Scotland v Ireland: Bring it on!

There have been moments over the past decade when Scotland's national team have looked in need of a miracle worker.

It's premature to describe Gordon Strachan as that. But maybe he's getting close.

He's certainly worked wonders with me. A dozen or so years ago I walked away after one wet, miserable night in Glasgow too many.

I've returned sporadically. But tonight I'm not only heading to another rainy night in Glasgow, I'm actually looking forward to it.

Expectant. Maybe even slightly confident.

Like our last match against Poland I don't quite see this as a must-win. But it does look like another mustn't-lose.

And I don't think we should have much to fear against Ireland.

That's not arrogance.

They've got good players. They've got a decent manager. They've enjoyed some decent results.

But so have we.

The apparent similarities between the two teams suggests tonight could be tight.

The various subplots over booing, Roy Keane's Gardai incident, the fact that so many players are drawn from the same leagues combine to add another layer of intrigue.

Tight but also feisty. A sell out and partisan crowd. A wet night under the floodlights.

Hold on to your hats.

The reality is, of course, that we find ourselves in a close group, in Strachan's view the hardest.

No team - the Germans are a possible exception - can afford an off night without losing ground.

Ireland know that as well as Scotland.

Winning your home games is vital. A point for Ireland tonight might just feel like a victory for them.

Strachan v Martin O'Neill. Aiden McGeady v the Scotland fans. Roy Keane v the world.

A win would give either team a fresh burst of momentum as they look forward to next year's qualifiers.

For Scotland the promised land of qualification would feel that bit closer.

A tight game. One moment of magic. One mistake. One scrappy, sclaffed shot deflecting past a keeper. That's all it might take.

Bring it on.

And, unfashionable as the sentiment might be in these more enlightened times, "let's get intae them."

Homeless World Cup 2014: The action continues

The 2014 Homeless World Cup continues in Chile with 54 teams battling it out in the heat of Santiago.

Scotland have endured some stumbles since their strong showing in the qualifying phase.

Their first game in Group D of saw them slip to a 7-3 defeat at the hands of Lithuania.

And yesterday's two games also ended in defeat with a 9-3 win for Russia and a 4-2 win for Hong Kong.

That opening Group D win seems to have given Lithuania some momentum and they top the group. Scotland, yet to get off the mark, are two points adrift of Peru at the bottom of the table.

Scotland are in action twice today, playing Bosnia & Herzegovina before rounding off Group D against Peru.

Elsewhere Ireland lie third behind Poland and the Netherlands in Group B and Northern Ireland are second behind the United States in Group E.

In Group F England are three points behind leaders Denmark in second place while Northern Ireland are tied with Italy and Switzerland and three points behind Finland in a very tight, four team Group G.

Today's games will decide the final group placings before the teams move into the trophy stage, with every team involved over the tournament's final weekend.

So, although Scotland's chances of winning a third Homeless World Cup are now over, they could still be in the hunt for a trophy come Sunday.

Follow all the Homeless World Cup action live from Chile

It's a dream

The Women's Homeless World Cup also continues in Santiago with 12 teams - including England and Wales - involved.

The Homeless World Cup tournament week is, of course, only a part of what the Homeless World Cup movement does around the world throughout the year.

Partner organisations around the world give people the chance to change their lives by getting involved in football.

Some players, like Norway's Anne Cathrine Johansen, get the chance to travel to the tournament, ambassadors for what the Homeless World Cup achieves.

Anne Cathrine was cynical that football could help her beat her drug addication. But after just five weeks with the Frelsesarmeen football team she could point to positive changes in her life.

And now comes Chile:

"Coming to Chile is something I’ve never thought of. It’s a dream come true!"

What's next? Returning to Norway, finding a job and reintegrating with society.

As Homeless World Cup supporter Eric Cantona said:

"Football and the Homeless World Cup has the power to fire up a person to excel as a human being, to change their lives for the better. It is fantastic that football brings this opportunity to their lives."

