Cheer UP - We Won

THAT great English wordsmith Sir PG Wodehouse did not miss and hit the wall when he said: “It is never difficult to distinguish between with a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.” The aftermath of Thursday night's European Championship Qualifiers play-off semi-final win fully justifies the great writer's view.

FFS, the fact that Scotland, the 27^th-ranked European footballing nation, required to win a penalty shoot-out to dispose of Israel, the 39th-ranked nation, is seen as some sort of disgrace.

Let's put that fixture into Scottish terms, using last season's final league placings. It was the equivalent of Airdrie v Queen's Park, two middling clubs, whose best days are, for the moment, behind them.

Can we please do something very un-Scottish, and try to be positive. Last night's victory was our sixth unbeaten match in a row – our best run since we strung together seven unbeaten games – D-W-D-W-W-W-D - under Gordon Strachan, between March and October, 2017.

How did that run end again? Oh yes, I remember, the SFA sacked Wee Gordon.

This century, we have played 172 full internationals. Over that time period, this is only the fourth run of six unbeaten matches we have put together. The others were the above mentioned 2017 run, a spell between September, 2013 and May, 2014, again under WGS and under Alex McLeish, between May and October, 2007.

So, consistent winning runs have not been a staple of the national team for a long, long time. The Tartan Army might have great expectations, but, is more used to purritch and auld claes.

Of course, we have never beaten Serbia, who we meet in the play-off final, but, that's not to say we will not win against them. Yes, they are a good team, full of talented players, but.

We have a fairly-settled squad, continuity of selection and the players are getting used to the formation Stevie Clarke wants them to play. Clarke now has a good idea of what is his first-choice team, with six or seven players who, if fit, will start.

David Marshall, last night established a new longevity record for Scottish international players. He has been in and around the national squad for over 16 years, and is our sixth most-capped goalkeeper. In his 37 internationals, he has only had seven clean sheets up to and including last night. It was his first “goose egg” since 2014.

We constantly complain about our defence, but, we are getting there, We have only kept a clean sheet in 54 of our 172 games this century, just over 30% of the matches, therefore, we do not have a reputation for being tight at the back.

Sure, we don't score that many goals either, but, remember, overall, since 1872, we have only ever won 43% of the international we have played, and, we are unbeaten this season and posted a 50% wins record last season.

It will be asking a lot, and will take a really good performance for us to beat the Serbians in their back yard, but, as another Great Scot said in his most-iconic film role: “Never say never.”

MORE worrying, however, for me is the long-term after-effects of Covid. This pandemic really does give us a grat chance to re-organise Scottish fitba for the better – but, I fear old habits die hard and the main focus along Hampden's sixth-floor corridor will be on preserving the status quo.

Now, Scottish rugby is in an even worse state than Scottish football. The Junta, as I like to call them, at BT Murrayfield, have decreed that the club game will shut down until January, 2021 at the earliest.

The two full-time PRO14 squads, Edinburgh and Glasgow, will continue to operate and to play their league games. These two squads, both owned incidentally by the SRU, supply the bulk of the Scotland squad.

The six FOSROC Super6 franchised clubs, all of whom receive some financial support from the governing body have like the ordinary clubs, been shut down until New Year.

Now these six clubs are semi-professional, they are, if you like, rugby's equivalent to our non-Premiership clubs. The ordinary clubs, playing in the national and regional leagues, are like our non-SPFL, junior and amateur clubs.

The SRU has shut-down its three national leagues, instead these 34 clubs will play in regionalised competitions, but, not before January.

The feeling among my rugby pals is, these regional leagues may well be around for longer than merely this season. Might it not be in the best interests of Scottish football if we re-organised:

• Have fewer National leagues – go to perhaps a total of 20 “senior” clubs, perhaps organised in an American-style 'Conference” system.

• Below them, have regionalised “minor leagues”

• Perhaps have the clubs in these leagues allowed to have partnership deals with the 20 clubs in the two major league conferences

Along the way, football should perhaps be looking at ways of promoting Scottish talent. We could perhaps insist that each match-day squad has a majority of the players, say seven or eight of the players on the park at any one time “Scotland-qualified.”

In the minor leagues, we should maybe be insisting that the bulk of the squads be Under-23s – rather akin to the Olympic Games eligibility rules – to further encourage Scottish talent.

With the current shut-down The great minds of Scottish football had a real chance to think things through and come up with something better than what we have. But, they appear to have passed-up this chance.

