Scotland national football team

Scotland
Association Scottish Football Association
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Craig Levein
Asst coach Peter Houston
Captain Darren Fletcher[1]
Most caps Kenny Dalglish (102)
Top scorer Kenny Dalglish (30)
Denis Law (30)
Home stadium Hampden Park
FIFA code SCO
FIFA ranking 47
Highest FIFA ranking 13[2] (October 2007)
Lowest FIFA ranking 88[3] (March 2005)
Elo ranking 40
Highest Elo ranking 1[4] (1876–92,1904)
Lowest Elo ranking 64[4] (May 2005)
Home colours
Away colours
First international
Scotland 0–0 England 
(Glasgow, Scotland; 30 November 1872)
Biggest win
Scotland 11–0 Ireland 
(Glasgow, Scotland; 23 February 1901)
Biggest defeat
 Uruguay 7–0 Scotland
(Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954)
World Cup
Appearances 8 (First in 1954)
Best result Round 1, all
European Championship
Appearances 2 (First in 1992)
Best result Last 8, 1992

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872. Scotland maintains its own national side that competes in all major professional tournaments with the exception of the Olympic Games, as Scotland is not a member of the International Olympic Committee. The majority of Scotland's home matches are held at the national stadium, Hampden Park, with friendly matches sometimes hosted at club stadiums.

Scotland have qualified for the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Football Championship several times, but have never progressed beyond the first group stage of a finals tournament. The team have achieved some noteworthy results, however, such as beating the 1966 FIFA World Cup winners England 3–2 at Wembley Stadium in 1967. Archie Gemmill scored what has been described as one of the greatest World Cup goals ever in a 3–2 win during the 1978 World Cup against the Netherlands, who reached the final of the tournament.[5] In their qualifying group for UEFA Euro 2008, Scotland defeated 2006 World Cup runners-up France 1–0 in both fixtures.

Scotland have been World Football Elo Ratings leaders for the longest continuous period of all nations, 5845 days from 4 March 1876 to 5 March 1892.

Scotland's supporters are collectively known as the Tartan Army. Scotland's traditional rival is England,[6] whom they played annually from 1872 until 1989, but there have only been three senior level fixtures since then. The last match between the sides was the second leg of a Euro 2000 qualifying play-off at Wembley Stadium in 1999, which Scotland won 1–0, although England won the tie 2–1 on aggregate.[7]

Contents

History

Main article: History of the Scotland national football team

Early history

Scotland and England are the oldest national football teams in the world.[8] Teams representing the two sides first competed at the Oval in five matches between 1870 and 1872. The two countries contested the first official international football match, at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Scotland on 30 November 1872. The match ended in a goalless draw.[9] All eleven players who represented Scotland that day played for Glasgow amateur club Queen's Park.[8] Over the next forty years, Scotland played matches exclusively against the other three Home nations—England, Wales and Ireland. The British Home Championship began in 1883, making these games competitive. The encounters against England were particularly fierce and a rivalry quickly developed.[6]

During these early years, defeats for Scotland were something of a rarity, losing just two of their first 43 international matches. It wasn't until a 2–0 home defeat by Ireland in 1903 that Scotland lost a match to a team other than England. This run of success meant that Scotland would have regularly topped the Elo ratings, which were calculated in 1997, between 1876 and 1904. Scotland won the British Home Championship outright on 24 occasions, and shared the title 17 times with at least one other team.[note 1][10] A noteworthy victory for Scotland before the Second World War was the 5–1 victory over England in 1928, which led to that Scotland side being known as the Wembley Wizards. Scotland played their first match outside the British Isles in 1929, beating Norway 7–3 in Bergen.[11] Scotland continued to contest regular friendly matches against European opposition and enjoyed wins against Germany and France before losing to the Austrian Wunderteam and Italy in 1931.[11]

Scotland, like the other Home Nations, did not enter the three FIFA World Cups held during the 1930s. This was because the four associations had been excluded from FIFA due to a disagreement regarding the status of amateur players.[12] The four associations, including Scotland, returned to the FIFA fold after the Second World War.[12] A match between a United Kingdom team and a "Rest of the World" team was played at Hampden Park in 1947 to celebrate this reconciliation.[12]

1950s

The readmission of the Scottish Football Association to FIFA meant that Scotland were now eligible to enter the 1950 FIFA World Cup. FIFA advised that places would be awarded to the top two teams in the 1950 British Home Championship, but the SFA announced that Scotland would only attend the finals if Scotland won the competition. Scotland won their first two matches, but a 1–0 home defeat by England meant that the Scots finished as runners-up. This meant that the Scots had qualified by right for the World Cup, but had not met the demand of the SFA to win the Championship. The SFA stood by this proclamation, despite pleas to the contrary by the Scotland players, supported by England captain Billy Wright and the other England players.[13] The SFA instead sent the Scots on a tour of North America.[14]

