Scotland (National Football)

This Sunday, Scotland take on the might of newly crowned world champions Germany, in the first competitive showdown of both sides' Euro 2016 qualification campaign.  

Joachim Low's team will be confident of overcoming the might of Gordon Strachan's side when the two meet at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, yet it wasn't so long ago that the Tartan Army were celebrating an unexpected victory in Germany. 

In a friendly match that went on to become one of the most surprising results of 1999, Scotland overcame their European counterparts 1-0 in Bremen, following a second-half goal from former Everton striker Don Hutchison. 

Managed by Craig Brown at the time, Scotland were certainly a more appealing team than they are now, featuring some excellent players such as David Weir, Colin Hendry, Paul Lambert and Billy Dodds; all stars who would walk into Strachan's team on Sunday in their prime. 

Quite like Darren Fletcher and Co., Brown's team travelled to the Weserstadion in Bremen that day with a point to prove. 

Scotland had just suffered another disappointing World Cup campaign the year before, finishing bottom of their group below a strong Brazil side that would go on to reach the final in France that summer, but also under teams who they really should have overcome in Morocco and Norway. 

The Czech Republic had also added to such misery recently with a well-earned 2-1 victory in Celtic Park, Glasgow, a few months before. Scotland were hurting and in desperate need of a powerful performance against the Germans. 

Alas, this struggling side would become the toast of Scotland when a lovely pull-back from Billy Dodds found Hutchison in acres of space inside the German box on the 66th minute, allowing the striker to calmly slot the ball past a bewildered Jens Lehmann for the only goal of the game. 

In truth, Scotland matched the Germans in every department that day, with Hendry confidently marshalling his defensive line against the might of Oliver Bierhoff, while the likes of Dodds and Scott Gemmill terrorised the home side's defence. 

Germany certainly controlled the match with the same precision and dominance that we will undoubtedly see this weekend, but it was a performance that Scotland was proud of. 

As Andy Coyle, a sports journalist at Scottish broadcaster STV, remembers, it was certainly a game that still stands out to this day:

This was a shock from the days before every game came with pages of stats attached. I would love to see the possession and shots numbers on that game because in my mind it was a classic 'smash and grab'. After Don Hutchison's goal I don't know how we kept out a cracking German team for so long.

Scotland weren't in great form going into the match and I remember thinking that the inevitable doing would be a setback for the team. It didn't end up being a springboard to qualification either though and remains one of the most surprising stand-alone results in our history.

Scotland haven't made it to an international tournament since the World Cup in 1998, so such a result against one of the powerhouses of European football is certainly a point of reference whenever the country looks back and tries to figure out where it all went so wrong. 

Yet Strachan's side are a hopeful team. And one that will go into such a match on Sunday with every hope of grabbing a result to rival that of the famous win in Bremen 18 years ago.

Hutchison, Dodds and Gemmill have since hung up their boots, but the country do have legitimate talents in Fletcher, Steven Naismith and others who are more than capable of hurting Low's team. We await to see if this crop of players can make history once again. 

When Gordon Strachan succeeded Craig Levein as Scotland national-team manager in January last year, the nation was 69th in the FIFA world rankings.

Just 14 months on the former Celtic, Coventry and Southampton boss has overseen a massive upturn in form and guided them to 22nd worldwide and 14th in the UEFA table.

Along the road the 57-year-old has left behind signs of the progress he has made—first among these being the 1-0 defeat of Croatia in Zagreb back in June 2013.

The result not only gave the long-suffering Tartan Army momentary joy, but it hinted at the effect Strachan was already having on the national side.

Despite a handful of away wins during Levein's tenure, none matched Strachan's victory over Croatia due to the gutsy nature of their performance in a difficult venue against superior opposition.

Robert Snodgrass scored the winner that night—the Norwich midfielder has played himself into Strachan's first team of late and his uncanny ability to position himself just right when making forward runs has proved extremely valuable to his manager.

