(image courtesy of the BBC)

I generally prefer to stay out of the pissing contest between the two big boys in Glasgow, but when either one hurts the Scotland national team, my first football love, then I’m forced to pick a temporary side. Allan McGregor and Barry Ferguson were both banned for life from selection to the national side after a combination of a drunken night out after the Holland loss and a shameful display during the win over Iceland.

Good riddance. Ferguson was a captain of Scotland, and at times a quite good one, and McGregor had a real chance to challenge for the #1 shirt … and now, thanks to their childishness and idiocy, the national side is that much less deep in two vital positions. Well done.

Keepers:
Allan McGregor (Rangers) – shouldn’t play unless Craigie Gordon gets hurt, which is a horrible possibility we will never speak of again.

Defenders:
Darren Barr (Falkirk) – Doubtful to start, but who knows with this tattered backfield.
Christophe Berra (Hearts) – Not the star he was last season, but still a great Scotland prospect.
Kirk Broadfoot (Rangers) – One goal in one cap. Worth a second chance for sure.
Gary Caldwell (Celtic) – Like Steven McManus, but with 40% less suck. (I love McManus, but he’s in a rough patch)
Davie Weir (Rangers) – Old, but reliable, though having him and Caldwell on the same pitch might not be advisable.

Midfield:
Scott Brown (Celtic) – Who knows … still not convinced the bad times are over for Broonie, but willing to give him a shot if Burley is.
Paul Hartley (Celtic) – Always solid.
Barry Robson (Celtic) – Should certainly start, given his great performances for both club and country.
Kevin Thomson (Rangers) – Relatively untested in this shade of blue. I’d like to see him play some.

Forwards:
Kris Boyd (Rangers) – When he’s on (and not diving), one of the most solid finishers around.
David Clarkson (Motherwell) – European revenge. Sub him in the 70th.
Steven Fletcher (Hibernian) – We’ll see. I hope he gets time, but I also hope we don’t need him late.
Shaun Maloney (Celtic) – If he can make runs like he did last week for Celtic, we’re golden.
Kenny Miller (Rangers) – Back in form, and always at his best for country.

Good luck to all the SPL players representing their country this weekend. It’s been too long since we’ve been to the greatest show on Earth, and though I’m not looking for a star on the jersey, qualification should always be a realistic goal for us, more than it has been. Mon the Scots!

There are developments involving the two highest-profile job openings in Scottish football, the Scotland and Hibs manager positions. First, at Hibernian, Paul Simpson seems to be the front-runner to take over the seat abandoned suddenly last month by John Collins. He was most recently at the helm of Preston North End, a shaky time at best, but that has been the only blip in an otherwise promising career. The only other serious contender seems to be Ranier Bonhof (again reminiscent of a Simpsons character, if a little more of a stretch). The German was formerly U-21 manager during the Berti Vogts era. Neither is exactly the quality of candidate that Hibs fans were hoping to replace Collins, who had his troubles, but who also brought Easter Road its first silverware in 15 years in last season’s league cup. Still, for a team who has won once in twelve matches and sit mid-table in the SPL, the options may be somewhat limited. Recent form aside, I agree with Brooks Mileson (possibly a first) that it’s one of the great jobs in Scottish football, and the good times will someday return.

On to the more important news, at least to me. Sources inside the SFA have apparently narrowed the list of candidates for the next Scotland manager down to a final four, and one name is making a surprise appearance: Tommy Burns. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Burnsie on the list, because he has all the credentials. Time spent at an Old Firm side? Check. He played over 300 matches for Celtic and managed them, unfortunately during a Rangers-dominated period, and went on to become Celtic’s first team coach. National team experience? Check. He has 8 caps as a player, and was assistant manager under both Vogts and Smith. He has, like Simpson, had his stumbles as a manager, but overall he has the pedigree and I think he’d be a fine choice. More importantly, I don’t see him running for the hills at the first distant sound of a cash register, as the previous two managers have done. Better him than one of the young turks like Collins or McGhee, who just aren’t ready for a national post yet.

Besides, who better than Mr. Burns to keep Hampden the fortress we’ve come to expect of it? Three words – Release the hounds.

Enjoy.

Group 9
Netherlands
Scotland
Norway
Macedonia
Iceland

Not a bad draw. Holland has to be considered one of the weaker 1-seeds, but Norway is going to be a tough one. We need a minimum of second place, since all group winners are in and the highest-ranked eight of the nine runners-up make it through to a playoff. I’m satisfied – happy with the 1-seed; a bit disappointed in the 3-seed. Macedonia’s a bit of a trouble-maker in the 4 spot, after their impressive 14 points in the Euro qualifying, but I’m hoping they can take some more out of Scotland’s rivals than they do from Scotland itself. I think it’s a pretty wide-open group, with any of the top three having the potential to win it.

