...realistic this time around? So far so good, but now that England have qualified, the vibes of the past are already becoming more apparent in the rumblings of the press and pundits. You'd think they would have learned something from past experience wouldn't you?
After Scotland had, unbelievably(!), lost to Peru and drawn with Iran in the 1978 WC in Argentina....I remember preparing for our third match against Holland where we needed to win by three clear goals to advance. At the start of the pre-game party the night before, the crowd in our hotel gave the Scots teams no chance of even getting a goal never mind three! As morning approached, a certain confidence had taken over and the feeling was that we would get the win and the margin we needed. As we approached the stadium, flags and banners waving in the breeze, (fuelled by several more 'cervezas' and 'cuba libres' too boot!), we fully shared manager Ally McLeod's belief that Scotland could do it. As the teams kicked off, a beating with a sledgehammer would not have changed the minds of our "Tartan Army' that we were well on our way to winning the Jules Rimet trophy! History of course, is a sobering reminder that we didn't!.
As the build up to South Africa gathers momentum, I, in a friendly gesture from one neighbour to another, offer the above tale of woe to you, your media and the majority of your analysts, at no cost whatsoever.
Your team may well be good enough (time will tell), but can they live up to the hype that will be hung around their necks, getting heavier as the weeks close in on the opening kick-off? Good Luck.
After Scotland had, unbelievably(!), lost to Peru and drawn with Iran in the 1978 WC in Argentina....I remember preparing for our third match against Holland where we needed to win by three clear goals to advance. At the start of the pre-game party the night before, the crowd in our hotel gave the Scots teams no chance of even getting a goal never mind three! As morning approached, a certain confidence had taken over and the feeling was that we would get the win and the margin we needed. As we approached the stadium, flags and banners waving in the breeze, (fuelled by several more 'cervezas' and 'cuba libres' too boot!), we fully shared manager Ally McLeod's belief that Scotland could do it. As the teams kicked off, a beating with a sledgehammer would not have changed the minds of our "Tartan Army' that we were well on our way to winning the Jules Rimet trophy! History of course, is a sobering reminder that we didn't!.
As the build up to South Africa gathers momentum, I, in a friendly gesture from one neighbour to another, offer the above tale of woe to you, your media and the majority of your analysts, at no cost whatsoever.
Your team may well be good enough (time will tell), but can they live up to the hype that will be hung around their necks, getting heavier as the weeks close in on the opening kick-off? Good Luck.