Read more stories from the 2014 Homeless World Cup

Homeless World Cup: Strong start for Scotland

The 2014 Homeless World Cup got underway in Chile on Sunday with Scotland taking their place in qualifying Group B alongside Hungary, Indonesia, Northern Ireland, Norway and South Korea.

And, in just the third game of the tournament, they got off to a winning start with a convincing 8-2 win over Norway.

The first Monday game started with defeat to Indonesia, a tight game ending 7-5.

Back in action four hours later, the Scottish players put that setback behind them with another big win as South Korea were beaten 8-1.

Yesterday's first game was another close affair but this time Scotland prevailed, winning the sudden death penalty shoot-out after a 5-5 draw with Hungary.

That left a Home International to round out Group B and Scotland and Northern Ireland served up a thriller for the Santiago crowd with the Scots eventually claiming a 10-8 win.

And it was an important win.

One defeat from the opening five games left Scotland in second place behind Hungary in a very close Group B with Indonesia just pipped into third and Northern Ireland a further point behind in fourth. Norway and South Korea finished in fifth and sixth.

That means Scotland are ready to take their place in Group D as the Homeless World Cup continues today. They're joined by Russia, Peru, Lithuania, Hong Kong and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

They kick off their Group D challenge today against Lithuania at 4pm our time.

You can follow all the action for Santiago live at the Homeless World Cup website.

Scotland at the Homeless World Cup 2014

The Scotland squad is again coached by Ally Dawson.

• Darren Dougherty
• Benyamin Aghaei
• David McKessey
• Dean McKenzie
• James McCallum
• Ryan Murray
• Sean Stewart
• Toby McKillop

Read Ryan Murray's story to find out how the Homeless World Cup and playing football has already changed his life

It's all about the money

The BBC's annual Price of Football survey is always guaranteed to generate plenty of chat.

Chat that normally concludes: "The price of football? It's far too expensive."

Which at many clubs it almost certainly is.

The clubs argue that the survey offers no more than a snapshot, a glib spot of attention seeking that ignore the bigger picture.

Hibs, for example, suggested that the headline figure of £405 for an adult season ticket is offset by special deals like £1 offers for children.

(I, like Whitney Houston, believe children are the future. But unless I can borrow one for matchdays, I can't actually benefit from those deals. A lot of people are in the same position. Football's hidden discrimination against the childless is worthy of investigation.)

Is football value for money? Its fiscal beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

How can you even measure value for money? Cost per home win? (So far this season that's £202.50 for me at Easter Road.) Cost per home goal? (So far £67.50).

If you thought about value for money, you probably wouldn't bother going to games.

Supporting a team doesn't work like that.

What the Price of Football survey actually raises is yet another split between clubs and fans.

Clubs operate as businesses. Fans don't - usually - see themselves as consumers.

The more far sighted clubs will try and bridge that gap. But most still use it in the most dastardly way possible to wring every last drop of cash out of supporters. You'll pay for your loyalty, they'll make sure of it.

And fans tend to let them get on with it if the team is performing. It's the rank rotten football of the last few seasons that has left many fans drifting away from Easter Road, not the cost of watching it.

Maybe fans do have a tipping point though. Just last Saturday a revived Scotland were under supported against Georgia at Ibrox.

You might have put money on the befuddled SFA being the organisation that finally pushed its fans too far.

Because that's the one power fans have: to not turn up.

Unfortunately for many people that option is actually worse than going and paying inflated prices.

It's "our" team. And what else would we do on a Saturday afternoon anyway?

So we let the clubs get away with it.

And so it goes on. Until next year. When the BBC Price of Football 2015 will reveal exactly the same thing again.

The pies have it

One thing that is in my control - a boycott of the catering kiosks at Easter Road.

I give them chance after chance.

Last Saturday I bought a pie. Here are the results of my exclusive survey:

Queuing time: 16 minutes
Cost: £2.30
Taste: 0/10
Enjoyment time: 0 seconds

Never again. And this time I really mean it.

Euro 2016: Tough group, different Scotland

Three games played, four points secured.

Other countries have made more spectacular starts to Euro 2016 but Scotland can be reasonably happy.

