Shortbread with Biscuits and Boogie Woogie – The Game

After a quarter-century wait, Scotland is back at a European Championship – and everyone who travels to Glasgow these days should know that. On the city limits, a large ad for the jersey sponsor is placed on a high wall in Washington Street, which is hard to miss. Especially not for motorists heading into the city on the M8 motorway over the Kingston Bridge, one of Europe’s busiest river bridges. “It’s Coming Home” is written in white letters on a blue background, with a cross over the word “Home” to evoke its association with the Scottish national flag. The “ham” is pictured below. The meaning of the slogan remains the same, but now with a Scottish rather than an English language.

The slogan is a parody of the slogan “Football ka ghar aa raha hai” which was disliked by the English people. old enemyAs the so-called homeland of football, it was once chosen as the motto for its home European Championship in 1996. In this tournament, Scotland lost 2–0 to their neighbors in the preliminary round (2–0) and were then out on points due to a goal. Two years later, the Bravehearts thwarted the World Cup in France, since then only represented as spectators at major events.

So now Scotland is back in the game, “back in the game”, as can be read in almost all national media. On Monday at 2 p.m. UK time, the time has come: after 8,392 days, the Scots will play another tournament game against their early opponents, the Czech Republic. In front of 12,000 spectators who voted for the influential newspaper Scotsman Could hear “like 1.2 million”. Also, at Hampden Park, the national stadium, where two more games are scheduled in the preliminary round, including its own group final against Croatia, as well as the Round of 16. football is coming Even though Scotland has never been the venue for an EM or a World Cup until now.

The team must draw energy for success from the stand-up stories of its players

Even with support overseas, anticipation has been brewing in the country for weeks: Frenchman Patrice Evra, previously active at Manchester United under Scottish coaching legend Sir Alex Ferguson, appeared on Instagram in a tartan skirt and accompanied the national anthem with the national anthem. pretended. Bagpipes to tune. Countless other music clips have sparked public backlash. Baccara’s revived disco club “Yes, Sir I Can Boogie” since 1977, which has actually been Scots boogie-woogie, has the greatest potential as an unofficial tournament song for the Tartan Army. Popular radio station Clyde 1 also added a continuation of the inspirational video “We All Go Together” which was made before the playoffs in the autumn. This two-minute sequence affects the mood of all Scots who do not want to take the tournament so seriously at the same time. You don’t want to be disappointed again.

Scotland have not made it past the group stage in ten finals so far. Due to the revised competition, in which the four best third-place finishers also qualify for advancement, national coach Steve Clark’s selection now has a real chance of making it to the Round of 16. How should this work? Scotsman There’s a thought: “Close your eyes. Let yourself be carried away. Scotland won the opening game – and now it’s Friday. It’s a day off, the sun is shining. You can take a breath or something.” Drink two beers. And then Scotland wins against England for the first time since 1999. Seriously, why not?

Reopen your eyes: Scotland is still ranked 44th in the world rankings, with only EM participants Finland and North Macedonia ranked below. The team will have to draw energy from the many stand-up stories of its players to show strength. For example, Andrew Robertson, a 27-year-old left-back captain at Liverpool FC, made a tweet in 2012 when he was a teenager that sounded like a cry for help: “Life at this age is crap without money. #Needajob.” Previously, his youth club Celtic Glasgow was no longer used to him in the academy, he is said to have been too thin. Now Robertson has a surprise package for teammates to get in the mood for the European Championships when they recently moved into quarters at the English luxury resort Rocklife Hall near Middlesbrough. In addition to electrical appliances and video games, the gift basket contained original Scottish shortbread biscuits and tins of Irn-Br – a caffeinated beverage as popular with Scots as Scotch.

Due to uninterrupted reporting, almost everyone between Loch Ness and Loch Lomond should have noticed that their own team was playing in the European Championship. Radio station Clyde 1 recommends, “Let’s enjoy the dream before it fades away.” After all, he waited a long time for this tournament.