Lyndon Dykes looks the way he does for a reason.
A battle-hardened nation, they take no prisoners in Serbia, and prior to travelling to Belgrade for the penalty shoot-out, which ended 23 years in the international wilderness for Scotland, the striker took a conscious decision to shave the hair from his head.
Mike Tyson paired a bald head with facial tattoos on the basis that it frightened the life out of people. It enhanced his not inconsiderable air of menace.
For the likes of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Vin Diesel or Jason Statham, a shaven cranium projects an image of aggression, intimidation or danger. Dykes put it as well as anyone when he said: "The boys know when they see me with a shaved head that we mean business".
Travelling to Germany for the World Cup finals, then, the Birmingham City striker was never likely to rock up with the bleached beach boy mohican of old. The clippers came out of the bathroom cabinet and off went the locks, just the way he and his Scotland teammates like it.
Where Samson became easy meat for the Philistines when Delilah cut off his golden locks Dykes suspects that a bald head and a body riddled with tattoos has the opposite effect on opponents. One look and they know they are in for a game.
“I shaved my head intentionally before the tournament,” he admits with a grin. “I change my hair up every so often for something new.
“But with Scotland, the shaved head has kinda stuck. The boys like it when it’s shaved. I don’t know what it is. They prefer the bald Dykes, it’s a bit more aggressive, maybe. I did it early doors because I was trying to get a bit of tan on the top of my head. It’s a bit white when I usually do it.
“But I’ll keep it short for this tournament, and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
If Dykes had his way, the Scotland starting eleven would resemble the prisoners of war who went toe to toe with the Nazis in Escape To Victory.
They would exude an air of starving menace and resemble the kind of testosterone-fuelled bare-knuckle bruisers it would be unwise to mess with on the Subway.
He holds no real hope on that score. Asked which of Scotland’s players is least likely to reach for the number one, he replies: “McTominay, all day. It’s all about the looks for him now.”
Born in Australia to Scottish parents from Dumfries Dykes adopts the same approach to tattoos as he does to skin heads.
Running the length of his side, he bears a traditional claymore sword added to his already extensive collection of ink, with Scotland’s national flower - the thistle – alongside. The date on the blade of the sword - September 4, 2020 - marks the first time he pulled on the dark blue shirt.
A year after that, he went to a parlour in Glasgow and had a tattoo lasered on his neck. A detailed rose and candle on his throat reaches to his chin, with a dove captured flying on the side of his neck.
Where the dove is a symbol of peace, the tattoo and shaven dome project the image of a man who would take serious exception to anyone spilling his pint. After the Hampden farewell victory over Curacao, he spoke of adding another one to the collection in honour of an appearance at the World Cup finals.
Left up to him, the entire team would have more body ink than a lovechild concocted by David Beckham and Rihanna. “I’ve got loads of tattoos but I’ve got plenty of space so I’m sure there will be a World Cup tattoo somewhere.
“I haven’t got that one yet, but I’ll definitely get it. I need to get a few more boys involved and I’m sure I’ll get a few. We could maybe get a couple of skinheads as well, just get a whole team of skinheads and everyone with a tattoo.
"That would be brilliant.”
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In the age of VAR and wall-to-wall cameras, a team of psychopathic bruisers feels old school. To reach the promised land of the last 32 of the World Cup, Scotland’s national team will need more than an air of menace and a few cauliflower noses.
Winning their first game at the finals for 36 years against Haiti, a single point against Morocco or Brazil would guarantee progress from Group C to the knock-out stages for the first time ever.
Easy to say, taking anything at all from the teams ranked seventh and sixth on the FIFA World rankings will be devilishly difficult.
While Cape Verde’s point against European champions Spain offers a reminder that anything is possible, the Moroccans carved enough chances against Ancelotti’s Brazil to win the game comfortably. Ismael Saibari’s wedged opener was a thing of beauty, and the kick-off in the Boston Stadium on Friday is 6pm, when the heat will be significantly greater than it was for Haiti.
The 4-4-2 formation from the first game is likely to be tweaked and revised for the second. At the last two Euros, Scotland have produced their best performances in the second game and Steve Clarke is likely to go with five midfielders in the hope of securing a point on matchday two of the tournament. Or, says Dykes, something more.
“I think we want to win every game,” says the former Livingston forward. “That is the main aim for everyone. We have three games, we have won one of them so far and we have two more to go.
"We want to win both of those as well. It is going to be difficult, it’s not just going to be easy to say. But every game that we are going to play we want to try and win and obviously that is the main aim for everyone.”
For Scotland this is uncharted territory. The last time the national side won their opening game at a tournament was Spain 82, when they thrashed New Zealand 5-2.
Even then the loss of two second-half goals proved calamitous for the goal difference, and the inability to add more goals against the Haitians raised an old fear. What if it’s happening again?
If nothing else, the mental yolk is off the back. Haiti gives them two games – two hellishly difficult games, admittedly – to do what no Scotland team has ever done before. “Everyone was saying it was a must-win, which it was,’ Dykes acknowledges.
“After it, we were relieved. But we also knew that we should be winning because we all believe in ourselves, with the games we’ve had and what we’ve built as a team. Against Haiti, we were just happy that we got three points because we felt it was deserved.
“It was never just going to get given to us. They were a hard team and we had to work hard for it. It wasn’t our best football but Haiti looked dangerous in situations.
“At the end of the night, we needed three points and we got it. Morocco won’t be thinking we’re mugs so it will be a difficult game for both teams.”
Fatalism is a part and parcel of following Scotland. The fear that everything will crash down around the nation’s ears stems from decades of hard experience. Untainted by the failures of the past Dykes prefers to peer through a glass half full.
“We’ve got a fighting spirit. And growing up in my sporting career, I’ve learned never to write off an underdog, even if people are better than you or teams are better than you.
“When people don’t believe in you, it doesn’t mean you should just give up.
“I think we can definitely get another two wins in this tournament. It’s tournament football, anything can happen.”