Last night's draw in Poland - after a seriously enjoyable ninety minutes - keeps us nicely placed in Group D.

Three points behind the Poles and Ireland, level with Germany and with arguably our two toughest away fixture out of the way.

Germany's defeat in Poland on Saturday and home draw with Ireland last night has left the top of the group more bunched than I might have expected.

History suggests that Germany will take care of themselves. It would have been far more damaging to find ourselves six points behind Poland this morning.

So while Scotland's recovery from Alan Hutton's early mistake fuelled second half dreams of three points, securing a draw would probably have satisfied most of us before the game.

If last night wasn't must-win it might just have been approaching mustn't-lose. In which case, as with Saturday's win against Georgia, job done.

There's also something increasingly appealing about this Scotland team.

Watching a team that seem to "get" their manager, that are prepared to show the right attitude and are capable of playing some really nice football (see our equaliser last night as Exhibit A) is refreshing. We've had occasional flashes in the last few years but too much of what Scotland have done has been pedestrian. Not now.

Gordon Strachan seems to be relishing the national job. And that's increasingly showing in the way his players are responding to him.

Not that qualification is going to be easy. Right now four teams are pushing for three spots, including the world champions. Somebody's going to be going home with a hard luck story and regretting an opportunity missed. As Strachan said last night:

"I said it after the Germany game and this confirms it: this is the hardest group, this will go to the last day."

Strachan may or may not be right about Group D being the hardest group of all but his conclusion looks bang on.

Playing Gibraltar away on the last day might yet be a serendipitous spot of scheduling.

What we can say is that, with three games played, Scotland can still claim to be in control of their own Euro 2016 destiny.

And they look better equipped to handle that responsibility than they have in many years.

Greer today but not gone tomorrow

Last year Gordon Greer became Scotland's oldest debutant in over 50 years.

Last night, just short of his 34th birthday, he made his competitive debut. And thirty-somethings across the land applauded him. Or at least this thirty-something did.

The Brighton captain also drew one of Gordon Strachan's more memorable post match quotes:

"Gordon Greer is fantastic. He looks nothing like a footballer; he looks like a rock star turning up at a testimonial game."

Strachan followed that up with: "And he's absolutely fantastic."

Hard to argue on a night when Scotland's most costly defensive lapses came from player with far more international experience.

The centre of defence has looked to be a weakness of Strachan's Scotland revolution.

Greer's belated emergence and the way he seamlessly replaced Grant Hanley in the starting XI is another encouraging example of how Strachan is getting the very best out of all available resources.

Euro 2016: Poland v Scotland

"Magnificent."

Gordon Strachan's immediate assessment of Scotland's 1-0 win over Georgia on Saturday was effusive.

And, if a 1-0 win over a team ranked outside the world's top 100 can hardly be considered the stuff of sporting legend, a lot of what Strachan would have wanted was delivered.

Scotland were positive, dominated possession, created the overwhelming majority of chances and seemed undaunted by the burden of being favourites from the start.

More goals would have been deserved - and would have meant a calmer climax to the game. But as Georgia grew more adventurous with the clock ticking down, Scotland just about coped.

Job done. If Georgia felt unlucky not to have nicked a late goal they were equally lucky not to be down by more than one goal.

Three points secured. And they probably had to be. If the Republic of Ireland's demolition of Gibraltar was expected on Saturday evening, Poland's win over Germany provided the first shock of Group D.

There's a couple of ways to look at that Polish win. It could make Scotland's ability to win plaudits but no points in Germany more painful. On the other hand on Saturday Scotland dominated a game without taking full advantage but were able to close out the win, something Germany failed to do a couple of hours later.

It's unlikely that the German's metronomic qualifications methods will be significantly disrupted by such an early setback.

Scotland will still expect to be battling for second and third with Poland and Ireland. Saturday might have muddied the waters, when they clear we can still confidently expect Germany to drift away from the chasing pack.

But that shock three points does give Poland a bit of a competitive edge in these early skirmishes.