What's that line again, about insanity being repeatedly doing something that hasn't worked, in the hope of a better outcome. Sounds like Scottish fitba to me.

Sadly - For Scotland The Big Boys Are Almost Always Too Big

I WAS asked, yesterday, after posting on Facebook, a run-down of Scotland's winning percentages in international football,in each decade since we started playing in the 1870s.

The exact question was: How did we get on against the leading nations? So, here is my effort to answer this.

What I have done is taken finishing places in the World Cup finals, between 1930 and 2014 as a guide to what were then the top nations. I have kept the results to other European nations, since we still today, rarely play South American opposition. It should also be noted, we never played outside the British Isles, until 1929. The results are collated between one World Cup and the next.

1930 World Cup

European nations' finishing positions in descending order

Yugoslavia – France – Romania – Belgium

We played two games v France,in 1930 and 1932, winning both.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 2 – w.2

1934 World Cup

Italy – Czechoslovakia – Germany – Austria – Spain – Hungary – Switzerland – Sweden – France – Netherlands – Romania – Belgium.

We beat Czechoslovakia twice in 1937; we beat Germany in 1936; we drew with Austria in 1937; we beat Hungary in 1938 and we beat the Netherlands in 1938.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 6 – w. 5 – d. 1

1938 World Cup

Italy – Hungary – Sweden – Czechoslovakia – France – Switzerland – Romania – Germany – Poland – Norway – Belgium – Netherlands.

We lost to France in 1948, but beat them in 1949 and 1950; we lost to Switzerland in 1948, but beat them in 1950; we lost to Belgium in 1947, but beat them in 1948.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 7 – w. 4 – d. 0 – l. 3

1950 World Cup

Sweden – Spain – Yugoslavia – Switzerland – Italy – England.

We lost twice to Sweden, in 1952 and 1953; the only other top European nation we faced was England; we beat them in 1951, drew with them in 1953 and lost to them in 1952 and 1954.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 6 – w. 1 – d. 1 – l. 4

1954 World Cup

West Germany (winners) – Hungary (2) – Austria (3) – England – Yugoslavia – Switzerland – Turkey – Italy – France – Belgium – Czechoslovakia – Scotland.

We lost to Austria during the actual tournament; we then lost to Hungary in 1954 and 1955, beat Austria in 1955 and drew with them in 1956; we lost to England in 1955, drew with them in 1956, lost to them in 1957 and again in 1958; we drew with Yugoslavia in 1955 and beat them in 1956; we beat Switzerland twice in the 1958 qualifiers, during 1957.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 14 – w. 5 – d. 3 – l. 6

1958 World Cup

Sweden – France – West Germany – Yugoslavia – Wales – USSR – Northern Ireland – Czechoslovakia – Hungary – England – Scotland – Austria.

During the 1958 tournament in Sweden, we drew with Yugoslavia and lost too France; we then beat Wales and drew with Northern Ireland later in 1958; we lost to England in 1959; we beat West Germany in 1959; we also beat Northern Ireland and drew with Wales in 1959. In 1960 we drew with England and Hungary, lost to Austria, beat Wales and Northern Ireland. In 1961 we lost to England, beat Wales and Northern ireland, lost to, then beat and lost again to Czechoslovakia in World Cup qualifiers, then beat England in 1962.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 20 – w. 8 – d. 5 – l. 7

1962 World Cup

Czechoslovakia – Yugoslavia – Hungary – West Germany – England – Italy – Spain – Bulgaria – Switzerland

We beat England in 1963, 1964, drew with them in 1965 and lost to them in 1966; we beat Spain in 1963 and drew with them in 1964; we drew with West Germany in 1964; in 1965 we beat, then lost to Italy in World Cup qualifiers.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 9 – w. 4 – d. 3 – l. 2

1966 World Cup

England – West Germany – Portugal - USSR – Hungary – Spain – Italy – France – Switzerland – Bulgaria

You may never have heard, but, we beat reigning World Champions England in 1967, drew with them in 1968, lost to them in 1969 and drew with them in 1970; we drew with, then lost to West Germany in 1969 ijn World Cup qualifiers and we lost to the USSR in 1967. These were our only games against “top” European nations during the 1966-1970 World Cup round.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 7 – w. 1 – d. 3 – l. 3

1970 World Cup

Italy – West Germany – England – USSR – Belgium – Sweden – Israel – Romania – Czechoslovakia – Bulgaria.

