Subscriber CaaC (John)+ 5,360 Posted June 5, 2020 Subscriber Share Posted June 5, 2020 Memories, I was on a tour of duty in N1 when this World Cup took place and I remember when Scotland played Yugoslavia and drew 1-1 but because Brazil won their game Scotland were out, I was standing at a segment gate in Belfast doing search duties of people entering the city zone in full kit with a Browning gun and holster. There was a Protestant pub inside the gate and I kept popping my head into the pub keeping check of the score and the Brazilian score as they were both live on tv in the pub, the last time I stuck my head in one of the guys drinking said "Sorry Jock you are out, you drew but Brazil won", I can remember saying "BASTARD" then went back on gate duty. VIDEO The 1974 World Cup - what do you think of? West Germany, total football, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer? No? Perhaps just one team remaining unbeaten during the tournament, only to be knocked out in the first round having conceded just a single goal? Scotland was the only team from the British Isles to make it. What's more, it was the first time they had qualified since 1958. The official World Cup song was called Easy, Easy - but it wasn't conceit or hubris that was their downfall, it was goal difference. Joe Jordan and Davie Hay played in all three matches in West Germany. They talk us through the campaign... Rowing boats & sinking the Auld Enemy Preparations were eye-opening, to say the least. After mixed results in the Home Internationals, Scotland had warm-up matches in Belgium and Norway. Then there was the incident in Largs... Manager Willie Ormond allowed the players to go for a night out in the coastal town and, in the early hours, winger Jimmy Johnstone decided to commandeer a rowing boat. The only problem was, he had no oars and began to drift out to sea. Hay and Eric Schaedler tried to rescue him, but the boat they purloined had a hole in it so they frantically rowed back to the shore. Johnstone had to be rescued by the coastguard, becoming front-page news in the process. "We gave the perfect response the following Saturday by beating England 2-0," says Hay. "You couldn't say Jimmy beat England singlehandedly but he helped destroy them. I always say the perfect preparation should be going out for the evening, having a few drinks, and then a boating trip..." Off to a winning start 14 June, Dortmund. Scotland 2-0 Zaire With world champions, Brazil drawing 0-0 with Yugoslavia the previous day, Scotland's win over the inexperienced Africans - with goals from Jordan and Peter Lorimer - took them top of group two. "There was serious pressure on us because we were the favourites," Hay recalls. "I remember it was exceptionally warm and, being 2-0 up at half-time, I think we took the foot of the gas." "In hindsight, we should have tried to score more goals," Jordan adds. "Looking at the big picture it was a mistake. There was a bit of naivety in it. If that game had been our second or third the scoreline might have been a little different." The most famous 0-0 in Scottish football 18 June, Frankfurt. Scotland 0 Brazil 0 Scotland had the best chance of the game against the world champions. A Jordan header was saved by Leao but the rebound struck captain Billy Bremner's shin and squirmed inches past. "It wasn't like he could side-foot it in - it bounced off him," Jordan says. "It wasn't the result we wanted but we didn't feel it was an opportunity missed. We were in a position where we were going into the Yugoslavia game knowing a win would take us through." It was a sterling showing and remains the last time Brazil were denied victory by Scotland. "I watched the highlights recently and what impressed me was how balanced the team was," said Hay. "They didn't have Pele, but you are still playing against that magic yellow jersey. In the first 10 minutes, we were under the cosh a wee bit, but from then on we were slightly the better team." Meanwhile, in Gelsenkirchen, Yugoslavia thrashed Zaire 9-0 amid claims the Africans had threatened to strike before the game over missing payments. Head coach Miljan Miljanic was a former Yugoslavian international. And, with his team 3-0 down after 21 minutes, he replaced his goalkeeper with a 5ft 4in stand-in. Sixty seconds later it was four. "You often find that smaller nations are always up for the first game then fall away," Hay says. "But when you bring on a goalie who is Tom Thumb and they lose nine goals..." 