in the summer.
Returning to the country was then difficult because Scotland did not possess a valid international work permit. United's attempt to renew his previous one had been rejected because of the club's tendency to use him as a substitute. The tactic led the Home Office panel of former players to conclude he was not sufficiently central to the Tannadice side, while he had failed to meet the criterion of playing in 75% of his national team's fixtures.
"United used me in the way they saw fit and I used to come off the bench and do wonders for them," he says. "I wasn't always so good when I started games, so it made sense for them to bring me on but the panel couldn't understand that."
Now the striker admits he sometimes finds himself struggling to understand how he has ended up pursuing his career in the second tier of the Scottish game. Having become accustomed to the way of life in this country, he was desperately keen not to have to find himself adapting to another new alien culture. Yet, in some ways, First Division football has proved to be that.
"You go to certain grounds, look around and end up asking yourself: 'What am I doing here? You shouldn't be playing here'," Scotland says. "But sometimes you have to take a step back to take a bigger step forward. I just have to go through this, fight it out and play to the best of my ability, and try and go to a bigger club afterwards.
"I do miss United. I felt good, I felt comfortable there, and the fans were unbelievable. It was my first club after leaving Trinidad and it was the highest level.
"In two years, my team-mates got to know my game, what runs I would make and when they should play the ball round the corner. These things I'm still working on with my new team-mates at St Johnstone, but they take more than half a season."
The Perth club can expect everything from the player in the second half of the season, however. In the summer, after all, he will represent Scotland in the World Cup.

Scotland gets new work permit.

By: Lasana Liburd.
23-Aug-2005 - Trinidad and Tobago striker Jason Scotland got a second chance at a professional football career in Scotland yesterday after the British Home Office approved a work permit request from First Division club St Johnstone on behalf of the 27-year-old player.
Scotland is expected to formalise a two-year contract with St Johnstone today as a free agent after being denied the opportunity to resign with previous employer, Dundee United, of the Scottish Premier League (SPL).
United offered Scotland a new two-year deal in June but were forced to give up on the player after the Home Office denied him a work permit on the grounds that he could not significantly contribute to the standard of the SPL.
St Johnstone manager Owen Coyle, a former United striker, was happy to step in for the national player and the Home Office agreed that he was good enough for the third-placed First Division club.
Scotland was overjoyed at the chance to restart his professional career after a tumultuous eight weeks, which culminated in him losing his place in the Trinidad and Tobago team for their last World Cup qualifier away to the United States.
"I am just out of the world right now," Scotland told the Trinidad Express. "I am so happy to get a chance to continue playing in Britain."
Scotland thanked agent Mike Berry for his support during a testing time as well as the Dundee United fans for standing by him and national coach Leo Beenhakker for giving him the opportunity to play in July's CONCACAF Gold Cup, which started two days after his United work permit request was rejected.
Berry insisted that Scotland would be a big hit in the First Division.
"He is going to explode in the First Division and get them back into the Premiership where he belongs," said Berry. "I am delighted for the boy. The last six or seven weeks have been torture for the boy because he lost his livelihood as well as his place in the national team.
"So, now he can concentrate on restarting his professional career and winning back his place with the national team." Dundee United did not let their player go quietly, though, as they slammed.
"The action taken today to reverse all of this and grant a permit for him to play for a club, which, up until now, has had no connection with the player," said a United statement, "can only be described, at best, as absurd and well-nigh unbelievable. While we have nothing against St Johnstone, this decision today clearly questions the integrity of the UK Home Office system.
"Today's decision confirms, as we have said all along, that the original decision was categorically wrong. The case put forward by St Johnstone was the same as we gave to the Home Office minister in our dossier of 15 July. The player's position has not altered since then as he hasn't kicked a ball in earnest since the Home Office minister turned us down.
"This wholly sorry absurd situation makes a laughing stock of the system carried out when determining whether or not to grant a player a permit to play for a club in this country."
Coyle, who briefly played with Scotland at United, hopes to have the striker ready for Saturday's fixture away to Airdrie United.
The young manager got a good look at Scotland, two weeks ago, when St Johnstone played Dundee United in a friendly match. St Johnstone won 3-1 with Scotland scoring United's sole item.
Scotland can't wait to get started for his new employers.
"I wan to be playing every week and aim to get a couple of goals this season," said Scotland. "I think, once I am playing every week, I can push to get back into the national team, which is my aim."
His signing should ensure an interesting battle against compatriot and goalkeeper, Kelvin Jack, who has helped Dundee to pole position in the First Division. Only one team can be promoted at the close of the season.

St Johnstone swoop for Jason Scotland.

By: Lasana Liburd (Express).
20-Aug-2005 - Scottish First Division football club, St Johnstone, hope to succeed where Dundee United failed after requesting a work permit for Trinidad and Tobago national striker Jason Scotland earlier this week.
Scotland, who represented United for the past two seasons in the Scottish Premier League (SPL), was denied a work permit by the British Home Office last month after being offered a new two-year deal by United. The Home Office accepted a verdict from a six member panel of ex-football players and managers who declared, in a split vote, that the striker lacked the quality to "contribute significantly" to the Scottish Premiership.
United were incensed by the decision but St Johnstone hope to benefit from their misfortune.
"I wouldn't be doing my job right if I didn't bring quality players to St Johnstone," St Johnstone manager and ex-United forward Owen Coyle told the BBC. "Jason is available and is a top-class player. If we're successful in getting him, it will give us tremendous competition in the striking department."
Scotland's work permit appeal should be heard next week and the former soldier's case is likely to go before a different panel. But, even if the new adjudicators accepted last month's ruling that Scotland lacked the calibre to play in the SPL, they could agree that he is good enough for the First Division.
Scotland vowed to remain positive despite the disappointment of leaving United, who he helped qualify for this season's UEFA Cup with a match winning goal against Hibernian in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
"If I have to prove myself and show I am good enough to play in the Premiership," he told The Daily Express, "then that is what I have to do. It is a setback because, instead of going forward to a bigger club, I find myself going down a division but I just have to work my way up."
Scotland also hopes that playing regularly for St Johnstone would help him regain his national place after being omitted from Leo Beenhakker's squad, which lost 1-0 to the United States in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier. Scotland played in all three CONCACAF Gold Cup outings in July but subsequently lost his spot as a result of his topsy-turvy professional situation.
Scotland, who claimed that he was not fully match fit at the Gold Cup tournament, was grateful that Beenhakker explained his reasons for leaving him out his midweek team.
"The coach told me I was not in the team because I was not playing every week and I have to accept that," said Scotland. "I think that so long as I am playing football every Saturday, I have a good chance of getting in the team so I hope can win back my place."
At present, St Johnstone are atop the First Division standings with a maximum of six points from two outings in which they scored five times and are yet to concede. They also won their opening CIS Cup match 3-2 away to Cowdenbeath to maintain a 100 per cent record. Coyle is confident that Scotland can make them even stronger.

Jason back in Scotland.

By: Graeme Finnan.
16-Aug-2005 - Jason Scotland was back at Tannadice today, but Dundee United fans shouldn’t raise their hopes of a permanent return for the Trinidadian striker.
Scotland is back in this country on a six-month holiday visa, but, with no work permit, is unable to sign professional forms for any club.
However, he was a welcome face on the training ground this morning after accepting an offer from United boss Gordon Chisholm to come in and keep his fitness ticking over.
Scotland is in limbo, after having his work permit refused by an SPL panel. Now, without a club, he’s unable to muscle his way into the Trinidad set-up and, therefore, little chance of meeting the 75% international criteria required for a work permit to be granted.

