THE TARTAN ARMY just might have the most-unrealistic expectations of any group of supporters in world football. I say might, only because if anything that lot south of the Solway, with their constant chants about football coming home, have even-greater delusions about the quality of their national team than we have.
Stevie Clarke's branded manager's coat was, on Monday, on a shoogly peg, following “The Dublin Debacle,” however, following victory in Armenia, the lynch mob have retreated to their favoured watering holes, to mutter in the corner and await the next loss. That win in Armenia was the final act in a long season for the national side, whose record for season 2021-22 now reads:
Played 13 – won 8 – drawn 2 – lost 3 – goals for 20 – against 14 – 61.3% wins.
That, by Scotland standards was a good season, it isn't often we win better than 50% of the internationals we play in any season. Or. Let me put it this way: season 2021-22 was a good one for Hearts fans; their side finished third in the league and reached the Scottish Cup Final. Overall, the Gorgie club won 52% of their fixtures – but that made it a good season.
My own senior team – Kilmarnock, also had a good season. They won The Championship, but, they only won 55% of the games – still, they won promotion, so it was a good season.
Celtic had an ok season. They won the league and the League Cup, in the league, they won 76% of the matches. They finished ahead of Rangers, but didn't win a treble and were terrible in Europe, so, good, but, not a season to crow over.
Rangers had a good, but not great season. They won the Scottish Cup, reached the Europa League final, but, finished behind Celtic in the league, so, not a campaign to get too carried away over. In the league, they won 71% of the matches. Some Bears will be happy with the return, others will not – it's all about expectation management.
For the record, the English media this morning is awash with a tsunami of moans about poor Gareth Southgate, the man currently custodian of the most toxic and poisoned chalice in world sport – the position of England National Team Manager.
If you listen to the radio phone-ins, or look at the btl comments on the newspaper websites – Southgate is a useless numpty who should be immediately sacked. “England expects,” and Southgate isn't meeting expectations, in spite of a 52% winning record in the season which has just ended.
The only English club managers with a superior wins record this season are the bosses of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal – and these five clubs barely have an English player in their first-team squads.
The truth is:
The football season in the UK is too-long; our players are being asked to play too-many matches to be able to function properly in international games at the end of the season.
British players, in general, are not as technically-gifted or as well-coached as continental players; this tells against them when it matters.
Our top clubs now prefer to recruit ready-made foreign-coached players, to the detriment of home-grown talent.
The governing bodies in the UK are not prepared to redress this imbalance and pro-actively encourage home-grown talent.
Until we sort out these problems, none of the four Home Nations is ever going to win a major competition.
England, I am told, won the World Cup in 1966. However, since they rarely mention this triumph, it may be a myth, perpetuated by the English media. Back then, that winning team met the blueprint for a winning team – by having a brilliant “spine.”
Goalkeeper Gordon Banks, central defender Bobby Moore, central midfielder Bobby Charlton and striker Jimmy Greaves were all “World Class” - if a World XI of the time was being picked, all four would have been in the frame, as would at the very least left-back Ray Wilson.
At the same time, Scotland had, in Jim Baxter and Denis Law, another two candidates for any World XI, while Northern Ireland's George Best would have been another candidate for inclusion. That's eight potential players from the British Isles in a World XI of the time.
Fast forward to today and in the PFA Premier League Team of the Season 2021-22 contains just one Home Nations' player – Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. Now, that isn't even a “World XI” - merely a best of the domestic league. When you can only get one English player into a “Best of the English League XI” then sorry, but, you're not going to be competitive in World Cups or European Championships.
Your media can mistakenly over-hype your domestic league as: “The greatest league in the world,” but, when your home-grown players are to be found in the chorus line rather than as principals, you're not going to be competitive in World Cups or European Championships.
And, when your major clubs are owned by non-domiciled individuals or corporations, with no link to the country where their teams play, you're not going to be competitive in World Cups or European Championships.
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