Welcome back to the second chapter of my new retro challenge – or “fàilte don dàrna caibideil den dùbhlan retro ùr agam”, as Scottish Gaelic speakers might say on BBC Alba. Sadly, I’ve just found out that BBC Alba isn’t a TV channel dedicated to the actress Jessica Alba, so you’ll have to put up with seeing Don Hutchison’s pretty face instead.
In this challenge, I’m managing the Scotland national team on Championship Manager 99/00. I’m hoping to erase 20 years of hurt by leading the Tartan Army to success – which, in their case, would be getting out of the group at a major tournament.
In Part 1, I took the reins for the closing stages of the Euro 2000 qualifiers. Today, we’ll be entering the new year, where you’ll find no millennium bugs – except the one that turns Championship Manager goalkeepers into supermen, perhaps.
MARCH 2000
We pick up this story three months into the year 2000, and so much has happened since the dawn of the millennium. Celtic and Rangers have pulled clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League (surprise, surprise), making the local media forget there are eight other teams in the top flight.
Manchester United have added yet another trophy to their cabinet, beating Real Madrid 2-0 in the Club World Championship Final. As if Alex Ferguson signing the French midfield marvel Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for a British-record £16.5million in the summer wasn’t frightening enough…
Meanwhile, the draw has taken place for Euro 2000. England are in Group 1 with Slovenia, Sweden and co-hosts Holland – but, of course, Scotland are nowhere to be seen. Play-off heartache against Romania has led to months of soul-searching at Hampden Park.
I’ve used this opportunity to phase out some of the old guard. It’s the end of the road for Colin Calderwood and Gary McAllister (both aged 35), and possibly Kevin Gallacher (33) as well. Right-back Tom Boyd and captain Colin Hendry (both 34) may last one more cycle if their solid displays for the Old Firm suggest anything.
Some fresh blood would get chances to shine in our forthcoming friendlies, which would serve as warm-ups for the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Ahead of us were home games against Austria in March, and Turkey in April – two mid-level sides who would also watch the Euros from the outside looking in.
These were the 26 players I named in my squad to face the Austrians:
GOALKEEPERS: Robert Douglas, Jon Gould, Neil Sullivan
DEFENDERS: Tom Boyd, Christian Dailly, Matt Elliott, Colin Hendry, Dominic Matteo, Jackie McNamara, Gary Naysmith, Derek Whyte
MIDFIELDERS: Craig Burley, Colin Cameron, John Collins, Barry Ferguson, David Hopkin, Don Hutchison, Allan Johnston, Paul Lambert, Neil McCann, Phil O’Donnell, Alex Rae
FORWARDS: Scott Booth, Mark Burchill, Paul Dalglish, Eoin Jess
The squad included no fewer than five uncapped players. Unfortunately, injury scuppered Rangers winger McCann’s hopes of making his Tartan Army debut, leading to a recall for Newcastle’s Stephen Glass. Burley, O’Donnell and Whyte also pulled out hurt, but they weren’t replaced.
One player who would get his first cap, though was Gould. The 31-year-old goalkeeper had been ever-present for John Barnes’ Celtic, who led the SPL by eight points from their Glasgow rivals. With his excellent ball-handling skills, he would provide stiff competiton for our current number 1 – Tottenham shot-stopper Sullivan.
Meanwhile at Ibrox, midfield workhorse Ferguson had established himself in Rangers’ first-team at the age of 22. He would also debut from the outset against Austria, with Hearts’ flamboyant right-winger Cameron on the bench.
Lastly, here’s a familiar name up front for Scotland. From 1971 to 1986, Kenny Dalglish won a national-record 102 caps and equalled Denis Law’s 30-goal haul. A decade after his retirement, King Kenny’s son Paul would walk in his footsteps after an impressive campaign at English Division 1 side Norwich.
SCOTLAND 0-1 AUSTRIA (Friendly)
An inauspicious start for this new era. Shortly after Ferguson sent an early effort over the bar, Gould had his backside burnt by an 11th-minute strike from Strasbourg frontman Mario Haas. That was the only goal of the game, as Austria’s experienced goalkeeper Franz Wohlfahrt stopped everything we threw his way.
