My failing passion for the beautiful game received no help last night from another depressing Scotland performance in what was a poor match. I didn't qualify for a Scotland ticket from the initial allocation and couldn't spend a morning redialling the ticket-line once they opened a second lot. However, a fellow-Addick called me this week to say he had been invited to buy a returned ticket, so I was in.
I met up with fellow north-easterners who had flown in from Aberdeen and Stavanger and we caught up over a few pints in the Wellington at Waterloo where a couple of England fans joined us. It was a bright and promising day and we headed up on the tube for kick-off. I said my farewells and veered right around the stadium for a great view in the Upper tier. The minute's silence was perfectly observed as I expected, although the Scotland fans I was with were unimpressed at receiving a compliment slip with their match tickets from the English FA requesting that they respect the silence as if it we had no obligation to respect it for our forefathers who have fallen in all of our wars.
Apart from the football my only other disappointment was one of the blokes sitting next to me. A Weegie from Dundee who after following Scotland home and away for twenty-five years as "kilted warrior" was somehow a fervent England fan. He blamed it on the SNP. I am no SNP fan and was strongly opposed to Independence but I can't understand how you can change your nationality so decisively. He followed England in France for the Euros - weird.
Anyway, I thought Scotland played as well as could be expected and my mid-week bet of England by three or more was looking in doubt. Scotland lacked any goal-threat despite decent possession and England looked scared of their own shadow or maybe not that bothered? When the first goal came against the run of play my bet looked better and the second marked the card.
I left ten minutes before the end as it was all over as a contest and the bloke next to me was getting on my tits. The journey back down the Jubilee line was full of both sets of supporters claiming their side were worse than the others. It felt like a friendly, not a World Cup qualifier, although for Scotland it was a actually a disqualifier. It will be a long time before I watch them play again.
Let's hope our weakened side can put in a better performance on the box today.
I met up with fellow north-easterners who had flown in from Aberdeen and Stavanger and we caught up over a few pints in the Wellington at Waterloo where a couple of England fans joined us. It was a bright and promising day and we headed up on the tube for kick-off. I said my farewells and veered right around the stadium for a great view in the Upper tier. The minute's silence was perfectly observed as I expected, although the Scotland fans I was with were unimpressed at receiving a compliment slip with their match tickets from the English FA requesting that they respect the silence as if it we had no obligation to respect it for our forefathers who have fallen in all of our wars.
Apart from the football my only other disappointment was one of the blokes sitting next to me. A Weegie from Dundee who after following Scotland home and away for twenty-five years as "kilted warrior" was somehow a fervent England fan. He blamed it on the SNP. I am no SNP fan and was strongly opposed to Independence but I can't understand how you can change your nationality so decisively. He followed England in France for the Euros - weird.
Anyway, I thought Scotland played as well as could be expected and my mid-week bet of England by three or more was looking in doubt. Scotland lacked any goal-threat despite decent possession and England looked scared of their own shadow or maybe not that bothered? When the first goal came against the run of play my bet looked better and the second marked the card.
I left ten minutes before the end as it was all over as a contest and the bloke next to me was getting on my tits. The journey back down the Jubilee line was full of both sets of supporters claiming their side were worse than the others. It felt like a friendly, not a World Cup qualifier, although for Scotland it was a actually a disqualifier. It will be a long time before I watch them play again.
Let's hope our weakened side can put in a better performance on the box today.
I bought two touted tickets for me and my son. As a parent I felt duty bound to take him to Wembley for an England game.
ReplyDeleteScotland in a World Cup qualifier, I thought, would tick all the boxes. Noise, passion, full on challenges.
What a load of shit.
OK, the last time I watched England was in Italia 90, I never realised that it had become this sanitised.
A tick in the "to do" list, but never again.
Tony