‘GEORGIA GAME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GERMANY CLASH’

IS there anything bigger than meeting the world champions within the crammed confines of Hampden Park? The answer, James McFadden would argue, can be found in Tbilisi this evening.

Germany’s visit to Glasgow on Monday may loom as the most high-profile assignment for Gordon Strachan’s side over the entire Group D schedule.

McFadden, though, is in no doubt that the first part of this latest Euro 2016 double-header — against a team ranked 147 in the world by FIFA — is more significant in terms of pursuing qualification.

It is a view obviously influenced by history. Eight years ago, McFadden was part of a previously ebullient Scotland side that slid to an infamous 2-0 defeat in Georgia. The damage done to our Euro 2008 ambitions proved irreparable.

‘Georgia is a bigger game than the Germany one,’ insisted McFadden, who attained iconic status with the Tartan Army over the course of collecting his 48 caps.

‘Germany will be favourites and, if they win, then we know we will have given them a good game. But for the Georgia game, it is more or less down to us how we approach it. ‘It is a game for the Georgians to go and represent their country, play for national pride and put a show on for their fans. There is no pressure on them, which makes it even more difficult. But if we play the way we did in the first game against them (a 1-0 win at Ibrox), I think we will be all right. ‘The Germany game takes care of itself. Historically, we do well in the big games at Hampden. It is a game to look forward to.

‘The Georgia game is massively important — we have to go there and win. Playing against Germany can be put to the back of our minds, the important thing is to go to Tbilisi and win.’

McFadden’s visit to Georgia came one month after he earned an indelible place in Scottish football folklore when his 30-yard strike defeated France i n Paris. The contrast in emotion between the two matches could scarcely have been greater.

Beating Ukraine in between times had bolstered belief in qualifying from a fearsomely difficult group. Going to Tbilisi was meant to be the straightforward part.

‘I don’t think we laid a glove on them,’ the 32-year-old grimaced in recollection. ‘Their goalie was 17, they had a 16-year- old in midfield and a 17-year-old up front.

‘Maybe, sub-consciously, we took our foot off the gas because we thought it should be easy.

‘It was a tough game. I still should have had a penalty (with Scotland 1-0 down), it was a definite penalty that could have changed the game.

‘I think that was the one that got away. If we had won, then we wouldn’t have had to get three points against Italy in the final qualifier. We could have drawn it and still qualified. The way we played in t hat campaign we probably should have.

‘We don’t want to go away again and say: “We should have won that game”.

‘Gordon Strachan will have the boys ready. They will be up for it because there are ones in there who have been involved in near misses or whatever. And they want to go and play at a major championships.

‘I wouldn’t say it eats away at you, but when it comes round again you think we had a great chance. Obviously, when you are watching the finals you want to sample them, see what it is like.

‘At the end of the day, you want to go and test yourselves against the best teams. It is disappointing and I don’t think it is something that will ever leave you — the regret that you never got there.’

While the time has passed for McFadden to realise his ambition of gracing a major finals, he feels Strachan’s current squad have the mentality to get over the line.

‘Since Gordon came in, the style has changed,’ said McFadden. ‘We are all going into games believing we are going to win them.

‘Not that we didn’t before but I think that element of the glorious failure, it is not there in the same way. We have a belief we can go and win any game we play in.

‘Gordon likes to set up a hightempo game and that is the way the games have been. We have good players, good energy, good legs and he will go and try to exploit it.

‘I don’t think he will be worrying about how Georgia are going to play. It will be about how we play. We have decent players and if we go and apply ourselves right, we will win.’

McFadden has been without a club since leaving St Johnstone at the end of last season. He is, however, currently training with Motherwell and will be in action at Fir Park tomorrow in captain Keith Lasley’s testimonial match. Neil Lennon’s Bolton Wanderers provide the opposition in the 3pm kick-off.

‘He is a player who has definitely been under- rated through his career,’ McFadden said of Lasley. ‘There are players who have had a chance with Scotland through their careers, and maybe you think why could he not have had a chance?

‘Of course, it would have been tough but other people got the chance to go and train and maybe stake a claim and he never quite got that chance.

‘He probably won’t admit it — because nobody ever does — but at times he would likely have been quite upset not to be involved or even spoken about.

‘He fits the bill as a Motherwell stalwart. He has been about for ages and puts in a great shift for the team. He sets his standard and he deserves his testimonial. He has been a great servant.’