Having lost three straight games, our early optimism had evaporated. We would definitely need to improve before the World Cup qualifiers began in September. Speaking of that, the draw had just taken place:
Cyprus, Macedonia and Malta would surely be easy pickings (famous last words). On the other hand, Denmark were World Cup Quarter Finalists, and Spain had potential to either explode or implode. Qualifying for the play-offs wouldn’t be easy, let alone winning the group and securing an automatic route to the finals.
APRIL 2000
A month later, I prepared my squad for the visit of Turkey, who were ranked 47th in the world compared to our 24th. (That’s a far cry from the Crescent-Stars’ performances at the real-life World Cup just two years later!)
Burley and O’Donnell were back in the squad for this match, as was one brand-new face. A season-ending rib injury to Whyte left us needing a centre-back, so I turned to 25-year-old Peter Handyside of Grimsby – ranked 17th in Division 1.
I had to scrape even deeper into the barrel after another injury to O’Donnell exposed our lack of left-wing depth. Rather than recall 35-year-old Tosh McKinlay from his Indian summer with Grasshopper in Switzerland, I brought back Fulham’s Iain Durrant – a relative spring chicken at 33.
Speaking of unlikely international returns, that brings me to Andy Goram, who captained us at Hampden Park against Turkey at the ripe old age of 36. Okay, so it was only in a ‘B’ international, but our reserves won 4-1 – and Motherwell’s party-animal goalkeeper kept a clean sheet while he was on the pitch. There really is hope for anyone!
SCOTLAND 2-1 TURKEY (Friendly)
Our ‘A’ team wasn’t looking too shabby either. A heroic clearance from Hendry stopped his centre-back counterpart Fatih from putting the Turks ahead after just five minutes. We had taken the lead ourselves by the 25th, as a selfless assist from 19-year-old Burchill gave Hutchison a simple tap-in.
Hopkin doubled our lead on 58 minutes, though only after his initial free-kick had to be retaken. Things were fairly straightforward from there, despite Galatasaray midfielder Tugay sending Turkey home with a late consolation goal.
And that was our lot our opening World Cup qualifier away to Denmark in September. The continent’s focus would soon turn towards Belgium and Holland – and the European Championship. But before that, here’s a quick summary of what happened elsewhere…
Celtic regained the SPL from Rangers, as Barnes avoided being dragged into the gutter by any Mary Poppins pun-inspiring upsets. Hearts finished 3rd and also won the Scottish Cup, beating Aberdeen 2-0.
Manchester United sauntered to another Premiership crown, finishing eight points clear of Liverpool. In the Red Devils’ absence, the FA Cup went to Arsenal (3-0 winners over Leeds), whose local rivals Tottenham lifted the UEFA Cup (1-0 winners over, erm, Leeds).
Real Madrid celebrated a record 8th European Cup, as Raúl’s brace saw off Valencia in the Champions League Final. Meanwhile, Leverkusen won the Bundesliga by 12 points, and Ulf Kirsten was named World Footballer of the Year. If only my first season at the BayArena had gone so well…
EURO 2000
It was now time for us to watch on in envy as the 15 best teams in European international football (and Kevin Keegan’s England) battled for continental supremacy. Here’s a quick lowdown of what went down in the Low Countries:
After playing out a dour goalless draw in the opening game, Holland and England would have contrasting fortunes in Group 1. The co-hosts recomposed themselves, narrowly beating Sweden before thrashing Slovenia to top the pool. England fell apart in a fateful defeat to the Swedes, leaving King Kev crying in the De Kuip toilets.
Yugoslavia took victories in their opening two games before grinding out the point they needed against Russia to top Group 2. Joining them in the Quarters were Italy, as Fiorentina forward Enrico Chiesa inspired them to a thrilling 3-2 win over Switzerland.
Portugal had captain João Pinto to thank for getting them out of Group 3, scoring in narrow victories over Spain and Germany either side of a draw with Norway. The German holders scraped into the last eight on goal difference, ahead of perennial underachievers Spain.
