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| No | 65% | 11 votes | Total: 17 votes | |
| Yes | 35% | 6 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIn a word, no.
I am Scottish, and proud to be an avid follower of the Scottish Premier League and our national team. But we must realise that our days of mixing with the World's elite are simply memories of a halcyon era.
It's been twelve years since Scotland graced a major tournament, even giving the holders Brazil a scare in a 2-1 defeat in the opening match. Since then, our game has descended to farcical levels, and it's not simply the Berti Vogts administration that can shoulder the blame.
Our inability to compete can be traced directly to grass roots football. This future of our kids, the ones that we will rely on for success, are more interested in vegetating in front of the TV or games console rather than kicking a ball in anger. The Playstation Generation would rather watch pixellated versions of their heroes rather than attempting to emulate them, and it is this inherent laziness that holds the key to our lack of youth development.
To become a top-class professional footballer takes huge levels of commitment to steer away from the vices that can drag a potentially gifted player down the wrong path. Yes, the awards are there for all to see, but in Scotlands' binge-drinking and calorie consuming culture, it is hugely difficult for an impressionable teenager not to become embroiled in extra-curricular activities that will undermine their true ability.
This is furthered by our desperately uncompetitive premier league. Rangers and Celtic have won 88% of all league titles in Scottish history, a startling statistic that displays their dominance. They also have a knack of snapping up any proteges from other teams and taking them from future internationalists to mere bit-part player warming the bench most weeks at either side of the old firm. It's not their fault - they want to get their hands on the best talent we have to offer to give their team a Scottish nucleus. There just simply isn't enough of the to go round.
The facilities in Scotland are simply not good enough. The parks that were once bristling with boys playing late into the evening now have 'No ball games' signs cemented in by Bureaucratic Councils who abhor any form of entertainment. Yes, there are 5-a-side parks, many in fact, but they are often run by profit-orientated organisations who charge in upwards of 50.00 per hour to use their facilities. Kids can't afford this, and they can't play for free for risk of being chased by the police, so their only solution is to become rowdy, restless, and ultimately, drinkers. It's the simplest passtime to partake in.
All of these factors mean our quota of young stars is culled before they even have a chance to shine, and all the more pressure is heaped onto the shoulders of the ones that do.
What Scotland must realise is we have a population of 5 million people. We have punched above our weight in the past by producing talents such as Bremner, Dalglish and Souness. Perhaps we have had our day in the international limelight.
Learn more about this author, Paul Macdonald.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Yes
Scotland is one of the most football (or as they might say fitba') mad countries in the world, and has a proud history in the international game. It has produced wonderful players such as Denis Law (Manchester United), Kenny Dalglish (Celtic and Liverpool) and Jimmy Jinky' Johnstone (Celtc).
It was also hosted the first ever football international, against the Auld enemy', England, in Glasgow in 1872. Club side, Glasgow Celtic, also won the European Cup in 1967, whilst Aberdeen won the Cup Winners Cup in 1983. The national team, meanwhile, has qualified for eight World Cup competitions and two European Championships.
Howeve r, notably, the national team has never progressed beyond the first round of any of those ten major tournament appearances, and has not qualified for a major tournament since 1998. It has been suggested, therefore, that Scotland has fallen behind when it comes to producing new talent and maximizing the success of their players.
Gordon Strachan, manager of Glasgow Celtic, even went so far as to say that the Scottish climate is to blame (at least in part) for the poor technical ability of Scottish players. He made these comments on a day when a gale force wind was blowing and it was pouring with rain. He commented that this made training sessions difficult and meant that the players couldn't hear what the coaches were trying to tell them.
Now, personally, as someone who lives in Scotland, I think that Strachan's climate excuse is weak. There may be an element of truth to it in so far as the most technical players tend to come from warm weather countries, such as South America, Spain, Italy, etc. And there may be a lack of indoor pitches compared to countries like Norway.
However, I think that a more fundamental problem is the way that players in Scotland (and throughout the United Kingdom) are brought up to play the game. Firstly, their first ever coaches tend to be school teachers who have no formal coaching qualifications. Secondly, there's a focus on winning from a very early age, rather than on perfecting technique. It's common to hear coaches (and parents!) screaming at primary school players to hoof the ball up the field rather than take the ball down and try to pick out a team-mate with a short pass.
This way of playing cascades all the way through British football. You see it if you watch the professional teams' youth sides and also at senior level. Scotland's a fairly small country (population of just over five million) so has no divine right to be successful on the international stage. However, it is shooting itself in the foot by bringing up successive generations of players who are coached to play long ball football. Possession is everything at the highest level and if you give the ball away against teams like Italy, or Brazil, or Argentina, then the next time you get it back may be when you're picking the ball out of your net.
A final point is that even allowing for the challenges that Scottish football faces, it does produce a decent crop of players. Certainly the teams that they had in the Seventies and Eighties should have made it past the first round of a major competition. Scotland's Achilles heel, however, has often been losing (or failing to beat) teams that they are expected to beat. Costa Rica, Peru, etc. Scottish sportsmen, in general, thrive on being the underdog but don't tend to deal with the pressure of being favourites. Perhaps, this ultimately ties into the fact that the fans are so fanatical and the players are trying too hard to win for them.
Having said all this, I'm actually fairly optimistic about the future of Scottish football. The interest in the game means that there is a pool of talent coming through. The game just needs a bit more leadership and bravery to improve the technical skills of those players and encourage them to develop into world class players. Hibs are an example of a team who have already taken this step with a big investment in youth facilities. Who knows, maybe it won't be too long before the Tartan Army have a second round match to look forward to at a major tournament!
Learn more about this author, Simon Wright.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
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