The Euros was a tough watch for Scottish football fans over the summer, as Gordon Strachan’s Scotland side were the only home nation to miss out on qualification for the tournament.
This was the latest instalment in a series of failures by the Scottish national team aiming to end an 18-year qualifying wait for either a World Cup or European Championship. It’s been a painful process for the Tartan Army with a real lack of success coming Scotland’s way since the 1998 World Cup in France.
Although it seems just like yesterday that our dreams became tarnished once again when the Republic of Ireland pipped us to third spot in group D, there’s a new campaign on the horizon and I say with confidence this could be our time to shine.
The road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia begins this weekend and Gordon Strachan will be looking for an encouraging start to proceedings in Group F. The task that lies ahead however, will certainly not be an easy one with England, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta all ultimately aiming for the top prize of qualification.
Despite being the first game of the group, Sunday’s opener against Malta is already being billed as a must win for Scotland. Malta are currently ranked 176th in the FIFA rankings and have never qualified for a major tournament. To give Scotland a real chance of success in the group, maximum points have to be gained when the favourites tag is on us. However, in past campaigns its been this kind of situation where Scotland have struggled to generate a performance. Let’s hope the team is raring to go and they produce a showing that instils confidence amongst the support for the games ahead.
The squad selection for Sunday’s game is not drastically different to the past campaign, with many of the experienced heads still at the heart of Gordon Strachan’s success plan. Despite this there are a number of young and fresh faces that are destined to play a part in any kind of success that the national team has. With the likes of Callum Paterson, John McGinn and Oliver Burke all performing well for their respective clubs it will be exciting times for Scotland if they can carry that form onto the international stage. As much of a cliché as it sounds, there were glimpses in the past campaign to show that with the right mix of youth and experience there is definitely a winning formula amongst the 27-man squad selected.
Scotland’s U21 squad are also in action this weekend, as Ricky Sbragia’s side take on Macedonia at Tynecastle tonight. With six games played and four remaining, victory for the youngsters is vital as they hope to keep their qualification dreams alive for the Euro finals in Poland.
Whether it is the first team or the U21’s the Tartan Army have stuck by their team throughout this difficult time and this will never change. But it’s about time that these fans were rewarded for their unswerving loyalty and once again have a team to be proud of as they watch on in their thousands. The road to Russia starts in Malta and as the Scottish FA’s marketing campaign says, let’s hope its ‘This Time’.
Blog by Aidan Smith for 360 Sports Consultancy