Angry Scotland hits out at SPL chiefs.

T&T Guardian Reports.
04-Aug-2005 - Jason Scotland has launched a blistering attack on the SPL panel for leaving his career in tatters. The former DundeeUnited striker is still reeling after Britain’s Home Office chiefs agreed with the panel's decision not to grant the Trinidad and Tobago international a new work permit.
Scotland sunk into the pits of depression after the Home Office stuck by the original ruling from the six-man SPL committee to deny him a new permit to extend his stay on Tayside.
And the 26-year-old has accused them of ruining everything he's worked for in the game up until now.
Scotland said: “I used to make a good living at Dundee United but now I have to start all over again.
“To have this all taken away from me when I'm not getting any younger is unbelievable.
“It was always my dream to play football in a foreign country but now where do I go?
“I worked really hard to get to Dundee United but I don't know what will happen from here.”
Scotland spoke of his heartache after being told his days at Tannadice had officially come to an end.
The shell-shocked striker was so cut-up when Gordon Chisholm broke the news to him that his instant reaction was to vomit.
Scotland said: “I felt so upset when I heard the news it made me feel sick.
“It's an absolutely shocking decision.
“To go from such a high at the end of last season to such a low is hard to describe.
“Because so many fans had signed the petition I thought the Home Office would think again.
“There was such a long wait that I thought there would be some good news at the end of it but that hasn't happened.”
Scotland had planned to move his family over to his beloved Scotland once he had signed the two-year deal that was waiting on the table for him back at Tannadice.
However, the next time he sets foot in this country will be to collect his belongings and bid an emotional farewell to all those who have grown to love him during his two-year stay at the club.
Scotland said: “All I wanted was to come back to Scotland and play for Dundee United in the new season.
“I wanted my daughter Jascell to come over so we could live as a family.
“Dundee has been a home from home for me and my car is still sitting back in Scotland and I have my flat in Broughty Ferry.
“I hope to come back over to Dundee for a couple of days soon to say cheerio to everyone Support United boss Gordon Chisholm and all the players at Tannadice have done their best to offer Scotland plenty of support.”
And their efforts have helped the striker stay strong during an agonising last few weeks.
Scotland has been training rigorously back home in a bid to occupy his mind in the vain hope that he would still return to Tannadice for the new SPL campaign. But recent events have made it almost impossible for him to focus properly on a career that promised so much.
Scotland said: “Derek McInnes has been in touch with text messages.
“Obviously, I would like to see all the boys again. But I don't know when that will be.
“I've been training with my old Army team and with the international team to stay fit because I always hoped to go back to Dundee United. “The training helped take my mind off things a bit back home. But I still can't understand the decision.”

Jason Scotland's case dismissed by Home Office.

Dundee United FC.
01-Aug-2005 - The effect of this is that the player will be prevented from playing and living in the U.K. with immediate effect. This is despite incredible support from the Scottish public, Scottish football fans, Scottish anti racism agencies, Scottish elected representatives, the Trinidad & Tobago FA and the Vice President of FIFA.
Dundee United Chairman Eddie Thompson said, “We are both disappointed and angry with this decision. We have explained our concerns to the Home Office, particularly the make up of the panel (with five people with a connection to one club) and subsequent comments made by members of the panel on the matter, but to no avail.
The Home Office judgement of June 29th based on the recommendation of the review panel, states that Jason Scotland’s appeal had been refused as he ‘was not of the highest calibre and would not make a significant contribution to the Scottish game.’ It appears that, in the judgement of the review panel he was not good enough for Scottish football. This is after he helped take United to the Scottish Cup Final and into Europe and had been the subject of interest from numerous other Scottish clubs. Just what did he have to do to prove that he was good enough for Scottish football?
Putting aside the loss of a player to United, we must think of the effect on the individual’s life. From being valued by his employer and having a well paid career, a home and partner, he has now been told he is no longer wanted here. One can only imagine how he must feel. When you add to this the work he did to help race relations in the community while in Scotland, one can only wonder how this situation came about.
One can only hope that by us bringing Jason’s case to everyone’s attention, no other individual will have to suffer the same fate, whether he be a footballer or otherwise.
Finally Dundee United Football Club would like to thank Jason for bringing his own brand of football skills, excitement and entertainment to Tannadice Park and for him readily assisting our community programmes. We wish him well for the future. We are frankly astonished that he has been treated in this way (the panel voted five to one against him) and sincerely hope that lessons will be learned to avoid this happening again in the future.” Meanwhile Dundee United yesterday received confirmation that attempts to have the rejection of Jason Scotland’s work permit renewal application overturned have failed.
Fully 10 days after Scotland’s short-term visa expired, forcing him to leave the country, United were formally advised that the player’s Tannadice career is over.
Courier Sport had revealed that the Home Office were poised to ratify the original decision reached by a review panel.
And last night lawyers acting for the club wrote to the Home Office asking them to reconsider that stance but there seems little prospect of Scotland being allowed to return to the UK.
In the letter to the Home Office, United have:
Pointed out that comments made on radio by Murdo McLeod—a member of the six-man panel responsible for the original ruling—explaining the basis on which the decision was reached were at odds with the official explanation provided.
Challenged the Home Office’s assertion that they knew of the make-up of the panel in advance, insisting they were aware of the identity of only three of its members.
Queried why the SFA’s representative on the panel, Tommy McIntyre, was appointed only on the morning of the hearing.
They have also voiced unhappiness that MPs who backed Scotland’s case had been advised of the Home Office decision as early as July 21 when they had to wait until August 1 to be informed of it.
Chairman Eddie Thompson said last night, “We are not terribly impressed by the Home Office’s handling of this matter and have asked them, in light of the various points we are making, whether they might look at the case again.
“We believe it is very important that justice is seen to be done.
“We are both disappointed and angry with this decision.
“We explained our concerns to the Home Office, particularly the make-up of the panel (United are incensed that five of the members have connections with one club, Hibs) and subsequent comments made by members of the panel on the matter, but to no avail.
“The Home Office judgment, based on the recommendation of the review panel, states that Jason Scotland’s appeal had been refused as he ‘was not of the highest calibre and would not make a significant contribution to the Scottish game.’
“It appears that, in the judgment of the review panel, he was not good enough for Scottish football.
“This is after he helped take United to the Scottish Cup final and into Europe and had been the subject of interest from numerous other Scottish clubs.
“Just what did he have to do to prove that he was good enough for Scottish football?
“And putting aside the loss of a player to United, we must think of the effect on the individual’s life.
“From being valued by his employer and having a well-paid career, a home and partner, he has now been told he is no longer wanted here. One can only imagine how he must feel.
“When you add to this the work he did to help race relations in the community while in Scotland, one can only wonder how this situation came about.
“We are frankly astonished that he has been treated in this way and sincerely hope that lessons will be learned to avoid this happening again in the future.
“One can only hope that by us bringing Jason’s case to everyone’s attention, no other individual will have to suffer the same fate, whether he be a footballer or otherwise.”
Scotland’s employment by United was thrown into doubt because he failed to meet the work permit requirement of having featured in 70% of his country’s international matches.
The Tangerines claimed this situation had arisen not through lack of ability but because former Trinidad and Tobago coach Bertille St Clair had decided not to select the player owing to a dispute over his hairstyle.
They provided testimony from two of Scotland’s international team-mates supporting that assertion.
McLeod has since stated St Clair denied Scotland was overlooked because of his hair, thereby undermining the Tannadice outfit’s case.
But, to the club’s bemusement, they have not been provided with any evidence of St Clair disputing the hair claim.
One thing United did learn yesterday was that the original decision was reached on a 5-1 vote.
It’s understood the solitary supporter of Scotland’s cause was SPL secretary Ian Blair.

