'Eternally grateful' McBurnie ready to show what Scotland have missed

Oli McBurnie's goal won got Hull City promoted to the Premier League [Getty Images] When Oli McBurnie sits down to talk, one of the first things you notice is Al Pacino staring at you, a large tattoo on the striker's left arm depicting the actor in full Scarface mode. Say hello to my little friend and all of that. "It's my favourite film," he says, on day one of his return to the Scotland fold after five long and controversial years on the outside looking in. "I liked certain things about his personality [Pacino as the madman Tony Montana]. I liked the fact that he knew exactly what he wanted. He's a psycho. "I don't condone a lot of his methods, but he knew what he wanted and he did anything to get it, so I think there's something that can be said for that." It's a humorous beginning to a conversation that covers a fair amount of ground in the build-up to Nations League matches against Slovenia (twice), Switzerland and North Macedonia: His feelings about Steve Clarke, the Scotland boss who cast him to the wilderness The perception in places that he's some kind of trouble-maker who's not all that bothered about adding to his 16 goalless caps The mistakes he made, the lessons he has learned, his fierce desire to finally score for his country. "A tap-in on Saturday or one that goes in off my backside would be lovely." A long road back, McBurnie says about his years in exile, ended by this summons under new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. "There were times when it looked like I was never going to come back," the 30-year-old tells BBC Sport Scotland in La Manga. "The older I've got and the more mature I've got, you really appreciate these times a lot more. "When I was last in the squad, I was a kid really. You think it's just going to always be like this. I probably did take it for granted a little bit. "I didn't play well enough when I put on the Scotland shirt. I can hold my hands up and say that. I didn't give the best representation of me as a player or as a person and that's something that I'm here to change. "I'm just so thankful that I've been given the opportunity to do that. I'll be eternally grateful to the manager for giving me the chance. I'm more determined to go out there and prove why I belong here." Pocognoli has 'positive nervousness' for Scotland debut From leaving Rangers to La Liga - Scotland is next step for Ure Well-travelled Binks eager to make mark for Scotland 'I've grown up. I'm a different person' He's here now because a change in manager has brought a clean slate and fresh eyes. Clarke found it easy to ignore McBurnie's form, but Pocognoli has reacted to it. Last season with Hull he scored 19 goals, the pick of them being the 95th-minute play-off winner against Middlesbrough that took his club to the Premier League. He hasn't scored this season, but Hull are going well and his performances have been strong. He's favourite to lead the line against Slovenia on Saturday. The Clarke controversy is unavoidable. McBurnie doesn't do a Pacino when talking about the former Scotland head coach, saying - diplomatically - that he "had his own reasons for what he did". Before naming his World Cup squad, Clarke received a call from the striker, who was keen to know if he was in with any kind of shot. He wasn't. McBurnie spoke about the chat in public and Clarke didn't like it. "I rang him and I said, 'I feel like I've been playing well' and I just wanted to know his reasoning for [leaving him out] and if there was something he wanted me to do to improve. It went the way it went," he explains. "There were no sour notes. He explained to me his reasons and that's completely fair enough. I said I would keep performing, I'd keep trying to work my way into his plans. I never managed to do that. "I was gutted. I felt like I had something to add to the Scotland team. The pinnacle of football to me is representing your country and representing your country at a World Cup is as good as it gets. So, yeah, completely gutted." [BBC] McBurnie has been depicted over the years as a negative force in the squad, a rumour that is never actually substantiated by anyone in the know. What you hear about instead from the camp is a livewire with a big personality. A good lad. "It was people on the outside putting two and two together without any substance," he says. "If you ask anyone I've ever worked with in the national set-up or at club level, I'd like to think that they'd tell you that the one thing I try and be is a very good team-mate whether I'm playing or not playing." The perception of McBurnie as a problem player - and part of the reason why some of the Tartan Army might not have wanted him back - was not just 16 goalless games but also a certain video of him trashing the Scotland set-up. It was 2019 when he was a Sheffield United player. McBurnie was caught on camera talking to his fellow Scot, John Fleck. McBurnie said he hoped he wasn't going to get called up by Scotland because things were, er, not good. "The video was from a behind-the-scenes thing," he explains. "Me being the person I am, I like to say a lot of things for reactions, stuff that you don't mean, funny things. I say things almost to protect myself from insecurities. "So, being asked if I'm going to get called up for Scotland and me saying, 'I hope not', it's almost protecting myself if I don't get the call, if you know what I'm saying. "It's something that I shouldn't have said. I didn't expect it to go out to the world. I rang Steve Clarke straight away and apologised and he said, 'Yeah, I get it, but you'll have to apologise to all the lads'. "That was it done and dusted. I went on to play however many games for Steve Clarke after that, but it's something that gets brought up. I get why it is. "I was maybe 23-years-old, an insecure kid. I've definitely grown up. I'm a lot more confident and content with myself. There's a lot less need for me to say those things and hide behind them or anything else in life. It was silly. "I've had two kids since I last won a cap. I have a fiancee. I've lived in Spain for a year [he was at Las Palmas]. I've done all sorts of things that have opened up my mind and given me gratitude. "I'm a different person, 100%. I still have the edge but the most common phrase I get told when meeting fans on the street is 'you're actually all right. I thought you were a so-and-so'. "But I don't necessarily want you to like me when I'm playing, especially if you're an opposition fan. I want you to dislike me. It means I've been a nuisance in the game. "My priorities have changed and every decision that I make now is with my kids and my fiancee at the forefront of my mind. I'm happy where I'm at now. I'm a lot more content with myself as a person. I think that's one of the reasons why I feel like I'm playing better football." Scoring the winner at Wembley was one of the greatest moments of his life, like something out of a movie, he says. Breaking his duck for Scotland would be a massive moment. "It's got to me at times," McBurnie says. "It's been hard to deal with. My job is to score goals and it didn't happen so a one-yard tap-in or one that goes in off my backside - anything to get me off the mark with my country would be incredible." He's waited for these days for a long time. Pocognoli has now given him the chance he's been craving. The rest is up to him. [BBC]