The side followed the memorable win with defeats against England and Belgium, respectively. But it was the match against the former which once again inspired confidence in the new boss.

Again, the battling and mature display against another superior team was evident. Despite going ahead twice in the game—including through a Kenny Miller strike which saw him become the first Scotland international in 34 years to score against England from open play at Wembley—they eventually went down 3-2 thanks to a Rickie Lambert header 20 minutes from time.

Ultimately, and for reasons solely related to the result their on-pitch performance merited, Scotland were disappointed to be heading back north without the victory.

Winning ways returned quickly for Strachan, however, with another away victory—this time over Macedonia—chalked up just three days after the defeat to Belgium.

Then came the acid test: Croatia at Hampden.

Again it was Snodgrass who popped up with a goal for his manager. The winger netted inside half an hour to send the Scots on their way to another win over an opponent out for revenge and chasing World Cup qualification—something they eventually did achieve via the play-offs, fuelling further the "what if" aspect of Strachan's so-far successful tenure.

A trend has begun to appear. Under Strachan's brief control, Scotland have already matched the four away wins reached by Levein during his three years in charge. They've done it with far more style and confidence than under the former Dundee United manager.

Where Levein's list of away victories read Northern Ireland, Liechtenstein, Cyprus and Luxembourg, Strachan's records Croatia, Macedonia, Norway and Poland.

So, what is the main difference Strachan has brought since taking charge a little over a year ago which now sees Scotland sit just outside the top 20 in world football?

Perhaps most telling is this: when the draw for the EURO 2016 qualifiers saw his side pitted against the Republic of Ireland and Georgia—both sides they have struggled against in recent campaigns—as well as Poland and international heavyweights Germany, fans of Strachan's Scotland collectively replied "second place" without one hint of sarcasm.

Statistics referenced taken from Transfermarkt, FIFA.com and Soccerway

Twitter: @smarti51

Celtic will face Aberdeen in the 5th round of the William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday in a lunchtime kick-off which is set to rock Celtic Park.

The Bhoys' new signing Leigh Griffiths looks set to make his debut after a deadline-day signing from Wolves for the Scottish champions, reports John McGarry in in the Daily Mail. But Aberdeen won't be an easy routine victory for the home team.

They have already reached the Scottish League Cup final, which will be also played at Celtic Park next month after an announcement by the SPFL, and Saturday's game will be a perfect warm-up for that clash with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

When: Saturday, February 8 at 7:45 a.m. ET/12:45 p.m. GMT

Where: Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland

Watch: Sky Sports 2 HD/Sky Sports 2/Sky Go

 

Key Storylines

Scottish Cup holders Celtic go into Saturday's game brimming with confidence.

In the last round, they decimated Hearts 7-0 at Tynecastle in one of the performances of the season. The visitors meanwhile beat Partick Thistle 1-0 to continue their fine form in cup competitions this year.

The Bhoys have won each of their last five games in all competitions, scoring 16 goals and conceding none, per BBC. This confidence will be on display on Saturday as Aberdeen try and penetrate the Celtic defence.

The home team have now gone 24 games unbeaten and have 11 clean sheets in a row.

Celtic will give a debut to former Hibernian loanee Griffiths, per McGarry, who scored 28 goals last season for the Edinburgh side and already has 12 goals in 17 games for Wolves this season, per ESPN. 

But despite facing an Aberdeen side they have already defeated twice in the league this season, the Bhoys will have to be alert as cup specialists Aberdeen are brimming with their own confidence.

Speaking to the BBC, after the draw was made, Celtic coach Danny McGrain said:

Aberdeen gave us a hard game two or three weeks ago and I think their manager, Derek McInnes, will be happy that they've got us, maybe not at Celtic Park, but he's got another bite at the cherry.

The visitors have had mixed form recently but come to Glasgow on the back of a 4-0 home win against St Johnstone in the League Cup semi-final. 

