Let’s Believe In Scotland!

Date: 11th November 2020

As any supporter of the men’s Scotland team will tell you ‘it’s the hope that kills you!’. 

Yet here we are, our national team are once again giving us reason to hope and believe that we can finally get ourselves back to a major international tournament. 

Scotland are just ninety minutes away from the chance to put our name into next summer’s Euro draw. 

All that stands in our way is a one off away tie to face a very solid Serbian team. 

Tartan Army fans cannot travel to Belgrade but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t full of nerves, anxiously waiting for the first and last whistle. We shall kick every ball, jump into every tackle and header every ball as we were all on the pitch and wearing the famous dark blue. 

In Steve Clarke, we have a coach that seems to be getting more from our players and who has a plan of action. 

We have reliable and experienced goalkeepers. Our defence is steadily getting better, our backline comes into this vital fixture on the back of  keeping three clean-sheets. In midfield, we’ve got an abundance of talented players. Up top we have often looked thin but that’s also beginning to change as Lyndon Dykes has made an instant impact and we have recalled instinctive goalscorer Leigh Griffiths back into the fold. 

We might not have a world class player to call upon but we are starting to play as a team again. Scotland are always at their best when they play as one and go into every battle knowing that everyone’s got each other’s back. 

Now there’s disappointment in the fact we don’t have talented wingers Ryan Fraser and James Forrest. Both have been difference makers in the past for their nation, Fraser proving that again last month. 

We should also be slightly more hopeful given Serbia’s recent home form. They haven’t won a home tie since this time last year and even that was a struggle, scraping to a 3-2 win over Luxembourg. They haven’t won in their last three home outings. 

That being said, we can’t expect an easy victory. They got to this play-off final by upsetting the odds and beating Norway in the Norwegian’s backyard.

The Serbians have good players within their pool. Experienced full-back Aleksandar Kolarov is a big threat from set-pieces. Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic is a very combative and mobile defender. Dusan Tadic is a fine creative force. Sergej Minkovic-Savic can pull the strings and dictate things, just ask Norway. The Serbian’s also possess a striker in Aleksandar Mirtovic that proves tricky against us. He’s tall, strong and powerful in the air. 

To edge past Serbia, Scotland will have to be at their best. We will need to stick to our game-plan, be hard to break down and take any chances that might come our way. 

We can do this, our players just need to believe in themselves and in each other. As fans we will not be in the terraces but we’ll be there in spirit! 

If the team needs any inspiration then they should look at the progress the Scottish women’s team has made in recent years. They have shown every Scotland team at any level that commitment can lead to confidence and that the hard work will pay off in success! 

Here’s hoping that this time our hope will finally turn into a reality and that our men’s senior side will reach our first major tournament since 1998! 

I BELIEVE IN SCOTLAND!

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