Yesterday the draws for the Euros (football) took place. England, Wales, and Ireland (Northern and the Republic of) were all involved. The only 'home' nation missing was Scotland.
Scotland's absence was not exactly a surprise. They have been been bumping along in the basement level of world football for some years now, pleased if they manage to hold their own against the Faroe Islands (the team whose goalie used to play in a pompom hat).
It was difficult to resist pointing this out to my Scottish friends during the draw - but on reflection it made me wonder what has been going on up there in the frozen north.
Young football fans today may find it hard to believe but it was only a generation or so ago that Scotland had some of the best footballers in the world. Billy Bremner, Leeds captain, ran the midfield, Danny McGrain was a shoe-in for the the full back spot in a world 11, and Jimmy Johnstone was the original 'wizard on the wing'. Glasgow Celtic won the European Cup, and Glasgow Rangers and Aberdeen both won the Cup-Winners Cup (a much better forerunner of the ridiculous Europa League, as top class teams were pleased to be in it and tried to win it).
Scottish managers included the legendary Jock Stein, Jock Wallace and of course Sir Alex. In 1978 Scotland went to the World Cup under the perhaps not so good management of Ally Macleoud. According to the comedy Scotsman Rod Stewart, Scotland were 'on the march with Ally's Army' that year, ready to 'really shake 'em up when we win the world cup.' Scotland's campaign came to an early end at the hands of those giants of world football, Iran and Peru. This was amusing to us English (who had incidentally failed to qualify) observers but a subsequent win against Holland in the Dutch 'total football' days proved how good that Scotland team actually was. Archie Gemmill, Graeme Souness, Bruce Rioch and Joe Jordan were household names, whereas most of us would be hard pressed to name a single Scotland player now (except Gordon Greer obviously).
Scotland in the golden era probably did put too much emphasis on beating the 'auld enemy', and their goalies (Alan Rough, David Harvey anyone?) were always worrying, but they had class footballers. A modern Scotland team containing players anywhere near to the standards of those in the '60'/'70's would have qualified for the expanded Euros of 2016 with ease.
Yet football is not the only working class sport in which Scotland have declined. If you are a boxing fan of my age, then you will remember with great respect those hard little Scotsmen - Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt - who were world champions when being a boxing world champion really meant something.
What are the reasons for the decline in Scottish sport? Suggestions include everything from the end of working class solidarity associated with the disappearance of traditional industries (it's all Maggie's fault), the 'Trainspotting' drugs epidemic, the management of Rangers football club which at times resembled an organised crime syndicate, the management of Hearts football club who tried to copy Rangers efforts, the fact that Celtic win the Scottish title every year without really trying, or maybe even a combination of the twin demons of the 'Buckie'* and deep fried Mars bars.
For at the same time Scotland have become hopeless at football and boxing, they have become good at middle class sports. Scotland have produced world beating cyclists, tennis players (and mums of tennis players) and even curlers in recent years - and their rugby team produced the best performance of the Europen nations at the recent Rugby World Cup.
Personally I put it all down to nationalism. The decline of Scotland's football team and boxers is in inverse proportion to the rise of the SNP. I am even tempted to suggest Vote Ruth Davidson to give Scotland a chance of qualifying for the world cup in 2018!
Oh and on a slightly more serious note let Celtic and Rangers enter the English Premier League.
*Buckfast Tonic Wine - brewed by monks in Devon but mainly drunk on the streets, neighbourhood shopping parades and children's playgrounds of the pebble-dashed estates of Glasgow
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