Not A Disaster For Scotland

ONE OF the books I am meaning to write has the working title: "Disaster For Scotland". On the basis that misery sells, I could re-hash such tales as the Wembley disasters of 1930, 1955, 1961, 1969 and 1975; throw-in my thoughts on the Peru and Iran games during the 1978 World Cup finals, the various red-faces we've suffered under Berti Vogts, George Burley and Craig Levein and suddenly, I've potentially got a massive tome on my hands.

 

There would have to be a chapter on the European Championship qualifier against Luxembourg, on 2 December, 1987. This match, played in the Stade de la Frontiere in Esch-sur-Alzette, finished 0-0.

 

This result was so bad, we hadn't been back to the Principality since, until Wednesday night, when, as we now know - WE WON.

 

Did we rejoice at this improvement? Did we hell. The professional (stopp tittering there at the back) reviewers of the Scottish Football Writers Association were decidedly under-whelmed by the performance and the result and, apparently, the opinion of the opinion formers is that stand-in boss Billy Stark apparently ruled himself out of contention for the Levein succession - because his hastily re-cast team didn't win by more goals.

 

This opinion, naturally, ignores the reality of commenting on the Scottish international team, which is - we have rarely been as good as we think we are.

 

The squad Starkie was left with was vastly different from the final one which Craig Levein had selected. Pardon my cynicism, but, I feel one or two Scotland regulars saw what they suspected as a short-lived Stark interregnum as a good excuse to miss a meaningless international, without too-greatly hampering their places in the national squad.

 

Starkie's starting team showed nine changes from Levein's last line-up, only Christophe Berra and Darren Fletcher holding their places. Starkie also chose to blood four new caps - which is, after all, one of the things these friendlies is all about.

 

Received wisdom (in both football and rugby) has always been that Scotland is a wee nation, which doesn't produce a lot of international class players at any one time and for us to do well, we need as many of our top talents on the field as we can manage.

 

My own opinion is that we had maybe five of our current optimum team on the park on Wednesday night. Usually, to have less than half our best side on the park in any game is a recipe for Disaster For Scotland; so, I refuse to castigate Starkie for managing us to a win.

 

Anent that 1987 game, which, as I remember was THE outstanding case of "A draw nae fitba" in the 140-year history of the Scotland international team - the Scotland team was: Jim Leighton, Maurice Malpas, Derek Whyte, Roy Aitken, Alex McLeish, Willie Miller, Pat Nevin, Paul McStay, Graeme Sharp, Ian Wilson, Maurice Johnston, with Gary MacKay and Eric Black replacing Whyte and Nevin after 62 minutes.

 

Just over one year previously, Scotland had beaten the Luxembourgers 3-0 at Hampden. Our team that night was (arguably) a stronger one: Leighton, Ray Stewart, Murdo MacLeod, Aitken, Richard Gough, Alan Hansen, Nevin, Brian McClair, Johnston, Kenny Dalglish and Davie Cooper, with Ally McCoist and Paul McStay replacing MacLeod and Hansen in the second half.

 

So, back in 1986-87, at a time when we were used to Scotland qualifying for the finals of the big tournaments, using, over the two games, 21 players, ten of whom have since been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame; seven of these ten have also won over 50 caps, to gain admittance to the SFA's own Hall of Fame, an honour also accorded to a further two of the 21 from 25-years ago.

 

Yet, back then - we couldn't win in Luxembourg. This week, denuded of more than half of apparently our current "first choice" starting team and at a time when, by common consent, we are short of genuine top-flight talent and potential Hall of Fame future inductees - we won in Luxembourg.

 

As I have said before - Scotland, here's tae us, wha's like us. And you all know the answer to that one.

 

 

 

ONE OF the hardy annuals of football journalism for the last decade or so has been the English media's distaste, bordering on extreme dislike, for Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

 

Following on his four-goal demolition of England on Wednesday night, a one-man show which spoilt Steve Gerrard's 100th cap party, maybe we should adopt the big man as an honorary Scot.

 

Henrik Larsson, who did so much to guide the young Ibrahimovic through his early internationals was always an exceptional player, who hid the self-belief and arrogance which is such a vital part of the really great players' game with an endearing diffidence. Ibrahimovic has always been much more up-front about his considerable gifts and this has never played well with our Southern neighbours.

 

I think he will have enjoyed his 90 minutes this week, after all, one thing which so-closely links the English and the Germans is - they don't like it up 'em and this week, Ibrahimovic got right up 'em.