4921: Scotland holds her breath
by : Daniel Law
A trip to the Vicente Calderon in Madrid then awaits the Dons on November 29. The Spanish giants possess some well-known names, although they had to win the Intertoto Cup to qualify for the competition. Atletico, who have won La Liga and the Copa del Rey nine times, the last time in 1996, smashed nine past Turkish side Kayseri Erciyesspor without reply over two legs in the qualifying round and are currently sixth in La Liga. Mexican coach Javier Aguirre, who was formerly at Osasuna, has assembled a squad of international stars, which includes former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan, Portuguese midfielder Maniche, former Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes, Argentina winger Maxi Rodriguez, Brazilian defender Thiago Motta and former Liverpool ace Luis Garcia. But for all their big names the Dons have a pretty decent record against sides from the Spanish capital!
Finally the Dons welcome the Danish champions FC Copenhagen to Pittodrie on December 20. The Byens Hold (The City’s Team) were denied a place in the Champions League proper by Benfica 3-1 on aggregate and reached this phase by beating Lens 3-2 on aggregate. They are currently top of the Danish league and have not been beaten since the opening day of the season away at Nordsjaelland. FC Copenhagen have played both sides of the Old Firm in recent years with varying degrees of success. They beat Celtic 3-1 in the Champions League at home last season but lost 1-0 at Parkhead and they lost to Rangers 3-2 on aggregate in a Champions League qualifier in 2003. Like Atletico Madrid, FC Copenhagen, who play their home games at the Parken Stadium, have a number of familiar faces in their ranks. Czech international and former Rangers flop Libor Sionko is there alongside former Chelsea winger Jesper Gronkjaer and Marcus Allback who spent two years at Aston Villa. However, their away form so far has been a little ropey, having only scored three times.
The minimum target for the Dons is to finish third but on paper that looks like an impossible task. However, they said the same when Scotland were paired in the same Euro 2008 group with Italy and France, and just look at the table!
Aberdeen fan Mike Gill is really looking forward to the games, especially the FC Copenhagen clash as he has good friends there, and hopes that the confidence and experience gained from the Dnipro game can help the Dons achieve the seemingly impossible.
“The Dnipro result was huge from an Aberdeen point of view as the season was stuttering along until the first leg, then everything seemed to get a lift. It was a great TEAM performance. There doesn't seem to be a star in the team, they are playing superbly for each other now.
“I think it was going to be tough whatever the draw was going to be. They are all very good teams, they’re all up there in their own leagues. It is a good mix of countries with different styles of play. I am just glad that we are not playing Galatasary away from home!
“Three good displays and we can make it, and I would dearly love us to. Realistically, we have not seen the best of our team yet but I hope we do in Europe. Not certain if we are quite ready to take the next step yet though.”
Ian Will, who thinks the Dons could get something from Panathinaikos, hopes that Aberdeen will put in some good performances and make the fans proud.
“I'm not confident of progressing, but I have hope that people could see AFC play some good football if Calderwood sets the team out to do so. If they work hard and take the chances when they come, anything can happen, look at Dnipro!”
Aberdeen won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Super Cup in 1983 under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and are the only Scottish side to have won two European trophies, but it’s been a long time since the Dons’ fans enjoyed a spell in Europe. With Rangers and Celtic beating the odds in the Champions League and Scotland on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2008, maybe Jimmy Calderwood’s men can continue the recent revival by reaching the last 32? One thing’s for sure though, if he does reach the knockout stage he deserves the freedom of Aberdeen.
* Calling all Aberdeen fans – what do you think of the draw? Are you confident that the Reds can make it into the last 32? We’d love to hear from you?
It is great to be Scottish right now. Despite their best efforts the European Champions- the revered AC Milan- and the French champions of the past six successive seasons succumbed to the might of our imperious Old Firm. Not forgetting Aberdeen who have resurfaced on the European scene after defeating Dnipro over two legs and are now readying themselves to pit their wits against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Panathinaikos.
However the crme de la crme is the national team. After nine games in the so-called ‘Group of Death’ that is Group B, who sits proudly at the top of the table but the once laughing stock of European football- Scotland. Nine games played, seven wins and twenty-one points. In any group this would be a superb achievement for the vast majority of national teams. However to do so in a group that contains the two sides who contested the last World Cup final just over a year ago beggars belief. Lest we forget the Ukraine- another footballing giant- that has to be content with fourth place in the group.
Please, somebody wake me up for this can only be a dream.
However this is no dream. Yet my Scottish genes seem unable to enjoy this unexpected and unfamiliar moment of triumph. Part of me feels like we are enjoying a slightly fortuitous period and to savour it while it lasts for defeat and reality is just around the corner. The other part of me wishes to wave my saltire proudly from the rooftops and proclaim that a football revolution has occurred. Our era in the footballing wilderness is over and we are ready to compete with the rest of the world like never before. However the truth, as always, lies somewhere in between. Our national team has certainly evolved under the guidance of, firstly, Walter Smith and then Alex McLeish since that uncomfortable period under Herr Vogts where we followed our German manager blindly into an international abyss. Although our newly galvanised team is not quite ready to be setting World Cups and European Championships alight, just yet.
But now that great results are finally coming our way why can I not fully enjoy this moment? Don’t get me wrong, I was in the same sense of euphoria as everyone else north of the border after James McFadden’s wonder strike against the French. However, despite a series of great victories for Scotland and Scottish clubs, I feel no more confident than usual about our chances of defeating the Ukraine on Saturday.
Perhaps this is for the simple reason that us Scots have a habit of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory. Ever since 1978 when 40,000 people packed Hampden to wave our national team off to Argentina, assured that they would return to our wee bit hill and glen with the World Cup trophy aloft but spectacularly never did, we have been a nation of underachievers.
As a Scot you know all too well that defeat is never far away- even when victory seems a mere formality. This is a purely Scottish tradition that plights all our sporting endeavours. The major example- no pun intended- is Colin Montgomerie, the world’s greatest golfer to have never won one of golf’s most prestigious events.
Even when we do succeed we play down our achievement. We tell ourselves that Paul Lawrie did not win the Open in 1999 but rather that Jean Van de Velde lost it. However it was Lawrie who over four rounds of golf carded the lowest score and deserved the Claret Jug.
Now three matches will determine whether it is greatness or more despair for our national team. The mood around Scotland is a mixture of excitement, worry and cynicism. A small minority is adamant that we will qualify and are now world-beaters. Some believe we have done extremely well so far but worry that we won’t make enough points in our last three games to qualify. Others are waiting for Scotland to lose so that they can tell everyone who got carried away with our recent run of good form that normal order is resumed.