Confidence amongst Dons fans is so high that they even booked coaches to see Aberdeen FC play for League Cup glory—before they even know their team had made the final, reported Harriet Brace in the Evening Express. 

Dons boss McInnes has already brought the good time back for the Dons—victory over St Johnstone sent them to their first final for 14 years.

The last time Celtic conceded in the league was when Aberdeen came to Celtic Park, per Jonathan Sutherland for the BBC, and it took two injury-time goals to give Celtic the victory.

Andy Walker, writing for Sky Sports, believes Aberdeen can cause an upset on Saturday:

Aberdeen have the midfield players who can compete both physically and in a footballing sense with Celtic.

The truth is Aberdeen have an appalling recent record against Celtic but this performance [against Celtic in November] should give them a bit of hope that a victory is not out of the question as it took two goals in injury time for Celtic to secure all three points.

The signing of Irish striker Adam Rooney will give the visitors more of a potent threat up front. This season he has scored nine goals in 24 appearances, per ESPN, and Celtic will have to be on their guard if they are to protect their immaculate defensive record.

Predictions

Celtic are favourites, as the current cup holders and because of their defensive record. However, Aberdeen are rejuvenated after winning their League Cup semi-final and will be a tricky proposition.

This game could see a cup upset, but Celtic will be motivated by the fact they may face rivals Rangers in the next round.

Celtic 1-1 Aberdeen

Goals from Robert Snodgrass and Steven Naismith enabled Scotland to finish their World Cup qualifying campaign on a positive note with an impressive 2-0 win over Croatia at Hampden Park.

Gordon Strachan's men were tipped to struggle against the Baltic side but were never troubled by the visitors, whose side contained Luka Modric and Nikica Jelavic.

Despite a bright opening from Croatia, where they dominated proceedings early on, Scotland looked more hungry to finish on a high. That is also in spite of the fact that Croatia had not fully secured their World Cup play-off spot.

Alan Hutton could have easily seen red early on for a wild two-footed lunge but also escaped a booking. On another day, a stronger punishment could have been handed to the Mallorca full-back.

Some desperate defending, including a superb block from Ikechi Anya to deny Mario Mandzukic, saved Scotland from going behind. And it proved to be important: Charlie Mulgrew's inch-perfect cross then found Norwich midfielder Snodgrass in the box and he towered above the defence to head home.

Snodgrass was then denied a second after a wonderful stop from Stipe Pletikosa, who turned the winger's effort on to the post.

Eduardo, the former Arsenal striker now at Shakhtar Donetsk, came on at half-time and almost scored, rounding Allan McGregor before hitting the side netting with his effort.

Just minutes later, Scotland had their reward for their perseverance with the excellent Anya being hauled down in the penalty area. Barry Bannan stepped up but saw his weak effort palmed away by Pletikosa before Naismith's quick reaction to hammer home.

The game eventually fizzled out as Croatia's frustrations boiled over, and while Scotland will be disappointed to be missing out on another World Cup finals, the performance would have encouraged the supporters.

But Croatia's shock loss has resulted in coach Igor Stimac offering his resignation, according to a tweet from Croatian football expert Alex Holiga:

Key Player Grades

Scott Brown A

The Celtic captain has recently come under fire for his lack of professionalism after being sent off against Barcelona, but the tireless midfielder put in an excellent shift against Croatia.

He was tasked with limiting Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar to having no influence on the game and the dynamic duo were left frustrated, with Brown making life hard for the former Tottenham pair. His hard-working performance will have pleased his manager Strachan and will no doubt earn praise from the Scottish media for the way he handled himself.

Ikechi Anya A

The Watford full-back was in sensational form down the left, causing the likes of Darijo Srna and Domagoj Vida problems all throughout the game.

The 23-year-old used his abundance of pace and energy to create space, running down the touchline constantly, and was involved in the second goal, making a surging run into the penalty area before being brought down.

