My Championship Manager 99/00 story has reached a crucial stage. It’s the summer of 2006, and Scotland are about to participate in their second consecutive World Cup under my management.
Just like in 1996 (see above), the Tartan Army have descended on England for a major tournament. Hopefully they’ll get out of the group this time – and maybe match or even better their heroics at Korea/Japan 2002!
If you want to see just how Scotland got here, you can revisit Part 9 in the link attached before reading on. If I loved bad puns, I’d suggest you “Czech it out”, but I don’t, so… oh.
2006 WORLD CUP
The 2005/2006 season had seen Celtic return to Scottish football’s summit, winning all three trophies in Héctor Cúper’s first full season as manager. The Bhoys lost only one game as they finished 14 points clear of Rangers in the SPL, battled past Airdrie in the League Cup Final, and then thrashed Kilmarnock to lift the Scottish Cup.
Manchester United made it three Premiership titles on the spin, staving off Leeds to equal Liverpool’s record of 18 English league championships. The FA Cup was won by Division 1 opposition for the second straight year, as a last-minute volley from midfielder Paul Watson secured Port Vale a famous win over Tottenham.
Barcelona secured a record-equalling fifth consecutive La Liga crown and then became the first team to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990. Dario Simic scored the 2nd-minute winner against Liverpool in an ill-tempered Final which saw his team-mate Ronaldinho and Reds striker Michael Owen each pick up red cards.
Inter had the chance to successfully defend the UEFA Cup, but fell short against city rivals Milan. Substitute winger Alberto Panozzo made himself a Rossoneri hero with his winning goal in the 89th minute.
Oh yes… and Dortmund and Schalke 04 were BOTH relegated from the Bundesliga. Bayern München were champions, of course.
Now, though, it was time for football to come home, as the World Cup was contested on English soil for the first time in 40 years. Scotland’s bid to upstage the Auld Enemy would begin with matches against Spain, Jamaica and Saudi Arabia in Group G. With Italy potentially awaiting in Round 2, winning the group would probably be vital.
I named 22 players who I would take with me to Scotland’s World Cup training base. With all our group matches in the north-west, it made sense to base ourselves in Preston, rather than Andy Goram’s suggestion of Buckinghamshire, where he and his compatriots had trained during Euro 96.
The biggest name to be kept at home was Russell Anderson, whose disappointing relegation season at Newcastle had ended with a groin injury. Veteran right-back Jackie McNamara missed out on a third World Cup, having played just five matches all season for Celtic.
Our oldest player at 34, Robert Douglas has solidified his status as first-choice goalkeeper for Celtic (where he is also captain) and Scotland. This quick-thinking shotstopper shows few signs of declining either. Should anything happen to Rab, I’d happily trust either Alan Combe (West Ham) or Andy McPherson (Aberdeen) to step in.
Hearts stalwart Kevin James is a real leader of men, and an aggressive stopper who’s almost unbeatable in the air. The left-footed centre-half will usually be joined by man-marking maestro Alan Archibald, who has enjoyed a solid season after returning to Manchester City.
30-year-old Paul Ritchie is an excellent covering defender who returned to the Scotland set-up after a mid-career renaissance at Derby. Fourth-choice centre-back Kevin McCann received his first call-up in over a year, having been one of Charlton’s top performers in Division 1 this term.
Manchester United only conceded 16 league goals this season, and Craig McCulloch was a big reason behind that. With his strength, tactical awareness and crossing ability, he is on track to become one of the world’s top right-backs. 21-year-old Brian Donaldson – who’s just joined Liverpool from Tottenham for £2.1million – looks set to reach those heights too.
Former United left-back Steven Hammell has taken his game to the next level at Inter, becoming a pacey dribbling wizard and a selfless creative force. The 23-year-old’s understudy is Rangers’ Gary Naysmith, who is a little more solid defensively and was named in the SPL Team of the Year.
He doesn’t turn 24 until the day of the Final, but Willie Howie already has so much top-level experience. The ‘Scottish Sorcerer’ is a tireless mezzala with an impressive scoring record, and he’s not bad at set-pieces either. At times, he has overshadowed the great Barry Ferguson, who made 11 assists at Deportivo this term.