Jason Scotland permit problems drag on.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
22-Jul-2005 - Striker Jason Scotland could be deported back to Trinidad if he’s not granted his work permit in time for the new Scottish Premier League season.
It is understood that Scotland has faced the situation on his return to the country after representing T&T at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Miami. A report in the Daily Record Newspaper further stated that Scotland has been advised to stay away from the Dundee training pitch to avoid further implications.
Scotland was prevented from signing a new two-year deal with Dundee after the Home Office refused to grant him a new work permit earlier this month.
Scotland’s agent Mike Berry said all was being done to ensure a successful appeal for Scotland as the club management had also joined the fight.
Scotland meantime is simply hoping for the matter to be resolved.
“It’s been on my mind and I’m just hoping things can turn out in my favour and I can get the chance to play the game. It’s a chance to sign another two year deal with the club and hopefully I will get that chance to help the club this season,” Scotland said. His short-term visa expires today and so he has no option but to leave the country. Jason Scotland will say goodbye to his Dundee United teammates before flying back to Trinidad this morning.
Manager Gordon Chisholm’s heart went out to his striker last night.
“Jason is going back to Trinidad tomorrow morning,” confirmed Chisholm.
“He was given a visa for a week and we had hoped to hear news of the appeal by now.
“It could be as late as next week before we get a final decision.
“I understand events in London have meant the Home Office have had to prioritise what they are doing—and that’s understandable.
“Jason is upset to be going away and I feel so sorry for him.
“He is going through a very hard time and this is emotionally draining for him.
“But he knows we are doing everything we can and will keep working to get him back in the country.”
His teammate Collin Samuel still has a year left on contract and is expected to press for a first team start this season after appearing in T&T’s three Gold Cup matches. He came on in the 46th minute of the club’s preseason 1-0 win over Forfar on Tuesday. Samuel went close in the 55th minute when he combined with Stevie Crawford before seeing his effort crash off the inside of the upright. With Scotland on his way, Chisholm laid down a challenge to Collin Samuel, the other Trinidadian striker in his team. “It is two years now since Sammy joined United and it is time for him to show us what he truly has,” said Chisholm. “He has pace and when he is running at defenders he is a very exciting player, but he loses concentration at times.” 
'He has skill and speed no one else in the side has. 'But he lets himself down with silly little things by choosing the wrong option. He has to concentrate because he can't keep living on potential.'

Permit worries hits Jason Scotland in Ft Lauderdale.

By Shaun Fuentes.
29-Jun-2005 - National team head coach Leo Beenhakker was called upon to take a bit of extra interest in the mood of striker Jason Scotland in Fort Lauderdale after the Scottish-based striker learnt on Tuesday evening that he may be forced to end his career in Scotland after the Home Office turned down his application for a work permit renewal.
This has caused a block on Scotland’s new two-year contract and has left the former Defence Force player in no man’s land regarding his professional career.
Scotland is one of five strikers Beenhakker in his current squad preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and he will certainly be looking to get piece of the action which could possibly strengthen his chances of winning the permit appeal.
A United spokesperson said the club were "astonished at this decision by a panel consisting mainly of ex-players". The Scottish Cup Semi-Final vs Hibernian was a typical example of this. He came on and scored the winner that took United into the Cup Final and into Europe. Does this sound like someone who is not making a significant contribution to the Scottish game?
Scotland’s agent Mike Berry has also promised to look further into the matter to try and ensure that Scotland does in fact have something to look forward to when the new season begins.
"They have deprived this player of his livelihood and Dundee United of an extremely valuable squad player. We have been told that Jason was refused his work permit because he was not of the highest calibre and would not make a significant contribution to the Scottish game.
"However, they seemed to overlook that today's football is very much a squad game and Jason was a key element of our team - he had that superb ability to turn a match by using his undoubted exceptional skills. Local politicians are already taking an interest in this disgraceful decision. Jason is deeply upset by this panel slamming the door on him. He loved his life in Scotland and playing football in Scotland and they have taken that away from him."
Though vibrant in the two sessions on Tuesday evening and Monday morning at the Hilton training pitch, Scotland is understandably down but is promising to keep himself up.
Haven’t not had as many appearances for the national team as he would have liked over the past two years, Scotland had been left crossing his fingers in hope of getting the permit. But if all doesn’t go well, he still has hopes of playing in some other overseas professional league.
“It has left me hoping for the best but I am confident that things will work out in my favour,” Scotland told TTFF Media. “I heard about the decision here and all I can say is that I’m thankful too at the moment that I’m here with the guys and I have a chance to get some more games under my belt with the Gold Cup. It’s important that I perform well and that the team does good too. I’m not going to be down over this situation,” he added.
English-based goalie Shaka Hislop was the final player to join the camp, arriving in the afternoon period and was carded to take part in the training session scheduled for 5pm at the nearby pitch.  Luton Town midfielder Carlos Edwards also trained on Tuesday evening, a couple hours after arriving from London.

Jason Scotland not giving up.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
28-Jun-2005 - Expecting better news on his work permit hearing this week before he can get on with his new three-year contract, striker Jason Scotland is banking on his desire for hard work to get him through as a professional player.
The news which reached him in Ft Lauderdale on Tuesday was not so good as he got negative on his application for renewal of work permit which means his representatives will now have to appeal that decision if he is to take up the new deal with Dundee United.
Haven’t not had as many appearances for the national team as he would have liked over the past two years, Scotland had been left crossing his fingers in hope of getting the permit. But if all doesn’t go well, he still has hopes of playing in some other overseas professional league.
“It has left me hoping for the best but I am confident that things will work out in my favour,” Scotland said. He finished the season on a high for United, guiding them to second place in the Scottish Cup which push them through to the qualifying phase of the UEFA Cup next season. “That definitely will be a big stage for me but I think so far playing in the Cup final has been the best occasion for me at the club,” he added.

Jason Scotland inspired by Jerren Nixon.

