England and Scotland football rivalry
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.jpg/180px-England_v_Scotland_(1872).jpg)
The England and Scotland football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries[1]. It is also the oldest international fixture in the world, first played in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow.
The footballing rivalry has diminished somewhat since the late 1970s, particularly since the annual fixture stopped in 1989. England have developed rivalries with Germany and Argentina, which some England fans now consider to be more important than the historic rivalry with Scotland[2]. Nonetheless, when there have been matches between the two nations, these have attracted great media attention, public interest and comment in both countries.
The rivalry also manifests itself in the fact that many Scottish people claim to support England's opponents, despite the fact that England and Scotland are both constituent countries of the United Kingdom.[3][4] Whether Scots should support England when they are not playing Scotland is routinely a matter of heated debate[5][6].
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[edit] Famous matches in the annual series
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For more details on this topic, see British Home Championship.
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For more details on this topic, see Rous Cup.
From the first match in late 1872, England and Scotland played each other in the spring of every year (except during the two world wars) until 1989. From 1884 until 1984, the match was the highlight of the annual British Home Championship played between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland[7]. After the British Home Championship ended in 1984, the annual England v Scotland fixture continued in the form of the Rous Cup until 1989.
The only exception to this pattern of annual fixtures in the spring was in 1973, when there were two games. The first game that year was a friendly match that marked the centenary of the Scottish Football Association. There were also two fixtures staged in 1902, but this was because the first game had to be abandoned due to the first Ibrox disaster. The British Home Championships also acted as qualifiers for two major tournaments - the 1950 World Cup and the 1968 European Championship.
[edit] 1928
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For more details on this topic, see Wembley Wizards.
| March 31, 1928 12:30 |
England  |
1–5 |  Scotland |
Wembley Stadium , London Attendance: 80,868 Referee: William Bell (Scotland) |
Bob Kelly  89' |
Alex Jackson 3' 65' 85' Alex James 44' 74' |
[edit] 1961
The game played in 1961 is infamous from the Scottish perspective, as they suffered their heaviest defeat in the fixture. Frank Haffey, the hapless Scottish goalkeeper, later decided to emigrate to Australia partly due to this game. Haffey's performance largely contributed towards the English stereotype of bad Scottish goalkeepers.[8][9]
| April 15, 1961 | England |
9–3 | Scotland |
Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 97,350 Referee: Marcel Lequesne (France) |
| Bobby Robson 9' Jimmy Greaves 21' 30' 83'Bryan Douglas 55'Bobby Smith 73' 85'Johnny Haynes 78' 82' |
Dave Mackay 48' Davie Wilson 53'Pat Quinn 75' |
[edit] 1967
The match played in 1967 is Scotland's most famous victory against England. England were World Champions and undefeated in 19 games[10] before the match, played at the ground where they had won their world title less than a year beforehand. Memorably, Jim Baxter played "keepie uppie" as Scotland toyed with their opponents.[10] [11]
Scotland were aided somewhat by the fact that Jack Charlton was hampered by an injury sustained early in the game.[10] England manager Alf Ramsey was unable to substitute Charlton and therefore decided to use him in the unfamiliar role of centre forward.[10] Ironically, Charlton scored England's first goal.
Naturally, the Scots claimed after the game that the victory made them unofficial world champions. In the end, however, it was England who qualified for the 1968 European Championship because of results in the other matches.[10]
| April 15, 1967 | England |
2–3 | Scotland |
Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 99,063 Referee: Gerhard Schulenburg (West Germany) |
| Jack Charlton 84' Geoff Hurst 88' |
Denis Law 27' Bobby Lennox 78'Jim McCalliog 87' |
[edit] 1977
The 1977 match is less memorable for what happened during the game itself, but what happened on the park after the game. The Scottish fans invaded the pitch, ripping up large sections of it and tearing down the goalposts[12].
| June 4, 1977 | England |
1–2 | Scotland |
Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 98,103 Referee: Károly Palotai (Hungary) |
| Mick Channon (pen) 87' |
Gordon McQueen 42' Kenny Dalglish 60' |
[edit] Matches since the end of the annual series
[edit] 1996 European Championship
The first fixture between England and Scotland since the abolition of the annual match was when the two sides were drawn together in the group stage of Euro 96.
Gary McAllister took a penalty kick which was saved by David Seaman while the score was 1–0 to England. Uri Geller claimed to have put McAllister off by moving the ball by mind control just before the penalty was taken.[13][14] McAllister later confirmed that the ball did move before he struck it, but he was already committed to the strike.[13]
If McAllister had scored, the score would have been 1–1 with less than 15 minutes left and Scotland had more of the play at the time. Moments later, Paul Gascoigne scored a truly great goal[13][15] that effectively won the game. Gordon Brown was reported to have said this was his favourite goal,[16] but he later denied that he had said that.[16]
| 1996-06-15 15:00 |
Scotland |
0–2 | England |
Wembley Stadium, London[17] Attendance: 76,684 Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto (Italy) |
| (Report) | Shearer 53' Gascoigne 79' |
[edit] 2000 European Championship
England and Scotland last played each other when they were drawn to meet each other in a two match play-off for a place in Euro 2000. England went into the tie as heavy favourites, particularly with Scotland weakened by an injury to Paul Lambert.[18] England comfortably won the game in Glasgow 2–0 thanks to two goals by Paul Scholes.