The same qualification rules were in place for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, with the 1954 British Home Championship acting as a qualifying group. Scotland again finished second, but this time the SFA allowed a team to participate in the Finals, held in Switzerland. To quote the SFA website, "The preparation was atrocious".[15] The SFA only sent 13 players to the finals, even though FIFA allowed 22 man squads.[16] Despite this self-imposed hardship in terms of players, the SFA dignitaries travelled in numbers, accompanied with their wives.[16] Scotland lost 1–0 against Austria in their first game in the finals. This prompted the team manager Andy Beattie to resign hours before the game against Uruguay.[17] Uruguay were reigning champions and had never before lost a game at the World Cup finals. The gulf in class was exposed in horrific fashion as Uruguay won 7–0.[15][18]

The 1958 FIFA World Cup finals saw Scotland draw their first game against Yugoslavia 1–1, but they then lost to Paraguay and France and went out at the first stage. Matt Busby had been due to manage the team at the World Cup, but the severe injuries he suffered in the Munich air disaster meant that trainer Dawson Walker took charge of the team instead.

1960s

Under the management of Ian McColl, Scotland enjoyed consecutive British Home Championship successes in 1962 and 1963.[10] Jock Stein, John Prentice and Malcolm MacDonald all had brief spells as manager before Bobby Brown was appointed in 1967.[19] Brown's first match as manager was against the newly crowned world champions England at Wembley Stadium. Despite being underdogs, Scotland won 3–2 thanks to goals from Denis Law, Bobby Lennox and Jim McCalliog.[20] Having defeated the world champions on their own turf, the Scotland fans hailed their team as the unofficial world champions.[21] Despite this famous win, the Scots failed to qualify for any major competitions during the 1960s.

1970s

After Tommy Docherty's brief spell as manager, Willie Ormond was hired in 1973.[19] Ormond lost his first match in charge 5–0 to England, but recovered to steer Scotland to their first World Cup finals in 16 years in 1974. At the 1974 World Cup finals in West Germany, Scotland achieved their most impressive performance at a World Cup tournament.[22] The team was unbeaten but failed to progress beyond the group stages on goal difference.[22] After beating Zaïre, they drew with both Brazil and Yugoslavia, and went out because they had beaten Zaïre by the smallest margin.[23]

Scotland appointed Ally MacLeod as manager in 1977, with qualification for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina far from assured.[19] The team made a strong start under MacLeod by winning the 1977 British Home Championship, largely thanks to a 2–1 victory over England at Wembley.[10] The Scotland fans invaded the pitch after the match, ripping up the turf and breaking a crossbar.[24][25] Scotland's good form continued as they secured qualification for the World Cup with victories over Czechoslovakia and Wales.[26]

During the build-up to the 1978 FIFA World Cup, MacLeod fuelled the hopes of the nation by stating that Scotland would come home with a medal.[5] As the squad left for the finals in Argentina, they were given an enthusiastic send off as they were paraded around a packed Hampden Park.[27] Thousands more fans lined the route to Prestwick Airport as the team set off for South America.[5] Scotland's first game was against Peru in Cordoba. Two spectacular goals by Teófilo Cubillas meant that the result was a 3–1 loss. The second game was a very disappointing 1–1 draw against Iran.[5] The disconsolate mood of the nation was reflected by footage of Ally MacLeod in the dugout with his head in his hands.[28]

After taking a single point from their opening two games, Scotland had to defeat the Netherlands by three clear goals to progress.[29] Despite the Dutch taking the lead, Scotland fought back to win 3–2 with a goal from Kenny Dalglish and two from Archie Gemmill, the second of which is considered one of the greatest World Cup goals ever;[5] Gemmill beat three Dutch defenders before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed into the net.[5][30] The victory was not sufficient to secure a place in the second round, however, as Scotland were eliminated on goal difference for the second successive World Cup.[29]

1980s

MacLeod resigned as manager shortly after the 1978 World Cup, and Jock Stein, who had won nine consecutive Scottish league titles and the European Cup as manager of Celtic, was appointed as his successor.[19] After failing to qualify for the 1980 European Championship,[31] Scotland qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup from a tough group including Sweden, Portugal, Israel and Northern Ireland, losing just one match in the process.[32] They beat New Zealand 5–2 in their first game at the World Cup, but lost 4–1 to a Brazil team containing Socrates, Zico, Eder and Falcão.[33] Scotland were again eliminated on goal difference, after a 2–2 draw with the Soviet Union.