By: Tom Duthie.
27-May-2005 - Striker Jason Scotland has revealed 1994 Dundee United Scottish Cup hero Jerren Nixon is one of the reasons why he will be running out for today’s final against Celtic at Hampden.
Eleven years ago Nixon, once labelled the £10 million man by then boss Ivan Golac, came off the bench to become the first Trinidadian to win a major honour in Europe as the Tangerines shocked Rangers to lift the trophy.
And fellow-countryman Scotland believes it was achievements like that which inspired a whole generation of players from the Caribbean island to make it in Scotland.
“Players like Jerren, Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy came over to Europe and showed they were good enough to do well and that gave every footballer in Trinidad something to aim for.
“As a footballer, you want to play at the highest level you can and, because of these kind of players, we knew it was possible to come over here.
“The standard in Trinidad is nothing like as high as it is here, so, to get better, this is where we want to come and Jerren was among the first to do it.”
Scotland was United’s semi-final hero, grabbing a late winner against Hibs that earned him the Player-of-the-Round award. When he looks beyond personal achievement, he believes that strike was the most important of his career so far.
“I have scored big goals before, ones that were big for me. I scored for the national team against South Korea after they had just finished fourth in the World Cup, so that was big because it proved to me I could do well at that level.
“Scoring in the semi is a moment I will never forget and maybe it was my biggest because it meant so much to the team. Scoring in a final would be even bigger.”
So often a supersub this term, Jim McIntyre’s cruel suspension means Scotland is expected to start the final and he aims to use that chance to show he is more than just a bit-part player.
“Jim is out and a majority of the time I have been the third striker coming off the bench, so it could be me who starts.
“That’s a big thing in a final, so, obviously, I want to do well. I feel I have been effective in games I have started, but I have come off the bench a few times and done well and people have noticed that.
“I think it helps if you start five or six games in a row and when that happened last season I was getting goals. On Saturday, I want to do well from three o’clock.”
Boss Gordon Chisholm will give him that chance and also admitted today that defender Paul Ritchie was close to making the kind of comeback from injury that has not been seen since the days of Lazarus.
It is still less than two weeks since he tore a groin muscle, but the ex-Scotland man has stunned his manager by training with the rest of the squad for the past two days.
“He has amazed me and, from yesterday morning when I would have said he had no chance, today I have to say he might make it,” said Gordon.
“I’ll make the final decision, but I’ll be having a chat with him to see how he feels about it and take things from there.”
With or without Ritchie, Gordon is backing his players to go to Hampden and have a real go at bringing back the cup.
“We have good experience with players like Ritchie, if he plays, Derek McInnes, Grant Brebner and Stevie Crawford, and I feel the whole team has shown in recent weeks that they can cope with pressure.
“Today will be a different kind of pressure to what we had in the league. It’s the kind we can enjoy and, while we have massive respect for Celtic and what they have achieved, we will go there, enjoy the day and, I believe, play our best.”

Soca Warriors Online long time Scottish supporter and top writer "Kenny Millar" exclusive interview with T&T striker Jason Scotland.

Part 1

27-May-2005 - Jason Scotland will make the long journey from Dundee to Trinidad first thing on Sunday morning, just hours after appearing in the Tennent's Scottish Cup Final. Flying home for a training camp with new coach Leo Beenhakker, 'The Rocket' is intent on taking a Cup Winner's medal with him.
"I'd love to take a winner's medal back home," he admits, "supposing I could get it through customs! "I fly back the day after the final, leaving at 6.50 in the morning from Edinburgh - so I'll be shattered!
"The flight is from Edinburgh to London then to the Port of Spain airport in Trinidad, which takes 14 hours. It'll just be Collin Samuel and me.
"The journey is second nature now - I could tell you the terminals, the best places to eat in the airport and so on, but I'll be in a terrible mood all the way there if we lose this game."
The 26-year-old was the hero for United in their semi-final success over Hibs, coming from the bench to net the winner that sent them to the National Stadium for this weekend's showpiece event.
On a personal level it promises to be a career highlight on Saturday, but it also means so much to a club that has endured a difficult season.
The dread-locked former Army man and his team-mates approach the clash with the weight of the world removed from their shoulders, after they sealed top-flight survival last weekend with a win over Inverness Caley.
"To win the Scottish Cup would be the best moment in my life! We're not going there just to turn up - it's the last game of the season and we'll give it all we've got, he adds."
"We've been focusing so hard on staying in the Premierleague, so we've not had time to worry about the Cup.  "It's easily one of the biggest games in my career and I just want to enjoy the day, giving it my best shot.
"The goal against Hibs in the semi was one of the best goals of my career and made me so proud. It was an important one and everyone went crazy, hugging me and lifting me up!
"As a player, I just looked at the stands and saw so many disappointed Hibs fans, but I just could not stop smiling for days!
"They talk about my goals back home in the media. Me playing in the final means I'll be late for the training camp, but it'll be a big day for me at Hampden.
"Scoring in the semi was just a breathtaking experience, so I don't know what it will be like if I manage to get one against Celtic! If I did, I probably wouldn't need the aeroplane to get back home as I'd be fling on cloud nine!"

Part 2.

Dundee United ace Jason Scotland has revealed he could be set to turn his back on international football to save his career a Tannadice.
The 26-year-old is growing tired of making the long trek back to play for Trinidad & Tobago, only to be overlooked for selection. It's a situation he says is getting to him and has affected his bid to really establish himself at United and that simply cannot continue.
"I'm supposed to go home this summer for the Gold Cup, but I don't know if I want to because for the past two seasons I've been going home and then not playing enough when I get there.
"At the start of last season, for example, I was in form and playing to my best. Then I went home for the games with St Kitts and Mexico, and only played about five minutes in two games and was just sitting in a hotel !
"I came back to Scotland overweight and it took me weeks to recover because I was so sluggish. It took me a while to get back my form and even then I couldn't get back in the team.
"I just think if I go then it could happen all over again and I need to concentrate on getting fit here for the new season. "I haven't spoken to the new manager yet. Players, like Kelvin Jack at Dundee, say I should go and try to impress the new manager but the same things go on with the national team all the time.
"It's difficult when you know what goes on behind the scenes politically that stops me from being involved.
"I'm proud to play for the national team and wouldn't give it up, but I'll play under the condition that if I go over there then I have to play.
"The game here in Scotland is so fast that I can't afford to come back from national duty exhausted. It affects me and that's not good for United. We leave Trinidad on a Wednesday, get home to Scotland on Friday for United's game on a Saturday!"
Scotland's exclusion from the national scene last year was attributed to his inability to follow former coach Bertille St. Claire's strict rules on player haircuts! 
"The coach at the time said publicly that he wouldn't pick me because of my dreadlocks, but that was just an excuse for not selecting me," he adds.
"I went with them for pre-season last year and I played well, scored goals and the whole thing was strange. People like Brent Sancho still play with their dreads.
"I just didn't make a big deal of it. It happened to Brent about three years ago and he made a scene of it, speaking to the press and speaking out against the manager. My agent spoke about it but I left everyone to it. I'm quite chilled about it and not the type to make a fuss."