Was arguably man of the match before being replaced by Graham Dorrans.

Robert Snodgrass A

The Norwich man was very much involved in most attacking moves in the game, and his opener capped a sublime team move. Mulgrew's cross was excellent, but the midfielder still had a lot of work to do and got in front of the Croatia defender brilliantly.

He was unlucky not to double his tally, forcing a fine stop from Pletikosa, and the 26-year-old will be delighted that his goal has helped Scotland achieve a fine victory in Glasgow.

Player Grades

Scotland
Allan McGregor	B
Alan Hutton	C+
Russell Martin	B
Grant Hanley	C+
Charlie Mulgrew	A-
James Morrison	B
Barry Bannan	C
Scott Brown	A
Ikechi Anya	A
Robert Snodgrass	A-
Steven Naismith	A-
Substitutes
Graham Dorrans (for Anya)	C
James McArthur (for Snodgrass)	C-
Chris Burke (for Bannan)	C-

Croatia
Stipe Pletikosa	B+
Domagoj Vida	C-
Vedran Corluka	C
Dejan Lovren	B-
Ivan Strinic	C
Niko Kranjcar	D
Ognjen Vukojevic	C
Luka Modric	D
Darijo Srna	B-
Nikola Kalinic	D
Mario Mandzukic	D
Substitutes
Eduardo (for Kalinic)	C
Ivan Perisic (for Kranjcar)	C-
Nikica Jelavic (for Mandzukic)	C-

What's Next?

With Scotland already knowing they had missed out on the World Cup, Strachan must now assemble a squad capable of challenging for qualification for the Euro 2016 tournament in France.

Croatia, on the other hand, will be fuming that their lack of bite and passion has seen them come close to missing out on the World Cup, and will now need to recover after a shock loss to a side way below them in the world rankings in time for the play-offs.

Scotland will look to end their two-match losing streak on Tuesday when they will travel to Philip II Arena for a European 2014 World Cup qualifying match with Macedonia. 

The Scots currently sit at the bottom of their Group A table, but just four points separate the lowest four teams in the group. Macedonia, winners against Wales and Bulgaria their last two times out, are currently fourth in the table but just two points ahead of Scotland. 

In what should be a crucial match for both finishing power in Group A and bragging rights between the two European nations, Scotland and Macedonia will return to the pitch less than a week after their last World Cup qualifier. Scotland were 2-0 losers to Belgium, while Macedonia defeated Wales 2-1. 

As noted by BT Sport's Derek Rae, the pursuit of international glory never stops:

The two countries played to a 1-1 draw in 2012 during the first leg at Hampden Park. 

To prepare you for one of the more intriguing matches on the international qualifying Tuesday schedule, here's a look at the way Scotland-Macedonia shapes out before kickoff. 

Match Information

Who: Macedonia vs. Scotland

When: Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 2:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. BST)

Where: Philip II Arena, Leninova, Skopje, Macedonia

Watch: BT Sport 1

Live Stream: ESPN3/WatchESPN 

Macedonia Squad

Goalkeepers: Tome Pacovski (Mechelen, Belgium); Darko Tofilovska (Kosice, Slovakia), Christian Naumovski (Dinamo Bucharest, Romania)

Defenders: Boban potter (Q Botev., Bulgaria), Stefan Ristovski (Latina, Italy); Nikolce Noveski (Mainz 05, Germany); Vance Shikov (Volin, Ukraine), Alexander Lazevski (Goverla, Ukraine) Daniel Georgievski (Steaua Bucharest, Romania), Daniel Mojsov (Brann, Norway), Daniel Ivanovski (Mjalbi, Sweden)

Midfielders: Ostoja Stjepanovikj (Wisla Krakow, Poland), Darko (Kiryat Shmona, Israel); Nikola Gligorov (Hazara Lankaran, Azerbaijan), David Babunski (B Barcelona, ​​Spain)

Forwards: Ivan Trichkovski (Vasland Beveren, Belgium), Goran Pandev (Napoli, Italy), Mirko Ivanovski (Astra, Romania); Agim Ibrahimi (Maribor, Slovenia), Aleksandar Trajkovski (Zulte c., Belgium); Addis Jahovic (Will, Switzerland), John Kostovski (Leuven, Belgium) 

*via Macedonia's official team website, FFM-MK.com. 

