TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED
Hubnik back to haunt Scotland as makeshift Czechs vow they will fight like lions for win
OUR old bogey man has come out of retirement in the hope of haunting us once more. The hastily promoted head coach is busy sounding blood-curdling battle cries, warning the Scots not to dare underestimate the journeymen, kids and veterans called up in a five-hour recruitment frenzy.
Provided the Czech FA find enough properly trained cleaners to satisfy Covid regulations, then, the stage is set.
And some still insist that the Nations League is a dull competition? In terms of entertainment, the build-up to this single Group B2 clash has been off the charts.
We’ve had plot twists, dramatic tension, plus the kind of crossed-wires comedy that has kept touring actors in gainful employment for decades.
Unfortunately for Scotland, there’s also a very retro element of B-movie horror about the opening act.
Ten years on from one of our most bleak nights on foreign shores, there’s something spooky about Roman Hubnik answering an unexpected call to serve his nation once again.
Hubnik, you might remember, scored the only goal as the Czechs beat Scotland 1-0 in Prague back in October of 2010.
What else was remarkable about that game again? Oh yes. Craig Levein fielding a 4-6-0 formation that took pragmatism just too far for the Tartan Army.
Hubnik, who retired from the international game in 2016, was among the first men called by Czech Republic Under-18s head coach David Holoubek when he was asked to assemble a senior squad in unprecedented circumstances.
Unsurprisingly, the 36-year-old leapt at the chance to cross swords with the Scots once more.
The central defender, now with Sigma Olomouc, admitted: ‘Of course I remember that game in Prague. We won 1-0 and I scored the goal.
‘It was a very important moment for me because we qualified for the European Championships back then. I didn’t score many, so that was definitely the most important goal of my career.
‘I didn’t hesitate when I got this call. Nothing is impossible. I’m not the youngest player but I absolutely accepted the offer.
‘I believe there is a good game — with a good result — ahead of us. The team would like to put up a great fight.
‘We are not just going to play this game. We will fight for a good result.’
Like several of his Sigma team-mates called into the completely new squad, Hubnik’s inclusion is partly down to geography.
The fact that tonight’s game is in Olomouc made it ‘perfectly logical’, he said, for the FA to invite several of the ‘home team’ to join up.
Holoubek said yesterday that he had taken just a few hours to pull together his group of wannabes, has-beens and neverwozzers.
Further limited by an agreement not to call up players from clubs due to play European qualifiers of their own, the 40-year-old pulled in replacements from the top, middle and academy end of the Fortuna Liga.
And he insists patriotism and pride will pull these boys through, saying: ‘It’s far from an ideal position for us, but I will say this. Whoever plays for us has committed to his country in remarkable circumstances.
‘Even if we have to play a team of teenagers, it’s still the same — they will give everything for Czech Republic.
‘I guarantee they will give extra because they have been given a chance to pull on a Czech shirt and go and fight like the lion on our jersey.
‘They will play for all the Czech fans who love football. I bow to their commitment.
‘We have been swamped with matters that have nothing to do with football really, so hats off to the players who are here.
‘None of us have ever experienced anything like this. Football has suffered because of this terrible pandemic, as has society. It’s very sad.
‘We are in a very extraordinary situation. We had approximately five hours to create a new squad. These players have given up their free time to come from all over the country — and I would like to thank them.
‘Even though Scotland are probably the favourites, they will put up a good game. The players here are ready and determined to put up a good fight.
‘We are sure about nothing. But all of these players will give everything they have.’
The only bit of good luck the Czechs have enjoyed in a weekend of turmoil came when all of the ‘new’ internationals passed their Covid tests yesterday.
That came as a relief to FA chairman Martin Malik, who will still be scrambling around checking last-minute details today.
Offering only a ‘perhaps not’ when asked if there was still the chance of a late call-off, he revealed some of the backroom black comedy of a ‘chaotic’ weekend that saw the game called off, then swiftly put back on again.
Well, when you’re forced to put the Covid-qualified cleaners in quarantine, how are you supposed to ensure UEFA-standard cleanliness?
‘We have a lot of worries because the team that ensured the hygienic operation was trained in advance,’ said Malik. ‘We don’t have those people now, they’re in quarantine, we have to get and train others. It’s not a joke.’ Sorry, but it is just a little bit funny. For want of a mop, the dressing room was lost. For want of a dressing room, the fixture was lost. For want of those three points… Dull? Maybe the games themselves lack something. But the off-field storyline surrounding this low-key match of questionable importance has been positively epic.
Nations League dull? We’ve had plot twists and crossed wires comedy