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Published: September 10th 2012
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As omens go, my attendance at a Scotland International match does not bode well for the Tartan Army’s prospects of success. Admittedly, they have never had the privilege of my “support” at a Hampden game. My previous run of Scotland home games dates back to the Ibrox days of 1992 / 1993 season, when Hampden was being redeveloped and the SFA mandarins reached agreement to use the Govan as their springboard to World Cup 1994 in the USA. It would be interesting to see what response they would get if they try a repeat of such an arrangement, given the recent fall from grace of the blue half of the Old Firm. The common theme of my Ibrox visits was Scotland 0. The memory has obviously faded though, as a goalless draw with Italy had gone completely until I scoured the old programme collection.
Unaware of some rather scary stats but knowing of the current fascination of all things Serb, a friend suggested I tag along on the start to their "Road to Rio". I therefore found myself on a bright sunny morning en route to Tartan Army HQ at Hampden. It was a journey passing old friends from the
past, back in the day when the employment meant forging a meaningful relationship with the A66 and A74. There were also the roundabouts of East Kilbride – partners in crime with Milton Keynes and it was good to see that Centre 1, HM Revenue & Customs is still collecting to keep the deficit down. In what seemed like no time, we were skirting past the grand stone villas of Busby and through Clarkston heading towards a parking spot at a very fine Italian restaurant within walking distance of the ground. It was all very civilised. The Tartan Army know how to live! We were greeted by the owner of said establishment, who thoughtfully noted that the extra body had made the journey. I somehow doubt that scenario would be repeated in the vicinity of Wembley!! So far, so good! And the set lunch and service was absolutely superb – a big shout then for the Barbarossa, Restaurant & Wine Bar.
We sauntered down towards Hampden. The occupants of the tenament buildings on Homelea Road seemed to have had a clearout, discarding various mattresses and household goods out on to the pavement. The younger Scottish fans took great delight in
Roary the Lion 3
Roary gets into the spirit bouncing on the former as we passed. The Clockwork Beer Company was noted for future reference “as the best microbrewery pub in Glasgow”, the self proclaimed "Best Chippy" was noted on Mount Florida and the question remained as to whether we would be treated to best Scotland team. The team selection suggested not.
In contrast to the England international scene, there is a marked absence of all things club related. The standard attire is international shirt the retro the better possibly adorned with the name of a bar, kilt, timberland boots and colourful headgear. Bonus points presumably for the “I was in Argentina 78” badge. Hostility absent. A handful of Serbs were mingling happily. The Carling fan stand were taking group photos for their forthcoming promotions, 2 pipers played on and the Serbian media were busy taking portrait snaps of various Scots in traditional dress. The level of intoxication seemed remarkably low given the reputation for the Tartan Army liking the odd refreshment.
The warm up was greeted with fireworks and a large banner, sponsored by Vauxhall, celebrating the up coming 150
th Anniversary of the SFA. Cue the fireworks – all the rage in this Olympic and Jubilee
Scotland Fans 7
The 3 wise men ......... year. I am sure the onlooking Serbs would have found no comparison to the explosive start to a Red Star – Partizan match! The musical warm up followed. Ever been to a Proclaimers gig with 47,000 people? Craig and Charlie’s anthem, 500 Miles, belted out over the tannoy system and made a bigger contribution to the Scotland cause than their beloved Hibees. Cue Scotland fans dancing in the aisles and their seats. A few Serbs near me looked bemused. Miranda would have loved it – no tables though, so it wouldn’t have been possible to create the full backpacker experience aka Alice Springs . This was just the warm up act. The music was phased straight into that unofficial national anthem, Flower of Scotland, a 1967 song originally performed by the Corries. The fans only sing the 1st and 3rd verses, albeit with great gusto. The Serbs continued took bemused. A group of Serbian fans unfurled a national flag with OLSO boldly displayed on it. The Scots turn to look confused. Scottish flags included FSV Frankfurt Tartan Army and the branch from IFC Cologne. A truly international day out then.
The game itself was a major disappointment. Scotland 0
Serbia 0. I should have gone to Ladbrokes before the game. The technically more capable Serbs seemed quite content to contain the hustle and bustle of the Scots and when that failed, resorted to petulant fouling and blatant kicking. The team mirrored the playing style of their new manager. Craig Levein seemed content with the staus quo and delayed making any substitutions until very late in the game. The crowd reminded him of the existence of Jordan Rhodes quite early on and he later admitted that he should have acted earlier in pursuit of victory. In the end Stevie Naismith poked a decent opportunity wide, Kenny Miller tested but failed to beat the Serb keeper and it was left to Alan McGregor to save the day with a good save from Lekic. The early optimism seem to have faded by fulltime. The "Road to Rio" could be long. It starts again on Tuesday!!
Appendix Team Sheets Scotland • 01 Allan McGregor (Beskitas)
• 02 Alan Hutton (Aston Villa)
• 03 Paul Dixon (Huddersfield Town)
• 04 Christophe Berra (Wolves)
• 05 Gary Caldwell (Wigan)
• 08 Andy Webster (Hearts)
• 06 Charlie Adam (Stoke City)
• 07 James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion)
- Replaced with Jamie Mackie 81'(QPR)
• 09 Kenny Miller (Vancouver Whitecaps) -
Replaced with Jordan Rhodes 81' (Blackburn Rovers) • 10 Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City) -
Replaced with James Forrest 69' (Celtic) • 11 Steven Naismith (Everton)
Serbia
• 01 Vladimar Stojkovic (Partizan)
• 04 Milan Bisevac (Olympique Lyon)
• 05 Mattija Nastasic (Manchester City)
• 06 Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
• 11 Aleksander Kolarov (Manchester City)
• 07 Zoran Tosic (CSKA Moscow)
• 16 Srdan Mijailovic (Red Star) -
Replaced with Fejsa 45' (Olympiakos) • 17 Aleksander Ignjovski (Werder Bremen)
• 18 Milos Ninkovic (Dynamo Kiev)
• 19 Filip Duricic (Heerenveen)
- Replaced with Dejan Lekic 83'(Genclerbirligi) • 22 Darko Lazovic
- Replaced with Dusan Tadic 58' (FC Twente) Ref: Eriksson
Attendance: 47,369
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
GO YOU GOOD THING
Nothing like an International Road to the World Cup match to revive National passions. Enjoyed your Road to Rio blog...as many Aussies have Scottish blood coursing through their veins...GO THE SCOTS. Pity a draw in your home leg...but here's to getting there.