Scotsman Footbal Show live from Spain

The Scotsman

Scotsman Footbal Show live from Spain. Matt and Allan discuss Scotland's chances UEAFA EURO Qualifiers

Transcript

00:00 Hello and welcome to another episode of the Scotsman Football Show. My name is Matthew

00:08 Elder and I'm joined today by our football writer Alan Patillo who is out in Seville

00:13 ahead of the big Euro 2024 qualifier, Scotland and Spain for that one, where we could seal

00:21 our qualification for the tournament in Germany next summer with a win or a draw. Either of

00:28 those results would be fantastic Alan but I think it's going to be a tall order for

00:32 Scotland to get either of those results out there against a Spain side who seem to have

00:37 recovered quite well from their Hamden humbling in March.

00:40 Absolutely, it's going to be a huge test for Scotland. I have two hopes for the next 24

00:48 hours. Scotland qualify for Germany and my bag arrives from London Gatwick which is where

00:55 it currently is still residing apparently. It's been a fraught journey so far, I hope

01:01 it gets a bit more straightforward tomorrow night when kick-off and a very eagerly awaited

01:11 qualifier isn't it? One of the real glamour fixtures which you kind of hope, it's the

01:18 second one in a week isn't it? Obviously Paris on Saturday night in terms of rugby didn't

01:24 go to plan at all, hope Scotland at least get a draw tomorrow night and as you say qualify

01:33 for the finals. But it wouldn't be a surprise if things are still in the balance going certainly

01:41 into Sunday night when Spain travel to face Norway which of course could be the next climatic

01:47 evening if Spain win there. If Scotland lose tomorrow night, Spain win in Oslo then we

01:55 can finally book our tickets to Germany. But yeah it would be nice to do it in Seville,

02:01 the city which is associated with so much heartache for Scotland in the past.

02:05 Indeed, obviously Rangers and Celtic both losing European Cup finals in Seville in the

02:12 recent past but we'll be hoping for Scotland to maybe make it a third time lucky with that

02:17 one.

02:18 Yeah, well even going further back Matthew to 1982 World Cup finals, this is the scene

02:23 of David Neri's famous toe poke against Brazil. So yeah I think the key is don't make the

02:29 opposition angry perhaps tomorrow night, the way David Neri did that night. Of course it

02:34 was against Brazil that evening and Scotland eventually succumbing 4-1. Then three years

02:40 later Scotland returned to Seville, this is the last time Scotland played in Seville,

02:45 it was 85 under Jock Steen on the way to the 1986 World Cup finals. A very hostile night

02:53 in Seville that evening. Scotland lost 1-0 a few months having beaten Spain 3-1 at Hampden.

03:02 So there's a few similarities there. Obviously Scotland are trying to beat Spain again in

03:09 the same qualifying campaign the way they hoped to do in '85. Unfortunately they succumbed

03:15 1-0 that evening on a night which is remembered for Jim Layton being pelted by oranges throughout

03:21 the 90 minutes. Not just oranges but also a half loaf of bread apparently. I was reading

03:28 up some old match reports over the last couple of days and Jim Layton was talking about it

03:32 was the first time he'd had a half loaf of bread thrown at him during the game. So it

03:37 was a cauldron that evening for sure for Scotland. I'm sure it'll be something similar, perhaps

03:45 not quite as extreme tomorrow night.

03:47 Let's hope the stewards are doing their job and checking any Spanish fans for any food

03:53 items on their possessions.

03:54 It's one of the reasons why Spain have taken the fixture to Seville, it's obviously a must-win

04:01 fixture for Spain. They've never lost an international in a stadium where Scotland are playing tomorrow

04:07 night. There's been some method behind locating the fixture in Seville so I think they're

04:18 keen to keep that record going. It'll be a passionate crowd, a passionate home crowd

04:26 tomorrow night. Especially with the bad blood that's been carried over since the fixture

04:32 in March, which Scotland won fairly comprehensively to my mind, 2-0, obviously thanks to a Scot

04:39 McTominay double. But obviously there was a lot of few recriminations afterwards from

04:45 Spanish players, Rodri for example, talking about Scotland's style of play in a not very

04:52 complimentary fashion. Other suggestions that the grass was too long at Hamden and all these

04:58 kind of excuses that were being rolled out. So yeah, it's an extra spice in the air tomorrow.

05:04 We've already heard John Carver talking about that sort of disrespect that Scotland took

05:09 from those comments. So, interesting to see how that's translated onto the pitch tomorrow

05:14 night. Obviously, if we don't do it tomorrow, if we don't get the win or the draw, we can

05:17 still qualify for Euro 2024 on the night if Norway fail to beat Cyprus. Unlikely you would

05:24 have to say, but that then leaves us looking towards Sunday when Norway host Spain. Obviously

05:28 if Spain win tomorrow night and Norway win tomorrow night, that could be the night to

05:32 put in the diary for Scotland's qualification chances. Do you see it happening for us on

05:37 Sunday if it doesn't transpire tomorrow?

05:40 I think that does seem the more realistic of the scenarios, which would be a strange

05:46 way to qualify. It's not quite the way you kind of hope to qualify sitting in a room,

05:50 sitting in wherever you are watching a game not involving Scotland. But obviously, Steve

05:56 Clarke, we'll all take it however it happens. But yeah, there is something quite alluring

06:03 about doing it for yourselves tomorrow evening, getting that precious point. It's quite nice

06:10 to think, isn't it, if Angus Gunn can just keep one more clean sheet in the seventh cap

06:16 significant, it takes him above his father's total of six caps. He's been talking about

06:21 that this week. But if he just keeps a clean sheet tomorrow night, Scotland are there.

06:25 But of course, it's easier said than done.

