Bring On Tosh McKinlay

How Opening Matches Aren’t Always Clear Cut

Bring On Tosh McKinlay

The first game of a major tournament always sparks excitement amongst football fans. Even as a Scotland fan whose nation hasn’t qualified more times than they actually have during my lifetime, as a fan of football first and foremost, the anticipation still always build up ready for the first ball to be kicked. It is extra special this time though that not only have Scotland made it, they will also be contesting the opening game against hosts Germany.

As it may be clear by now, I am one of those obsessive football fans who wants to know every little detail before the tournament even starts. In the few weeks between the regular season ending and the tournament starting I will spend hours poring over the different groups and looking at the permutations of what might happen later on depending on group positioning. I will study likely lineups and try to learn about players from the more obscure teams who often don’t play in the big leagues. And, I will study the history and the data of each tournament to see if there are any patterns that are interesting or common facts to be found. Still though, nothing beats the time that the day actually comes when it is finally time for the opening game.

My most prominent memory of an opening match is actually the last time that Scotland played in one, and actually the last time that they qualified outright without the need for playoffs, the France ‘98 World Cup. We had been drawn to play the defending champions Brazil in the opener (in those days it was still the holders and not the hosts who played the first game) and I couldn’t wait for it. What a chance, I thought to myself, for Scotland to lay down their cards for the competition, put in a magnificent performance and put the silky Brazilians to the sword. Apparently I was still a little naive at 13! Hope before a tournament is something that never leaves you though. It’s easy to believe anything can happen before the whistle blows.

My Dad had taken advantage of one of the special offers in the supermarket (it must have been special for him to part with money!) and bought a new big TV for the tournament. I remember at the time thinking how magnificent it was in all of its 32-inch glory. It was the biggest thing that of its type that I had ever seen. The picture was a wonderful quality and I couldn’t wait to watch my favourite players on it.

When the day finally came, very unfairly, I still had to go to school in the morning. I remember going in  and there just being lots of kids in Scotland tops with no intention whatsoever of learning about algebraic equations in double Maths. Realising that it was a bit pointless,

I came home for lunch with a couple of friends and didn’t go back in for the afternoon in order to watch the build-up. The teachers must have loved that day as most other people I knew of did exactly the same thing.

As the teams walked out and the anthems were sung (obviously my friends and I belted out Flower of Scotland from the comfort of my living room), I was still convinced that Scotland would do it. This confidence lasted until the 4th minute when Brazilian defender Cesar Sampaio glanced home a header from a corner. 1-0 Brazil. Our hopes were brought crashing back down to Earth!

However, Scotland themselves didn’t crumble, defending resolutely and restricting the Brazilian attack, complete with the talent of the likes of Ronaldo and Rivaldo, to a series of half chances and speculative shots from distance.

And then, in the 38th minute, the hope returned. Scotland won a penalty after a tumble in the box by Kevin Gallacher, under pressure from goal scorer Sampaio. John Collins stepped up and coolly slotted the spot kick into the corner to the right of Brazilian keeper Taffarel. We were level and managed to remain so until the break.

Brazil continued their attacks in the second half but again Scotland stood strong. This was until the 73rd minute when a ball was played over the top of the Scottish defence which legendary Brazilian right back Cafu ran onto and attempted to cut back across the box, looking to find one of his own players to finish it off. He didn’t succeed in this, but he did find Celtic stalwart Tommy Boyd, caught in one of those unenviable positions running back towards his own goal with nowhere to go. The ball clattered off him and rolled over the line (seemingly taking an age to get there), despite the efforts of Colin Hendry to stop it. Bubble burst again. Scotland did continue to try and get forward to find an equaliser but it didn’t come. 

The overall gulf in class was highlighted to me shortly after the second Brazilian goal by a series of substitutions. In search of a decisive third, Brazil brought on the teenager Denilson, widely touted at that time to be ‘the next big thing’ with the world at his feet, to bring some further sparkle to their attack. A short while later (although in my memory this has always happened at the same time as if to emphasise the contrast), and still in search of an equaliser, Scotland manager Craig Brown decided that the solution to his problems would be to bring on…

Tosh McKinlay.

McKinlay was no mug, in fact he was a reliable enough player who spent most of his career at Hearts and Celtic, but he was also a defender who was hardly likely to provide the spark that Scotland needed. Cue groans from me and my pals.

It wasn’t to be for Scotland but they didn’t let themselves down with their performance. The game was closer than the overall quality of the squads would suggest on paper and Scotland could move forward with a sense of pride (it didn’t help!)

A look at history and the data actually shows that even if Scotland had equalised or even won that day it wouldn’t have been something of an anomaly. The opening game of a tournament will always involve the hosts, or at one point the holders, and more often than not, they are widely expected to win the game and get the tournament atmosphere off to a great start. This has not always been the case though.

Looking solely at the Euros, in the 16 previous editions of the competition, the host nation has actually only won the opening game 6 times. This is perhaps understandable in the event of say, 2008, when the Czech Republic overcame a very average Switzerland host team 1-0, but there have also been far bigger upsets such as Greece upsetting hosts Portugal 2-1 in 2004 (a sign of things to come in that tournament).

When the World Cup is also brought into play, there have been even greater shocks such as Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions strong-arming the Argentinian holders in Milan in 1990 and winning 1-0, or Senegal shocking defending World and European champions France by the same score line in Seoul in 2002.

The point is that, quite often, it rains on the parade of the expected outcome, probably due to a combination of pressure on the home/holding team and an opportunity sensed by their opponents to mark their place in history.

All being said, come Friday evening, the Tartan Army have every right to look towards Munich with some level of confidence that Scotland might actually pull off an upset and get some sort of result. I will certainly be watching with hope once again. And the bonus is that Tosh McKinlay will be nowhere near the stadium (sorry Tosh)!

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