'We should have done more damage' 22 June, Frankfurt. Scotland 1-1 Yugoslavia Victory would take Scotland into the last eight. Even a draw would have been good enough if Brazil failed to beat Zaire by three clear goals. But they did, winning 3-0. The Scots fall a goal behind with fewer than 10 minutes left, with Jordan's late equaliser, not enough. Yugoslavia, Brazil and Scotland finish level on points, with the team who scored fewest against Zaire eliminated. "Over the three games, we only conceded one goal," Jordan says. "You go back to the Zaire game, there's a lot of disappointment - we should have done a lot more damage." "The only thing Ormond could have done differently was maybe bringing Johnstone on against Brazil and Yugoslavia. He didn't play in a single game. I don't know if that was for disciplinary reasons. On reflection, he probably would have made a difference." Brazil and Yugoslavia progressed to the last eight only to both go out in the second group stage. West Germany beat Netherlands 2-1 in the final, but lost to East Germany earlier in the tournament, leaving Scotland as the only unbeaten team in the finals. That's got to count for something, right? Scotland squad Goalkeepers: Allan (Dundee), Harvey (Leeds United), Stewart (Kilmarnock); Defenders: Blackley (Hibernian), Buchan (Manchester United), Donachie (Manchester City), Holton (Manchester United), Jardine (Rangers), McGrain (Celtic), McQueen (Leeds United), Schaedler (Hibernian); Midfielders: Bremner (Leeds United), Cormack (Liverpool), Hay (Celtic), Hutchison (Coventry City), Johnstone (Celtic); Strikers: Dalglish (Celtic), Jordan (Leeds United), Law (Manchester City), Lorimer (Leeds United), Morgan (Manchester United) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52892073 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mpache 672 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 @CaaC (John) what about Scotland's "World Cup winning campaign" in 1978? "And we'll really shake it up when we win the World Cup, cos Scotland are the greatest football team." Oh wait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ 5,360 Posted June 5, 2020 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Inti Brian said: @CaaC (John) what about Scotland's "World Cup winning campaign" in 1978? "And we'll really shake it up when we win the World Cup, cos Scotland are the greatest football team." Oh wait Those were the days when Scotland would always qualify for World Cup and EUFA competitions, get knocked out but gave it a go, not the same nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mpache 672 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 5 minutes ago, CaaC (John) said: Those were the days when Scotland would always qualify for World Cup and EUFA competitions, get knocked out but gave it a go, not the same nowadays. Allys Tartan Army is the greatest football song ever. We representing Britain and we gonna do or die, cos England canne do it cos they didnae qualify! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beelzebub 2,508 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 That group of Scotland, Netherlands, Peru and Iran in 1978 was really something. Two continental champions, that Dutch team and Scotland were a great team too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ 5,360 Posted June 5, 2020 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 5, 2020 6 minutes ago, Inti Brian said: We representing Britain and we gonna do or die, cos England canne do it cos they didnae qualify! Can't sing that anymore nowadays, sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ 5,360 Posted June 5, 2020 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 minute ago, Azeem said: Two continental champions, that Dutch team and Scotland were a great team too And one of the greatest goals in that competition scored by Archie Gemmill against the Netherlands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ 5,360 Posted June 5, 2020 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Inti Brian said: Allys Tartan Army is the greatest football song ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 @CaaC (John) Scotland qualified for the world cup twice in the 70s. Not the euros though mate you didn't qualify for that until 1992 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ 5,360 Posted June 6, 2020 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 6, 2020 16 hours ago, CaaC (John) said: Those were the days when Scotland would always qualify for World Cup and EUFA competitions, get knocked out but gave it a go, not the same nowadays. 5 hours ago, Gunnersauraus said: @CaaC (John) Scotland qualified for the world cup twice in the 70s. Not the euros though mate you didn't qualify for that until 1992 I know buddy, I meant the World Cup in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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