Congratulations to Scotland and their former Newcastle United coach | OneFootball

For the first time in this millennium, our tam o’ shanter clad cousins north of the border have qualified for the World Cup finals.

They were not, unlike England, red-hot favourites to top their group but Scotland  succeeded despite being outplayed for long periods in two home matches that they somehow won, against Greece and Denmark.

The Danes have, in the past two years, been ranked between 19th and 21st by Fifa. When I checked late last night, the Scots were at 38, having been as low as 52 last year. Expect them to be on the rise when the rankings are updated today.

As a Newcastle United supporter, I tend to back the underdog. That’s only to be expected when you have waited more than half-a-century for the team you adore to triumph in a big cup final.

There are other reasons I cheer for Scotland.

London, which regards itself as the epitome of everything best about England, is nearly 300 miles from Newcastle. Growing up on Tyneside, I thought it seemed so remote, in several senses of the word. Southerners were regarded with disdain or outright hostility by Geordies and the feelings appeared mutual. The two great Caledonian cities were much nearer, geographically and emotionally.

In my teenage years I would jump on an Eastern Scottish bus and go walking in the fantastic countryside around Jedburgh, Melrose and Hawick. When I cycled from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in 1980 there was no scenery more spectacular than the road from Carlisle to Edinburgh.

Another ancient memory was a Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield on February 21, 1976. Scotland were, of course, unfancied. They won convincingly, 22-12, and I stood on the vast open terrace opposite the posh stand with Steve T, Paul B and, I believe, Malcolm C, surrounded by thousands of locals. Steve was a hooker for Gosforth colts and would describe brutal pre-season training sessions that featured England regulars such as Roger Uttley, Malcolm Young and Peter Dixon. Gosforth were top dogs in the mid-70s, winning the John Player Cup twice in consecutive years when shamateurism was rife. Their hooker was Duncan Madsen, who did the same job for Scotland. Just one more reason to cheer for the Jocks. At half-time most of the home supporters opened flasks I had assumed contained mere tea or coffee. The smell of whisky was almost overpowering. The effect of consuming it was soon to be apparent.

Bill McClaren, the voice of rugby on the BBC TV for decades, had a quaint way of announcing the full-time whistle. “And the referee blows for no side” was how he put it. In other words, neither team had been penalised.

Well, when the referee blew for no side that day, we climbed back to the top of the terrace and started descending towards the coach waiting to return us to Newcastle. We were in no hurry, which was just as well. To reach the road we had to weave our way through an almost comatose swamp of paralytic, deliriously happy humanity. Most of them seemed to have simply rolled down the embankment in a state of total relaxation. Aged 16 and unfamiliar with mass outbreaks of alcoholic indulgence, I was mightily impressed.

There must have been a few sore heads in Scotland this morning after what was achieved at Hampden Park against the Danes. At one stage the visitors were 17-1 ahead in goal attempts. If only they had been on target . . . The Danes also had 69.8% possession, even though for nearly 40 minutes they played with 10 men.

Needing only a draw to qualify automatically for next summer’s tournament, Denmark fell behind twice and equalised twice. The opening goal, a superb overhead kick, was scored by Scott McTominay, a player whom Eddie Howe allegedly wanted to recruit from Manchester United.

Having made his Premier League debut for the Salfords in May 2017, McTominay was in and out of the team for seven seasons. He started another 116 league games before being sold to Napoli in August last year for £25.7m.

When the rumours started that he might be on his way to St James’ Park, the response from our fans was less than enthusiastic. Like most who made their views known, I thought he was no great shakes.

The last 15 months have been a revelation. He was the driving force behind Napoli’s fourth Serie A title, was named the league’s player of the season and is revered by the club’s supporters, who for decades worshipped Maradona above all others. Nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, he was ranked 18th.

Two English players, Cole Palmer and Harry Kane, finished eighth and 13th respectively but they were the only ones from the Home Nations to be rated higher.

McTominay will turn 29 next month and there is presumably no chance he will now join Newcastle United. Would he have been such a roaring success with us as he has been with Napoli? We will never know but one conclusion we can draw is that the judgment of Eddie Howe should be trusted.

Talking of coaches, Scotland were guided to their first World Cup finals in 28 years by one Steve Clarke, who cut his teeth in football management with Newcastle United, first under Ruud Gullit, then under Sir Bobby Robson.

Issue 123 – June 1999

Clarke has, to put it mildly, worked with limited resources at international level in recent years. The days when every top club in the Football League had at least one Scot in their ranks are long gone. The current squad’s spirit is undeniably strong, as shown by the two stoppage-time goals last night that defeated their classier, more accomplished opponents.

The true test of a top coach is one whose team are greater than the sum of the individual parts. On that score, Steve Clarke has passed with flying colours.

Another reason to cheer for them next summer, except, perhaps, if they play an England team managed by a German…