Scotland qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, their fourth in succession, in traumatic circumstances. The squad went into their last qualification match against Wales needing a point to progress to a qualifying playoff against Australia. With only nine minutes remaining and Wales leading 1–0, Scotland were awarded a penalty kick, which was calmly scored by Davie Cooper.[34] The 1–1 draw meant that Scotland progressed, but as the players and fans celebrated, national coach Jock Stein suffered a heart attack and died shortly afterwards.[34] His assistant Alex Ferguson took over.[19] Scotland qualified by winning 2–0 against Australia in a two-leg playoff, but were eliminated from the tournament with just one point from their three matches, a goalless draw with Uruguay following defeats by Denmark and West Germany.[35]

1990s

Scotland qualified for their fifth consecutive World Cup in 1990 by finishing second in their qualifying group, ahead of France.[36] Scotland were drawn in a group with Costa Rica, Sweden, and Brazil, but the Scots lost 1–0 to Costa Rica.[37] While they recovered to beat Sweden 2–1 in their second game, they lost to Brazil in their third match 1–0 and were once again eliminated after the first round.[37]

By a narrow margin, Scotland qualified for the UEFA European Football Championship for the first time in 1992.[38] A 1–0 defeat to Romania away from home left qualification dependent upon other results, but a 1–1 draw between Bulgaria and Romania in the final group match saw Scotland squeeze through.[39] Despite playing well in matches against the Netherlands and Germany and a fine win against the CIS, the team was knocked out at the group stage.[39] Scotland failed to qualify, however, for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The team finished fourth in their qualifying group behind Italy, Switzerland and Portugal. When it became clear that Scotland could not qualify, Andy Roxburgh resigned from his position as team manager.[40]

New manager Craig Brown successfully guided Scotland to the 1996 European Championship tournament.[40] The first game against the Netherlands ended 0–0, raising morale ahead of a much anticipated game against England at Wembley Stadium.[40] Gary McAllister missed a penalty kick and a goal by Paul Gascoigne led to a 2–0 defeat. Scotland recovered to beat Switzerland 1–0. England taking a 4–0 lead in the other match briefly put both teams in a position to qualify, but a late goal for the Netherlands meant that Scotland were once again knocked out on goal difference.[40][41]

Brown again guided Scotland to qualification for a major tournament in 1998, and Scotland were drawn against Brazil in the opening game of the 1998 World Cup.[42] John Collins equalised from the penalty spot to level the score at 1–1, but a Tom Boyd own goal led to a 2–1 defeat. Scotland drew their next game 1–1 with Norway in Bordeaux,[43] but the final match against Morocco ended in an embarrassing 3–0 defeat.[40]

During the qualification for the 2000 European Championship, Scotland faced England in a two-legged playoff nicknamed the "Battle of Britain" by the media.[44] Scotland won the second match 1–0, but lost the tie 2–1 on aggregate.[44]

2000s

Scotland failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, finishing third in their qualifying group behind Croatia and Belgium.[40] This second successive failure to qualify prompted Craig Brown to resign from his position after the final qualifying match.[40] The SFA appointed former Germany manager Berti Vogts as Brown's successor.[45] Scotland reached the qualification play-offs for Euro 2004. Scotland beat Netherlands 1–0 at Hampden Park, but suffered a 6–0 defeat in the return leg. Poor results in friendly matches and a bad start to the 2006 World Cup qualification caused the team to drop to a record low in the FIFA World Rankings.[46] Vogts announced his resignation in 2004,[47] blaming the hostile media for his departure.[48]

Walter Smith, a former Rangers and Everton manager, was brought in to replace Vogts. Improved results meant that Scotland rose up the FIFA rankings and won the Kirin Cup, a friendly competition in Japan.[49] Scotland failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, however, finishing third in their group behind Italy and Norway. Smith left the national side in January 2007 to return to Rangers, with Scotland leading their Euro 2008 qualification group.[50] Alex McLeish was named as Smith's successor and Scotland's twentieth manager.[51] McLeish guided Scotland to wins against Georgia, Faroe Islands, Lithuania, France and Ukraine, but defeats to Georgia and Italy ended their chances of qualification for Euro 2008.[52] These improved results, particularly the wins against France, lifted Scotland into the top 20 in the FIFA rankings for the first time since their conception in the mid 1990s.

After the narrow failure to qualify for Euro 2008, McLeish left to join Premier League club Birmingham City.[53] Southampton manager George Burley was hired as the new manager, but he came in for criticism from the media after the team lost their first qualifier against Macedonia.[54] After Scotland lost their fourth match 3–0 to the Netherlands,[55] captain Barry Ferguson and goalkeeper Allan McGregor were excluded from the starting lineup for the following match against Iceland due to a "breach of discipline".[56] Despite winning 2–1 against Iceland,[57] Scotland suffered a terrible 4–0 defeat by Norway in the following qualifier, which left Scotland effectively needing to win their last two games to have a realistic chance of making the qualifying play-offs.[58] Scotland defeated Macedonia 2–0 in the first of those two games,[59] but were eliminated by a 1–0 loss to the Netherlands in the second game.[60] Burley was allowed to continue in his post after a review by the SFA board,[61] but a subsequent 3–0 friendly defeat by Wales led to the SFA sacking Burley.[62]