There really doesn’t seem to be a group of death in this round, which is nice to see. Group 6 may be the toughest, with Croatia, England, Ukraine and Belarus, may be the toughest. Croatia’s on good form and England will be none too happy to see them again. Ukraine has slid a little, but they’ll still be dangerous, and Belarus beat Holland in Euro qualifying this year, so they can pull out surprises too. Hold on a second while I cry for the English. Done.

Dream:
1. Greece, 3. Switzerland, 4. Wales, 5. Azerbaijan, 6. Any

Death:
1. Italy, 3. Ukraine, 4. Bosnia-Herzegovina, 5. Georgia, 6. Estonia

The last two shouldn’t matter too much, but after what happened in Georgia in the Euro qualifiers, I have no particular need to see them again in this tournament. In fact, if we could just make a rule that none of the teams from Euro Group B get matched up with Scotland again, that would be just fantastic. I’m hoping there’s some karma in the draw. Since we need at least a second-place finish to qualify, avoiding a tough 3-seed like Ukraine or Norway is key. We’ll see how it goes. More tomorrow after the draw. Please, a little less of a mountain to climb this time around?

There are a lot of Italy fans that will claim it should have been 1-3, based on a terrible offside call, but because of an almost-as-terrible penalty non-call, I’ll make a claim for 2-3. Wow … catching my breath … damn …

Alright. There were some very positive points in this match. The result, obviously, and especially the timing, is terrible. But any Italian fan that says a word about “anti-football” is a pure fool. I doubt they will. It was a great match, with both strong attacks running into both impressive defenses. I am thoroughly impressed by the Italian back four – some great, great team defending. But Scotland played a good match, creating good attacking chances. The problem was finishing. James McFadden, the hero of France, had a fantastic chance to once again don the red cape and Steven Ireland underoos … but a terrible stumbling finish robbed us of the go-ahead goal.

Man of the match for me has to be Alan Hutton. He was a pure footballer today, putting great balls through to the forwards and consistently controlling a 20-yard space around himself. Hutton is having a great year for Rangers and Scotland, and really made a play today to be short-listed for Scotland player of the year. As if anyone but McFadden has a shot at that …

Some really bright spots. Every corner and several free kicks were serious dangers to the Italian goal, where the lampshade-wearing Buffon looked vulnerable. Seriously, just an aside here. What the hell was on that man’s head? It was like a beanie with a sunroof.

Italy deserves this win, I’ll say that much. To give up a goal in the 90th minute (and nearly another in the 91st) is a mistake that a world-class defense like Scotland’s cannot afford to make. An open goal in his face is a chance that a striker like McFadden needs to be able to convert. Obviously, I’m incredibly disappointed. But I’m disappointed in the result, and in a few plays, not in our overall style of play. That was a great example of Scottish football, and the midfield and defensive play gave us a great chance to beat the world champions of football. The finishing was bad, and that’s why we lost, but “anti-football” it was NOT.

It no longer matters to Scotland whether Ukraine beats France on Wednesday. The Euro 2008 campaign is over. I need to let that fact settle in. Good match, guys.

With that in mind, here is the formation I would play against Italy. Though Scotland has played a lot in the 4-5-1, I really think the team is much more suited to a 4-4-2. We just don’t have the sort of star lone striker that can make the 4-5-1 work. So, here is my starting eleven for Scotland v. Italy.

Gordon
Naysmith – McManus – Hutton – Weir
Brown – Ferguson – Hartley – McCulloch
Boyd – McFadden

Big Eck is more likely to start Miller for Boyd, but I really hope he does go with two strikers. A draw won’t do, and we can always pull back later in the match with more defensively-minded substitutions if we have the advantage.

Traditionally, our biggest enemies in this fixture have been Luca Toni and Andrea Pirlo, but let’s face it – there are a lot of players on this Italian side that can hurt us. If I had to bet my life on something, I’d probably say a draw, but what kind of fan would I be if the team put so much into this campaign and I didn’t reward them with just a little faith … so, I’m predicting a 2-1 victory for Scotland, on the strength of goals from McFadden and Ferguson, with a Pirlo free kick going the other way. I’ll be praying and kissing my scarf every few minutes for the next two days, hoping I’m right for once.

This will be my last post before the match, since I’m heading into the city (relatively speaking) to catch the game. If anyone sees a tall spikey-haired gent with a Scotland shirt and scarf walking around Portland looking as if he has a pint or two in, chances are he’ll answer to “Ian”. Good luck to Scotland – this is an absolutely huge match, and as proud as I am that we’ve gotten to this point, qualification would really be a dream come true. Alba Gu Brath. More after the game.