We lost to England in 1971, 1972, twice in 1973 but beat them in 1974; we lost to Belgium in 1971, beat them later that year, but lost again to them in 1974; we lost ot the USSR in 1971; we drew with Czechoslovakia in 1972, then beat them and lost to them in 1973; we drew with West Germany in 1973 and lost to them in 1974.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 14 – w. 3 – d. 2 – l. 9

1974 World Cup

West Germany – Netherlands – Poland – Sweden – East Germany – Yugoslavia – Scotland – Italy – Bulgaria.

We beat East Germany in 1974, but lost to them in 1977; we beat Sweden in 1975 and again in 1977; we beat Bulgaria in 1978, then we beat the Netherlands during the 19789 World Cup finals.

Results against the “top” European nations

p.6 – w. 4 – d. 1 – l. 1

1978 World Cup

Netherlands – Italy – West Germany – Poland – Austria – Spain – Scotland – France – Sweden – Hungary.

We lost to Austria in 1978, then drew with them in 1979; We lost to Poland in 1980; we lost to Hungary in 1980; we lost to Sweden in 1980,but beat them in 1981; we lost to Spain in 1982; we beat the Netherlands in 1982.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 8 – w. 3 – d. 1 – l. 4

1982 World Cup

Italy – West Germany – Poland – France – USSR – England – Austria – Spain – Northern Ireland – Belgium – Hungary – Scotland – Yugoslavia – Czechoslovakia.

We lost to England in 1983, we drew with them in 1984, beat them in 1985 and lost to them in 1986; we drew with, then lost to Northern Ireland in 1983; we lost to, then drew with Belgium in 1983; we beat Spain in 1984, but lost to them in 1985; we beat Yugoslavia in 1984; we lost to France in 1984 and we lost to West Germany in the 1986 World Cup finals.

Results against the “top” European nations

 

p. 13 – w. 3 – d. 3 – l. 7

1986 World Cup

West Germany – France – Belgium – Spain – England – USSR – Bulgaria – Italy – Denmark – Poland – Portugal – Hungary – Scotland – Northern Ireland.

We drew with Bulgaria in 1986, but beat them in 1987; we lost to Belgium in 1987, but beat them later that year; we drew with England in 1987, but lost to them in 1988 and 1989; we beat Hungary in 1988; we drew with Spain in 1988; we lost to Italy in 1988; we beat France in 1989, but lost to them later that year; we drew with Poland in 1990.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 13 – w. 4 – d. 4 – l. 5

1990 World Cup

West Germany – Italy – England – Yugoslavia – Czechoslovakia – Republic of Ireland – Spain – Belgium – Netherlands – Austria – Scotland – USSR – Sweden

We lost to the USSR in 1991, but beat them in 1992; we lost to Germany in 1992 and again in 1993; we lost to Italy in 1992 and again in 1993; we lost to the Netherlands in 1992, and twice in 1994; we beat Austria in 1994.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 10 – w. 2 – d. 1 – l. 7

1994 World Cup

Italy – Sweden – Bulgaria – Romania – Netherlands – Germany – Spain – Belgium – Republic of Ireland – Switzerland – Norway – Russia – Greece

We lost to Greece in 1994, but beat them in 1995; we drew with Russia in 1994, and again in 1995; we lost to Sweden in 1995, beat them in 1996, bu8t lost again to them in 1997; we drew with the Netherlands at Euro'96; we beat Switzerland at Euro '96; we drew with Norway at World Cup 1998.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 10 – w. 3 – d. 4 – l. 3

1998 World Cup

France – Croatia – Netherlands – Italy – Denmark – Germany – England – Norway – Romania – Yugoslavia – Denmark – Spain – Belgium – Austria – Scotland.

We beat Germany in 1999; we lost to, then beat England in 1999; we lost to France in 2000 and again in 2001; we drew with Croatia in 2000; we drew with the Netherlands in 2000; we drew with Belgium in 2000 and lost to them in 2001.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 10 – w. 2 – d. 3 – l. 5

2002 World Cup

Germany – Turkey – Spain – England – Republic of Ireland – Italy – Sweden – Belgium – Portugal – Russia – Croatia – Poland – France – Slovenia.

We lost to Portugal in 2002; we drew with, then lost to Germany in 2003; we drew with Spain in 2004; we lost to Sweden in 2004; we drew with Slovenia in 2004, then beat them in 2005; we lost to, then drew with Italy in 2005.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 9 – w. 1 – d. 4 – l. 4

2006 World Cup

Italy – France – Germany – Portugal – England – Ukraine – Switzerland – Netherlands – Spain – Sweden – Czech Republic – Croatia – Poland.

