Scotland's 1974 World Cup squad - our strongest ever?

[Adelphi Rab R]

I remember Bremner telling the team to take it easy, the game was won!

Can't get anyone to believe this when I tell them

 

[Adelphi Rab R]

An individually very talented group but I think the 77 version with the Rioch, Masson, Gemmill midfield was a better “team “

Agree with this.

 

[stonewall Jackson]

The Scotland team of 1965-66 were very good but prone to do what Scotland teams over the years do well, as in fail at the final hurdle through self inflicted shots to the head.

 

[Bluenote]

IMHO, our best squad that ever qualified for a major international tournament. That night in 1973 against Czechoslovakia at Hampden when Jordan scored with a diving header to send us through was just wondeful. I remember being at school during the group stages of the tournament in West Germany and our headmaster let us watch one of the group games in the assembly room just before the summer holidays (not a Scotland game, but iirc Sweden were involved, and won.) Around that time, my mates and I would try to predict the Scotland line up. We knew every player that was likely to be involved and could list the team off by heart. Changed days, can hardly name one these days. Just a shame that we couldn't have beaten Brazil or Yugoslavia, which we should have done and we sure should have scored more against Zaire. Tommy Hutchinson was a player by the way.

 

[JimmyBuffetloyal]

We should have taken more off Zaire and beaten Yugoslavia

We should have beaten Brazil too . Bremmers miss comes to mind ,and yes we should have run up a cricket score against the Africans .

 

[wullies bunion]

With only 3 teams in the group and only one going through it was much harder to qualify.

Dogged school for the Czech game I remember.

 

[Clicker]

I wouldn’t be surprised, it’s the sort of half arsed thinking that Scottish national sport indulges in. The tropical heat of Germany, how will we cope ?

Or the fact that because the 1978 finals were in South America, the Scotland jerseys were short-sleeved and lightweight material.
Every other team wore heavier long-sleeved jerseys because they realised that in June it was winter in South America.

 

[The Moon on Mars is Blue]

We had a better squad in the mid 60s but we were not well organised on or off the Park .

 

[max murray]

The 1962 team had some great players and missed out on qualification in a play off against the eventual runners up, Czechoslovakia.

Wasn't it Ian St John who was clean through on the Czech goalkeeper with minutes to go and put the ball over the bar? The Czechs went on to win in extra time.

 

[Blue Lou Boyle]

We had a better squad in the mid 60s but we were not well organised on or off the Park .

Harder to quality for a WC too.

Being drawn in the same qualifying group for Mexico 1970 with West Germany was a bum deal.

 

[Govan36]

And under a wee bit of pressure as the IRA was threatening to shoot them.