2010s

The SFA appointed Craig Levein as head coach of the national team in December 2009.[63] In UEFA Euro 2012 qualification, Scotland were grouped with Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Czech Republic and world champions Spain.[64][65] They took just four points from the first four games, leaving the team needing three wins from their remaining four games to have a realistic chance of progression.[65] Scotland were eliminated after a 3–1 defeat by Spain in their last match.[66]

FIFA World Cup record

Main article: Scotland at the FIFA World Cup

Scotland have played at eight FIFA World Cups,[43] including five consecutive tournaments from 1974 to 1990. During the preparations for the 1928 Olympic Football Tournament, FIFA ruled that all its member associations must provide "broken-time" payments to cover the expenses of players from their country who participated. In response to what they considered to be unacceptable interference, the football associations of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales held a meeting at which they agreed to resign from FIFA.[67] As a result, Scotland did not compete in the three interwar World Cup competitions. The Scottish Football Association did not rejoin FIFA as a permanent member until 1946.[68]

Competition

Scotland have never advanced beyond the first round of the finals competition. They have missed out on progressing to the second round three times on goal difference: in 1974, when Brazil edged them out;[23] in 1978, when the Netherlands progressed;[29] and in 1982, when the USSR went through.[33] The Scottish Football Association declined to participate in 1950 although they had qualified, as Scotland were not the British champions.[note 2]

Year Round Position Matches Wins Draws Losses GF[note 3] GA[note 4]
1930 Did Not Enter
1934
1938
1950 Withdrew[note 2]
1954 Round 1 15 2 0 0 2 0 8
1958 Round 1 14 3 0 1 2 4 6
1962 Did Not Qualify
1966
1970
1974 Round 1 9 3 1 2 0 3 1
1978 Round 1 11 3 1 1 1 5 6
1982 Round 1 15 3 1 1 1 8 8
1986 Round 1 19 3 0 1 2 1 3
1990 Round 1 19 3 1 0 2 2 3
1994 Did Not Qualify
1998 Round 1 27 3 0 1 2 2 6
2002 Did Not Qualify
2006
2010
Totals 8/19 23 4 7 12 25 41

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification

Scotland will compete alongside Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Macedonia and Wales for a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Belgium 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Macedonia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 
Belgium  — 11 Sep '12 26 Mar '13 16 Oct '12 7 Jun '13 15 Oct '13
Croatia  11 Oct '13 — 7 Sep '12 7 Jun '13 22 Mar '13 16 Oct '12
Macedonia  22 Mar '13 12 Oct '12 — 10 Sep '13 16 Oct '12 6 Sep '13
Scotland  6 Sep '13 15 Oct '13 11 Sep '12 — 8 Sep '12 22 Mar '13
Serbia  12 Oct '12 6 Sep '13 15 Oct '13 26 Mar '13 — 11 Sep '12
Wales  7 Sep '12 26 Mar '13 11 Oct '13 12 Oct '12 10 Sep '13 —

European Championship record

Scotland have qualified for two European Championships but have failed to advance beyond the first round on both occasions, most recently at the 1996 European Championship, where the Netherlands progressed on goals scored.[69]

Year Result Matches Wins Draws Losses GF[note 3] GA[note 4]
1960 Did not enter
1964
1968 Did not qualify
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992 Round 1 3 1 0 2 3 3
1996 Round 1 3 1 1 1 1 2
2000 Did not qualify
2004
2008
2012
Totals 2/14 6 2 1 3 4 5

Euro 2012 Qualification

Scotland were paired in Group I, alongside the reigning world champions Spain, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Liechtenstein.

Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group I
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 8 8 0 0 26 6 +20 24
 Czech Republic 8 4 1 3 12 8 +4 13
 Scotland 8 3 2 3 9 10 −1 11
 Lithuania 8 1 2 5 4 13 −9 5
 Liechtenstein 8 1 1 6 3 17 −14 4
 
Czech Republic  — 2–0 0–1 1–0 0–2
Liechtenstein  0–2 — 2–0 0–1 0–4
Lithuania  1–4 0–0 — 0–0 1–3
Scotland  2–2 2–1 1–0 — 2–3
Spain  2–1 6–0 3–1 3–1 —

Stadium

Main articles: Hampden Park and List of host grounds of Scotland home international football matches

Hampden Park in Glasgow is the traditional home of the Scotland team and is described by the Scottish Football Association as the National Stadium.[70] The present stadium, which has a 52,000 capacity, is one of several stadiums to have used the name. Hampden and its predecessors have hosted international matches since 1878. The attendance record of 149,415 was set by the Scotland v England match in 1937.[71] Hampden is one of only two Scottish football stadiums to receive a UEFA 5–star rating.[72]

Some friendly matches are played at smaller venues, such as when Scotland played the Faroe Islands at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen during November 2010. Easter Road Stadium in Edinburgh has hosted four friendly matches since 1998. Other stadiums were also used while Hampden was being redeveloped during the late 1990s. Celtic Park, Pittodrie Stadium, Ibrox Stadium and Rugby Park all hosted matches during the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign,[73] while Tynecastle Stadium,[74] Pittodrie,[75] Celtic Park and Ibrox were used for Euro 2000 qualifying matches.

