SIGNEUL OUT TO BUCK NATIONAL TREND
SCOTLAND WOMEN’S manager Anna Signeul’s message to her team tonight will be: We don’t want to be ‘Scottish’ again. The Swedish coach is sick of her adopted nation being looked at as gutsy, gallant losers in the most unfortunate of circumstances — an image she has spent eight years trying to shed. Tonight, Scotland face the biggest of stages to change that reputation. Win by two goals against Spain in Deventer and a spot in the European Championship quarter-finals could beckon in their first major tournament. Signeul, the manager of this team since 2005, has been through years of dramatic failure which even brought her to the brink of a heart attack at one point. She can recall all of the details of how it’s fallen apart in qualifying in the past: Russia — on away goals in 2008, Spain — in extratime in 2012, Holland — in 2014 when playing a woman down due to a nosebleed and that cost Scotland a goal early on. But if England beat Portugal and Scotland can triumph with a twogoal margin against the team that ended their Euro qualifying dream five years ago, all the past heartache will be forgotten. Now, Signeul hopes the performance here in Holland isn’t defined as ‘Scottish’ in a negative sense. ‘After the first play-off for the European Championships in 2009, we lost 3-2 to the Russians at Tynecastle and won 2-1 in Russia, but went out on the away goals rule,’ she recalled. ‘A journalist called me in Nalchik in Russia and he said: “Well Anna, this is how it is to be Scottish. Welcome to the club”. ‘I said: “I refuse to be Scottish then, I don’t want to be Scottish if this is what it means to be Scottish”. We don’t want to be like that.’ After a hard-fought loss against Portugal followed the heavy defeat by England, though, Scotland’s Women will certainly need some of the grit that tends to be linked with teams from this country. But Spain pose particularly painful memories. They met La Roja in the play-offs for the European Championships in 2012, drew both legs 1-1 and then went to extratime in Madrid. A further goal each had the Scots due to qualify on away goals before Veronica Boquete netted with the last kick of the game, two minutes into stoppage time, for another plunge on the emotional rollercoaster. ‘Honestly, I’ve had a career playing all different sports and I’ve been so competitive as an athlete and lost, but I have never ever physically felt so ill,’ said Signeul. ‘I thought I would actually have a heart attack. All the blood dropped in my body, it disappeared because I could not believe it was true. ‘You can be mentally angry or disappointed but I was physically sick. ‘I dropped to the floor. I couldn’t stand up. I have never felt so ill by football or sport. ‘When I saw Boquete’s goal went in, it was impossible. I can feel the pain still.’ If results do not go their way, tonight’s game will be Signeul’s last as Scotland manager. It may also be the final bow for captain and goalkeeper Gemma Fay.