Yes ‘5-0’. The cheer was the loudest of the evening, she had achieved the highest Westa acholade. ‘Conqueror of the English’. We to this day await another.
When Scotland qualified for the Euros 2 years ago we invited manager Anna Signeul to a meeting. She was great, she loved the Tartan Army, our passion. In honour of their feat I offered to speak to the team, offer accepted I indeed made my first ever motivation speech.
I wrote a piece, and on the night with the Scotland team facing me I changed the talk. In the end outlined the experience of a Scots fan watching Scotland in the finals. How despite the best laid plans of mice , managers and logic there was and would be a tragic Scottish curse that could not be broken.
The players were so bright and optimistic, I probably was the same as an 8 year old watching Scotland for the first time, we lost 4-3 to England. My first two Wembley games a total score of England 9 Scotland 2. You get my drift.
I tried to warn them, to no avail.
I was in Utrecht when a startled Scotland team lost 6-0, including a corner converted in the 5th minute of injury time.
We lost to Portugal when we should have won then beat Spain, a higher ranked team missing a sitter in the last minute thus not going through to the next round.
Glorious defeat, just like the men, tragic. I warned them. However we have qualified for the World Cup.
This time Olympic champ. Katherine Grainger, five times Olympic medalist was the motivation speaker. A step up in class.
We played well in the first game, the realisation that we have a lot to offer seemed to have dawned on the team after England had a third chalked off. We played them off the park, scored but it was not quite enough.
Japan tomorrow,
Then I am off to Paris for the game that may (will) see us into the next round, the first time we have done it.
Hamish
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