Since the last redevelopment to Hampden was completed in 1999, Scotland have played all but one of their competitive matches there. The exception to this rule was when Celtic Park hosted the first Euro 2008 qualification match against the Faroe Islands. Celtic Park was used because the fixtures were decided by a random draw and Hampden had already been booked for a Robbie Williams concert on the same date.[76]

Media coverage

Scotland's home matches are presently covered by the pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports.[77] Extended highlights of every Scotland home international are shown on terrestrial television by BBC Sport Scotland.[78] Television rights to away games vary, although the rights to all of Scotland's away matches in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying are held by BBC Scotland.[79] 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification away match rights were held by Setanta Sports, another pay-TV broadcaster,[77] until their UK business ceased trading in June 2009.[80]

The arrangements to show Scotland matches on pay-TV have been criticised by the Scottish Government, who have argued that qualifying matches should be included in the list of sporting events which can only be broadcast on free-to-air television.[77][81] The Scottish Football Association have argued, however, that limiting the rights to free-to-air broadcasters would severely reduce the amount of revenue that they could generate.[82] An independent advisory panel recommended that qualifying matches played by all four Home Nations be added to the list, but UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson deferred a decision until the completion of the digital switchover.[83]

BBC Scotland,[77] STV, Sky Sports,[84] and Five[85] are among other networks that have previously shown live fixtures. All matches are broadcast with full commentary on BBC Radio Scotland and, when schedules allow, BBC Radio 5 Live also.[79][86] In Australia, Scotland's national football team home games and selected away games are broadcast by Setanta Sports Australia.[87]

Colours
Rosebery colours

Scotland traditionally wear dark blue shirts with white shorts and dark blue socks, the colours of the Queen's Park team who represented Scotland in the first international.[8] The blue Scotland shirt was earlier used in a February 1872 rugby international, with reports stating that "the scotch were easily distinguishable by their uniform of blue jerseys.... the jerseys having the thistle embroidered".[88] The thistle had previously been worn to represent Scotland in the 1871 rugby international, but on brown shirts.[89] The shirt is embroidered with a crest based upon the lion rampant of the Royal Standard of Scotland. Another style often used by Scotland comprises blue shirts, white shorts and red socks. Change colours vary, but are most commonly white or yellow shirts with blue shorts.[90] From 1994–96 a tartan kit was used.[91] The current version of the crest includes the Scottish flag and a background of thistles, representing the national flower of Scotland, in addition to the lion rampant.

Scotland have not always played in dark blue; on a number of occasions between 1881 and 1951 they played in the primrose and pink racing colours of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. A former Prime Minister, Lord Rosebery was an influential figure in Scottish football, serving as honorary President of the Scottish Football Association and Edinburgh team Hearts. His colours were used most frequently in the first decade of the twentieth century, but were discontinued in 1909. The colours were briefly reprised in 1949, and were last used against France in 1951. In 1900, when Scotland defeated England 4–1. Lord Rosebery remarked, "I have never seen my colours so well sported since Ladas won the Derby".[92]

Since 2005, the SFA have supported the use of Scots Gaelic on the national team's strip in recognition of the language's revival in Scotland.[93]

Supporters

Main article: Tartan Army

Scotland fans are collectively known as the Tartan Army. During the 1970s, Scotland fans became known for their hooliganism, particularly after they invaded the Wembley pitch and destroyed the goalposts after the England v Scotland match in 1977.[94][95] Since then, the Tartan Army have won awards from UEFA for their combination of vocal support, friendly nature and charity work.[96][97] The Tartan Army have been awarded a Fair Play prize by the Belgian Olympic Committee[98] and were named as the best supporters during the 1992 European Championship.[98] The fans were also presented with a trophy for non-violence in sport and were voted by journalists to be the best supporters for their sense of fair play and sporting spirit at the 1998 World Cup in France.[99]

Players

See also: List of Scotland international footballers, List of Scotland international footballers (5 – 19 caps), and List of Scotland international footballers (1 – 4 caps)

Current squad

The following players were selected for the squad to play Cyprus in November 2011.[100][101]