We lost to Ukraine in 2006, but beat them in 2007; we beat France in 2006 and again in 2007; we lost twice to Italy in 2007; we drew with Croatia in 2008; we lost twice to the Netherlands in 2009; we beat the Czech Republic in 2010.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 10 – w. 4 – d. 1 – l. 5

2010 World Cup

Spain – Netherlands – Germany – Slovakia – Portugal – England – Slovenia – Switzerland – Serbia – Greece – Denmark – Italy – France.

We lost to Spain in 2010 and again in 2011; we beat Denmark in 2011; we drew with Slovenia in 2012; we drew with Serbia in 2012 then lost to them in 2013; we lost to England in 2013 and again in 2014.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 8 – w. 1 – d. 2 – l. 5

2014 World Cup

Germany – Netherlands – Belgium – France – Greece – Switzerland – Portugal – Croatia – Bosnia-Herzegovina – Italy – Spain – Russia – England.

We lost to Germany in 2014 and again in 2015; we lost to England in 2014, again in 2016, but drew with them in 2017; we lost to France and Italy in 2016; we lost to Netherlands in 2017.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 8 – w. 0 – d. 1 – l. 7

2018 World Cup

France – Croatia – Belgium – England – Russia – Sweden – Spain – Croatia – Portugal – Switzerland – Germany – Serbia – Poland – Iceland.

In the current World Cup round, we have lost to Belgium in 2018, and twice in 2019; we lost to Portugal in 2018; we lost to Russia in 2019.

Results against the “top” European nations

p. 5 – w. 0 – d. 0 – l. 5

Scotland was not a member of FIFA before the 1950 World Cup, but, we can safely assume that up until that date, they were in reality one of the top nations in Europe. Between 1930 and 1950, we faced some of the top countries in Europe in 15 games, winning 11, drawing one and only losing three.

Given we were offered a “wild card” entry to the 1950 World Cup, after refusing the place we had won by right, we were still probably ranked seventh in Europe at that time.

We have only equalled that World Cup ranking twice since, in 1974, when we famously went through the tournament unbeaten, but failed to qualify for the knock-out stages and in the “disastrous” campaign of 1978. Our best ranking since then has been 12^th.

In all, we have faced European nations which had qualified for the last World Cup finals, in 195 games, where our record is:

p. 195 – w. 60 – d. 43 – l. 92 – wins % - 30.8%

We are currently in the 21^st four-year World Cup cycle. In only eight of the previous 20 have we played against at least half of the top European nations – nobody can force opponents to play them, unless the sides are drawn together in a competition. Agreeing friendlies or challenge games is never easy, but, I sort of get the feeling, certainly in years past, the SFA has been rather good at arranging friendlies which seemed winnable.

This has not been so possible since competitive internationals became the norm, it has to be said.

In doing this wee exercise, I deliberately ignored matches against non-European nations, mainly because, when it comes to World Cups, the only genuine challenge to the European nations tends to come from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, against whom our record reads:

against Brazil: p.10 – w. 0 – d. 2 – l. 8

against Argentine: p. 4 – w. 1 – d. 1 – l. 2

against Uruguay: p. 4 – w. 1 – d. 1 – l. 1

Our standing in Europe is what matters. The better we are against other European nations, the higher the “pot” we go into for World Cup and European Championship draws. Getting back among the front-line European nations should be our main aim, beating non-European sides would then be a bonus.

The sad reality is, we are not and have seldom been as good as we like to think we are. We are a middle-ranking football nation, liable to spring the odd surprise victory, but, seldom capable of beating the genuinely good countries.

The even-sadder fact is, we have not beaten a Top Ten-ranked European nation since we beat Ukraine, at Hampden, in October, 2007. So, maybe we should not turn up our noses at away wins against opponents' "third XI."

Scotland's Best-Ever Golden Oldies

THE BBC SCOTLAND website has just revealed Scotland's 50 Greatest Players, as chosen by the fans. Nothing wrong with such exercises. They are terrific “click bait” for the site sponsoring them, but, who gets chosen depends on the age profile of those contributing.

As it happens, all 50 players nominated are from the last 60 years, with only three players – Eric Caldow (1957), Dave Mackay (1957) and Denis Law (1958) being capped prior to the swinging sixties.