World champions France coasted through Group 4, as they won all three games and Richard Dutruel was unbeaten in goal. Our conquerors Romania narrowly missed out on 2nd place to Belgium, who salvaged a vital point against the Czech Republic.
Sweden were the first team through to the Semi Finals as Yugoslavia folded in Brussels. Yugoslav striker Predrag Mijatovic was sent off for a reckless challenge before two second-half goals eliminated his team.
There was more drama in Amsterdam, where Portugal eventually got past Belgium on penalties. Red Devils winger Bart Goor scooped the decisive spot-kick over and would soon concentrate on trying to keep George W Bush out of the White House.
The clash of world and European champions also went to penalties after a goalless draw. Germany’s traditional prowess from 12 yards saw them home, as Marco Bode eliminated France after compatriot Oliver Kahn had saved from Ibrahima Ba.
Their co-hosts might have gone, but Holland were the final team through to the last four. Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp was in flying form, netting twice in the first half as Dino Zoff’s Italy were sent packing.
There was plenty of Dutch courage in the first Semi Final, but the Oranje fell to their fiercest rivals Germany. Sven Kmetsch broke Holland’s resilience in the 108th minute before Oliver Neuville added a second goal for good measure. Note that there’s no golden goals rule here.
The second Semi only saw one goal, but it was enough for Portugal to reach their first European Championship Final. Sweden defender Patrik Andersson needlessly gave away a penalty in the 50th minute after fouling Sá Pinto. Rui Costa made no mistake from the spot to leave the ‘Golden Generation’ one win from immortality.
And boy did Portugal save the best for last! Talisman Figo might have broken his wrist in the 62nd minute, but an earlier hat-trick from João Pinto – who won the Golden Boot with five goals – had set up a famous victory. Another Costa penalty added to the misery of Germany, who completely lost their marbles when Fredi Bobic was sent off for headbutting Sérgio Conceição.
When Portugal controversially sacked manager Humberto Coelho in November and brought in Mário Reis, nobody thought the Selecção would be European champions. But after efficiently progressing through the rounds, they will host Euro 2004 as holders.
SEPTEMBER 2000
All roads now led to Japan and South Korea. The 2002 World Cup qualifiers were about to begin, and it was time for me to name my squad for our Group 8 opener in Denmark.
Handyside, Durrant and Booth all dropped out, with Everton’s tireless defender David Weir and Dundee United striker Billy Dodds coming back in. Meanwhile, a promising start to the season at Rangers meant McCann got another chance to earn his first cap.
Sadly, an ankle injury would rule out Ferguson, who had finished 3rd in the Scottish Player of the Year standings (behind Gers team-mates Gabriel Amato and Rod Wallace). Replacing the 22-year-old would be an even younger midfield prospect.
I’ll admit Willie Howie had escaped my radar until only a few months ago. Signed by Ipswich from Partick just after his 17th birthday, the skilful midfielder was a key part of George Burley’s senior set-up before too long. Little Willie helped himself to 18 goals as the Tractor Boys won promotion to the English Premiership as Division 1 champions.
Opportunity also knocked for the 26-year-old Hearts defender Steven Pressley, following an injury to Elliott. Sullivan was also out with a damaged shoulder, which meant Gould would start against Denmark, with Goram serving as an emergency back-up.
DENMARK 2-0 SCOTLAND (2002 World Cup Qualifying – UEFA Group 8, Match 1)
The Under-21s might have beaten the Danes on their own turf, but no such luck for the big boys. Our midfielders just couldn’t get a grip on the game, and had it not been for Gould, we might have been a long way behind at half-time.
Denmark’s persistence paid off in the 53rd minute, when Betis’ new £12million striker Peter Møller beat Gould from just outside the area. Defeat was sealed by Coventry’s wing wizard Mads Jørgensen midway through the half. Back to the drawing board, I guess…
Next up for us were Macedonia, who were unconvincing 2-1 home winners over Cyprus in their first game. That would be followed by a trip to Malta, who lost 3-0 to Spain.