As of 20:12, 11 November 2011 (UTC)
0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club
GK Matt Gilks 4 July 1982 (1982-07-04) (age 29) 0 0 Blackpool
GK Allan McGregor 31 January 1982 (1982-01-31) (age 30) 19 0 Rangers
GK Craig Samson 1 April 1984 (1984-04-01) (age 27) 0 0 St. Mirren
DF Phil Bardsley 28 June 1985 (1985-06-28) (age 26) 11 0 Sunderland
DF Christophe Berra 31 January 1985 (1985-01-31) (age 27) 18 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
DF Gary Caldwell 12 April 1982 (1982-04-12) (age 29) 46 2 Wigan Athletic
DF Stephen Crainey 22 June 1981 (1981-06-22) (age 30) 12 0 Blackpool
DF Grant Hanley 20 November 1991 (1991-11-20) (age 20) 3 0 Blackburn Rovers
DF Gary MacKenzie 15 October 1985 (1985-10-15) (age 26) 0 0 Milton Keynes Dons
DF Steven Whittaker 17 June 1984 (1984-06-17) (age 27) 14 0 Rangers
MF Craig Conway 2 May 1985 (1985-05-02) (age 26) 3 0 Cardiff City[note 5]
MF Don Cowie 15 February 1983 (1983-02-15) (age 29) 9 0 Cardiff City[note 5]
MF Darren Fletcher 1 February 1984 (1984-02-01) (age 28) 58 5 Manchester United
MF James McArthur 7 October 1987 (1987-10-07) (age 24) 5 1 Wigan Athletic
MF James Morrison 25 May 1986 (1986-05-25) (age 25) 19 1 West Bromwich Albion
MF Barry Robson 7 November 1978 (1978-11-07) (age 33) 16 0 Middlesbrough
MF Robert Snodgrass 7 September 1987 (1987-09-07) (age 24) 4 1 Leeds United
MF Ryan Stevenson 24 August 1984 (1984-08-24) (age 27) 0 0 Heart of Midlothian
FW David Goodwillie 28 March 1989 (1989-03-28) (age 22) 3 1 Blackburn Rovers
FW Craig Mackail-Smith 25 February 1984 (1984-02-25) (age 27) 5 1 Brighton & Hove Albion
FW Jamie Mackie 22 September 1985 (1985-09-22) (age 26) 4 2 Queens Park Rangers
FW Kenny Miller 23 December 1979 (1979-12-23) (age 32) 58 16 Cardiff City[note 5]
FW Jordan Rhodes 5 February 1990 (1990-02-05) (age 22) 1 0 Huddersfield Town

Recent players

The following players have been selected by Scotland in the past 12 months, but were not selected in the squad to play against Cyprus in November 2011, or withdrew from that squad due to injury or suspension.

Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Call-up
GK David Marshall 5 March 1985 (1985-03-05) (age 26) 5 0 Cardiff City[note 5] v.  Cyprus, November 2011
GK Cammy Bell 18 September 1986 (1986-09-18) (age 25) 1 0 Kilmarnock v.  Spain, October 2011
GK Iain Turner 26 January 1984 (1984-01-26) (age 28) 0 0 Preston North End v.  Czech Republic, September 2011
GK Craig Gordon 31 December 1982 (1982-12-31) (age 29) 40 0 Sunderland v.  Brazil, March 2011
DF Alan Hutton 30 November 1984 (1984-11-30) (age 27) 23 0 Aston Villa v.  Cyprus, November 2011
DF Russell Martin 4 January 1986 (1986-01-04) (age 26) 1 0 Norwich City v.  Cyprus, November 2011
DF Lee Wallace 1 August 1987 (1987-08-01) (age 24) 5 0 Rangers v.  Cyprus, November 2011
DF Stephen McManus 10 September 1982 (1982-09-10) (age 29) 26 2 Middlesbrough v.  Spain, October 2011
DF Danny Wilson 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27) (age 20) 5 1 Blackpool v.  Lithuania, September 2011
DF Kevin McNaughton 28 August 1982 (1982-08-28) (age 29) 4 0 Cardiff City[note 5] v.  Denmark, August 2011
DF Mark Wilson 5 June 1984 (1984-06-05) (age 27) 1 0 Celtic v.  Brazil, March 2011
DF Steven Caldwell 12 September 1980 (1980-09-12) (age 31) 12 0 Birmingham City v.  Northern Ireland, February 2011
MF Charlie Adam 10 December 1985 (1985-12-10) (age 26) 15 0 Liverpool v.  Cyprus, November 2011
MF Graham Dorrans 5 May 1987 (1987-05-05) (age 24) 7 0 West Bromwich Albion v.  Cyprus, November 2011
MF Barry Bannan 1 December 1989 (1989-12-01) (age 22) 9 0 Aston Villa v.  Spain, October 2011
MF James Forrest 7 July 1991 (1991-07-07) (age 20) 4 0 Celtic v.  Spain, October 2011
MF Steven Naismith 14 September 1986 (1986-09-14) (age 25) 15 2 Rangers v.  Spain, October 2011
MF Danny Swanson 28 December 1986 (1986-12-28) (age 25) 0 0 Dundee United v.  Spain, October 2011
MF Scott Brown 25 June 1985 (1985-06-25) (age 26) 27 2 Celtic v.  Czech Republic, September 2011
MF Kris Commons 30 August 1983 (1983-08-30) (age 28) 9 2 Celtic v.  Denmark, August 2011
MF Murray Davidson 7 March 1988 (1988-03-07) (age 23) 0 0 St. Johnstone v.  Brazil, March 2011
MF Lee McCulloch 14 May 1978 (1978-05-14) (age 33) 18 1 Rangers v.  Northern Ireland, February 2011
FW Chris Maguire 16 January 1989 (1989-01-16) (age 23) 2 0 Derby County v.  Republic of Ireland, May 2011
FW Ross McCormack 18 August 1986 (1986-08-18) (age 25) 7 1 Leeds United v.  Republic of Ireland, May 2011

