Scotland assistant John Carver savoured Newcastle’s “emotional” Carabao Cup triumph from afar on Sunday, then moved to assure defeated Liverpool defender Andy Robertson that he will not be waiting seven decades for glory like he did.
The 60-year-old Geordie was unable to be at Wembley as Eddie Howe’s side defeated the Reds 2-1 to land their first domestic trophy in 70 years.
Instead, the former Newcastle player, coach and interim manager watched on television in Glasgow after joining up with Steve Clarke and the Scotland squad to begin preparations for this week’s Nations League play-off against Greece.
“I think I’m the only Geordie that didn’t really celebrate properly because obviously we met up last night,” Carver said on Monday.
“I was gutted not to be there because obviously I’ve been there with the team and not won and been there as a supporter and not won. So to see them win on TV was quite incredible, really emotional.
“We deserved it, we deserved to win. We played really well and more importantly it was a good result for football because the way our fans support the football club, they deserve it more than anybody.
“They’ve stuck by them through thick and thin – and there’s been lots of thick and thin – but they enjoyed the occasion and more importantly got the result.
“They’ll party all week, don’t worry about that, I’ll miss that but they deserve it. Eddie and his staff and his players were outstanding so it’s put a big smile on my face. It’s good preparation for our game against Greece.”
While Carver was clearly exhilarated by Newcastle’s exploits, he is aware Scotland captain Robertson will not be in such buoyant mood as he joins the camp on the back of playing the full 90 minutes for Liverpool.
The coach was quick to point out that the 31-year-old is likely to be celebrating Premier League title glory in the coming months, with his side 12 points clear of Arsenal at the summit.
“I’m so disappointed for Andy obviously but my heart is black and white,” he said. “We’ll have a chat about it. Andy’s a very good professional and it’ll take him a day or so to get over the disappointment but you know what’s really good for Andy is he won’t have to wait 70 years for the next trophy!
“They’re only a few months away from picking up the Premier League and I’m sure they’re going to do that. Andy will have his day in May to celebrate, I’m sure.”
