Scotland mobilises Euro 2024 army: Sir Alex and Super Ally post office party, the new frontier - but no kilts
It’s here, the Euro 2024 opener we’ve all been waiting for as Clarke and Co take centre stage
The last time Scotland played a European Championship match on foreign soil, Germany profited from Andy Roxburgh’s side’s victory over CIS. It helped them qualify for the second stage in Sweden in 1992 and strengthened a bond that had been established when Franz Beckenbauer presented Kenny Dalglish with his 100th cap at Hampden six years earlier.
Now the stars of the present generation are preparing to shake hands. German veteran Toni Kroos will greet Andy Robertson as the skipper leads Scotland for the 50th time. As when Der Kaiser met Kenny, mutual respect will exist here too. Robertson described Kroos as “the best midfielder in the world” at the pre-match press conference in Munich. The last time Robertson and Kroos lined up against each other was the Champions League final two years ago. The Scot has already tasted victory here - when Liverpool beat Bayern Munich 3-1 en route to winning the Champions League in 2019.
But these are the European Championships. This is the opening match. Germany v Scotland. It is only the fourth time Scotland have competed in Europe’s elite international competition and just the second time that they have been bestowed with the honour of opening a major tournament, although it’s understood the squad won’t be entering the arena in kilts as before France 98.
Not that current manager Steve Clarke will recall that unusually exuberant exhibition from a Scottish football team: he said he blanked the tournament because he was "in a huff" at not being selected after an impressive Indian summer with Chelsea. The Ayrshireman is making up for lost time now.
He broke the cycle of failure and took Scotland back to a major tournament. He has played in – and won – a European final with Chelsea. He had been in the dugout at a Champions League final, when he was assistant manager to Avram Grant as Chelsea lost on penalties against Manchester United in Moscow.
Even after all this, this is something else. This is a new frontier. Clarke walked into the first press conference of Euro 2024 and seemed genuinely taken aback by how many reporters were in the packed auditorium. "First of all, it's quite a busy press conference, so it must be a big game," he said.
Still, the number is nothing compared to the army Clarke has helped mobilise from Scotland. There is talk of over 200,000 people having descended on Munich. They include the great and the good, with Sir Alex Ferguson and Ally McCoist expected to attend a grand event organised by Scottish businessman Ian Falconer and renowned photographer David Yarrow in a red brick former post office in central Munich on the eve of the match.
Distinguished guests will be ten a penny tomorrow evening. Robertson revealed his former manager Jurgen Klopp will be in attendance. "I hope he enjoys his night, but not too much," he said.
The late Beckenbauer’s wife Heidi will be involved in the pre-match ceremony when she delivers the Henri Delauney trophy onto the pitch alongside Germany’s two living European Championship-winning captains, Bernard Dietz (1980) and Jurgen Klinsmann (1996). Beckenbauer’s death in January was mourned across the world, including in Scotland. Dalglish described his old friend and former Germany captain and manager as “a true icon”.
There were warm words from current Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann towards Scotland. He applauded their evolution under Clarke, from a team “who plays a lot of long balls to a team who creates chances and have good ball possession as well”.
Not that Germany will be planning to return that favour from Sweden 32 years ago. This is their party. This is the Allianz Arena – or Munich Arena, as it’s been rebranded for the duration of the tournament. The eyes of Europe will settle on this dimpled, three-tiered bowl on the outskirts of Munich tomorrow evening. This is where it gets very real again for Scotland after eight months without a competitive match. For Germany, of course, it’s been longer. Other than Nations League outings, they've not played a regular competitive fixture since the last World Cup. Talk about bringing it all back home. Talk about pressure.
Es wird schon gut gehen. It will be alright on the night. That’s the hope for Scottish fans as well as their team seek to make history. Not simply by qualifying for the second stage for the first time, but also by winning their opening match at a major finals. This has happened only twice in 11 previous attempts, the last time being a 5-2 win over New Zealand in 1982.
It's impossible to avoid history when the national team plays. The strips that have been spotted around Munich all date from different eras. A popular one is from the 1998 World Cup, when names like Hendry, Burley and Collins were stamped across the back. Now the baton has been passed on to those such as Robertson, Scott McTominay and John McGinn, whose folk dancing turn on Scotland’s arrival earlier this week is still a talking point in Bavaria.
Scotland were one of the first sides to land in Germany. They do not want to be among the first to take their leave, particularly after making such a high-profile entrance. It’s 26 years since they last played a major finals match abroad – again, an opening game of a tournament. Again, pitted against one of the favourites, in this case Brazil. Craig Brown’s side were still very much in the mix at the final group game.
Although Uefa recently confirmed Scotland are the oldest squad at this tournament, several were still not born when thousands of Scots piled into St Etienne for a do-or-die match against Morocco. Brown’s ageing side crashed and burned on a night to forget in the Rhone-Alpes region. It is more than a generation ago now.
Clarke was still a footballer but, at 34, he would have been wondering about his next step and in fact had already played his last match, although he never actually officially retired. He might have suspected his biggest days were behind him. Turns out they were a long way in front.
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