Honoured players

The Scottish Football Association operates a roll of honour for every player who has made more than 50 appearances for Scotland.[102] As of October 2010, there are 27 members of this roll, with Kenny Miller the most recent addition to the list.[102] The qualifying mark of 50 appearances means that many notable Scotland players including Jim Baxter, Hughie Gallacher, John Greig, Jimmy Johnstone, Billy McNeill, Bobby Murdoch and Lawrie Reilly are not on the roll of honour.

The Scottish Football Museum operates a hall of fame which is open to players and managers involved in Scottish football. This means that membership is not restricted to people who have played for Scotland; inductees include Brian Laudrup and Henrik Larsson. At the most recent induction ceremony, Willie Maley, David Meiklejohn, Jimmy Delaney, Alan Gilzean, Bertie Auld, Mo Johnston, Paul Lambert and Steve Archibald were added to its membership.[103] Sportscotland operates the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame, which has inducted some footballers.

Managers

From 1872 to 1953, and 1954 to 1957, the Scotland national team was appointed by a selection committee. Andy Beattie was manager for six matches in 1954 when Scotland competed at their first World Cup. After the tournament the selection committee resumed their duties, continuing until the appointment of Matt Busby in 1958.[104] Busby was initially unable to assume his duties due to the serious injuries he sustained in the Munich air disaster.

Statistically the most successful manager was Alex McLeish, who won seven of the ten games he took charge of. Discounting managers who took charge of less than ten games, the least successful manager was George Burley, with just three wins in 14 games.

Name Scotland career Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
Selection committee 1872–1953 &10000000000000229000000229 &10000000000000137000000137 &1000000000000004100000041 &1000000000000005100000051 &1000000000000005982999959.83
Beattie, AndyAndy Beattie 1954 &100000000000000060000006 &100000000000000020000002 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000030000003 &1000000000000003332999933.33
Selection committee 1954–1957 &1000000000000002300000023 &1000000000000001000000010 &100000000000000070000007 &100000000000000060000006 &1000000000000004347999943.48
Walker, DawsonDawson Walker[note 6] 1958 &100000000000000060000006 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000020000002 &100000000000000030000003 &1000000000000001667000016.67
Busby, MattMatt Busby 1958 &100000000000000020000002 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000000000000 &1000000000000005000000050.00
Beattie, AndyAndy Beattie 1959–1960 &1000000000000001200000012 &100000000000000030000003 &100000000000000030000003 &100000000000000060000006 &1000000000000002500000025.00
McColl, IanIan McColl 1960–1965 &1000000000000002800000028 &1000000000000001700000017 &100000000000000030000003 &100000000000000080000008 &1000000000000006071000060.71
Stein, JockJock Stein 1965–1966 &100000000000000070000007 &100000000000000030000003 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000030000003 &1000000000000004285999942.86
Prentice, JohnJohn Prentice 1966 &100000000000000040000004 &100000000000000000000000 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000030000003 &0&100000000000000000000000.00
MacDonald, MalcolmMalcolm MacDonald 1966–1967 &100000000000000020000002 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000000000000 &1000000000000005000000050.00
Brown, BobbyBobby Brown 1967–1971 &1000000000000002800000028 &100000000000000090000009 &100000000000000080000008 &1000000000000001100000011 &1000000000000003214000032.14
Docherty, TommyTommy Docherty 1971–1972 &1000000000000001200000012 &100000000000000070000007 &100000000000000020000002 &100000000000000030000003 &1000000000000005832999958.33
Ormond, WillieWillie Ormond 1973–1977 &1000000000000003800000038 &1000000000000001800000018 &100000000000000080000008 &1000000000000001200000012 &1000000000000004736999947.37
MacLeod, AllyAlly MacLeod 1977–1978 &1000000000000001700000017 &100000000000000070000007 &100000000000000050000005 &100000000000000050000005 &1000000000000004117999941.18
Stein, JockJock Stein 1978–1985 &1000000000000006100000061 &1000000000000002600000026 &1000000000000001200000012 &1000000000000002300000023 &1000000000000004261999942.62
Ferguson, AlexAlex Ferguson 1985–1986 &1000000000000001000000010 &100000000000000030000003 &100000000000000040000004 &100000000000000030000003 &1000000000000003000000030.00
Roxburgh, AndyAndy Roxburgh 1986–1993 &1000000000000006100000061 &1000000000000002300000023 &1000000000000001900000019 &1000000000000001900000019 &1000000000000003770000037.70
Brown, CraigCraig Brown 1993–2002 &1000000000000007100000071 &1000000000000003200000032 &1000000000000001800000018 &1000000000000002100000021 &1000000000000004507000045.07
Vogts, BertiBerti Vogts 2002–2004 &1000000000000003100000031 &100000000000000080000008 &100000000000000070000007 &1000000000000001600000016 &1000000000000002580999925.81
Burns, TommyTommy Burns[note 7] 2004 &100000000000000010000001 &100000000000000000000000 &100000000000000000000000 &100000000000000010000001 &0&100000000000000000000000.00
Smith, WalterWalter Smith 2004–2007 &1000000000000001600000016 &100000000000000070000007 &100000000000000050000005 &100000000000000040000004 &1000000000000004375000043.75
McLeish, AlexAlex McLeish 2007 &1000000000000001000000010 &100000000000000070000007 &100000000000000000000000 &100000000000000030000003 &1000000000000007000000070.00
Burley, GeorgeGeorge Burley 2008–2009 &1000000000000001400000014 &100000000000000030000003 &100000000000000030000003 &100000000000000080000008 &1000000000000002142999921.43
Levein, CraigCraig Levein 2009– &1000000000000001700000017 &100000000000000090000009 &100000000000000020000002 &100000000000000060000006 &1000000000000005293999952.94
Totals 706 334 154 218 47.31