Scotland Squad

Goalkeepers: Matt Gilks (Blackpool), David Marshall (Cardiff City), Allan McGregor (Hull City), Craig Samson (Kilmarnock).

Defenders: Ikechi Anya (Watford), Gordon Greer (Brighton and Hove Albion), Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Russell Martin (Norwich City), Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic), Steven Whittaker (Norwich City).

Midfielders: Charlie Adam (Stoke City), Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), George Boyd (Hull City), Scott Brown (Celtic), Craig Conway (Cardiff City), Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion), James Forrest (Celtic), James McArthur (Wigan Athletic), James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion), Steven Naismith (Everton), Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City).

Forwards: Leigh Griffiths (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Jamie Mackie (Nottingham Forest), Shaun Maloney (Wigan Athletic), Ross McCormack (Leeds United), Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers).

*via Daily Record. 

Top Storyline

Forward Thinking

Scotland was the first UEFA team to be eliminated from 2014 World Cup qualifying, putting a major damper on their hexagonal matches over the last few months.

Despite that obvious setback, the team has made progress since that reality was affirmed, giving England a major scare at Wembley in August and showing progress under manager Gordon Strachan's tutelage and coaching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD31By5crPE

Depending on Serbia's result with Croatia on Tuesday, the Scots have a chance to move out of the basement in Group A and pass Macedonia in the process. Though they have just five points in eight matches, the Tartan Terriers can make a big statement about their future with a win.  

As reported by Stephen McGowan of the Daily Mail, finishing dead last at the bottom of the qualifying table "scares" Strachan. The Scots have finished at the bottom of a qualifying group just once in their history. 

Pursuit of a spot in Brazil might be for naught, but Scotland can work toward a brighter future by continuing to prioritize smart football ahead of results. That being said, players still want results.

Check out this tweet from Sky Sports Football for confirmation:

Strachan's side faces a major test in Macedonia. Hopefully for the Tartan Army, their progress will be moving in the right direction after the match. 

Prediction

With injuries to subs Charlie Adam and Jordan Rhodes and a yellow card as motivation, Strachan will have to get creative with how he attacks the Macedonia defense on Tuesday. 

Robert Snodgrass will miss the match via suspension after picking up a yellow card against Belgium, but there's a good chance we again see Leigh Griffiths, Shaun Maloney and Scott Brown on the attacking side of the field for Scotland. 

Jamie Mackie and Ross McCormack are two more who could see time in a depleted front line. 

Assistant Scotland manager Mark McGhee had strong words for his team's trip to Scotland earlier in the week. Per The Telegraph's Roddy Forsyth, McGhee says the Scots must get nasty and avoid making friends if they want to win the match. 

Macedonia will defend Philip II Arena fervently after winning their last two matches, but previously the Red Lynx had dropped four straight decisions. Two of those came to Belgium in consecutive qualifying matches. 

Captain Goran Pandev is nursing a shoulder issue, but is expected to play against the Tartan Terriers. He will be a big lift to the home side. 

Scotland are motivated and face one of their biggest tests in recent memory, while Macedonia have confidence in themselves and Cedomir Janevski's leadership. In a tight match, each team escapes with just one point in the qualifying table. 

Macedonia 1, Scotland 1

Follow B/R's Ethan Grant on Twitter. 

Wednesday sees England host old rivals Scotland in a friendly at Wembley, with managers Roy Hodgson and Gordon Strachan expected to experiment ahead of more World Cup qualifying matches in early September.

