England's Friendly Against Scotland Is a Complete Joke

England's football rivalry against neighbours Scotland is one of football's most fascinating and enthralling fixtures to watch. The upcoming friendly on Wednesday evening, however, will almost certainly be far from a classic derby. 

This is not to play down the importance of the match in a historical sense.

England vs. Scotland is the oldest international clash in world football, having taken place for the first time in 1872. The teams have played 110 times against each other, with England holding a slight advantage over their rivals to the north, the Auld Enemy winning 45 times to Scotland's 41. 

Looking at August 14's game, however, it is hard to ignore the suspicion that it is the Football Association's accountants, and not fans of the two nations, who are most excited about the friendly. The game will mark part of the celebrations of the FA's 150th anniversary—a notable landmark, and one of course worth celebrating.

The timing, however, is most questionable. 

The friendly kicks off just three days before the Premier League season begins. With Roy Hodgson having called up a near full-strength England team, this means that the country's biggest clubs have been robbed of the chance to put final touches on their preparations.

More importantly, they run the risk of seeing valuable stars injured for the start of the season; if there is one thing England-Scotland games are famous for, it is for their uncompromising physical play. 

One can imagine, for example, that Manchester United's David Moyes, three days away from his official debut with the Red Devils after assuming the mammoth task of succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson, would be less than amused if one or more of the eight players his team have on international duty pick up knocks that keep them out of the Premier League's first fixtures. 

Of course, a mixture of nostalgia and historical enmity keeps the calls for regular repeats of this match alive.

While up until 1989 England and Scotland played almost every year, it has been 14 years since they last clashed. Some observers, such as current Scotland manager Gordon Strachan in declarations picked up by the Daily Mail, believe a resumption of that annual clash would be beneficial for both nations: 

"

Yes. I think it would be good if everything went to grassroots football on both sides of the Border. Everybody would be pleased with that. Although it’s a busy fixture list now in football.

I don’t think there’s any aggressiveness towards England. Our fans are just proud of who we are and what we are. That manifests itself now in good behaviour. Thirty or 40 years ago it was aggressive. I don’t think it’s that way now. We know how to support our team. It’s like a badge of honour for our fans.

"

Those unforgettable games of yesteryear, such as in 1967 when Scotland claimed the title of world champions after Jim Baxter bamboozled Alf Ramsey's England on the way to a 3-2 win, deserve their place in the annals of football history and as memories of what was a brilliant football rivalry. But these artificial attempts to rekindle the match, shoehorned just days before hostilities start in the league, are an insult to those great matches past. 

England vs. Scotland deserves our respect, but Wednesday's ill-thought-out, badly timed spectacle will only serve to stain the brand that the FA are trying to create with this most venerable of derbies.