The underrated impact of Scotland's back-shaving hype man
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<p>Liam Kelly looks perplexed after being told he has been singled out by some team-mates as Scotland&#8217;s &#8220;hype man&#8221;.</p>
<p>Then, a lightbulb moment.</p>
<p>&#8220;Aye, that happens naturally when you don&#8217;t play a lot of games,&#8221; he jokes. &#8220;You need to bring something to the party.&#8221;</p>
<p>The 30-year-old, with three caps to his name, is World Cup-bound as Scotland&#8217;s third-choice goalkeeper after playing three games for Rangers in the past season.</p>
<p>An injury crisis would need to occur for his handful of international appearances to increase in the United States, but his underrated influence in the squad does not go unnoticed.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t do anything special,&#8221; he tells BBC Scotland. &#8220;When the boys go into the game, I just want them to give it their full whack, know what I mean?</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t disappoint the opposition by bringing half measures &#8211; just go for it.&#8221;</p>
<h2>The &#8216;most positive guy&#8217; &; Hanley&#8217;s back shaver</h2>
<p>Discourse around squad selections can often get bogged down by people demanding that players who are playing and in form must be picked.</p>
<p>But is there enough said about having a lad who will be relentless in bringing vibes to the group?</p>
<p>&#8220;Liam&#8217;s in there because he&#8217;s a very good third goalkeeper,&#8221; said head coach Steve Clarke.</p>
<p>What does that actually mean, though?</p>
<p>The Scotland boss adds: &#8220;He&#8217;s good around the squad&#8221; &#8211; tick &#8211; &#8220;his character&#8217;s good&#8221; &#8211; tick &#8211; &#8220;the players respect him&#8221; &#8211; tick &#8211; and &#8220;he works ever so hard in camp&#8221; &#8211; tick.</p>
<p>Oh, and he apparently &#8220;shaves Grant Hanley&#8217;s back&#8221;, according to Kenny McLean. For the sake of Kelly &#8211; and our imaginations &#8211; we can all hope that is a joke.</p>
<p>McLean also told BBC Scotland that Rangers&#8217; back-up goalkeeper is the &#8220;most positive guy you will meet&#8221;.</p>
<p>Perhaps the red-tinted sunglasses he wears at night to help replenish his melatonin have something to do with that.</p>
<h2>Scotland&#8217;s Claudia Winkleman?</h2>
<p>When Norwich midfielder McLean scored that goal against Denmark in November, Kelly was one of the first to empty the Scotland bench and lead the chasing pack.</p>
<p>He shares a strong bond with the 34-year-old and other senior figures within the group, such as Andy Robertson. He sits beside the captain on international commutes.</p>
<p>Nobody has a bad word to say about the former Motherwell player and optimism just always seems to be oozing out of him despite two seasons of limited minutes.</p>
<p>Game time was not a problem at Fir Park, where Kelly was first choice for four years before moving back to Rangers, where he started his career as a young prospect.</p>
<p>Long-time pal and former team-mate Andy Halliday played with him at both clubs.</p>
<p>He remembers Kelly&#8217;s impact in the Motherwell dressing room, controlling fines, organising days out and running a Traitors-like card game, which some of the Scotland squad got involved in during Sunday&#8217;s long-haul flight to the US.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s just his way of making sure everyone bonds together,&#8221; Halliday tells BBC Scotland.</p>
<p>At Rangers, his first impressions of the then teenage Kelly were his character standing out despite his age. &#8220;Typical Glasgow boy, gallus,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>The fact Kelly&#8217;s three closest mates at Ibrox at that time &#8211; Halliday, Lee Wallace and Kenny Miller &#8211; were all of an older age told the former midfielder a lot about his personality.</p>
<p>And Halliday is in no doubt that the goalkeeper&#8217;s nature will be having a positive impact among the Scotland squad, even if time on the park will inevitably be restricted.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s opinionated in a good way, whether he&#8217;s playing or not,&#8221; Halliday tells BBC Scotland. &#8220;Experienced players will go to Liam and have chats around the game.</p>
<p>&#8220;Liam will accept himself his role won&#8217;t involve many minutes on the pitch. A lot of it will involve what he can bring off the pitch.&#8221;</p>
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