Last updated: Cyprus 1–2 Scotland on 11 November 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Records

Main article: Scotland national football team records

Kenny Dalglish holds the record for Scotland appearances, having played 102 times between 1971 and 1986. He is the only Scotland player to have reached 100 caps. Jim Leighton is second, having played 91 times, a record for appearances by a goalkeeper. Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish played for Scotland 77 times and is the third most capped player.[105]

The title of Scotland's highest goalscorer is shared by two players. Denis Law scored 30 goals between 1958 and 1974, during which time he played for Scotland on 55 occasions. Kenny Dalglish scored an equal number from 102 appearances. Hughie Gallacher as well as being the third highest scorer is also the most prolific with his 23 goals coming from only 20 games (averaging 1.15 goals per game). Other notable strikers include, Lawrie Reilly, Ally McCoist, Mo Johnston and Joe Jordan.

The largest margin of victory achieved by a Scotland side is 11–0 against Ireland in the 1901 British Home Championship.[106] The record defeat occurred during the 1954 FIFA World Cup, a 7–0 deficit against reigning world champions Uruguay.[107]

Scotland's 1937 British Home Championship match against England set a new world record for a football attendance. The Hampden Park crowd was officially recorded as 149,415, though the true figure is unknown as a large number of additional fans gained unauthorised entry. This attendance was surpassed 13 years later by the decisive match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, but remains a European record.[108][109]

United Kingdom team

Main article: United Kingdom national football team

Scotland has always participated by itself in most of the major tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship. At the Olympic Games, however, the International Olympic Committee charter only permit a United Kingdom team to compete.[110] Teams of amateur players represented Great Britain at the Olympics from 1900 until 1972, but no team has been entered since. The successful bid by London for the 2012 Summer Olympics prompted suggestions that a combined UK team be created for the tournament. The Scottish Football Association responded by stating that it would not participate, as it feared this would threaten the independent status of the Scottish side.[111] FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that a UK team would not threaten the continued existence of the Scotland team,[112] but the SFA expressed concern that a future President could take a different view. Groups representing the supporters of all four national teams stated their opposition to a UK team in a joint statement.[113] In the end, amid fears that the row between the four Home Nations was threatening their unique position within FIFA, an agreement was reached whereby the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland associations would not participate in a UK team, but they would not prevent The Football Association from organising a team using only England-qualified players.[114]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The competition did not use goal difference or goal average to separate teams level on points, so the title was shared instead.
  2. ^ a b Scotland qualified for the tournament as they finished in the top two positions in the 1950 British Home Championship, but the SFA withdrew Scotland's entry because they were not British champions.
  3. ^ a b Goals for / scored
  4. ^ a b Goals against / conceded
  5. ^ a b c d e Cardiff City is a Welsh club that plays in the English league.
  6. ^ Dawson Walker was left in charge of the players due to the Munich air disaster, in which official manager Matt Busby was seriously injured.
  7. ^ Tommy Burns was manager on a caretaker basis only.

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