Jason Scotland will suit up for ‘Warrior’ call.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
05-May-2005 - Scottish-based forward Jason Scotland will gladly accept a chance to train under new coach Leo Beenhakker but has indicated that he will only make himself available once he receives an invitation ahead of the June 4 World Cup Qualifier against Panama at the Hasely Crawford Stadiium.
The hardworking former Army man has found form of late for Dundee United in the Scottish Premier League and is expected to be one of their main weapons in the Scottish Cup Final on May 28 against Celtic at Hampden Park. Scotland will fly home the day after. During that time it is expected that the majority of the squad will be assembled for the Panama match which will be followed by an away clash to Mexico on June 8.
“The main focus for me at the moment is obviously that Cup game on May 28 but I am coming home the day after and once I get an invitation to train with the team then I will gladly be there,” Scotland told TTFF Media.
He did hint that he felt neglected after being left out of the squad during the semi-final round up until the last qualifier against Costa Rica. Because of missing several recent matches for the “Warriors” Scotland also faces an anxious wait on hearing for a new work permit before he can go through with a new two-year contract with United. “It’s going to be tight because I haven’t been in the national team recently but I’m pretty confident that with the help of Mike Berry (agent) I will get the permit.
The 26-year-old striker will go down on the memory list for his wonderful strike in T&T’s 1-1 draw with South Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium last year.
“It was a bit harsh after sacrificing to come back and be with the team to then get left out without any sort of explanation. I thought I made a good contribution with the goal against South Korea but after that I was just left out,” Scotland added.
“I know a lot of the guys will be back home training with the team and I will also want a chance to impress the new coach and hopefully make a contribution in the matches coming up. I believe the guys all want to do well and make the country proud and I would love the chance to be part of that.”
Scotland is nursing a slight knee strain and will miss United’s match with Kilmarnock on Saturday but will be back in action from next week. He set up the winner in the 2-1 win over Dundee to help United ease their relegation fears by jumping to ninth spot on 32 points.
”Club manager Gordon Chisholm spoke of Scotland’s strength in the team saying “I did feel he would have enough in the tank to be a sub and, because he is a player who can come on and change games, I decided to have him on the bench. When I did use him, he did very well to set up the winner and cause problems for their defenders, as he often does.”
Beenhakker is hoping to see several of T&T’s overseas-based pros from inside the third week of May but is likely to allow Brent Sancho and Marvin Andrews a few extra days as they have matches up until May 22.

Lean times for T&T quartet.

By: Lasana Liburd - T&T Express.
24-Mar-2005 - On paper, Tayside-home for Scotland Premier League teams Dundee and Dundee United-is the hotbed of Trinidad and Tobago football talent outside its territorial waters.
United, who formerly employed Caribbean and T&T Player of the Year Jerren Nixon and midfield legend Russell Latapy, now have Jason Scotland and Collin Samuel on their books. Two years ago, Scotland was lauded as his country's most gifted striker by then national coach Hannibal Najjar. Samuel promised much after scoring a hattrick on his senior international debut while still a teenager as well as over a dozen goals at Falkirk in his first full season in Scotland.
At Dundee, 28-year-old goalkeeper Kelvin Jack is considered the long-term successor to T&T captain Shaka Hislop while defender Brent Sancho, also 28, has already cemented his place in the national team.
But Tayside is still awaiting the best of the T&T quartet.
At the weekend, none were in their respective line-ups while Sancho and Scotland were late substitutes.
Jack has missed much of the season through a groin injury and remains unavailable to Dundee manager Jim Duffy as well as national coach Bertille St Clair while Duffy's decision to sideline Sancho is almost certainly linked to the dreadlocked player's reluctance to sign a new contract.
Samuel struggled to recapture his form with First Division club Falkirk in the SPL and it came as little surprise when manager Ian McCall, who was sacked by United last week, asked the ex-CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh to find a new club in January.
But what has concerned Tayside is Scotland's failure to build on a promising debut season with United.
After starting life as a squad player, the former Defence Force stand-out forced his way into the first team with some impressive performances, which had McCall gushing over his potential.
McCall insisted that Scotland should easily score over 10 goals this season after notching five last year. To date, he has managed just three goals and would happily settle for eight in total.
"I feel disappointed in a sense because I was playing to potential when I first came here," said Scotland. "I think I was going well but I just haven't been able to get enough games together (in succession). At the end of last season, I was playing regularly but now we are in a relegation battle and it is harder to get a chance."
At present, United are at the bottom of the SPL and in danger of relegation although Scotland said the players remain confident that they will avoid the drop. Caretaker manager Gordon Chisholm may be encouraged by their performance against Celtic on Sunday although United eventually lost 3-2 at Tannadice Park.
Scotland was introduced in the 86th minute in a desperate attempt to claw back a point following Celtic's late third goal. However, he failed to put away his chance when Celtic defender Stanislav Varga miskicked in the penalty area. Caught by surprise, Scotland could not get the ball out from under his boot with enough venom to beat Celtic custodian Rab Douglas.
"When you go on with just five minutes to play," he said, "sometimes you are wondering about if you will get a touch of the ball.
"Unfortunately, I was still getting in the game when the chance came to get an equaliser."
Scotland has another season left on his contract and is certain to get more playing time. Fans and manager alike concur that he is a talented prospect.
But he must still prove that he can be a top goal scorer in the SPL.
McCall said once that Scotland needs to get more "ugly goals"-the six-yard finishes that compatriot Stern John thrives on.
Scotland admitted that he was still adjusting to the Scottish style of play and it is obviously more difficult to do so from the substitutes' bench. His lean spell at United coincides with his exit from the national set up and he suggested that the two were related.
He began the season in United's starting line-up but lost his place after returning from international duty against St Kitts and Mexico in September. He was an unused substitute in St Kitts and played just five minutes against Mexico.
St Clair has not recalled Scotland since although the striker understands that he has done little to merit a recall.
"I am not disappointed at not being called up because I am not playing how I would want to with my club," said Scotland. "Although I would like to know what are the criteria that the staff looks at for getting in the team."
At present, Scotland is preoccupied with his job at United. There are eight fixtures remaining this season and he is aiming for five goals. It would auger well for his future in the SPL.
Jack will restart light training today with Dundee while Sancho and Samuel will re-evaluate their careers this summer. Sancho's present contract expires in June and there is sure to be takers while Samuel has another year left on his deal but could also find a compromise with his employers. Tough times at Tayside; but, hopefully, there would be a shift in fortunes soon.

Jason Scotland refuse T&T call-up.

By Tom Duthie.
27-May-2004 - Jason Scotland will benefit from the break, says Dundee United boss Ian McCall. Dundee United striker Jason Scotland has put club before country and side-stepped Trinidad and Tobago’s busy summer programme in a bid to be fresh for the start of next season.
Although not in the original squad, Scotland was called up for Sunday’s friendly with Scotland at Easter Road and had been due to join the rest of the party, who were already in this country following last week’s win over Iraq at West Bromwich.
However, having travelled home to the Caribbean for a holiday and to visit relatives, he declined the offer of another cap in favour of a break.
That means he is also likely to miss the home friendly with Nothern Ireland in Tobago on June 6, and two World Cup qualifiers against the Dominican Republic in the middle of the month.
“Jason had already arranged his travel home and felt it was too much to go home, travel here and then back to Trinidad in the space of a few days,” said United boss Ian McCall.
“I agree with him and, from my point of view, I would rather both he and Collin Samuel were back home resting than playing international games over the summer.
“I felt that over the last four months or so of the season, they both made good progress and Jason, in particular, did very well. I believe that will continue next season and having a break right now can only help them.”
Meanwhile, according to reports of the "Sunday Herald" writer Natasha Woods reported, Bertille St Clair is the latest T&T national coach yet to be won over by Scotland’s talents. He didn’t name the United striker in his original squad for the trip to face Berti Vogts’ side, much to the player’s disappointment.
“They picked the squad and I wasn’t in. Then a guy from Trinidad gets injured so they call me up and and tell me they want me to play. I say no, I’m going home, I’ve already booked my ticket.
“I don’t see why I should be second choice. It is always the way – I’m the back-up they call. But I’ve scored a lot of goals in Trinidad and now I’m scoring here too and I feel I can be first choice. I’ve never got a consistent run and I don’t know why. Maybe it is just coaches don’t fancy me,” he said.
He has some regrets about missing out – particularly as it would have caused some confusion in the stands at Easter Road. “Playing against Scotland would have been nice. I might have had to think whether they were chanting ‘Scotland’ for me or ‘Scotland’ for the national team!”
“Rocket”, as he is known back in his homeland, certainly has no regrets about choosing Scotland over China last year. Back at the start of 2003 Mike Berry, his agent, arranged for him to go on trial with Beijing Guoan. He didn’t enjoy the experience, but knew the time was right for him to leave Defence Force in Trinidad and try his luck abroad.
Then United offered him a trial last summer. Two-footed and powerful, he did enough to encourage McCall to offer him a two-year deal.
In many ways he wishes he had made the move abroad sooner. “I look at Dwight Yorke, who came to Britain when he was 17. I think I may have adapted to the game quicker if I had arrived at that age because the football is so different back home.”
He believes one season in Scotland has already made him a better player. It has certainly made him a harder-working one. “Back at Defence Force I was the guy who got goals. I got the ball, did my stuff and didn’t really defend much.
“But in Scotland it is different. Everyone likes to see you working hard when you haven’t got the ball. I have to defend and run about more than I ever did in Trinidad.”

