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

Orangeandblue said:
Only undefeated team in the tournament.
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Did that stat not stand for decades afterwards? Only team to be eliminated from the group stage, despite being undefeated. I think it's happened since but, took a good few years.

My old man has highlights on VHS. The chances Scotland missed against Brazil were criminal.
 
Crown_Defender said:
Did that stat not stand for decades afterwards? Only team to be eliminated from the group stage, despite being undefeated. I think it's happened since but, took a good few years.

My old man has highlights on VHS. The chances Scotland missed against Brazil were criminal.
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I would think Argentina in 1986 would be the next undefeated team in the World Cup. The Bremner miss against Brazil was possibly the worst.
 
HandsomeHead said:
Such a typically Scottish boast.

We only played three games :D

After three games Brazil, Yugoslavia (both of them in the same group as us), East Germany, Holland, Sweden and Poland were also undefeated.

Unlike us though, all of them progressed to the knockout stages.
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I'm not boasting just stating a fact :)
 
mdingwall said:
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Just about half of the Leeds team who were league champions were in the Scotland squad , should have beaten Brazil,Peter Lorimer took a free kick from about 30 yards out he started his run up almost on the half way line it was a Lorimer thunder boots special that somehow the goal keeper managed to get his finger tips to tip it over the bar I don't think he saw it,it was just an instant reaction. Imagine how much the likes of Peter Lorimer and Billy Bremner would be worth today?
 
There was a real depth of talent with that squad.
There were players from the top teams in the old English 1st Division and the Scottish league which was a top league in those days.
If they had got out of the group I think they may have done well.
From what I remember their preparation and time together wasn’t exactly focused on winning the tournament.
 
savus said:
There was a real depth of talent with that squad.
There were players from the top teams in the old English 1st Division and the Scottish league which was a top league in those days.
If they had got out of the group I think they may have done well.
From what I remember their preparation and time together wasn’t exactly focused on winning the tournament.
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Some rowing practice as I recall
 
For someone who was an avid supporter and attender of Scotland matches in the 70s, I always felt we were really unlucky the years the tournaments fell. We had a really strong team between the 70 and 74 Finals, particularly in 72/73 but maybe one or 2 were just fading by summer 74. For me, the best Scotland team I watched was in the period 74 - 77 and again by the time summer 78 some significant players had maybe lost an edge, that and some inexplicable decisions by McLeod, such as wee fat Joe Harper instead of Derek Johnstone in Argentina.

Derek had been Scotland’s leading goal scorer that year with something over 40 goals in all completions, including Scotland’s only 2 goals in the pre-world cup Home International tournament.
 
adastra said:
For someone who was an avid supporter and attender of Scotland matches in the 70s, I always felt we were really unlucky the years the tournaments fell. We had a really strong team between the 70 and 74 Finals, particularly in 72/73 but maybe one or 2 were just fading by summer 74. For me, the best Scotland team I watched was in the period 74 - 77 and again by the time summer 78 some significant players had maybe lost an edge, that and some inexplicable decisions by McLeod, such as wee fat Joe Harper instead of Derek Johnstone in Argentina.

Derek had been Scotland’s leading goal scorer that year with something over 40 goals in all completions, including Scotland’s only 2 goals in the pre-world cup Home International tournament.
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Agree wholeheartedly, if the 78 World Cup had been in 77 when that team was at its peak, I could have seen us getting to the semis.

The DJ decision was farcical and not using Souness until the final game against the Dutch showed the limits of Ally McLeod
 
Orangeandblue said:
I would think Argentina in 1986 would be the next undefeated team in the World Cup. The Bremner miss against Brazil was possibly the worst.
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Bremner's one against Brazil was a nightmare, just think, had that gone in we'd have beaten the reigning World Cup Champions, though they were a much changed team to be fair, they were still Brazil.

But 1986, playing Uruguay, wee Strachan was clattered in the first minute, resulting in Uruguay going down to ten men. We pummelled them, but couldn't get that all important goal, with Steve Nicol (Liverpool) missing a sitter from about six yards, which resulted in the usual 'do come home too soon'.

There's a brilliant video on YouTube with it and the reaction from Ian St John (Saint and Greavsie) - tried to get it, but ............... technical issues.
 
chard said:
Agree wholeheartedly, if the 78 World Cup had been in 77 when that team was at its peak, I could have seen us getting to the semis.

The DJ decision was farcical and not using Souness until the final game against the Dutch showed the limits of Ally McLeod
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McLeod has been ridiculed for his hubris, however I don't think it's over the top to rate that squad as one of the better ones in that tournament. Considering there were only 16 teams involved I'd rate Scotland around the number 6 or 7 spot.
 