In defensive midfield, we now have Robert Wilson – a strong-tackling 21-year-old with outstanding passing ability. Despite playing in Division 1 for Everton, he’ll likely get the nod ahead of Gary Mason, who’s performed in a similar role for top-flight Aston Villa for some time now.
Allan Johnston is one of the few survivors from my first Scotland game in 1999. Though the versatile attacking midfielder has never really excelled on international duty, his explosiveness and unpredictability have always kept him in favour. Could this be the Chelsea man’s Tartan Army swansong?
Rangers’ left-footed master Neil McCann is on course for legendary status at Ibrox, and the 31-year-old is still putting in strong performances for his country. Versatile 22-year-old Michael Balfour has had his best ever top-flight season at Manchester City, earning him a £5million transfer to Premiership giants Leeds.
Prolific speed demon Mark Burchill is our most-capped player and scores at a rate of one goal in every three caps. After netting 148 senior goals for Celtic, a strong showing at England 2006 might earn him a big move abroad. As ever, he’ll likely be joined in attack by Rangers’ Marc Anthony, who now has 23 goals in just 33 caps.
Tottenham’s Jermaine McSporran heads into his first tournament in the form of his life, having finished as the Premiership’s joint-top scorer on 17 goals. Fellow 29-year-old Paul Dalglish was just two behind him for Chelsea, giving us FOUR quality options up front. How on Earth can I accomodate them all?!
GROUP STAGE
We would be heroes for more than one day if we could cause a major World Cup upset on English soil. Honestly, I didn’t think we could actually go on to lift the trophy, but another run to the Quarter Finals would do me nicely. The SFA board – optimistic as ever – were just hoping we’d get out the group.
The tournament kicked off at Wembley on 7 June with a spectacular opening ceremony, followed by the match everybody was anticipating… erm, a 2-1 win for Canada against Romania in Group A. Holders Sweden thrashed Iran 4-0 later that day, while England got off to an ignominious start two days later, drawing 1-1 with Morocco.
We entered the fray on 12 June – the sixth day of competition – by facing Spain at Anfield. Head coach José Antonio Camacho had inexplicably left both Raúl and Xavi at home, but I was still expecting a tough Spanish inquisition on Merseyside.
SPAIN vs SCOTLAND (2006 World Cup – Group G, Match 1)
Boy, did Spain ask a lot of questions of us! After Andrés Palop saved early efforts from Howie and Anthony, La Furia Roja launched their first offensive in the 19th minute. Barcelona superstar Dani dribbled past Archibald and McCulloch before unleashing a fierce shot that caught Douglas off his guard.
Our goalkeeper’s day wouldn’t get any better. Real Madrid winger José Antonio Reyes doubled the Spanish lead in the 26th minute before setting up Dani’s second goal, which left us 3-0 down after half an hour.
Spain were cruising to victory, but we did manage to strike back before half-time. On 33 minutes, Howie fed a lovely ball to Anthony, who duly tucked away his 9th career World Cup goal. With that, our deficit was cut down to 3-1, and there was still hope…
…or at least there was until the 69th minute. Our opponents continued to stroke the ball around the pitch in their tiki-taka style before Fernando Morientes played in Dani, who lobbed Douglas to complete his hat-trick.
Substitute midfielder Neil McCann grabbed a second Scottish goal seven minutes later, but that only proved to be a consolation. After a 13-match unbeaten run, we had crashed back down to terra firma.
The other Group G match earlier that day had seen Jamaica lose 1-0 to Saudi Arabia. That meant our meeting with the Reggae Boyz at Manchester City’s Maine Road ground seven days later was effectively an eliminator.
Ferguson would miss that game through suspension, and he wasn’t our only regular starter ruled out. A heel injury in training ended McCulloch’s tournament early, which meant a recall for Russell Anderson, who was almost ready to return from a groin injury.
