HAVING just come back from a working holiday in Jersey, I wasn't at Hampden on Tuesday night, but, the highlights show on BBC at 10.35pm was a cheering hour. We won, we played well and WGS has definitely brought back the feel-good factor to the Tartan Army.
We actually put together some old-fashioned Scottish-style passing movements and we had 11 guys who wanted to be on there. Sadly, the improvement in our form has come too-late to get us to Brazil, and now there is a near-12 month break from competitive football, before we get back onto the roundabout for the European Championship qualifiers.
Can I say here, expanding the Euros to a 24-team final tournament is a nonsense; that 24 of 53 teams should be considered good enough to get into the final pool is a joke. A lot of dross will qualify and, even if we missed out, I'd rather see the Euros continuing to be left to a 16-team final tournament.
Surely we will be good enough to qualify, although, it might all come down to the qualifying group draw - where it would not be a shock if Scotland ended up in another Group of Death.
But, we will face that when it comes, in February. Right now, I hope, porbably against hope, that the SFA will come up with a development plan which might offer WGS and his men a reasonable chance of qualifying.
We have now got a spine to the team - McGregor, two young central defenders growing game by game, Morrison and Brown in central midfield and Naisy up front. But, we still have to sort-out one or two of the peripheral roles.
Alan Hutton has, I think, given his limitations, seldom let Scotland down; however, if he is not playing regular first-team football, at a reasonably high level, come February, he might have to be replaced. Thankfully Stevie Whittaker is, apparently, playing regularly and well at right back for Norwich, so, he could fill-in.
I think Charlie Mulgrew, although there may be times when he is put into midfield, can clinch the number three shirt, with Lee Wallace as back-up. We are strong in wide areas and I'd love to see us putting out a team with wee Burkie wide right and Ikeche Anya wide left.
Throw-in Robert Snodgrass, James McArthur and a please, please, please, fit-again Darren Fletcher and Stephen Fletcher and we should qualify.
Suddenly, our glass is again half-full, rather than half-empty. Isn't it great to be a Tartan Army foot soldier?
Yes it is sir. And about time too. I swore I would never set foot back inside Hampdung again due to the old club ties giving me the constant boak, so last night I shouted and cheered along with the rest of them (all be it from a cheesey pub in middle Englandshire) and was delighted with the outcome. Nice to Naismith and Broony teaming up for some moves on more than one occasion, it reminded me of old times before the war...
ReplyDeleteDarren Fletcher!!!! I thought he died fae the flu or something. Got the match over here and was well impressed just wait until the wee man from DUFC Ryan Gauld's balls have dropped and he can play with the big lads....
ReplyDeleteEuros here we come.