OCTOBER 2000
I made several changes to the squad ahead of our October double-header. Elliott, Ferguson and Sullivan all returned from their injuries. Howie dropped into the Under-21s, while Gorman and Pressley were also removed – and so too were Dalglish and Jess. That’s because I found a couple of frontmen who actually looked capable of scoring from six yards out.
After eight games, the leaders of the SPL were not either Celtic or Rangers, but Motherwell. 22-year-old Well strikers Marc Anthony and Lee McCulloch had scored 14 goals between them and were rewarded with their first Scotland call-ups. Cleopatra would be proud.
Unbelievably, we didn’t lose anyone to injury in the build-up to the Macedonia game! I’d like to think that was partly down to me politely asking all SPL managers to stop throwing medicine balls at their players in training.
SCOTLAND 4-0 MACEDONIA (2002 World Cup Qualifying – UEFA Group 8, Match 2)
Now that’s dominance. 66% possession, 85% pass completion, 14 shots on target… and Barry Ferguson scored a hat-trick. Yes, THAT Barry Ferguson. The same guy who, in real life, scored three goals in 45 caps! Go figure.
The Rangers midfielder helped himself to a first-half brace with fierce strikes in the 18th and 27th minute. McCulloch then marked his debut alongside Anthony by heading in a Collins cross nine minutes from half-time.
Fergie continued to mash Macedonia midway through the second half, dribbling past captain Dragan Siljanovski before sealing his hat-trick. A stunning performance put us 2nd in the group behind Spain (who beat Denmark 1-0 after Peter Schmeichel broke his jaw).
Next up were Malta, who were ranked 108th in the world but had won their last game 2-0 in Cyprus. Surely the Falcons wouldn’t spring another surprise?
MALTA 0-2 SCOTLAND (2002 World Cup Qualifying – UEFA Group 8, Match 2)
For the first half-hour, we were clueless against Malta’s goalkeeper/captain David Cluett. He resisted pretty much every shot we fired at him – until the Scottish Young Player of the Year came alive in the 34th minute. Burchill smashed in Hopkin’s floated cross to score his first Scotland goal in his lucky seventh cap.
Another Tartan Army novice – albeit one who was a good decade older than Burchill – would break his international duck 12 minutes into the second half. After Cluett pushed McCulloch’s header behind, McCann whipped in a corner that Big Davie Weir finished with ease.
That wasn’t the easiest or prettiest victory, but it left us in a decent enough position going into the new year. That being said, we weren’t quite finished with 2000 yet…
NOVEMBER 2000
To finish my first full year as Scotland manager, Hampden Park played host to a friendly with Ukraine – and their iconic coach Valery Lobanovsky.
Erm… sorry ’bout that. Just got a horrible flashback to when Lobanovsky’s Dinamo Kiev knocked my Leverkusen team out of the UEFA Cup. I’m over it now. Really. I am.
With Boyd and Elliott injured, and Rae out of form, I made three changes to my squad. Midfield sensation Howie was back in after scoring five Premiership goals for Ipswich, while Aberdeen right-back Russell Anderson had just ‘graduated’ from our Under-21s. Also coming in was Watford’s 29-year-old centre-back Brian McAllister, who returned to the Scotland fold after a three-year absence.
SCOTLAND 1-0 UKRAINE (Friendly)
Cleopatra, comin’ atcha! Marc Anthony was our Hampden hero, serving up a stunning first international after 21 minutes. The SPL’s leading scorer – who had a dozen goals to his name now – sent a long-range stunner past Alexandre Shovkovskij after a fantastic assist from Ferguson.
Though we dominated Ukraine on the shot count, Shovkovskij was magnificent in their goal and single-handedly kept them in the game. It was just as well our defenders held their nerve when they had to, such as when captain Hendry made a goalline clearance from Ukraine’s St Mirren defender Sergei Baltacha.
With that, we finished 2000 on a three-game winning streak. The new guard is slowly but steadily progressing, and I feel like we’ve got every chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Let’s see how long that sense of optimism lasts…
This story will resume next Friday, when we’ll conclude the 2002 World Cup qualifiers – and hopefully book our flights to East Asia. I hope you will join me for that.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Fuller FM 
You must be logged in to post a comment.