Scotland's "Glorious Failures" Outplay Holland With Total Football

I may only be 24 but I most certainly know about and have a long association with the term “glorious failure.”

Many must look at tonight’s result and say “I’m glad I’m not Scottish” and many Scots tonight may wish they were not but not me.

I’m proud of the team tonight, a team which finally looked like they deserved to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa next year.

“Glorious failure”

Scotland, even in my life time, have always promised so much but delivered so little, and have in fact got less reward for playing well than they have for playing poorly.

Glorious failure is going out with your head held high, defeat when you have given your all and is the Scottish national football team’s favourite result.

Tonight we pounded Holland, yet it was tonight our World Cup dream is well and truly dead.

The past

In 1996 we were down against England at the European Championships by a goal to nil but were coming back into the game and looking dangerous when they won a penalty. Had Gary McAllister managed to avoid David Seaman with the penalty, we would surely have gone on to win?

1998, and Scotland are at their second major football tournament in succession. They open the World Cup against Brazil in front of the world coming back from a goal down to level through a John Collins penalty, and not even the best team in the world were going to beat them. They beat ourselves however, as the ball ended up in our own net off the unfortunate Tom Boyd.

In the play off for Euro 2000 we lost the first leg 2-0 to England at Hampden Park and to the world, the tie appeared over but not according to Scotland.

The “glorious failures” outplayed their rivals that day and at 1-0 up Christian Dailly’s bullet header was somehow saved by that man Seaman again. Had it gone in no-one in the ground was in any doubt as to who would have gone on to win that tie?

Two years ago Scottish football once again began to flourish after a half a decade in decline, but in true Scottish spirit we did it in a European Championship qualifying group containing the World Champions Italy, former Euro and World Champions France and the not-so-bad Ukraine led by Andriy Shevchenko.

Scotland needed a win with two games to go following two magnificent victories over the French but a loss to Georgia set up the usual epic battle. A final game at home to the World Champions which Scotland simply had to win.

Scotland came back from a goal down to draw level thanks to Barry Ferguson and with 10 minutes to go Hampden saw James McFadden, the hero of the campaign, at the back post but the fans favourite couldn’t steer his effort on target and the dream was once again over.

Eleven years in the darkness

So to the nineth of the nine, 2009, and Scotland once again need a miracle at home to one of the world’s top nations. It is Holland this time and thanks to earning one point from two ties with Norway, nothing but a win will do once again.

It has been over 11 long years since the “glorious failure” against Brazil in France and Scotland is hungrier than it has ever been to once again join the world’s elite at a major tournament.

Holland had already qualified but were looking to make it eight wins from eight in group nine at Hampden against a Scotland team minus arguably its two best players. Playmaker James McFadden was suspended and keeper Craig Gordon was injured.

But it didn’t stop Scotland who arguably put in one of their all time best performances against a team ranked number three on the planet.

They ignored Dirk Kuyt’s early effort off the post, and from that moment on, there was only ever going to be one winner....or was there?

A legitimate Steven Naismith goal was disallowed; we twice hit the woodwork through Naismith and Kenny Miller; twice powerful shots spun wide off the Dutch keeper, and sadly, twice Scotland failed to score with chances inside the six yard box.

My country had stabbed the Dutch to within an inch of their lives’ but without landing a fatal wound, Holland were always destined to strike the killing blow, and substitute Eljero Elia’s goal ten minutes from time left a country in despair.

But despair for me has been overcome by pride.

Never before have I witnessed my country destroy a world beater, but tonight in front of over 50,000 of the best fans on earth, they went toe-to-toe with the Dutch and in my eyes, gave them a total footballing lesson, before inevitably succumbing to their destiny of “glorious failures.”

It may not be an appearance at a World Cup but it will just have to do.