Scotland rallied, however, to win the game in London 1–0 thanks to a headed goal by Don Hutchison. This meant that England progressed to Euro 2000 by the 2–1 aggregate score. Some observers claimed that Scotland were unlucky to not at least force extra time in the tie.[19][20] David Seaman again denied the Scots, this time with a brilliant reaction save from a header by Christian Dailly that prevented the Scots from taking a 2–0 lead on the night and potentially forcing extra time.[21]
| 1999-11-13 15:00 |
Scotland |
0–2 | England |
Hampden Park, Glasgow Attendance: 50,132 Referee: Manuel Diaz Vega (Spain) |
| (Report) | Scholes 21' 41' |
| 1999-11-17 19:45 |
England |
0–1 | Scotland |
Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 76,848 Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy) |
| (Report) | Hutchison 39' |
[edit] Future
There have been many calls for the British Home Championship to be restored to the schedule, or at least for the England v Scotland fixture to be played more regularly.[22] One argument in favour is that "meaningless friendlies" would be replaced with matches that would raise interest amongst players and fans.[citation needed]
There has been a lack of enthusiasm for such proposals, particularly from England. As time has passed, the FA has grown in commercial power and friendlies against major footballing nations from Europe and South America are of greater commercial value than playing the other Home Nations, including Scotland.[citation needed] SFA chief executive Gordon Smith has also raised the concern that the riots in Manchester on the day of the 2008 UEFA Cup Final may lead the FA to believe that there could be incidents of hooliganism connected to an England v Scotland fixture.[23]
In December 2006, Lawrie Sanchez suggested that a tournament featuring Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland be organised instead.[24] This tournament, now called the Celtic Cup, is proposed to begin in 2011.[25]
There was talk of organising a one-off England v Scotland match at the end of the 2007-08 season,[26] but the new Scotland manager George Burley was opposed to this timing and the match was not arranged.[27] There will not be a England v Scotland match until at least 2009 because England have already planned a schedule ahead of the next World Cup.[28] The next theoretically possible meeting would be in a World Cup qualifying play-off in the autumn of 2009.
[edit] Records
England have marginally the better record in the fixture, with 45 wins to 41 by Scotland. There have been 24 draws, only three of them goalless. England have scored 192 goals to 169 by Scotland.
The record attendance was 149,547, set at Hampden Park on April 17, 1937. This is also a European record attendance[29].
[edit] All matches between England and Scotland
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
[edit] Club level
As well as the rivalry between the national sides, English and Scottish club teams have also met on numerous occasions in the various European club competitions. These matches are invariably dubbed by the media as being the "Battle of Britain", irrespective of the clubs involved.[38][39][40]
The most important club meeting was when Celtic and Leeds United met in the semi-final of the 1970 European Cup. Celtic won the first leg at Elland Road 1–0. The second leg was played at Hampden Park to allow a bigger crowd to attend than could be held at Celtic Park. Billy Bremner opened the scoring early on to level the aggregate score, but Celtic came back to win the match 2–1 and the tie 3–1.[41]
Celtic also beat two English clubs (Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool) on their run to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. The most recent meeting was when Celtic beat Manchester United 1–0 in the group stage of the Champions League in the 2006-07 season.[42]
[edit] Players and Managers
The rivalry between the two nations have not prevented their respective nationals from playing in each other's domestic leagues, in certain cases to high renown. Historically, the trend has been for Scottish players to play in the richer English league, although many English players have also played in Scotland.
Many great English sides have been built around Scottish players. The double winning Spurs team of 1961 included Bill Brown, Dave Mackay and John White. Denis Law is the second greatest goalscorer in the history of Manchester United. The great Liverpool teams of the 1970s and 1980s were built around Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen.
In recent times, the flow of Scottish players to major English clubs has dried up, as the Scotland team has been less competitive at international level and the English Premier League has attracted stars from all over the world, rather than just from the British Isles.[43] Darren Fletcher is currently the only Scottish player who is in the first team squad of one of the "big four" Premier League clubs. Scottish managers, however, such as Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, continue to hold top positions with major Premier League clubs, while few English managers hold similar positions.[44]
There have been fewer notable English players who have played in Scotland. Joe Baker was the first player to play for England without having played in the Football League, but his was an isolated example because he played at a time when a player was only allowed to play for the country of his birth[45]. Those rules have subsequently been relaxed and the sons or even grandsons of Scots are now allowed to play for Scotland. This means that some English-born players have played in and for Scotland, including Andy Goram and Stuart McCall.