Article on Jason Scotland.

By: sport.scotsman.com
19-May-2004 - Players returning to haunt clubs is a familiar notion, although one might have expected, like Dundee, that the width of an ocean would offer protection enough from any perceived grievances of Jason Scotland.
Last weekend, however, the Trinidad and Tobago international’s entry into the Dundee derby proceedings is generally accepted to have been the decisive factor in Dundee United’s salvaging of the match, having trailed 2-0 at half-time.
For Dundee it was the second time they have fallen victim to the player known in his homeland as "Rockets" - he packs a gun in both feet apparently - but who in his adopted home has come to be known as "Spanner".
This refers to one outrageous piece of skill, showcased recently by Ronaldinho against Celtic but patented first by the 25-year-old Scotland in training this season at United and which featured in a game against Motherwell last month. "He does a thing called the Spanner, the thing Ronaldinho did, flicking the ball from his right foot to left," says his manager, Ian McCall.
"It is unbelievable. It’s just incredible. He did it in a game against Motherwell, went past two players right in front of our punters. Now that means immediate adulation, no matter what. The fans adore him."
But until hitting consecutive strikes against Motherwell and Livingston and then his cameo in last week’s derby, Scotland was in danger of being remembered as a one-trick pony. Although shielded from the expectation saddled upon his compatriot Collin Samuel, Scotland was still expected to bring something more to the party than a nifty flick.
In the event both he and Samuel struggled, with McCall seeming less and less eager to make excuses for them. They know they have fallen short he said eventually, when he could be bothered to explain their continued absences from the first-team starting line-up.
Indeed, by this late stage in the season one might have at least expected Scotland to total more appearances than the squad number on the back of his shirt - 20. Instead, 14 league games played hides a more startling statistic - only five starts.
It is not what was expected of "Rockets", or "Spanner", or the man who also answers to the more straightforward, and locally-sound, handle of "Scotty".
In January last year he scored twice for a Trinidad and Tobago President’s XI against a Dundee side touring the islands during the winter break. Most reckoned this impressive display would have him winging his way back to Dundee, an extra body in the Dens Park club’s cargo of players.
Instead, Dundee plumped for another local who featured against them that day, Brent Sancho. It was something the Dens manager Jim Duffy perhaps rued as he watched Scotland turn the game on Sunday.
"Jim Duffy did not say anything to me in Trinidad and Tobago after I scored twice against his team," says Scotland. "Maybe if he had I might now be at Dens Park.
"I thought I had impressed him. But I am in Dundee now anyway, and that is fate working I guess." It has, though, clearly taken time for the Trinidadian to adapt to the country which gifted him his surname, the source of which he can trace only so far back as his grandfather.
At the end of next month the striker will be attempting to spear Scottish hopes during a friendly match scheduled for Easter Road. It is tempting to point out that at least one Scotland is doing it on the international front, with the player’s performance in a 2-1 defeat to Finland last season earning rave reviews in his homeland.
He took advantage of the start offered due to a protest from 19 senior players, who were upset at being what they believed was financially under-valued. Trinidad and Tobago players are famed for knowing their worth, and Scotland is no different. As Lasana Liburd wrote in the Trinidad and Tobago Express about Scotland: "No extra marks for humility, but then he is aiming to be a top athlete and not a reverend."
This dream he will continue to chase at Tannadice, with the two-year deal he signed last summer containing a clause which stated that if either party wanted a way out after just one season, the second year could be revoked. Neither does.
Scotland has come good at the right time, although McCall insists letting the player go was never in his thoughts. "There was a trigger in [the deal] that we could let him go, but that won’t be happening," said the manager. "It’s just taken him time to adjust to the pace of the game. It’s 100mph.
"I said when I signed him, he makes the type of angles you don’t see from Scottish players. He strikes the ball with both feet. He just needs time to adjust to one, the pace of the game and two, the climate. He understands this. I took him aside before the derby and told him this, and he agreed.
"He’s quite smart. He’s not like Collin Samuel, who is very immature. I don’t mean that in a bad way. He is just very young for his age, whereas Jason has been in the army for four years. He is quite a street-wise guy. He knows the score. He is desperate to do well, and if he keeps progressing he has the chance to come through and be one of the main strikers here."
McCall admits that of the two Calypso strikers he signed in the summer, the lesser known Scotland - who arrived from the Trinidad and Tobago army side Defence Force - has fared better than the previously much vaunted Samuel.
"It’s Jason who has come through a little more," he said. "Collin has come on in the last month again, and is looking the part a bit more. I am thinking about putting Collin out on loan for a season or for half a season. But I think Jason by the start of next season might be really ready to play."
The confidence that Scotland clearly lacked at the start of a season he found initially bewildering has now returned, although probably not thanks to his agent, Mike Berry. Before Scotland’s first strike last month he would harass him with the plea: Can you not at least just score a goal? As if his client wasn’t trying. But he is, Scotland assures, his old self again, comfortable around his team-mates both on and off the field.
Asked who he hangs around with, he rather worryingly replies: "Charlie." That will be Charlie Miller, then. This, though, is the modern-day Charlie Miller, someone who his manager admits is now just a normal footballer who likes a few pints rather than the out-of-control madcap on a mission to destroy his career. "I have fallen in with a couple of guys like Charlie and Chris [Innes]. We go out and have a good time, and Brent Sancho too. We all live five minutes way from each other. Brent knows a couple of Dundee guys and I know a couple of United guys, so we’ll go out together."
But when it comes to the derby games, he says, the friendships across the great divide dissolve. Scotland proved this by giving Sancho and his Dundee defensive colleagues a torrid time, something which has encouraged interest in his fortunes back home.
"Everyone has been calling me," he continues. "There is good coverage of the SPL in the papers back home. They talked about me coming on and doing brilliantly. Everyone wants a Jason Scotland jersey back home. The game was on here on BBC 1 so I hope everyone was watching. I hope everyone remembers Jason Scotland, who came on against Dundee and changed the atmosphere."
Remembering his name is the easy part. The task for Scotland is continuing to convince those suddenly awakened to his talents of the reason why we must.

