HOMAGE TO CALEDONIA
“Only our wee country could mess it up from here, so we need to stay calm,” said John McGinn last month. Scotland face Spain on Thursday in their latest Euro 2024 qualifier and after a flawless campaign thus far, with five wins from five, Steve Clarke’s men are just a point away from becoming the first team (hosts Germany aside) to qualify for next year’s tournament. Top of their group by six points, and eight points clear of Norway – the only team that could deny them a top-two spot with three games to go – qualification is almost a formality. Almost.
But as McGinn points out, it would be very Scotland to blow it from here. Defeat in Seville on Thursday, followed by Norway wins over Cyprus on Thursday and Spain on Sunday will give flight to butterflies in Tartan tummies, will it not? Scotland would then need something from a tricky away trip to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s Georgia, and then a crunch clash with Erling Haaland’s mob to be sure of their place. We’re a long, long way from squeaky bum time but even the most optimistic of Scotland fans – if there are any out there – won’t be too comfortable yet.
It is probably a stretch to call this crop of Scotland heroes a “golden generation” but Clarke remains both an extremely canny operator and likable character in charge of a squad littered with talent. Even with Kieran Tierney unavailable against Spain, Andy Robertson will lead a well-marshalled defence, Scott “McSauce” McTominay – second only to Romelu Lukaku in the Euro 2024 qualifying scoring charts – has McGinn (aka The Human Meatball) and Lewis Ferguson – second for distance covered in Serie A this season with Bologna – for company in midfield. The cosmopolitan Scots even have an acute accent in attack (Ché Adams), the exotic scamps.
And so, to Seville. Scotland will be hoping for a repeat performance of the 2-0 victory at Hampden back in March, a result so comprehensive that Spanish defender David García talked about “the grass being too long”. Rodri then moaned: “It’s the way they play … for me it’s a bit rubbish. Because it’s always wasting time. They provoke you. They always fall. For me, this is not football.” With Scots descending on Seville in their thousands, potential glory and Tin awaits – hopefully this gent has made the journey from France. You can imagine what the Tartan Army made of those Rodri quotes but with those words presumably pinned on the away dressing room wall in big capital letters, Clarke’s team talk could hardly be any easier.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Scott Murray for Spain 2-1 Scotland in Euro 2024 qualifying, kicking off at 7.45pm BST. Yep, still BST.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“To say we have our reservations about William Storey is an understatement. He has zero experience in football, his foray into F1 ended acrimoniously and his previous bids, including this one, have been characterised as attention-seeking. His bid lacks transparency” – Nick Houlting, spokesperson for the Reading fans’ group Sell Before We Dai, reacts to reports that the former Haas F1 owner William Storey had agreed a £50m takeover with the current owner, Dai Yongge. The League One club have since clarified that no such agreement is in place.
OFF THE MAP
FX’s Welcome to Wrexham documentary might have put the town on the global football map, but UK geography is not the show’s strong suit, if this screengrab is anything to go by. The merciless mirth-making on Social Media Disgrace TwiXter has been swift. “We’re just a bus stop in Hexham!” honked new northern powerhouses Brentford, as new local rivals Blackburn got in on the fun. All well and good, but the Daily’s under-used Pedantry Dept wants to know how Swansea, absent from the TV graphic, got on the version doing the rounds online.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
“Re: Memory Lane [Wednesday’s full email edition]. Can I be the first of 1,057 pedants to point out that the ball shown is definitely not a Mitre Multiplex – it looks more like a Mitre Final. While getting blasted by these in a PE lesson on a cold, wet Wednesday was awful, it was nothing compared to the classic Mitre Mouldmaster. Those hit by one of those can still feel it” – Iain Goodwin [and 1,056 others].
“Mitre footballs were the spawn of Satan. I spent many an afternoon on a supposed ‘all-weather’ pitch (mud patch in winter/sandstorm in summer) punctuated by the pain that could only be inflicted by a Mitre ball on a freezing thigh. How I miss those days” – Damian Fitzpatrick.
“News of Millwall’s ‘no-flight’ policy [Wednesday’s News, Bits and Bobs] had me doing a sitcom-style double take to make sure there was an L in there” – Colin Reed.
“Dear Anthony Train [Wednesday’s letter] – won anything this century? Thought not. From your cross-city rivals” – Chris Sampson [Er, the 2001 Intertoto Cup? – Football Daily Ed].
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is …Colin Reed.
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