The 1982 squad has 16/22 players who had played or would go on to play in a European final. Would have been 17 but George Burley was injured and missed the 1981 UEFA cup Final.
 
Blue Jay said:
Bremner's one against Brazil was a nightmare, just think, had that gone in we'd have beaten the reigning World Cup Champions, though they were a much changed team to be fair, they were still Brazil.

But 1986, playing Uruguay, wee Strachan was clattered in the first minute, resulting in Uruguay going down to ten men. We pummelled them, but couldn't get that all important goal, with Steve Nicol (Liverpool) missing a sitter from about six yards, which resulted in the usual 'do come home too soon'.

There's a brilliant video on YouTube with it and the reaction from Ian St John (Saint and Greavsie) - tried to get it, but ............... technical issues.
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Fife flyer said:
I always felt sorry for him having a name like that. Imagine the confusion every time you were asked for your first or last name.
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He was one of a few players to play for Hearts Hibs and Medowbank Thistle.

I agree with being sorry through his name being what it is as I’m sorry for you as I know many Fly Fifers which I’m sure has caused you similar issues :p
 
senefelder said:
McLeod has been ridiculed for his hubris, however I don't think it's over the top to rate that squad as one of the better ones in that tournament. Considering there were only 16 teams involved I'd rate Scotland around the number 6 or 7 spot.
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Yep, it genuinely was a very talented squad, that let themselves down badly in the first game against Peru, then that draw with Iran ...... yes Iran. But in the usual Scottish way, we beat the 1974 Finalists and soon to be 1978 Finalists, Holland 3 - 2.

Three one up after Archie Gemmill's goal of the tournament, could we get another goal, we were all thinking, then both us and Holland will go through to the knockout rounds. It's Scotland remember, no chance ...... we've mastered the art at lifting the supporters, only to give them one almighty kick in the cojones. Up comes Johnny Rep with a cracking goal from thirty odd yards out, bugger ........ pack the cases boys, we're going home.
 
1974 was a great squad good manager ,1978 great squad weak manager weaker in midfield .And didn’t even scout opponents .Peru SA champions Iran easy win .Holland ,Christ sake one of the best .2 finals in a row
 
Strongest ever to play in the finals? No argument there! However, had they not tossed away qualifying for 1966 in an absolutely stupid fashion against Poland at Hamoden, the squad we would have taken to England would have been vastly superior.
 
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What really fucked us was Yugoslavia beating Ziare 9-0.you know what is mad if bremner scores that sitter Scotland were through and highly likely that Brazil would have been out.mind you would have meant playing the Netherlands in the semi final.
 
74 was a bit transitional, some of our players were past their best, some not quite there yet. 78 should have been so much better, the very best of the English first division along with the best from the Scottish league (treble winning Rangers) but MacLeod lost the plot.

Same in 82, European cup winners galore and still managed to arse it up.
 
Blue Jay said:
Bremner's one against Brazil was a nightmare, just think, had that gone in we'd have beaten the reigning World Cup Champions, though they were a much changed team to be fair, they were still Brazil.

But 1986, playing Uruguay, wee Strachan was clattered in the first minute, resulting in Uruguay going down to ten men. We pummelled them, but couldn't get that all important goal, with Steve Nicol (Liverpool) missing a sitter from about six yards, which resulted in the usual 'do come home too soon'.

There's a brilliant video on YouTube with it and the reaction from Ian St John (Saint and Greavsie) - tried to get it, but ............... technical issues.
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Strachan did get clattered and the sending off was totally justified.

The rest of the Uruguayan team didn’t think so though and spent the rest of the game hunting him down.

Strachan hid for the whole of the rest of the game. It was akin to also being down to ten men.
 
chard said:
Strachan did get clattered and the sending off was totally justified.

The rest of the Uruguayan team didn’t think so though and spent the rest of the game hunting him down.

Strachan hid for the whole of the rest of the game. It was akin to also being down to ten men.
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I recall Uruguay had Enzo Francescoli up front on his own. After the sending off (2 minutes max into the match), they went 4 4 1. Francescoli played as a 1 man forward line. They passed to him, he controlled and shielded the ball to take pressure off their midfield, we couldn't get the ball off him. Fantastic performance.
 
In 74 Denis Law was finished, we took him through sentiment, a reward for his career, we should have scored a lot more v Ziare, it was Scotlands best chance of doing something at a WC imho.
 
chard said:
We should have taken more off Zaire and beaten Yugoslavia
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I've read before that the thinking at the time was to take the foot off the gas after going 2-0 up against Zaire, in order to conserve energy for the Brazil game
 
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 ?
prower said:
I've read before that the thinking at the time was to take the foot off the gas after going 2-0 up against Zaire, in order to conserve energy for the Brazil game
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