With the Scottish newspapers having front page splashes covering arrest warrants for former owners and players assaulting other players whilst out on the town, you could be forgiven if you thought that Scottish football was getting to resemble more like an old episode of ‘The Bill’ than an enjoyable premier sport.

But thankfully last night the national team became our games shining light.

As I’ve said previously, Gordon Strachan has turned the tide for us Scots and the Tartan Army are feeling excited about the team again. One strong question still surrounded the Strachan’s regime though, were Scotland still the desperately unlucky nearly men?

We almost done enough to get a draw in Germany and we almost sneaked out of Poland with a famous away victory. But alas we only got one point out of those two tough fixtures.

During the first seventy-three minutes of last nights tie with Ireland, it looked like the story was going to be a familiar unlucky one for Scotland. The game did have that derby vibe. Tensions were running high, tackles were flying in and chances were being created.

Scotland were doing most of the work and were the superior team. Yet Steven Fletcher once again showed he is still lacking in international finishing. Scotland clipped the bar though a backward header from Ireland’s Jonathan Walters. Charlie Mulgrew steered a header wide. While sub Chris Martin snatched at his chance and that too went by the post.

So would the Scots breakthrough or would it once again be a proud display but lack the luck needed for all three points?

Well we had inspiration on our side. Shaun Maloney took a short corner, received the ball again and played it to an unmarked Scott Brown in the box. Captain Brown would then flick it back to Maloney and the Wigan maestro would then curl his delightful shot beyond Ireland David Forde.

The Tartan Army fans went into a frenzy at Celtic Park as their heroes took a valuable lead and would also hold on and see the game out.

Today Group D looks a bit brighter for us. Although it’s all still a bit tense as the top four sides vying for the three qualifying positions are all too close for comfort.

For me, the man of the match was Andrew Robertson.

I am a huge admirer of the left-back. In 2012-13, the player was plying his trade with amateur side Queen’s Park in Scotland’s lowest tier. But he always had something about him and he was quickly snapped up by Dundee United. He would stay at Tannadice for a season and again impressed. So much so that he earned an international call up and was then on the move again as English Premier League outfit Hull City forked out £2.85m for his services.

Once again he has taken the step up in his stride. His current boss Steve Bruce has stated that Andrew Robertson has been a bargain for Hull. He looks a natural in one of Europe’s best leagues and it has only been beneficial for Scotland.

His performance against the Irish was outstanding. The Republic of Ireland’s Aiden McGeady was all over the papers in the lead up for various reasons. One of those reasons was down to his ability to win games for his team and be a game changer. We’ve seen him doing it a few times at Celtic Park over the years.

But last night McGeady was very quiet and a lot of that was down to Robertson.

When you talk about great full backs in this era, we tend to over hype their ability to go forward. Mainly because they aren’t the best defensively. But Robertson is a tidy defender. He times his challenges extremely well, he doesn’t just rush in and cause himself problems. He isn’t scared of duelling with opposition wingers.

It’s just a fantastic added bonus that he can actually contribute going forward. He often tried to get down the left and give support to winger Ikechi Anya. The pairing would often keep Seamus Coleman on the back-foot, with McGeady often going missing as he didn’t have the same engine as Robertson. The full-back also has the wonderful knack of putting in awesome crosses in between defences and their goalkeepers.

It was a mature performance from the twenty year old but it wasn’t unexpected. The youngsters character is highly professional and strong in nature. He isn’t easily ruffled.

At the moment it’s great to see him continue to develop into a fine footballer. Who knows where he goes from here. So far first team football hasn’t phased him, the Scottish Premiership wasn’t an issue for him, he looks unflustered in England’s Premier League and looks to be a natural for the Scotland national team.

As for Scotland, let’s just keep the good times coming please and don’t under estimate Gibraltar!

I would like to dedicate this article to the young man who sadly died at Celtic Park last night and his family. 

Posted on November 15th, 2014 by scott
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