While the Scots are unable to make it to Brazil 2014, England will be hoping their opponents can provide a worthwhile test ahead of a must-win game against Moldova next month.

Both squads are missing players through injury but look likely to field their strongest possible starting lineups, for the first half of the game at least.

With the new Premier League season beginning on Saturday, Hodgson is under pressure from top-flight managers to restrict the playing time of their star players.

The former Liverpool and Fulham boss has already had to justify the selection of Arsenal's Jack Wilshere, who is continuing his recovery from knee and ankle problems.

Speaking about Wilshere to Sky Sports, Hodgson said:

I'm happy that he's fit and with us.

We know he's not going to play for 90 minutes. Arsene (Wenger) knows we're as anxious to protect the health and fitness of the player as he is.

I don't want to damage players and there are quite a few of them who haven't really played a lot football in the pre-season or are maybe coming back from injury.

So, with Wenger, David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and co to keep happy, how can we expect England to lineup on Wednesday evening?

Joe Hart looks certain to start in goal, although one of the backup keepers, Ben Foster or John Ruddy, could be given some minutes in the second half.

Liverpool's Glen Johnson would appear to be Hodgson's preferred option at right-back, although Tottenham's Kyle Walker can expect to see at least 30 minutes of action.

The manager is yet to decide on his favoured central defensive partnership but the more experienced duo of Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill look to have the edge over Manchester United duo Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.

At left-back, Ashley Cole should play the first 45 minutes before being replaced by Everton's Leighton Baines at half-time.

Hodgson likes to play a 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation with Michael Carrick, Jack Wilshere, Steven Gerrard, Theo Walcott and James Milner the most likely starters.

Expect plenty of changes in this area though, with Frank Lampard, Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all pushing to come off the bench.

Wayne Rooney will start up front if he has sufficiently recovered from his recent shoulder injury. If not then Jermain Defoe should get the nod, with Rickie Lambert getting his first cap as a substitute.

Scotland boss Strachan looks likely to employ a more defensive 4-5-1 formation at Wembley on Wednesday, designed to stop England playing and cause problems on the counter-attack.

Recent Hull City signing Allan McGregor should start in goal, in front of a back four made up of Alan Hutton, Charlie Mulgrew, Grant Hanley and Steven Whittaker.

The former Southampton boss is under less pressure to rest key players and should start with a five-man midfield containing Norwich City's Robert Snodgrass, James Morrison of West Brom, Celtic's Scott Brown, Stoke City's Charlie Adam and Everton's Steven Naismith.

Wigan duo Shaun Maloney and James McArthur will have to make do with a place on the bench after starting their side's 2-0 Community Shield defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes looks likely to start up front on his own, with veteran Kenny Miller and Leigh Griffiths both coming on in the second half to support the Scottish attack.

Remember that time Scotland beat France?

In fact, no, do you remember that time Scotland beat France twice in the one qualifying campaign, finished ahead of Ukraine and only narrowly missed out on the playoffs after a defeat to Italy in the final game, a game where some of the key decisions were dubious to say the least?

Results like Friday's loss to Wales might make it hard to believe, but that campaign did actually happen. And what's even harder to believe is that it was only six or seven years ago.

Six or seven years ago, the biggest and best teams in Europe genuinely feared coming to Hampden, and with good reason—so many of them were sent packing, sent "homeward, tae think again." Nowadays, teams like Wales and Macedonia travel to Hampden in the hope—and let's be honest, the expectation—of getting a result, and Scotland are able to do little to stand in their way. How times have changed.

To start asking "where did it all go wrong?" would take up the sort of time that neither you nor I have, and it's not a question that can be answered over the course of a few paragraphs.

