Fletcher back
September 6, 2014
There's a feel-good factor around the Scottish national football team. Ask anyone from the thousands of Tartan Army members travelling to Dortmund on Sunday, to the returning captain, Darren Fletcher.
The 30-year-old Manchester United midfielder has watched from the treatment room as Scotland have rediscovered their form under head coach Gordon Strachan. Since March 2011, Fletcher has been battling to recover from a digestive problem - ulcerative colitis to be precise.
Staggered recoveries and returns to the pitch aside, it has been a mentally draining and constant battle for the experienced Scotland skipper who went on to miss a further year of football in his three-year fight with the illness. Fletcher, though, has looked strong in pre-season under new Manchester coach Louis van Gaal and was named vice-captain of the Red Devils this summer.
Speaking on a Google Hangout for the Scottish FA, Fletcher explained the reason for the country's optimism. "I think we're in a really good place," he said.
"It's a positive one and we've had some great performances and there is a good excitement going into the campaign. The fans are behind us as they always are. They think we can achieve something, if we keep progressing."
Everton's Steven Naismith, meanwhile, added: "He's a great character around the squad. He leads by example and he's a model professional." Fletcher hasn't played a competitive game for Scotland since a 2-0 defeat to Belgium in October 2012.
Fletcher has racked up 62 international appearances and remains the most experienced player in the Scotland squad. The midfielder's experience is an excellent asset - but his in-game management and organization will be especially useful as Strachan's side head for Germany in the first qualifying match for Euro 2016.
Small steps, a big goal
Strachan, a former Southampton, Coventry City and Celtic coach, was appointed by the Scottish Football Association in January 2013, replacing Craig Levein with their World Cup 2014 campaign already in tatters.
But wins over Macedonia, Croatia, Poland and Norway, as well as draws at home to the United States and against Nigeria have fuelled some optimism over the Euro 2016 qualifying stages, where the tournament opens its doors to 24 teams.
The changes from the governing body in Europe, UEFA, and the small progress of the national team is making most Scots believe they have a fighting chance of finishing second behind the world champions, Germany. Their competitors - Poland, Ireland and Georgia - will feel the same.
In reaching the Euro 2016 in France, Scotland would be smashing a milestone of its own. The Tartan Army haven't watched the Dark Blues feature in a major competition since the 1998 FIFA World Cup, also in France. For some, it's a long time; for another generation, however, it'll be a monumental achievement.
Between 2002 and 2004, former German World Cup winner Berti Vogts had a disappointing spell as Scottish coach, while others have suffered a similar fate. Wins over then-world champions France under Walter Smith in 2006 and 2007 are as good as it has been for Scotland fans since their last qualification for a major championship.
Declining domestic scene, big exporter
The Scottish domestic scene has been on a rapid decline in the last decade. A combination of factors has facilitated this slump, but mainly, the domineering Premier League in England and the collapse of the TV contract with Setanta Sports in 2009.
In the last few seasons Scotland has been rocked by some high-profile financial collapses. The country's record champions Rangers were re-admitted to the Scottish Football League at the fourth-tier having gone to the wall in 2012. This season Heart of Midlothian, one of the three top clubs in the country, went into administration and were subsequently relegated to the second-tier.
A small beacon of hope to come out of financial ruin in Scotland has been the progress of young, homegrown talents from various clubs. The Scottish FA's Performance School model has turned out a number of precocious, highly-talented young footballers. One of those players, Ryan Gauld, recently moved from Dundee United to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.
Many of those are finding themselves in the lucrative field of the English Premier League and Championship. Only four of the squad named to face Germany play in Scotland - three at Celtic, one at Aberdeen - while the rest are playing at various levels in the top-two English divisions.
The exposure to stronger opposition week-by-week has undoubtedly altered the dynamic and expectations of the national team.
Scots are used to defeat and disappointment: it feels engrained in the Scottish psyche. But for now, the Tartan Army is praying its optimism around the national side can book them a return flight ticket to France in 2016.