Beating Scotland this evening would strengthen Poland's hand even further. That doesn't mean this is a must-win game for Scotland. But to lose it would leave us on the backfoot going into next month's home game against Ireland.

If Poland win and Germany beat Ireland then Poland move six points clear of us, with Germany and Ireland three points ahead. A point keeps the deficit to Poland at three points and - again banking on a German win - puts us just two points behind Germany and Ireland.

Just three games into qualification the former scenario would be far from insurmountable but the latter is much preferable. A win in Poland would, of course, be even better.

There's an extent to which the improvements Strachan has overseen with the national side and the way he's assiduously cultivated public enthusiasm might have slightly blinded us to the obvious. We took a look at Group D and saw a great chance to qualify for Euro 2016 - but Poland and Ireland saw exactly the same chance.

And, while the extended format of the tournament proper hasn't been universally lauded, it does seem to have added a certain vigour to the opening stages of the qualification process, as recent results for Spain, Holland and Germany show. It's not going to be a particularly easy for many teams.

How will Poland react to their first ever win over Germany? Hopefully the hangover will have lasted long enough to dull their senses tonight.

In reality we're likely to see a clash of two fairly evenly matched teams. Poland made Germany pay for not taking their chances at the weekend. Thankfully Georgia couldn't inflict the same damage on Scotland at Ibrox but it's important that we avoid such profligacy tonight.

Performances against Germany and drubbings of Gibraltar are all well and good. But the situation in Group D hasn't changed all that much - the team that gets the better of the clashes between Scotland, Poland and Ireland will likely snatch the second automatic qualification place behind the Germans.

Tonight's match won't be easy but it does give Scotland the chance to strike an important first blow in that mini-tournament.

A costly mistake

Group D looks to be Scotland's best route to qualification for a major championship since Craig Brown led us to the 1998 World Cup in France.

Saturday's match against Georgia always looked like a fantastic opportunity to get off to a winning start at home and in Gordon Strachan we finally have a manager who really wants to build a connection with the Tartan Army.

So you'd have expected Ibrox to be close to full on Saturday. Instead just under 35,000 turned up.

The hike in ticket prices must have something to do with that. Over £40 quid for the Georgia match was too much. £250 quid for a season ticket for five games is too much.

When we look to be getting it right on the pitch the SFA cock-up off the pitch. It's all depressingly familiar.

I've already paid for my Scotland Supporters Club membership this season and close to £90 for the games against Ireland and England at Celtic Park.

I chose not go to the Georgia match because I've also paid £405 for a season ticket at Easter Road. With Hibs kicking off at 3pm and Scotland kicking off at 5pm on Saturday it was impossible to do both.

I've missed one league game at Easter Road already this season. If Hibs don't reach the play-offs and I go to every remaining SPFL fixture I'll have paid an average of £23.82 per game to watch an average Championship team.

It would be a good idea for clubs and the SFA to stop taking the piss out of fans as quickly as they possibly can.

Scotland: Georgia on my mind

The new world champions given a fright at home. Six games undefeated before that.

A new tournament format making qualification for a major championship a less daunting proposition.

Scotland are being unusually generous in offering us reasons to be cheerful at the moment.

Today offers a chance to add some substance to the idea that Gordon Strachan might just be on the verge of achieving something with this Scotland squad.

Georgia arrive at Ibrox outside the world's top 100 (an altogether unreliable gauge but being outside the top hundred is never a positive). In the last two years Liechtenstein and Saudi Arabia, a goalless draw with France arguably providing the brightest moment of a run that includes 10 defeats in 15 games.

Strachan has mentioned this week that being the better team, having the better players, being meticulously prepared can all be meaningless if you just end up having 'one of those days.'

We've all seen it happen.

It can't be allowed to happen today though. While we were taking plaudits and no points in Germany, Poland and the Republic of Ireland were taking three points against Gibraltar and Georgia.

Just the opening skirmishes but it gave them a start on us. Ireland will likely build on that against Gibraltar this evening. If we can beat Georgia and Germany - as expected - beat Poland we'll be in fine fettle going into the game against the Poles on Tuesday night.

