Every year, as the season enters its latter stages, we get all excited about the scramble for the European places.
The successful clubs are praised for their efforts, fans start dreaming about upcoming Continental adventures. Everyone is on a high.
Fast forward a couple of months and most Scottish clubs have already been eliminated, more often than not by teams they would be expected to beat.
Thankfully, Dundee United, after a superb showing, might be about to buck the trend against AZ Alkmaar, because the campaign had started in less than encouraging fashion with Motherwell embarrassed by Sligo Rovers, and Rangers with plenty to do against St Gilloise if they’re to keep alive hopes of reaching the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2010.
The Ibrox club enjoyed a remarkable run to the Europa League final, but that wouldn’t have happened had it not been for the parachutes implemented by UEFA in recent seasons.
Rangers won only one of their first half dozen European ties last season, and lost four, crashing out of the premier competition thanks to home and away defeats against Malmo.
A colossal blow to Rangers! 😬
After a VAR review, a penalty is awarded against Connor Goldson for hand ball and Union double their lead 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/2uNWAHNOjI
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) August 2, 2022
Celtic and Rangers have been the only clubs even to come close to flying the flag for Scotland, but both Glasgow clubs have also suffered.
Since they last reached the Champions League groups, Celtic have in successive years been knocked out by AEK Athens, Cluj, Ferencvaros and Midtjylland; hardly minnows, but all four are teams they would have anticipated beating.
They have at least avoided any such pitfalls this year, and Rangers and Hearts are also guaranteed European football until Christmas, but there will have to be a marked overall improvement if we are to look back on a fruitful season.
An absolutely incredible free kick from Shane Blaney to double the @sligorovers lead on aggregate! 😱
A tough task is now even tougher for Motherwell 😬 pic.twitter.com/inVxiQJ0ld
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) July 28, 2022
Hearts will become the first non-Glasgow side to play group football since Aberdeen did so way back in 2007-08. Even then, the Dons somehow managed to extend their run despite winning just once in eight games, the memorable 4-0 thumping of Copenhagen. To be fair, they did beat Dnipro on away goals and draw at home to Bayern Munich in that campaign.
Their next Euro adventure ended with 5-1 and 3-0 humblings by Sigma Olomouc.
After a five year hiatus, Aberdeen did start to show promise. There were impressive performances under Derek McInnes with wins against the likes of Groningen and Rijeka, but they never got beyond the play-off round, and results tailed-off, with defeats to Maribor and Limassol especially painful.
Hearts’ last campaign was in 2016 when they lost out to Maltese side Birkirkara.
St Johnstone were beaten in 2015 by Alashkert, in what was Armenian team’s first ever game in Europe, and in 2017 lost home and away to FK Trakai of Lithuania.
In 2019 Kilmarnock, having won the away leg 2-1, were defeated 2-0 at Rugby Park by Connah’s Quay Nomads.
Other recent notable embarrassments include Motherwell being eliminated by Icelandic side Stjarnan, Hibernian’s 7-0 thrashing by Malmo, and Celtic and Rangers losing to Lincoln Red Imps and Progres Niederkorn respectively.
The highs, when they come, are memorable, but in the main, European football causes more grief and pain, and you have to question whether for most clubs it’s worth even bothering.
I say that, but next April the enthusiasm will once again be mounting, and we’ll all be getting caught up in qualification frenzy.
Dons have cast net far and wide
The Dons dipped back into the transfer market on Thursday, making Shayden Morris their tenth summer capture.
No-one can accuse the club of not casting their net far and wide as they provide Jim Goodwin with the squad he wanted.
The most recent signing was another previously little-known name who had been identified by the scouting network.
It is interesting that not a single one of the new boys is a Scot, and only Liam Scales – on loan from Celtic – came from another SPFL club. Aberdeen clearly decided there is better value for money to be had outside this country.
With the make-up of the squad, it is entirely feasible that at some stage Jim will field an XI without a homegrown player.
That would be quite a statistic should it happen.
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