There was a large influx of English players to the Scottish league during the late 1980s after English clubs were banned from European competition due to the Heysel disaster. Prominent England players including Terry Butcher, Trevor Steven, Gary Stevens, Chris Woods and Mark Hateley all moved to Rangers. During this time, Rangers had a higher turnover than Manchester United[46] and could therefore offer wages that could compare with even the biggest English clubs.
Since the inception of the Premier League, however, the English clubs have become wealthier than Rangers and Celtic, despite the fact that the Old Firm dominate Scottish football and have significant income from European competition[47]. Therefore no prominent England player has played in Scotland in recent years, although Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson played a significant part in Celtic's run to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.
[edit] Notes
- ^ A history of fierce football rivalry, BBC News, October 13, 1999
- ^ Who Are England’s Biggest Rivals Now? Still Germany? Portugal? Argentina?. caughtoffside. Retrieved on 15 November 2007.
- ^ See you, Murray, Mail on Sunday, June 6, 2006
- ^ McConnell explains England stance, BBC News, May 25, 2006
- ^ The 'any-side-but-England' strategy is corrosive, The Guardian, June 25, 2006
- ^ We Scots just canna cheer for the Sassenachs, Daily Telegraph, June 25, 2006
- ^ Northern Ireland were only in the British Home Championship after 1950. Before then, a team representing the whole of Ireland selected by the Irish Football Association was in the Championship. This change was due to the secession of the Republic of Ireland from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- ^ WE'D ONLY HAVE LOST EIGHT IF I'D BEEN WEARING GLASSES, Daily Record, December 22, 2005
- ^ Scots goalkeepers no longer a laughing stock, Daily Telegraph, August 10, 2007
- ^ a b c d e Wembley Wizards 1967, BBC
- ^ Tributes to Jim Baxter, BBC Sport, April 14, 2001
- ^ Wait till the Tartan Army sees the new Wembley!, Daily Mail, November 13, 2007
- ^ a b c 1996 England: Scotland, www.englandcaps.co.uk
- ^ On Second Thoughts: Euro 96, guardian.co.uk, 4 July 2007
- ^ BBC nominate Gascoigne goal as second best goal in the history of European Championships
- ^ a b Gordon Brown answers your questions, The Independent, June 27, 2007
- ^ Although the match was played at Wembley Stadium and was effectively a home game for England, Scotland had been drawn as the "home" team in the tie.
- ^ Lambert out of play-offs, BBC News, November 8, 1999
- ^ We deserved to qualify - Hendry, BBC News, November 17, 1999
- ^ I've rarely seen anything worse, BBC News, November 18, 1999
- ^ Keegan insists England can triumph, BBC News, November 18, 1999
- ^ 5 Good Reasons To Bring Back Home Internationals.., Daily Record, November 23, 2007
- ^ Gordon Smith: Manchester thugs risk to Wembley revival, Sunday Mail, May 25, 2008
- ^ Sanchez wants Celtic tournament, BBC Sport, December 12, 2006
- ^ 'Four Nations' plan faces delay, BBC Sport, April 11, 2008
- ^ Scots eye summer England fixture, BBC Sport, November 12, 2007
- ^ England game impractical, admits Burley, The Observer, February 3, 2008
- ^ England-Scotland rematch on hold, BBC Sport, April 25, 2008
- ^ "even today it holds every major record within European football", www.hampdenroar.org.uk
- ^ This match was a replay of the match originally staged on April 5, 1902 at Ibrox Stadium, which was abandoned after part of the stadium collapsed, killing 25 people. Funds raised by the replayed game contributed towards a disaster fund.
- ^ The annual match was suspended between 1915 and 1919 because of the Great War.
- ^ The annual match was suspended between 1940 and 1946 because of the Second World War.
- ^ The match also acted as a qualifier for the 1950 World Cup.
- ^ a b This match also acted as a qualifier for Euro 68.
- ^ The first goalless draw since the first ever fixture, 98 years earlier.
- ^ A friendly match arranged to mark the centenary of the Scottish Football Association.
- ^ England won 2-1 on aggregate and qualified for Euro 2000.
- ^ Owen sets up battle of Britain, Daily Telegraph, 27 February 2003
- ^ Battles of Britain, BBC Sport, October 20, 2003
- ^ Roy Keane On Battle Of Britain, Eurosport, September 9, 2006
- ^ Leeds United versus Glasgow Celtic, www.leedsfans.org.uk
- ^ Celtic 1 Manchester United 0: Nakamura class leaves United on a knife-edge, The Independent, November 22, 2006
- ^ Can Keegan's Newcastle help Scotland produce players worthy of the Premier League?, www.sportingo.com, May 9, 2008
- ^ Big debate: does it matter if the next England manager is English?, The Guardian, November 28, 2007
- ^ Reluctant Sassenach Baker who pioneered the Beckham trail, The Guardian, June 13, 2007
- ^ Premier League could make a short leap north, Daily Telegraph, February 15, 2008
- ^ Celtic Push Rangers Out Of Football Rich List, Daily Record, February 14, 2008
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Scotland v England, London Hearts
- Opponents, England Stats
- National Team Archive, Scottish Football Association
- Scotland, The Football Association