SCOTLAND vs JAMAICA (2006 World Cup – Group G, Match 2)
After his horror show against Spain, I dropped Douglas and put Combe between the posts for just his seventh cap. At the other end, Jamaica’s goalkeeping captain Warren Barrett was earning his 166th cap, which he began by making a strong save to deny Anthony an early goal.
The opening stages saw chances at both ends before we suffered a devastating blow in the 22nd minute. Hammell pulled up suddenly just as Barrett was keeping out a fierce shot from Burchill, with a knee ligament injury bringing his World Cup to an end. Naysmith came off the bench in his place.
Losing a key man so early dented our confidence, and it looked like we would head into the break with the deadlock still intact. Then our strike force linked up to break the Reggae Boyz’ resistance, with Burchill’s right-wing cross teeing up Anthony’s 25th Scotland goal – one more than the great Hughie Gallacher managed.
With that, the floodgates burst wide open. Three minutes into the second half, we went 2-0 up after Burchill’s shot was turned into the net by Jamaican defender Darren Moore. Substitute Mason effectively sealed the points just before the hour mark with a scorcher from distance.
An offside call stopped us going 4-0 up in the 82nd minute, when Burchill’s diving header from Neil McCann’s cross was chalked off. More disappointment came seven minutes later, when veteran Jamaica striker Wolde Harris ruined Combe’s clean sheet. But whatever… at least we were off the mark.
As expected, Spain won 3-0 over Saudi Arabia to secure their place in Round 2. That meant our match against the Green Falcons at Ewood Park in Blackburn four days later would decide who joined them. Our better goal difference meant we could afford a draw, whereas the Saudis had to go for the win.
Left-back Dominic Matteo – who’d just returned to Tottenham from Wigan – was drafted in as Hammell’s replacement. With a thigh injury also ending Archibald’s tournament early, Port Vale centre-half Paul Rudden came into the side as well.
Ferguson came back for our all-or-nothing match, but with James and Mason now serving suspensions, the captaincy was passed on to Howie. Could Willie help us get the point we needed to qualify for the knockout phase?
SAUDI ARABIA vs SCOTLAND (2006 World Cup – Group G, Match 3)
Marc Anthony certainly could! Only Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law had now scored more Scotland goals than the 28-year-old, who added to his tally after just two minutes. A first-time square ball from Wilson allowed Anthony to blast in his 11th World Cup goal – a new record for a British footballer.
But Marc wasn’t finished yet! We cruised through the first half before our top marksman hit the target again on the stroke of half-time. After a low strike from Burchill had hit the post, Anthony latched onto the rebound and blasted it into the top corner for 2-0!
At that point, we were probably expecting our passage to Round 2 to be very smooth. Two of Saudi Arabia’s most experienced players had other ideas, though. Goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Deayea was determined to save everything we fired his way, while a diving header from striker Sami Al-Jaber halved our lead in the 65th minute.
That meant the closing moments were much more nervous than they perhaps could’ve been. Wilson had to hack a potential equalising free-kick from Hussain Abdul-Ghani Sulaimani off the line before the final whistle confirmed our progression.
We had finished 2nd in Group G, with Spain’s 3-1 win over whipping boys Jamaica seeing them through undefeated. But what happened elsewhere?
Sweden’s title defence began very strongly, with three straight wins in Group A. Iran bounced back from an early 4-0 thrashing at the champs’ hands, drawing with Romania before pipping Canada to 2nd place.
Colombia were the winners of a competitive Group B that was unexpectedly turned on its head! Germany exited without a single win, while Emmanuel Duah’s late goal in Ghana’s 2-0 win over Portugal saw the Black Stars through by the slimmest of margins!
England made up for an unconvincing start by beating Belgium and China to top Group C. Belgium’s Red Devils joined the hosts in Round 2, with an undefeated Morocco side exiting after drawing all three of their matches.
Argentina were always likely to win Group D at a canter, doing so with a 100% record. South Korea also booked their knockout place early, while Macedonia beat fellow debutants Senegal in a dead rubber.
There were no surprises in Group E either, with neither Bolivia nor Mexico ever threatening to upset the favourites. Top spot was decided by a five-goal thriller at The Valley, where Euro 2004 champions Denmark came from 2-0 behind to defeat Brazil.