Jason Scotland in ripping form.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
13-Apr-2004 - Former Defence Force striker Jason Scotland has of late turned into a secret weapon for Dundee United in the Scottish Premier League. The national player has become a favourite with fans of his club and continued good form when he came on in the derby against Dundee on the weekend and helped them salvage a draw after being two goals down.
"Scotty and came on and changed the game," Dundee United defender Brent Sancho said. "I was really glad for him because he's only now been getting a hold of himself and even though his team robbed us of a point, I'm happy for him as well as Colin Samuel who also looked good".
Scotland too is hoping for better things. "I've found it hard because I haven't played much and the pace of the Scottish game is much faster than I was used to in Trinidad. No player is happy when they don't start but I have to bide my time and take my chance when it comes.
"My contract expires at the end of the season but if I get a chance to show what I can do then it shouldn't be a problem. I'd scored twice in a row against Motherwell and Livingston after coming on as a sub and all I can do is work hard in training and try my best to impress the manager. Hopefully I've done that," Scotland said. Dundee are ninth with 33 points while United are fifth with 41.

Northampton tries for Jason Scotland and Hector Sam.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
23-Dec-2003- Third Division club Northampton Town are keen on getting the services of Hector Sam and Jason Scotland on loan for the remainder of the season.
Officials at the club have already tried to secure the services of both men but have not been successful. However, they intend to keep trying.
Sam is currently at Wrexham while Scotland has enjoyed little playing time at Scottish Premier League side Dundee United.
Northampton chief executive officer Peter Miller revealed that the player’s agent Mike Berry is making attempts to make the moves a reality.
Word is that Northampton, 19th on the table) have also attempted to get CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh duo Kelvin Jack and Keyeno Thomas to the club on trial with a move to secure contracts. But it has been unsuccessful in getting the players to England as they are both still heavily involved with Jabloteh’s quest for trophies this season.

WAITING TO EXHALE...Jason Scotland eyes SPL glory.

By Lasana Liburd, T&T Exress.
05-Dec-2003 - “Coaches (of the national team) used to watch me and turn their face,” said Dundee United and Trinidad and Tobago striker Jason Scotland. “It was real frustrating for me because I was the (Pro League) top scorer for about three seasons and players who were not scoring as much for their clubs were ahead of me…
“But they can’t turn their face now.”
Chip on each shoulder and skilled with either foot, Scotland is ready to harness the talent that caught the eye while a Malick schoolboy and blossomed on the senior stage with CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and, finally, Defence Force.
His list of accolades in the Trinidad and Tobago game comprise two Pro League top scorer titles and a Young Player of the Year award while he was an all-star at Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) level.
Few at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on January 29, 2003 would forget Scotland’s captivating performance in a 2-1 loss to Finland that threatened to overshadow the protest of 19 senior players, two days earlier, which almost derailed the international fixture.
Yet, Scotland was not assured of a starting place up until the infamous strike and was an unused substitute for coach Hannibal Najjar in the preceding Concacaf Gold Cup qualifiers.
It was a humbling fact considering that Najjar did not use the likes of Arnold Dwarika, Otis Seaton and Nigel Pierre in that part of the series for various reasons.
Najjar was soon trumpeting Scotland’s obvious skill; his burst of speed, powerful shots from either boot and ability to hold up the ball and take on players.
They were the traits that won him his first cap, almost three years earlier, under Ian Porterfield in a World Cup qualifier.
At 24, though, Scotland has just 12 caps–seven as a substitute–and three international goals.
And, while his compatriot Dwight Yorke joined Aston Villa as a national hero in 1989, Scotland slipped virtually unnoticed through customs this August to ply his trade in the Scottish Premier League. He is adamant that he would not stay quiet for long.
“In Trinidad, everybody know about me and that I can score goals and whatever,” Scotland told the Trinidad Express, “but here nobody knows about me. So I want them to know that I am around.”
Not surprisingly, knowledgeable coaches in his homeland expect him to be a success in a league that should be as suitable to the attacker as his surname would suggest.
It has not quite worked out that way yet.
There have been five SPL appearances and a few assists.
But it was from the Tannadice Park stands that Scotland saw United edge Hearts 1-0 for their first home win of the season.
There were mixed emotions for the former soldier.
“I thought it would have been tough to get into the squad,” he said, “but, once I got in, I thought I would have kept my place…I am not accustomed to sitting on the bench or in the stands, I want to stay in it...'
“When I get back in the squad, I want to stay in it.”
It has been a steep learning curve for the striker who, like most youngsters, may be guilty of knowing less than he thinks.
A young player committed to doing things his way.
He has already been lectured by his agent Mike Berry, who handles five other UK-based “Soca Warriors” including Dundee defender Brent Sancho, about the importance of collective defending in the British game.
“They reckoned that Liverpool’s legendary striker Ian Rush was also their best defender,” Berry explained, “because he tracked back so deep to pick up players.”
Scotland may take some convincing though.
“As a striker once you are scoring goals regularly, you are okay,” he said. “So when you walk back it is not a problem because everyone knows what you can do when you do get the ball. Look at Ronaldo; he walks back.
“When you are not scoring, you have to work harder in other areas but a striker is paid to score goals; not run back.”
Such cheek. But they are not empty words.
Scotland has banged in goals at a notable rate wherever he has played.
Yet, he admitted that his personality–he confessed to not being the sharpest blade in training–has not always helped his relationships with coaches in his homeland.
Brazilian Rene Simoes never picked him; Stuart Charles-Fevrier used him for his African tour but has not played him since despite a call-up against Morocco and may still be undecided.
But Scotland is a player who usually picks himself eventually.
Defence Force coach and former national icon Hutson “Barber” Charles, Scotland revealed, begged him to do more running off the ball but there was little chance of the army/coast guard unit sacrificing their most lethal attacker.
The goals flowed and Scotland remained adamant.
Cocky but not stupid, though.
He has a message for “Barber”; he is running now.
“Up here, I make plenty runs in the channels because that is what football is here,” he said. “It is much quicker than playing in Trinidad. At Dundee (United), they accustomed to a kind of running, long ball football rather than knocking the ball.
“Is so it is here so I just have to try to adopt to it because they not going to adjust to me.”
A self-described slouch in training, Scotland voice took on an excited tone when he discussed his sessions at United.
“Everybody is just buzzing,” he said. “Even I am buzzing. The sessions are really nice too. In Trinidad, you train for hours in the hot sun so it is hard to keep up your intensity.
“But here, you train for just an hour and a half so it is sharp and short.”
He has a better appreciation of the relationship between player and manager as well.
“They treat you like a big man here,” said Scotland. “I could go and talk to the manager after the game if I didn’t play or whatever and he will explain things to me.
“In Trinidad, the manager would probably drop me for doing that.”
Scotland has spent the past month playing with the reserve squad which, he insisted, was still a higher level than the Pro League.
After training, he would go the gym–another new practice for the striker–before joining his compatriot and roommate Collin Samuel to discuss football matters.
Samuel is in his second year in Britain after a promising rookie season with Division One team, Falkirk, and is ahead of Scotland in the pecking order.
But he too is new to the area and trying to find his feet at this level.
Samuel was a substitute in their weekend win over Hearts but the countrymen have played together with the reserves.
Scotland believes that their relationship on and off the field has made a very good start and is sure to make an impression in the SPL.
His Trinidadian girlfriend, Nympha, has also helped him to settle in and she is expected to rejoin Scotland for the Christmas season.
Berry explained that it would all help his charge to get going.
The Englishman has been an agent for the past eight years and appreciates that there is a fine line between failure and success in exports, particularly from unheralded football nations.
“The most important attribute is ambition,” said Berry. “If they are strong enough mentally to be successful in England and they have that ambition. If they have the skill and no ambition they are not going to make it.”
He believes that Scotland is hungry enough.
Nothing in the interview with the young striker suggested differently.
No extra marks for humility perhaps; but then Scotland is aiming to be a top athlete not a reverend.
And few can question his ability.
“I would say I hope to be back in the first team in the next two weeks,” said Scotland. “I haven’t scored yet for the first team so I want to get my first goal and just get a permanent spot and let people see what I can do.
“So long as I am scoring goals, I will be guaranteed a spot. I just need to get off the mark.”
Trinidad, it seems, could not offer the necessary motivation for a player who excelled without having to try too hard.
He is looking forward to success at a higher level and is prepared to dig in to get it.
Dundee United are holding their breath.

