Westa Newsletter August 2004
August sees us unbeaten for ages, hoorah!
Excitement is building as we approach the World Cup Qualifiers. 2 friendlies to whet the appetites with a visit from Hungary and an away trip to Valencia. The draw could have been worse with a view to qualifying but does present some major travelling problems. The plan is of course to finish in second place behind Italy. Also included in the agenda would be a 4 – 0 victory away to Norway , a 2 – 2 draw in Rome and followed by a 1 – 0 home defeat by Moldova.
Scotland simply must qualify as the finals will tour the world returning to Europe every 24 years and a Westa trip to Germany would be a winner. Our Travel Convenor promises a bus driver who knows where the biggest country in Europe is! Bertie knows he has the backing of all Scotland fans in our quest for glory.
Remember
the old Westa Motto for all the qualifiers:
When 2 – 0 up, please leave immediately and all meet in the car park
Hungary
December
1938 saw the Hungary visit Glasgow and suffer a 3 – 1 defeat. 16 years
later and the Mighty Magyars repaid us in full winning 4 -2 which considering
they had demolished the Auld Enemy 6 - 3 at Wembley was not too bad a defeat.
Janet Hopkins and Andrew Gibson were in the 113,146 crowd that saw us put up
brave resistance to the team who had recently lost to West Germany in the 54
World Cup Final. Captained by the magical Frenc Puskas, at the time the best
footballer on the planet, he revisited Hampden in 1960 to lead Real Madrid to
their greatest triumph.
The 2 – 0 home victory in ’87 would only be remembered for 2 McCoist
goals at the covered end, the second slipping under the goalie who seemed to
be 6’8 tall. They are undergoing a revival at the moment not having qualified
for a major Championship since 1986. As usual we enter a friendly with some
trepidation.
Spain
Spain, the same as us in the sense of being eternal underachievers, only much better and at a higher level. La Liga is presently the best League in the world with 2 of the biggest clubs in the world and some of the best players. In Scotland we have 2 of the biggest clubs in the country with some of its best players. Scary isn’t it?
3 memories of Spain are the 2 -1 defeat in the 74 Euro Qualifier with a missed penalty, which still rankles me. The 3 – 1 victory courtesy of 2 Dalglish stunners in ’85 was one of the national sides’ best moments at Hampden. A Mo Johnstone double and looking good at 2 – 0, (rings a bell doesn’t it?), we lost a goal and the crowd got nervous. Up stands King Kenny, beats 3 silky Spaniards and curls the ball into the top corner. Bedlam.
When we visited Madrid in’63 for a friendly ending the summer tour already losing 1 -0 to Ireland we then lost 4 -3 to the amateur Norway, with a Dennis Law hat-trick! Didn’t look good when the beach balls were packed with an impossible task ahead. We then humiliated them 6 – 2 with Dundee’s Ian Ure playing keepie up in the last minute. The Scotland team at that time were possibly the most talented available at any time in our history and true to type didn’t quite achieve at the highest level. Scorers Law, Mclintock, Gibson, Wilson, Henderso and Ian St John. An aside, Norway were decisively trounced 6 -1 later in the year with Law getting 4.
Ronnie Simpson.
The legendary Scotland keeper and Lisbon lion died recently and by all accounts was a thoroughly nice guy with the habit of leaving his false teeth in his bunnet behind the goals. His National team debut was made at the grand age of 36 in the victory against the Auld Enemy in ’67. He had played for various clubs in a distinguished career with FA cup medals, a European Cup winner and a debut for Queens Park aged 15. 5 caps was a meagre total for such a top class goalie but what a Scottish hero.
Gordon Smith
Modern day Hibs players struggle to emerge from the shadow of the Famous Five forward line of the 50s. Smith, Johnstone, Reilly, Turnball and Willie Ormond pioneered more modern style by playing outwith the rigid tactics and positional play of the times. The right winger died this week and all Scotland should mourn the passing of Gordon Smith. Elegant and ahead of his time he gained 18 caps , scored 4 goals and ended his career with a victory against Spain.
Scotsport.
With
all the fuss surrounding live football on Sentanta we could this week welcome
back the oldest football highlights programme in the world. In attempting to
enter the 21st century the producers have turned the old stalwart into a variety
show. 20 minutes of fitba has been fleshed out to one hour with so much valueless
nonsense. Welcoming the new season saw an interview with guess who, Henrik Larson!
Scotsport was the brain child of madcap Scottish television pioneer John Logie
Macbaird. History tells of the first game covered in 1956 where John built his
own camera from matchsticks and filmed from the top of Firhill’s pie stand.
Despite missing 3 of the 4 goals as he had joined the queue for Bovril the standards
were set for the next 40 odd years. John pioneered slow motion replays by filming
on a separate camera with run down batteries.
It
is a little known fact that Scotland’s 9 – 3 defeat at Wembley ’61
was down to a deal struck by the SFA and Scotsport to stick a live microphone
on each Scotland players jersey. Unfortunately the technology available to STV
was so archane that each pack weighed 2 stone.
Result was a disaster for Scotland.
The exclusive deal to cover all lower league games allowed STV to utilise their youth policy, each game was filmed by a 7 year old child using the original wooden cameras. I am less than delighted that the same appalling coverage of all non Old Firm games continues with a single camera not quite following the ball, jerky movements and all too close to the action with no perspective.. Atmosphere? No chance as the microphone is in somebody’s pocket.
Almost complete rubbish!
New Strip
The
new merchandise catalogue arrived and has a comprehensive range of goodies.
A new top has been launched and the prize of the chance to operate as a Scotsport
cameraman for the day is on offer for the answer to the relevance of gold in
the National Team Strip?
Please note that the winner should turn up for work drunk and wearing a pair
of their granny’s reading glasses.
Hamish