Scots players have had it with glorious failure concept

brown reckons current scotland squad has been toughened by latest near miss

By michael gannon

Published:

Football’s archives will show that glorious failure is a concept which could have been patented in Scotland.

We are practically unique in clambering on to the cusp of success only to spectacularly fall from the brink of glory.

Our most recent European championship campaign included breathtaking home and away victories against the mighty France and took the Scotland team to the verge of perhaps its greatest achievement.

But an Italian goal in the dying embers of the final qualifying match at a rain-soaked Hampden allowed Scotland to revert to type as the side ended up yet again as the nearly-men of international football.

The players, however, do not subscribe to the glorious failure school of thought.

All they felt was pain and a crushing disappointment as their considerable efforts went without reward.

It is the determination to avoid that kind of agony which is fuelling the current campaign, according to tartan terrier Scott Brown, who insists the current squad has learned from experience and is desperate to make amends.

Celtic midfielder Brown knows Norway must be negotiated successfully tomorrow afternoon for Scotland's World Cup hopes to remain intact.

He said: “I think everyone in the squad has grown over the past few years.

“We suffered a real disappointment in not getting to the European championships and we don’t want to go through that again.

“Experiencing that does make you stronger as a player, though. It makes you willing to go the extra yard, win the extra tackle, block that shot or score the goal to get the result.

“We went to France and beat them 1-0 and it was great everyone was talking us up.

“However, we went to Georgia afterwards and lost 2-0 with a few injuries and suspensions, which didn’t help us.

“I feel that was pretty much the end of the campaign for us and all the players were devastated.

“There is a greater degree of mental toughness around us now.

“What happened brought us closer together and made us stronger. We are more physically able these days, but we have a greater awareness of what it is like to be knocked out at the qualifying stage and what it takes.

“It has been more than 10 years now since Scotland were in a major championship and this group of players wants to get the country back to the big stage more than anyone.”

Brown was only 13 when Scotland last graced a major championships.

But national team coach George Burley has been jogging his and the rest of the squad's memories this week.

Brown said: “George has been showing us DVDs of the France 98 tournament and it looked brilliant. I am sure you can still get DVDs of the one he played in as well, in Spain 82, but imagine him bringing those along.

“I remember everyone in Scotland having their flags out at the time of the 1998 World Cup. A few people in my old street had their flags and scarves hanging out of their windows. I watched pretty much every game as well as trying to find excuses not to go to school.

“The Tartan Army troops were 50,000 strong in France and they were just enjoying themselves without causing any trouble whatsoever.

“It looked a great experience and the World Cup is the pinnacle for me.”