Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Internal link
The gasps that greeted the placing of Germany with Scotland in Group Five owed everything to the probable arrival of one Hans-Hubert Vogts as the Scots' manager in succession to Craig Brown.
For "Wee Berti", as the Tartan Army will doubtless dub Vogts should his departure from Kuwait be confirmed, is one of German football's major figures. He won 96 caps, leading West Germany to World Cup triumph in 1974, and had eight years in charge of the unified German national side. His resignation followed a disastrous France 98, with Bild's front-page headline screaming: "Berti, how much longer?"
Despite winning Euro 96, Vogts is perceived in his country as a failure. Six months after his demise, a side containing Lothar Matthäus, Dietmar Hamann and Oliver Bierhoff lost 1-0 to Scotland in Bremen, Don Hutchison firing a deserved winner. England's 5-1 rout of Rudi Völler's side in Munich last September underlined the Germans' fall from grace.
If Germany will be favourites to qualify automatically, Scotland's chief rivals for the runners-up spot are likely to be Iceland, who narrowly failed to reach Euro 2000. Players such as Eidur Gudjohnsen (Chelsea), Hermann Hreidarsson (Ipswich) and their Stoke City enclave make them superior to the Iceland team beaten twice by a Scottish side including Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Gordon Strachan en route to Mexico 86.
Unusually, Scotland cannot play the "small nation" card that traditionally informs their approach, Germany being their only more populous opponents. They faced Lithuania and the Faroe Islands during qualifying for Euro 2000, drawing away with both and beating them at home. The barren game on a bumpy pitch in Vilnius was a peculiarly grim stalemate. In the whaling outpost of the Faroes, Matt Elliott was sent off for striking an opponent and the islanders scored a late equaliser.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments