David Weir no doubt believes he is fortunate even to be considering playing for Scotland this week after being the victim of an x-rated tackle from Michael Owen. He has joined his Scottish mates as they prepare for their two-game Euro 2000 crunch relieved not to have been injured.

Weir, a university graduate, chose his words carefully and was the perfect diplomat as he spoke for the first time about that two-footed challenge by Owen in the Mersey derby.

Weir stopped short of exonerating Owen for the tackle, claiming: ''I've seen the tackle on me on video since, and it doesn't look any better now than it did then. But I suppose I came through it all right, so that's the main thing. It was a bad tackle and I don't know whether it was an accident. I'd like to think it was. These things happen in football so you just have to get on with it.

''I don't want to speculate on it, I'm just fit and that's the main thing. He didn't apologise, he probably didn't feel it was a bad tackle so he probably didn't feel he had anything to apologise for.''

Weir continued to maintain his dignified response even to the question 'Did it look worse that it really was?' He added: ''I don't know about that, it's for other people to judge.''

It would be easy suggest that defender Weir has had enough of facing bright young things recently. Owen was his first brush in six days with one of Britain's finest young teenage strikers, and the second was Saturday's close-up look at another young gem in Robbie Keane. The young Irishman tested the legs and experience of Weir and 37 -ear-old team-mate Richard Gough to the full. And the £6m kid was injured, too.

Weir said: ''It was the first time I've played against Robbie, and he's certainly special. He's very lively and a very good player. He caused us a lot of problems. If he was supposed to be carrying an ankle injury out there, and he wasn't 100% I wouldn't like to see him when he's fully fit.

''I've played against Michael Owen and Robbie now in a week. They are very talented. But I don't think you can compare the two because they have quite different styles. But they are excellent players with a lot of quality and will be around the top for a long time.''

Weir could have finished the game as Everton's hero. After fellow Scot Gary McAllister had cancelled out Francis Jeffers' early goal, it was Weir with two headers who could have clinched the points and sent Everton storming to their best start to a league season in 20 years.

But he was denied, first by an offside flag, and finally in the third minute of injury time, by his own astonishing inaccuracy with a free header in the six-yard box that he managed to guide over the top.

He said: ''After those two early goals the game deteriorated a little bit for both sides, but we did have a couple of great chances in the second half to win it - and I include my late header in that. I had a goal disallowed in the first half, and I believe I was onside, but there's nothing you can do about decisions like that. The flag went up and that was that. But there's no doubt about the second one, I definitely should have scored, it's as simple as that.''

So now Weir, along with Everton's Scottish clan of Scot Gemmill, Don Hutchison and John Collins, turns his attention to Scotland's future.

He said: ''Scotland have got two massive games now for me and the Scots in the Everton side to concentrate on now. The first one is on Tuesday against Bosnia, and if we win that it takes all the pressure off for the Saturday match with Lithuania. That's what we are intent on doing.

''Scotland's recent results haven't been too bad, a win in Bosnia and a draw in Estonia last month. When you go to places like Estonia these days they are never easy. We got four points from our last two difficult away games, and if we can get solid results in these next two home matches those two away games will look more than decent performances.

''I'm just glad to be involved. I still believe I am trying to establish myself in international football even though I have played 15 or so matches now for my country. All I know is that if we beat Bosnia, that should put us into the play-offs and that's what we are all concentrating on now,'' he said.

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