LET’S PLAY THE PARTY POOPER
McLeish says his inexperienced men have perfect motivation for dampening down expectations of countries jetting off to Russia
TEOFILO CUBILLAS. The man whose swinging hammer of a right foot put paid to the dreams and prophecies of one Scotland manager and inadvertently launched the international career of another. Alex McLeish was still a teenager when Cubillas stepped forward to twice rattle the ball past Alan Rough and help claim a 3-1 victory for Peru in the group opener at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
Both 20-yard strikes were spectacular but the second, a free-kick dispatched with the outside of his boot, is revered as one of the greatest ever World Cup goals.
Ally MacLeod was doomed from that moment onward as the tournament played out with a miserable draw against Iran and then a heroic, but ultimately meaningless, win over the Netherlands.
The SFA appointed Jock Stein, McLeish was introduced in time for the 1982 World Cup and Scotland retreated from a mindset that favoured bravado.
‘I’ve been watching World Cups since 1966, which I remember being in black and white,’ recalled McLeish. ‘But it was probably worse watching us getting gubbed by Peru.
‘We went with high expectations and then realised they were not too bad a team actually. We found that out the hard way.
‘I might have been back in Glasgow for the summer or even abroad on holiday, I’m not sure. But I think everybody wanted to buy the strip after that.
‘It gave way to a new era. Jock Stein picked a few of the younger ones and I got in in 1980. Youngsters tend to get their chance on the back of something that has not worked out. You find out whether guys who have had a good season at club level can make the leap to international level.’
Back in ’78, MacLeod could call upon Joe Jordan, Kenny Dalglish and Archie Gemmill. Jordan gave the team the lead in Cordoba but Don Masson’s weak penalty, taken with the score level at 1-1, bore a hallmark of complacency.
There should be no danger of the current squad underestimating the team clad in the distinctive diagonal red stripe.
Nine uncapped players have travelled while McLeish is trying to augment an already compromised pool of players with MLS men Danny Wilson and Sam Nicholson, who were hardly setting Scottish football alight before heading across the Atlantic.
Peru may not be among the favourites for this summer’s tournament but they are at least travelling to Russia and Tuesday marks their final home fixture before they head to the airport.
A fervent capacity crowd is expected at the 50,000seater national stadium.
‘The challenge is for the guys to show they can compete with two teams going to the World Cup,’ said McLeish (below). ‘Spoil their party — that is the motivation. We are Scots and when we are backed into a corner we look to come out battling. If the guys grab their opportunity then it is a win-win.
‘We are playing against two highly motivated teams. There are a lot of new guys in the squad and the motivation is obviously to win a Scotland cap, some of them for the first time.’
The decision to take on the trip to Peru and Mexico was taken under the watch of former SFA chief executive Stewart Regan and hardly seems an ideal assignment for McLeish as he tries to establish a new order ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifying process.
McLeish has taken the advice of Scotland’s new head of performance Graeme Jones in scheming his preparations and so, after playing Peru, his squad will not immediately travel to Mexico City, instead waiting until Friday ahead of Saturday’s evening kick-off.
McLeish, who played for Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, agrees that it is wise to limit time at altitude and so Mexico has essentially become a stop-off on the way home.
‘In terms of the physical demands, we will effectively need to play two different teams,’ he explained. ‘Playing at altitude makes you feel a bit lethargic. We have been advised and we are going out to Mexico the day before because of the altitude.
‘If you are there for longer that is where the lethargy creeps in. I spoke to one of the MLS coaches yesterday and he said that is exactly the right way to do it. They play games in Colorado and that is what they do — they are in and they are out.
‘We are hoping the boys can cope as well as they can with the heat, the pollution and the air in Mexico City.’
The coach in question was Peter Vermes of Sporting Kansas City, the current club of Johnny Russell, the third MLS-based player in the Scotland squad.
Russell burst on to the scene at Dundee United before moving south to Derby County, where he established himself as a decent Championship player and was named in several of Gordon Strachan’s squads.
After leaving the Midlands in January, the 28-year-old admitted he had lost his enthusiasm for the game only to rediscover it during an eye-catching opening to his career in the States.
‘Johnny has a maturity and experience now and he’s setting the place alight,’ said McLeish. ‘The MLS is no easy division, some of the Mexicans are in there with him.
‘He joins us right in the middle of his season, so he’s at his peak right now. I’m excited to see him in action. He’ll be a great option — he’s got good feet, he’s quick and lively and I’m sure he’ll bring his confidence into the camp. ‘We want them all to be as comfortable as possible, to feel the way they feel at their clubs. There are a lot of new faces but it’s a fantastic experience and we are asking them to embrace it.’