THEY DIDN'T half dust off the old “Disaster For Scotland” headlines in the wake of Saturday's Dublin Debacle. Once more the great brains of the Scottish Football Writers Association are calling for the head of the manager, the removal of several players and bemoaning our repeated failings on the park.
Scotland has been losing to Ireland, either the whole of that island, the Republic part or Northern Ireland since Queen Victoria was on the throne. I can tell you, from various buts of research within Glasgow's Mitchell Library – losing to the men in green never sits well with the Scots. For instance, it was after a loss to the Irish, at Firhill, in February, 1928 that the Scottish selectors opted for nine changes to the team to face England – and the Wembley Wizards were born.
We've been playing international football since 1872, we are now approaching 900 full internationals and, our overall record shows, we've only won some 48% of these games. Of all these internationals, only 89 have been played in the month of June, and we've won just 29 of these – just under 33%.
The lesson from this is, maybe we shouldn't play internationals in June; it's the wrong month for Scots to be running around a football park.
For at least the last century and a bit, we have tended to pick the bulk of our team from Anglo-Scots, Scottish players playing for English clubs. The greater riches abounding in the English game has meant the high road south has always been an attractive proposition to our top talent. Once upon a time, the Old Firm could compete, but today, even they are nursery clubs to have their best talent picked-off at will by even lesser English clubs.
The English game, even today when the majority of the best players are foreign, rather than UK-reared, has always been a brand of football which places endeavour and running power above technical prowess. Our players either in Scotland or England, are not as technically proficient as their continental, South American or African team mates – so they have to compensate by harder and longer running.
This means, by the end of the English season, which, with European games can mean 60-plus matches, the Scots players are running on empty. Then, we ask them to play another month for their country. It's a recipe for disaster.
He's certainly safe in the short term, because Steve Clarke has been and continues to be a good Scotland manager. I cannot think of a Scottish candidate to replace him, even then, there are no guarantees. Given the quality of player he has to work with, he's doing well.
In any case, being Scotland boss has long been a poisoned chalice. The fans still, to a degree, have unrealistic expectations of the national side.
Not that long ago the English Team of the Season – selected from players in their top flight, would have been awash with Scots. The likes of Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and John Wark were at the heart of English clubs winning things in Europe. This season's English Premiership Team of the Season didn't include one Scot. Perhaps only national captain Andy Robertson was anywhere near selection, but, he didn't get in.
The Scottish Premiership Team of the Season was almost as bad, with only three Scots – Goalkeeper Craig Gordon, his Hearts team mate Stephen Kingsley and Celtic captain Calum McGregor making it into the final XI. If we can only get three Scots into the Scottish domestic Team of the Season – we've got problems.
It has long been claimed, Scotland's greatest export is its people – our brightest and best have been leaving Scotland – often involuntarily - for the past three hundred plus years. Our top footballers have been leaving since Fergus Suter left Partick FC for Darwen in 1878, so the Scottish football gene pool has been shrinking for over 140 years – no wonder we are mince.
I reckon we should stop blaming Steve Clarke, or the players, they're doing our best. I've said this before, and I dare say before I cash-in my chips I will say it again – but:
The fault for the shortcomings in our national team and Scottish football in general lies squarely at the feet of the rank amateurs and numpties, wearing SFA or club blazers, who make the big decisions about our game. We are going nowhere but backwards until we have a right clear-out, starting along the sixth floor corridor at Hampden.
And finally – their media assures us England are genuine contenders for the next World Cup Finals, but, three games into the Nations League, they have yet to win a game.
To quote a famous Tartan Army chant from the past: We're shite, but, we know we are.” Some neighbouring nations don't have our acute sense of self-worth.
FINALLY – Of course I am gutted by our loss in Dublin, but, I remain a Scotland supporter, and have utter contempt for those House Jocks celebrating our loss and posting their joy at our loss on Facebook – accompanies by wee Union Flags.
You might want to be England fans, but, they don't want you – and neither do the rest of us Scots.
Well said!
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