Joe F***ing Kinnear was unusually calm after the Republic of Ireland topped Group F with a 1-0 win over a France side who’d already qualified. That result eliminated Wales, who at least went home happy after defeating rookies Mali 4-1.
Italy were the favourites to top Group H, but Juan González’s 9th-minute winner for Uruguay in their opening game put them on a different path. The Azzurri had to overcome Russia and Nigeria to qualify behind the defensively solid Celeste.
That meant we would play Uruguay – NOT Italy – in Round 2 at Wembley. Sounds like a less daunting challenge, right? Yeah, about that…
ROUND 2
I was expecting us to have at least a few days off before beginning the knockout phase. We actually had less than 48 hours to rest up before travelling down to London to take on stiff South American opposition. If we were to reach the Quarter Finals again, we’d have to do it the hard way.
Make no mistake, Uruguay were a real force. Daniel Passarella’s side reached the final of the 2005 Copa America, only losing to Argentina on penalties, and were on an 18-match run without losing inside 90 minutes.
URUGUAY vs SCOTLAND (2006 World Cup – Round 2)
Unsurprisingly, I had to reshuffle my pack to account for the short turnaround. Howie wasn’t fit to start, so Mason got the nod in midfield, and he almost created a goal within eight minutes. Alas, James’ header from his corner was hacked off the line by Uruguay right-back Serafín García.
Another big call saw Douglas return to goal in place of Combe. La Celeste hardly tested Rab in the first half, with main striker Diego Alonso missing three chances before he was subbed on the stroke of half-time. Our own attack was similarly ineffective, so it remained 0-0 at the break.
The second half proved to be similarly low-quality. Betis frontman Fernando Correa did force Douglas into a save in the 65th minute, though that was as threatening as Uruguay got. Our own substitute striker McSporran would have a chance to win the game in the last minute, but he fired it against the woodwork.
Extra-time it was, then, and that was when Ferguson’s big-game experience came to the fore. Three minutes after the restart, Fergie picked out the run of Johnston, who burst behind the backline and then slotted the ball home for just his fourth Scotland goal! What a game to score it in!
Uruguay were crestfallen, and we killed them off in the 113th minute when Anthony continued his scoring run from Johnston’s through-ball. That was Marc’s fifth goal of this World Cup, putting him top of the Golden Boot standings!
Unbelievably, Scotland were into their second consecutive World Cup Quarter Final! Who else had made it into the last eight?
The knockout round began with a 2002 Semi Final rematch, where Emanuel Bentil delivered sweet revenge for Ghana as Sweden were overthrown and Patrik Andersson was sent off. Argentina also needed a solitary goal to see off Belgium’s challenge.
Our Quarter Final opponents were decided at Ewood Park, where Denmark and France fought out a close match. In the end, though, it was Les Bleus who won through 2-0 after goals from Nicolas Anelka and Laurent Leroy.
England’s hopes of a second World Cup win on home soil stayed alive, as Robbie Fowler and company proved far too strong for South Korea. Next up for Kevin Keegan’s side were Colombia, who dominated Iran statistically yet left it late to secure victory.
Italy drew first blood against Spain, but it was La Furia Roja who progressed after two goals from Dani, who was now on six for the tournament. The round ended with JFK yelling expletives after Brazil’s Marcos Assunção downed the Republic of Ireland.
QUARTER FINALS
So it was France who awaited us next. On 30 June 2006 (the exact date my late cat Biskit was born), we battled Les Bleus for a Semi Final spot at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light – Howie’s home ground. Were the omens in our favour?
Injury fortune certainly was. France boss Paul Le Guen had three of his four recognised strikers – Anelka, Peguy Luyindula and David Trezeguet – out injured. By contrast, all our players were available, though Anthony was on 73% condition and was in no shape to start.
FRANCE vs SCOTLAND (2006 World Cup – Quarter Final)
After a nervy start from both sides, the match caught fire in the 30th minute. Having not yet scored at this tournament, Burchill finally broke his duck when he latched onto a killer pass from Johnston and blasted it past goalkeeper Eric Loussouarn. Scotland were leading France 1-0 in a World Cup Quarter Final!
