The first few days in training with a new team can be a little awkward for players as they get to know their new teammates and their new manager. For Robbie Ure, there was an added complication as he joined up with the Scotland squad for the first time in Spain this week.
When he was a kid at Rangers, Ure marched into the office of then academy director Craig Mulholland and told him that he wanted to leave his boyhood club in pursuit of first team football. The man who, it just so happens, has recently been appointed as the Scottish FA’s chief football officer, and who was joining the players in La Manga this week as the Sebastien Pocognoli era got under way.
Thankfully, the amiable Mulholland holds no grudges. In fact, he can’t help but be pleased for Ure that his brave decision to step out of his comfort zone all those years ago has now been vindicated, with the striker not only earning a move to Sevilla, but being more than deserving of his maiden call-up to the senior national squad.
It may well be in fact that his move to Anderlecht was the first step towards the development of the goalscoring striker that the Scotland team have been crying out for, but as Ure recalls, that prospect seemed a long way off when he plucked up the courage to walk away from the club he had loved all of his life.
“It was difficult, because from what I can remember, I was one of the only boys that had gone into his office and said that to him at the time,” Ure said.
“Obviously, growing up there, that's all I ever knew. I was quite young as well, so I hadn't had many of these uncomfortable conversations.
“But yeah, it was something that I knew I wasn't going to be able to be convinced from otherwise. I went in and spoke to him a couple of times. Every time he would ask me what I'm thinking, it would be the same response, that I wanted to go and look elsewhere. So, it was difficult, but it was something I felt like I had to do.
“I think that's obviously [because of] what I was seeing when I was coming through at Rangers. All these boys that would just continue and continue until they couldn't anymore. I felt like it was something I had to do.
“I had my mind set up on it maybe nine months before my contract ran out. So, looking back, it was probably the right thing to do.
“When I got closer and closer to men's football, I started to understand that you have to have that mentality and that attitude because it's a difficult game to play. You have to make decisions that you think are correct.
“It's something I've probably grown into. But the first one, obviously, was when I was making that decision at Rangers. It's something that I've continued to take with me.
“It's probably a bit unconventional for a Scottish player going to Belgium, Sweden and now in Spain. I've really enjoyed it. It's something that I had to do. If I didn't make those steps, I wouldn't probably be in the position I am now.
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“When I went to Anderlecht. That's probably when I first started to develop a lot, on the ball as well. Then to first go to Sweden as well and then take that step into a men's changing room. Being able to play at a decent level week in, week out as well. These were the two biggest steps for me.
“Of course, coming through at Rangers as well was important. But I think in terms of getting me to this position, it was those two steps.”
For those who haven’t been following his career closely, the upwards trajectory of Ure may seem like a rapid one, and even for the player himself it has been something of a whirlwind in these past few weeks as he has made the move to Spain and then joined up with the Scotland squad in La Manga.
The past few years though have given him the platform to enjoy the heady company he is now enjoying, both internationally and domestically, with playing the full 90 minutes for Sevilla last weekend against the star-studded Barcelona team.
“If I look back six weeks ago, I was still in Sweden,” he said.
“So, this is all something that I want to just try and enjoy as much as I can.
“I need to be patient as well, because know that these things will take time. If you take last weekend’s game against Barcelona, looking around and seeing World Cup winners and Champions League winners everywhere was quite exciting.
“But I just need to be patient and try and enjoy as much as I can. Enjoy these moments playing against these players and enjoy the camp here and being around everyone as well.
“I'm putting no pressure on myself and I'm just trying to enjoy it.
“I think that will come [feeling more comfortable in such company] with the more times I do it. But before the Barcelona game, I wasn't nervous. I was excited to play in front of an amazing crowd and in front of our fans. These things are something that's really important, especially for a striker.
“I do think that I can definitely get to the level. But, as I said, it's work that I need to put in every day to get there.”