There is, however, one obvious and quite illustrative comparison which can be drawn between the team who came so close to qualifying for EURO 2008 and this current side, who are so far removed from any possibility of qualification for the World Cup in 2014 that you're inclined to doubt whether they'd be able to locate Brazil on a map. (I actually found myself laughing during Friday night's game, thinking how ludicrous it was—with the snow coming down and with the appalling football play on the park—that this was still a qualifying game for a summer World Cup in Brazil. It could hardly have been further removed, in every sense.)

Look at the two teams: the one that defeated France in October 2006 and the side which was beaten by Wales on Friday night. And look how many players are playing in the SPL in either case. In the France game, five out of the starting XI (Craig Gordon, Steven Pressley, Barry Ferguson, Gary Caldwell and Paul Hartley) were playing in the SPL, compared with just one (Celtic's Charlie Mulgrew) on Friday night. Quite a difference.

While misguided football talk seems always to arrive at the conclusion that Scotland needs players playing for clubs in the English Premier League in order to succeed, the evidence we have, at least in recent times, suggests otherwise.

During the tenures of Smith and McLeish, both Celtic and Rangers had sides comprised largely of Scottish players, and Hearts, too, had a solid backbone of homegrown players to their team, which split the Old Firm to finish second and won the Scottish Cup in 2006. Yes, these players were "only" playing in the SPL, but they were often performing under enormous pressure and high levels of scrutiny, and not only that, they were succeeding. They were winners.

Playing for Celtic and Rangers in the SPL has often been dismissed as a cakewalk, but the reality is that doing so requires a mental toughness and the capacity to deal with high expectations, where only a win is good enough and anything less causes instant discontent. Playing for Scotland, the situation was naturally different, as they entered the majority of games as underdogs, but they were able to carry over this determination and this willingness to shoulder responsibility that had served them so well at club level.

Now we find ourselves in a situation that is almost the opposite. We have players playing in the so-called top leagues—six of Friday night's starting XI (Gary Caldwell, Graham Dorrans, James McArthur, Robert Snodgrass, Shaun Maloney and Steven Fletcher) play in the English Premier League, while Alan Hutton plays in La Liga with Mallorca—and yet the overall standard has seen a massive deterioration.

We turn to these players hoping that, by virtue of the fact that they play in what is reportedly the best league in the universe/in recorded history, they'll do the business on the park. But this hope demonstrates a certain naiveté, not to mention a mistrust of our own capacity to judge players.

Sure, these players play in the English top flight, but we're talking bottom-half and relegation places, not title contenders and Champions League hopefuls. They're playing at a high level, but there is a wide range of talent on show in the EPL—just being an EPL player doesn't mean you're Robin van Persie or Luis Suarez.

What Scotland needs are winners, players who have the resolve and the edge to go out and get results and who are happy to take responsibility and be leaders on the park. This is something of which there is a worrying lack at present, either in the SPL or the EPL, and particularly with the absence of Scott Brown and Darren Fletcher.

It might sound trite and cliché, and obviously there are other problems beside a lack of leadership that we need to address, but having strong leaders has always been an integral part of any success Scotland have had. If Gordon Strachan can't find leaders on the park, then he'll need to fulfil that role himself, but it remains to be seen whether he's capable.

In closing, I should point out that while there was only one SPL player in the Scotland side, the league was also represented by Celtic's Joe Ledley in the red of Wales. Ledley is a good player, effective and committed if not blessed with extraordinary talent, but I can't have been the only one impressed with his composure and his leadership in central midfield for his team, always available for a pass and comfortable in possession. How Scotland would have killed to have a player like that to steady things—and to dictate the play—or even to play a simple pass.

In any case, it was clear that playing in the SPL had done nothing to negatively affect Ledley, and in fact, he looked like he was used to performing under the weight of expectations, something which couldn't have been said about any Scotland player.

Scotland's problems as a footballing nation are many, and solutions are hard to come by. But what seems evident is that the national team needs good Scottish players playing in the SPL.

Let's just hope we don't have to wait too long for that to be the case.