Dundee boss expects big things from Jason Scotland.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
24-Sept-2003 - Jason Scotland has forced himself into the reckoning for a regular starting role with Dundee United following an impressive performance in their 2-1 win over Partick Thistle in the Premier League on Saturday.
The former Defence Force hitman made his first start for the season and set up their second goal. Teammate Colin Samuel came on in the second half and created some problems with his pace against a tiring Thistle defence.
Scotland had made two appearances off the bench but strengthened his claim with a strong showing for the club’s youth team last week. Team coach Ian McCall expects big things from him as the club aims to improve on its current 11th spot position on the 12-team table.
“He is still relatively young and is new to this country, so he was always going to need time to adjust. It is a similar story with players like Collin Samuel, Mark Kerr and Barry Robson because they are all new to this league. Of course, I would like them to be at their best straight away, but what we are doing is about the next few years not months and, in the long term, I have absolutely no doubts about their ability at this level. In Scotland’s case, he has decent pace, not as explosive as Samuel but decent, has very good feet and has everything needed to do well,” McCall said. “Hopefully I can get into the first team and keep my place. Once I settle I think I can get among the goals,” Scotland added.

Jason Scotland gets his work permit, sets up Dundee contract.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
15-Jul-2003 - Trinidad and Tobago striker Jason Scotland will soon be living his dream of playing professional in the Scottish Premier League after hearing on Tuesday that he had been granted a work permit and will now sign with Dundee United.
The former Defence Force forward who will now go on to sign a two-year contract with the team where he will now partner fellow T&T striker Colin Samuel who signed a three-year deal with the “Tangerines” last week.
Both players will fly out with the rest of the Dundee team for preseason tours of Austria and Germany on Wednesday.
“The news just came as a shock to me. I’m delighted to get this chance now” the 24-year-old Scotland told TTFF Media on Tuesday afternoon.
Scotland’s agent Mike Berry revealed that he was granted the work permit on a unanimous verdict following the appeal which involved a five-man committee. Berry added that personal negotiations will now take place and Scotland will sign a two-year-contract later this month.
“I am thrilled to that yet another one of my Trinidad and Tobago’s players have gotten through to play at the highest level in Scotland,” said Berry who is also the agent of goalkeeper Clayton Ince and Wrexham trio Dennis Lawrence, Carlos Edwards and Hector Sam. “I also want to give credit to the management of the Defence Force for what they had done for the past six years in helping develop Jason as a player as well as the TTFF for helping with the permit requirements.”
“It’s big times or no times,” an excited Scotland added. “For a long time I’ve been wanting a move like this and now it’s just a matter of time before I settle in. I need to thank those who have been at my side, particularly Mike (Berry), the people at Defence Force and the National team and most of all my mom Brenda (Joseph) and my girlfriend Nimpha (Jeffrey).
“The coach likes what he has been seeing and they actually feel here that myself and Colin can be the top two strikers in Dundee. Now it’s just a matter of us proving ourselves,” he said. “The players have made us feel very welcomed. The training has been real intense but we know that this is what we have to expect once we want to make it out here.”
Samuel, who signed a three-year deal with the club also had is work permit renewed and was equally delighted. “Since I came back from the South Africa tour with the national team, there has beena lot of talks about me going to another club. Dundee United made a bid for me and Falkirk accepted it. I’m just happy to make the move into the Premiership where hopefully myself and ‘Scotty’ can perform well,” Samuel told TTFF Media.

Jason Scotland leave's  Ian McCall thinking.

By Shaun Fuentes.
16-May-2003 - Jason Scotland left Dundee United manager Ian McCall impressed according to reports out of Scotland. Agent Mike Berry said that McCall has indicated that he wants to offer Scotland a deal and negotiations will take place over the coming weeks as well as attempts to secure a work permit for the former Defence Force player.
"The trial went well particularly as I was able to settle in early. I trained with the first team and the manager said that he was happy with what he saw and now it's just a matter of time before we know what happens next," Scotland told TTFF Media. He also mentioned that former T&T skipper Russell Latapy was supportive of him and the other player on trial, Devon Mitchell, assisting in their whereabouts in Dundee, also dropping them both off to the airport on Thursday.

Jason Scotland and Devon Mitchell on trial at Latapy's club.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
9-May-2003 - Trinidad and Tobago strike due Jason Scotland and Devon Mitchell are currently on trial with Scottish Premier League club Dundee United, team of former T&T skipper Russell Latapy.
The two players arrived at the club last week and are there in the midst of United's battle to avoid last spot as the season approaches end.
According to reports out of the club, the manager Ian McAlll is keen on seeing the capabilities of both players who will remain a week at the club and if they impress, further steps will be taken to secure their work permits.
These moves have been orchestrated by English-based agent Mike Berry who is agent of T&T goalkeeper Clayton Ince and Wrexham trio Hector Sam, Dennis Lawrence and Carlos Edwards.
Latapy meantime has three more games left for the season with United who face off with Marvin Andrews' Livingston on Saturday.
Both United and cellar placed Motherwell have played 35 games with the former ahead by one point.
Meanwhile, local defender Brent Sancho should have a deal with the other Scottish club Dundee tied up within the next couple of weeks. Dundee spotted the player during their tour of Trinidad earlier this year. His deal is being made possible through the efforts of Pro Sports Caribbean who has Englishman Terry Fenwick and Peter Miller as their representatives.
Fenwick told TTFF Media that he continues to look out for the interest of the T&T players and was also responsible for Mitchell's trial with Falkirk last year.
"I've obviously kept in touch with everything back in Trinidad. I'm very keen to look at the progress the young players are making because Trinidad and Tobago has got some really special kids that need to be given the right development. That will always be my interest and I'm sure once I get back into the game which at the moment I have a couple offers I'm considering which won't happen until the end of the season. I'm sure then I will come back to Trinidad for one or two players," Fenwick said
"Josh Johnson, Devon Mitchell and Cornell Glenn are some of the names that I can think of. With the right management and guidance I think these boys can do very well here. There are lot of players just that need to be coached and guided. Their natural abilities are terrific and that's what I took to Jabloteh and I expect them to really continue this.