Scotland showing gives cause for optimism
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SCOTLAND’S showing against Germany last Sunday certainly gives us much scope for optimism as the national team came very close to gaining an unexpected point against the current world champions in Dortmund.
Gordon Strachan was rightly proud after the match of the players’ efforts — especially in the second half when Scotland showed a new found confidence that has been badly lacking in recent qualifying campaigns.
From the surprise selection of goalkeeper David Marshall through to second-half substitute Steven Fletcher, Scotland had players all over the park who worked tirelessly to match their more illustrious opponents. When Watford’s Ikechi Anya superbly slotted home to equalise in the 66th minute I genuinely thought Scotland were going to achieve a very special and wholly unexpected result.
However, a bit of disarray and misfortune when defending a German corner minutes later meant that we would return home pointless but there were many positives to take from the game.
The players certainly seem to have a new found belief in what they are trying to achieve and Strachan and his staff have obviously instilled a new confidence, which has again made us look like a team that will be difficult to beat. There were periods during that second period when we showed great composure to retain possession of the ball and it was fantastic to hear the Tartan Army at their vocal best once again as they showed their appreciation of the team’s work ethic.
With the number of teams qualifying for the 2016 finals in France increased to 24 for the first time, all second-placed teams are assured of a finals spot and that should certainly be within Scotland’s capabilities. The next three games will be crucial and Scotland really need to gain a minimum of five points from these fixtures to keep them in contention going into 2015.
Georgia at home in early October is a must-win match for me, which would set the squad up perfectly for the trip to Poland a few days later and the visit of the Republic of Ireland in November. These are all difficult games but good performances will count for little if we do not get points on the board. I hope that the showing in Dortmund can act as a springboard for the squad and they can keep themselves in contention throughout the group matches.
It was also a very special week in the Christie household as we received many calls from friends and family congratulating our son Ryan on his debut for the Scotland under-21 squad in Luxembourg.
Ryan had travelled as one of the youngest players in Billy Stark’s squad and I was unsure if he would manage to gain any game-time during the fixtures in Slovakia and Luxembourg. It was great to hear that he got a run-out and having spoken to him soon after the final whistle he was understandably thrilled.
It was noticeable how his confidence grew from day one on the trip where he was perhaps slightly reserved in his new environment but as the week progressed I could hear the difference in his approach. He even took the time out to phone me on Saturday afternoon to say he was enjoying an hour relaxing in the Bratislava sunshine alongside Sporting Lisbon’s Ryan Gauld and Rangers’ Lewis Macleod!
I asked him what he thought about the standard and he was confident that he could play at that level in the next campaign if given the chance and the experience gained from this trip will certainly stand him in good stead.
It is always pleasing when one of the players at Inverness Caledonian Thistle are selected for their national squad and even more so when it is one that has come through the youth ranks at the club.
There are now new financial incentives from the Scottish Football Association relating to ‘home grown’ first-team players and those who are selected for Scotland at the various age levels, so there is now an added ‘bonus’ for clubs to try to produce quality from within. It has been great to see ICT show progress on this front in recent times.