All three would be in my list, and top 20 players at that, but, there are several nominees, whose place in that top 50 had me thinking: Yer avin' a larf!!!” And, the fact Jim Baxter only just scraped into the top ten, had me shaking my head.

One of the seldom mentioned givens about such lists is, the acceptance, a big star in one era would be a big star in any era, so, I reckoned I could pick at least an XI from the old days, capable of beating any XI chosen from the BBC's 50.

So, Here in the old-fashioned 2-3-5 formation is my team of Golden Oldies to take care of the more-recent guys.

Goalkeeper: Jimmy Cowan (Morton) – 24-times capped hero of the 1949 Wembley win, a game forever known as: “Jimmy Cowan's Wembley.” As a goalkeeper he was way-ahead of his time. Had nine clean sheets in his 24 internationals and is one of the few Scotland goalkeepers to have conceded less than a goal a game in the national team.

Right-back: George Young (captain) (Rangers) – 54-times capped, captain on 48 occasions, he was, in effect, Scotland's player-manager during the early 1950s.

Left-back: Sammy Cox (Rangers) – 25 caps. He played left-half for his club, left-back for Scotland, where both English knighted wingers, Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney reckoned him to be their most-difficult opponent.

Right-half: Willie Shankly (Preston North End) – 5 caps. His subsequent managerial record with Liverpool has over shadowed the reality, Shankly was a marvellous midfielder, whose career was marred by World War II, which doubtless cost him many caps.

Centre-half: Willie Woodburn (Rangers) – 24 caps. Older Rangers fans who saw him play will tell you he was better than the later stars such as Butcher or Gough. Scotland's record with Young, Woodburn and Cox as a back three, in front of Cowan, is the stuff we can only dream of today. Fantastic player, with a hair-trigger temper which eventually cost him his career.

Left-half: Jimmy McMullan (Partick Thistle and Manchester City) – 16 caps. Captain of the first Wembley Wizards and an inspirational captain, but, also a great midfield schemer. Only on the losing side once in his 16 internationals.

Outside-right: Alex Jackson (Aberdeen and Huddersfield Town) – 17 caps. The man who scored a hat-trick at Wembley in 1928. Wonderful winger who added goals to his supply of tempting crosses.

Inside-right: Tommy Walker (Heart of Midlothian) – 20 caps. An Edinburgh icon, like Shankly, his gilded playing career was interrupted by World War II, and his subsequent managerial record during Hearts' “Golden Era” of the late-fifties, early-sixties has overshadowed his talents as a great player.

Centre-forward: Hughie Gallacher (Airdrie, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Derby County) – 20 caps. Scotland's greatest goal-scorer, 24 goals in 20 internationals. Also perhaps the hardest to handle player off the field. Gallacher's troubled relationship with drink eventually led him to kill himself, but, still a fantastic striker.

Inside-left: Alex James (Preston North End and Arsenal) – 8 caps. His meagre number of caps fails to do justice to his talent. Wasn't that bothered about playing for Scotland but, at club level, he was the brains behind North End, then the great Arsenal side of the 1930s, before enjoying a good career in journalism. Had a near telepathic understanding with the men either side of him.

Outside-left: Alan Morton (Queen's Park and Rangers) – 31 caps. “The Wee Blue Devil,” tormented the English, and everyone else, throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s. A fantastic, fast and tricky winger who, like Jackson on the opposite flank, carried a goal threat. On retiring, was immediately appointed to the Rangers' board. He may have gone to Ibrox, (Legend has it his signing-on fee kept the family mining firm afloat in hard times) but, he remains the epitome of the Queen's Park gentleman-footballer.

That's my first XI, I could have included the likes of Davie Meiklejohn, Bob McPahil, Patsy Gallacher or Jimmy McGrory from the great Old Firm teams of that time. Hearts fans may question why I included Tommy but not Bobby Walker, and I did not even consider some of the giants of the Victorian era, when Scotland was the best team in the admittedly then small football world – Charles Campbell, Tom Vallance, Walter Arnott, Dr John Smith, William McKinnon, or great men from the Vale of Leven such as John McDougall or James McAulay.

Aye, we've got literally hundreds of marvellous players from which to pick a top 50. That's the great thing about such exercises, choice is near-infinite and it all comes down to opinion, which, as CP Scott, the great Guardian Editor memorably maintained is free.

So, feel free to disagree with my selection and pick your own.