06:27 Yeah, I think he's only conceded one goal from open play in competitive matches for

06:32 Scotland. Obviously, there was an England game, but just that one Erling Haal penalty

06:35 in Oslo.

06:36 They almost got there too, didn't they? They almost squeezed through his fingertips. So

06:42 yeah, it's a nice thought. So yeah, there'll be a lot of focus on him tonight. A lot of

06:48 focus, as we were discussing earlier off camera at Matthew, on what exactly Steve Clarke is

06:52 going to do in terms of the players in front of Angus Gunn in terms of the defensive formation.

06:58 Yeah, obviously, we've had two withdrawals from the original squad in Ryan Jack and Kevin

07:03 Nisbet. With all due respect to both, I don't think that would impact on Clarke's starting

07:08 line-up. But the absence of Kieran Tierney, who seriously damaged his hamstring, if we're

07:13 to believe what's been said by the Real Sociedad manager in that La Liga match last weekend,

07:18 could be out for up to three months, I think. So no Tierney. And that, as shown in the past,

07:25 this five at the back, three at the back system that Clarke deploys relies on Tierney a lot.

07:30 He can fall apart really when he's not there. So he did obviously go to a four at the back

07:35 in the October internationals last year for the win over Ireland and the draw in Ukraine

07:39 that got us a guaranteed playoff and promotion in the Nations League. So some talk that he

07:44 could go back to that system for tomorrow night. Obviously, that'll give us the extra

07:47 man in midfield. Do you think that that's the way it could go?

07:51 I think it obviously will be, actually. You think in terms of the circumstances, they

07:55 are quite similar to that night. I'm thinking of that night in Krakow last year when Ryan

08:00 Porteous made quite a startlingly competent debut against Ukraine, wasn't it? It was a

08:07 difficult night. It was a night, obviously, Ukraine had shown their class at Hampden earlier

08:12 in the year in the playoff game where they beat us 3-1. So we knew it was going to be

08:18 a tough night. Clarke elected to go for the back four in Tierney's absence. I'm not saying

08:27 it was a straightforward night because it wasn't, but Scotland managed to get the 0-0,

08:34 the point required. So there are similar circumstances tomorrow night. It's going to be a difficult

08:39 night, a hostile environment. I think Clarke may well go with the same two centre-backs,

08:49 Hendry and Porteous, again, against Spain.

08:53 Certainly. I think we're waiting on Steve Clarke's matchday minus one press conference,

09:02 which is taking place tonight. What do you think Steve Clarke will be saying in that

09:08 tonight? He's never too forthcoming, he doesn't give too much away. I doubt he'll be giving

09:15 us his team line-up for sure. I'm sure he'll just be keeping very consistent. He's always

09:25 very clear-headed, isn't he? Obviously, Scotland just need that point. I'm sure he won't say

09:34 we're going to be playing for a point, he never does. I'm sure Scotland will be playing

09:38 to get a famous win, a famous double against Spain in a qualifying campaign. I'm looking

09:46 forward to asking him about what his intentions are in terms of a back four or back five.

09:52 It's interesting to see what he does. If he does play a back four with an extra midfielder.

09:57 Lewis Ferguson has been quite heavily speculated about this week in terms of possibly coming

10:04 in. I think he probably deserves a chance. He's been doing so well over in Italy. A man

10:11 for the big occasion, possibly. I think there could be a chance he might be drafted in,

10:15 into midfield, one of the five midfielders and then obviously Che Adams up front of things.

10:21 That could be the way he might be going. It's interesting to see what Steve Clarke is saying

10:26 on that particular subject, on the subject of Lewis Ferguson, if he gives any clues or hints

10:30 as to whether he'll be brought in or not.

10:32 Yeah, he does have good options for that extra man in midfield if that's the way he goes.

10:37 Stuart Armstrong as well, scored in his last couple of Southampton games. A really stunning

10:41 free kick as well, one of them. We might get a free kick in that sort of range, so he might

10:47 be stepping up to take one of those. There's also Kenny McLean, who's obviously been a fairly

10:52 regular first sub on for Scotland a lot of the time and has really done quite well in that role.

10:57 Most of the time helping us see out victories recently, the five in a row to start the campaign.

11:04 So, it might be his time to start decisions for Clarke.

11:08 I just hope. I was reading again, referring to that '85 game, the evening before the match,

11:16 Kenny Dalglish was struck down by flu and had to be left out, as was Steve Nicol, both of them,

11:22 both Liverpool team-mates, came down with a flu bug. Alan Hanson as well, although Alan Hanson

11:28 made it onto the bench I think. So, yeah, we're obviously hoping nothing like that for fall of

11:34 Scotland in the ease of such a difficult fixture. You don't want to be losing someone like Scott

11:41 McTominay, someone as key, the equivalent of our Kenny Dalglish back then, the current equivalent,

11:47 you don't want to be losing him in the ease of a game. So, hopefully they're in good shape.

11:51 And I think they're training today in Glasgow, then they've got a flight across to Seville this

11:57 afternoon, hopefully arrive in decent shape and ready for tomorrow night. It's a pleasant day,

12:04 pleasant autumn day. It's not stiflingly hot in Seville, so obviously that will

12:10 aid Scotland I think. It's not the kind of steamy night you often associate with Seville,

12:14 the steamy conditions you often associate with Seville right now. It's just slightly later in

12:19 the year, so hopefully it won't be too debilitating, the heat won't be a factor tomorrow evening.

12:25 Well, let's hope Scotland do it, Alan. I don't know what is the best odds of whether it's your

12:31 bag turning up or Scotland getting the result they need, but let's hope for both. But for just

12:36 now, thanks for joining us, Alan, and you can catch up with all Alan's preview and analysis

12:41 from Scotland's trip to Spain on scotsman.com. Thanks for watching.

12:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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