Second tier eager to know set-up in a week
BY ALAN MARSHALL
ROSS McARTHUR has told the SPFL they have just a week to sort out any reconstruction of the Championship.
The Dunfermline chairman admits the uncertainty over the makeup of the league next season isn’t helping the second-tier clubs as they try to thrash out a schedule.
The Championship sides have been discussing ways of fitting in as many games as possible when their season – expected to start in mid-October – gets under way.
But McArthur, who also sits on the SPFL board, admits a decision on reconstruction proposals from Hearts and Rangers could force them into another rethink.
The Pars chief said: “A decision really has to be made in the next couple of weeks for the Championship – and if there’s any mileage in reconstruction that has to happen in the next seven days.
“Over the next week we’ll hopefully have a better idea of whether reconstruction is going to happen, what number of teams is going to be in the division and then you can shape a programme from that, based on what tolerance there is in the fixture schedule.
“We need to try to get as many games in but it’s timing it, based on what you know now for months down the line.
“We’re trying to predict the unpredictable with the virus, so, we’re looking at 18 games, looking at 27, looking at different things like a split as well.
“It’s important we all get together and try to get a consensus amongst ourselves for something which will be viable for all the teams to compete in.
“Hopefully we can get an agreement sooner rather than later.”
BY FRASER WILSON
CRAIG BROWN famously joked Brazil were “sh***ing” themselves ahead of facing Scotland in the opening match of France 98.
But Colin Calderwood admits he was so nervous about taking on the samba superstars at the World Cup that he made a wrong move before he’d even got to the Stade de France tunnel.
The psyched-up stopper says he was just trying to avoid eye contact with Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Co when he was filmed taking a wrong turn out the dressing room.
His Scotland team-mates claim he was trying to make a run for it.
Either way, on this day 22 years ago Calderwood was a bag of jaggies as he went into that monumental occasion in Paris in front of 80,000 fans and a billion more worldwide.
In the end the Spurs defender was a rock in the heart of defence alongside Colin Hendry and Tom Boyd as Craig Brown’s Bravehearts found a whole new level of glorious failure.
Fighting back from the loss of a demoralising third-minute goal to level through a John Collins penalty was heaven for the Tartan Army.
To lose to the reigning champions because of the freakiest own goal was downright hell.
Calderwood recalled: “Without doubt that was the most nervous I had been before a game.
“We had sat through the opening ceremony, been out on the pitch in our kilts and the nerves were building the whole time. As the camera shows I was completely disorientated as I came out the dressing room.
“I liked to have a moment to myself, shouting and getting into the right frame of mind and I’ve been doing that as I come out and haven’t seen who is in front of me.
“Everyone has turned left and then here comes me roaring and screaming and I turn right… some guys thought I was trying to make a run for it!
“They had a team of iconic names. Ronaldo, Rivaldo, then they bring on Leonardo as a sub!
“Craig Brown joked they were scared of us in the tunnel but I can admit now – bravado or not – I was ever so slightly worried!”
As it turned out Calderwood wasn’t the only one to suffer a pre-match blooper ahead of potentially the biggest match in Scottish international football history. “We were travelling to the stadium the day before the game and Craig is holding a meeting to go over tactics,” he said. “Craig has asked our analyst to put the team up on the screen. But he must have meant the formation. “So the starting XI has gone up on the big screen. Craig is going on about formations but nobody was paying the blind bit of notice because the starting XI was up behind him! “Craig never swore much but I’m sure he did on this occasion when he eventually noticed. He told the boy ‘when I said put the team up I never meant put the TEAM up!”
But Brown’s battlers refused to lie down and eventually fought back to give the worldwide audience a show with more fizz than the lavish ceremony which had preluded the match.
One flighted ball into the box, a flick from Christian Dailly and Kevin
Gallacher hit the deck under a challenge from Sampaio. Penalty.
Collins – whose winking at the camera calmness during the national anthem was in stark contrast to Calderwood’s jitters – slotted home the spot-kick and sent hundreds of thousands of Scots worldwide into orbit.
Scotland even had chances to go ahead before that devastating blow 16 minutes from time.
Cafu broke into the box on the right but Leighton blocked his toe poke only for the rebound to hit Tom Boyd on the shoulder and trickle over the line.
Looking back Calderwood said: “For
us to concede the opener from a set-piece was disappointing.
“Everyone took a bit of a gulp – there was 87 minutes still to play. But we then found a way back into the game.
“John has stuck away the penalty and what a moment. The celebration in the corner is iconic but I was on the halfway line and didn’t want to waste too much energy.
“But to lose to that goal in the second half was a sickener. The pace that the ball trickled over the line was just typical of Scotland at major championships.”
Boss Brown this week recalled his bid to ease his players’ nerves and turn the heat on the Brazilians on that early evening occasion in Paris.
He said: “I remember seeing the Brazilians getting ready to come out and they were all holding hands.
“I went back in to our dressing room and said, ‘lads, they are holding hands ... they are sh***ing themselves from us!’
“It got a few laughs and Darren Jackson still talks about it today. He said it helped ease a bit of the tension.
“It was a lot of pressure. These guys had played in big games but when you are walking out for the first game at a World Cup finals against the defending champions, it’s probably the second biggest match in the world after the final itself.”