Scotland

That the Nations League carries greater significance than the friendly matches it replaced hardly requires debate. The sense that this event became wholly relevant for the future and reputation of Alex McLeish was also plain to see. The same arguably applies to his paymasters at the Scottish FA. McLeish can enjoy a last laugh over his many detractors. Scotland’s progression from the group stage at the expense of Albania and Israel may not look momentous, but in context it is wholly important to the manager. The governing body has also been afforded a valuable cash boost courtesy of his men winning group C. This victory over Israel was ultimately merited, if belatedly panic-ridden. In an era where Scotland and international success have become such strangers, that is worthy of celebration. So, too, was James Forrest’s superb hat-trick. “I’m so proud of the guys, we answered a lot of questions,” McLeish said. “Criticism is fine because it makes you … [Read more...] about James Forrest’s snappy hat-trick crowns ascension day for nervy Scotland

Scotland are within 90 minutes of promotion from the third tier of the Nations League after an emphatic 4-0 win over 10-man Albania at the Loro Borici Stadium in Shkoder. Ryan Fraser’s first international goal after 14 minutes gave the visitors the lead before home skipper Mergim Mavraj was sent off six minutes later by the referee, Vladislav Bezborodov, for a headbutt on Ryan Christie. Steven Fletcher scored with a penalty just before the interval and James Forrest grabbed a double in the second half, his first two goals for the national team, as the Scots coasted to three valuable Group C1 points. They may have had a man advantage for the majority of the match but it was a morale-boosting win for Alex McLeish’s side, who moved on to six points with Israel. A win of any kind against Israel at Hampden Park on Tuesday night will secure a play-off place for the 2020 European Championship. The Hamburg defender David Bates, a late call-up, was handed his debut in an attacking … [Read more...] about Ryan Fraser fires Scotland close to Nations League promotion

This was the Scotland of old, the one we have gladly learned to forget under Gregor Townsend: stodgy, unimaginative and unable to score many tries. The crucial difference between this game and years past, however, was that despite those defects, they still found a way to win, ending their autumn series with a record of two victories and two losses. Greig Laidlaw contributed nine points with the boot, and Sean Maitland belatedly lit up a monochrome match with the only try of the game, but the outcome arguably owed as much to Argentinian failings as it did to Scottish doggedness. Stand-off Nicolás Sánchez scored all of his team’s points with three penalties, but he was wide with three other attempts on goal, while Emiliano Boffelli also missed with one. Townsend noted that a rainy afternoon had deterred his team from playing their usual game, but he was satisfied with how they had adapted. “The conditions led to a game that was going to be more kicking – more … [Read more...] about Sean Maitland scores only try as Scotland grind out win over Argentina

Scotland’s miserable Euro 2020 qualifying campaign continued after a second-half capitulation resulted in a heavy defeat by Russia in Moscow. David Marshall had rarely been troubled before three goals in 13 second-half minutes made it five defeats in seven qualifiers for the visitors. Artem Dzyuba scored twice from corners and Magomed Ozdoev thumped home from long range. Aleksandr Golovin then scored from 10 yards in the 84th minute to make it a second consecutive four-goal defeat for Steve Clarke’s side. Clarke had handed debuts to Michael Devlin, John Fleck and Lawrence Shankland, the latter from the bench, but he is still left seeking a way to turn around Scotland’s form after conceding 13 goals in four successive defeats. The latest ended Scotland’s remote hopes of a top-two finish and left them fifth in Group I, four points behind the third-placed Cyprus. They can still qualify for their first major tournament since 1998 via the Euro 2020 play-offs, which … [Read more...] about Scotland’s slender Euro 2020 automatic qualification hopes ended by Russia

Which country in the developed world has the biggest budget shortfall? A black hole in the public finances larger than the likes of Italy and the rest of southern Europe, bigger than the US under spendthrift Donald Trump and double that of debt-ridden Japan. That dubious honour would go to Scotland if it were an independent country. Its £13bn shortfall is equivalent to more than half the UK’s total notional fiscal deficit despite having less than a tenth of the population, it was revealed this week. While the UK’s deficit almost halved to 1.1pc of GDP in 2018/19, the figure for Scotland fell 1.1 percentage points to a still eye-watering 7pc. Momentum is gathering behind Nicola Sturgeon and the... … [Read more...] about Why Scotland’s huge deficit means that numbers for independence don’t add up