Of course, Les Bleus responded with force, launching several assaults on our goal. Douglas proved up to the task, saving everything that came his way… until centre-back Djibril Diawara headed home a corner from Ibrahim Ba. 1-1.
France had identified our weakness. When they won another corner just before half-time, Diawara’s partner Valérien Ismaël got his head to Ba’s delivery and left us trailing at the break.
With Naysmith and Howie both struggling, I brought on Matteo and Mason and switched to a riskier counter-attacking approach. Alas, that backfired, as although a 55th-minute goal from Daniel Moreira was ruled out for offside, his next strike three minutes later did put France 3-1 up.
Our shoulders slumped at that point, making the final half-hour an anti-climax. Anthony didn’t even get off the bench as our World Cup dream died in the north-east. Lights out.
Like Yugoslavia four years ago, France had proven too strong for us. Who would accompany them in the Semis?
There was to be no repeat of Ghana’s dream run in East Asia. Hernan Jorge Crespo’s early double for Argentina blew the Black Stars away, and further strikes from Walter Gaitán and Matías Almeyda finished the tie off before half-time.
Brazil vs Spain went all the way to penalties following a scrappy goalless draw. After seven rounds, Brazil keeper Dida produced the decisive save from Luis López to keep the Seleção on track for a record fifth World Cup.
Then again, football really might be coming home! Colombia midfielder Johnnier Montano had put England on the brink when Fowler came to their rescue, scoring in the 90th minute, and then again in stoppage time! Was this their year?
SEMI FINALS
The first Semi Final between Argentina and France ended 0-0, and it was Les Bleus who were left rueing their misses. Ba blazed over their fifth penalty in the shoot-out before Argentina left-back Daniel Fagiani secured the Albiceleste’s place at Wembley. After three Copa America victories, would Marcelo Bielsa now get to lift the big one?
If so, he’d have to break millions of English hearts. The Three Lions were surprisingly dominant against Brazil, with Michael Owen scoring twice either side of a header from Kieron Dyer. However, Dyer would miss the Final after picking up a second yellow card for scything down Denilson.
3RD-PLACE PLAY-OFF
Despite losing Emerson to an extra-time red card in two hours of mediocre football, Brazil ultimately prevailed over France on penalties. Dida was their spot-kick hero again, saving from Moreira as the Seleção consoled themselves with the bronze medals. But who would take the gold?
FINAL
There was no fairytale ending for Keegan’s England. Argentina flew out of the traps at Wembley, with Ariel Arnaldo Ortega beating Paul Robinson in just the first minute. After that, the Albiceleste brilliantly neutralised Fowler and Owen, leaving Alan Pouton as the Three Lions’ biggest attacking threat.
After 69 minutes, Argentina secured their third World Cup, and also ensured they would host the 2010 tournament as holders. The killer blow came from Javier Saviola, who buried a close-range finish from Federico Lussenhoff’s square ball. After a decade of bitter disappointment, though, England could at last say they had a national team to be proud of.
This had also been a positive tournament for Scotland, who’d reached another Quarter Final. Marc Anthony again narrowly missed out on the Golden Boot – falling one short of Dani’s six-goal haul for Spain – and was named on the World Cup Dream Team bench. Not bad for a nation of perennial underachievers, eh?
I’ve done what I had set out to do with the Tartan Army, and now only one challenge remains. We will be co-hosting Euro 2008 with Wales, which gives me a real chance to end my tenure with some major silverware. It will be a challenge to ensure we can seriously compete with the likes of England, France, Italy and Portugal… but I’m up for it.
Port Vale won the FA Cup, Scotland reached a second World Cup Quarter Final, and Kevin Keegan almost led England to global glory. What a strange universe this is!
I’ll continue this story next Monday, as Scotland begin their preparations for the Euros. In the meantime, there’ll be another post on Friday – the second part of a mini-series looking at where some CM99/00 cult icons are now.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Fuller FM 
You must be logged in to post a comment.