A win today would also mean any faint hopes Georgia have of challenging for second or third, in theory allowing us to concentrate on getting ahead of Poland and Ireland.

Won't be easy. Never is. And Georgia have bitten us on the bum when we've had high hopes before.

Charlie Mulgrew is suspended for being stupid but Strachan has a settled squad to choose from.

There are weaknesses, most notably at the centre of defence. Long gone are the days when redoubtable Scottish centre backs seemed everywhere and Craig Brown could jealously stuff them into each squad.

Elsewhere however there are, if not an embarrassment of riches, certainly a number of options. Will Steven Fletcher and Steven Naismith start together? I'd suspect not but it's another nice option to call on.

David Marshall looks set to start ahead of Craig Gordon. I'd take either in my team, the loss to injury of Allan McGregor just highlighting how well served we are for goalkeepers.

Scott Brown will return in midfield with today offering exactly the sort of game that he should relish, a chance to show his seniority in this squad and push the team on.

The signals from Strachan this week have suggested quiet confidence but no complacency.

Sounds good to me.

It might be exactly the right mix to beat Georgia. And after that? It's game on in Group D.

Missing Brazil but looking forward to Euro 2016

After failing to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, the focus for Scotland is to build a team that could make the finals of Euro 2016 in France.

With results continuing to improve, manager Gordon Strachan will be using a relatively young squad as he aims to make it through qualification for the major tournament.

Leigh Griffiths is a player who can really shine for the team ahead of 2016. The Celtic striker moved to the Scottish Premier League from Wolves earlier this year and since then has done well in the top flight in Scotland.

If he can transfer his club form where he scored seven goals in 14 games - and stay clear of off field distractions - he could find himself as a regular starter and finish the qualifying campaign as their top goalscorer which can be backed with Betfair.

Ross McCormack has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs this summer. The Leeds forward is now a regular for Scotland and will feature throughout the qualifying campaign. He is usually popular in the first goalscorer market at Betfair.

McCormack made his debut for his country in 2008 but struggled to hold his place in the squad. As soon as Strachan was appointed as Scotland manager, he recalled 27-year old back and has been a regular ever since.

Strachan will also be hoping the experience of Steven Naismith will be beneficial as Scotland look to qualify for France. The former Rangers player has been at Everton since 2012 and was part of the Toffees side which just fell short of the Champions League last season.

Naismith currently has three international goals to his name. His first came against Spain in 2010, while more recently he has also found the back of the net against Lithuania and Croatia to reward backers with Betfair.

In midfield, Scott Brown still has an important role to play. He is one of the most experienced players in the squad and will captain the side once again in Euro 2016 qualification.
Brown helped Celtic win their third straight SPL title last season. They are favourites with Betfair to make it four leagues on the spin in their next campaign.

The centre of defence has become something of a problem position for Strachan and Grant Hanley is likely to be given a chance to shine, despite the fact he is still relatively inexperienced at international level. The 22-year old has 13 caps to his name and did play English Premier League football for Blackburn between 2009 and 2012.

Hibs: Progress, points, profit

International breaks at this stage of the season always seem to give the impression of a stuttery start to the domestic season.

Actually the increasingly complex global football calendar seems designed to bemuse at this time of year: league competitions kick off while jostling with international weeks, transfer windows and early European starts.

But ours is not to reason why. And at least we can welcome back the SPFL Premiership in good heart after Scotland's win in Macedonia.

Points mean prizes and, with Scotland slipping to the bottom of Group A after the defeat to Belgium on Friday, Gordon Strachan would have been aware that he had to convert progress into points.

Job done on that front at least. Hope for the future as well with players like Ikechi Anya - who made it a special night for anyone betting on unlikely first goalscorers.

And what of matters domestic?

Points and progress have been a running theme of Pat Fenlon's time as manager of Hibs.

No matter how often he's defended himself by pointing to examples of the latter, his case has been too often undermined by an inability to rack up many of the former.

This week Hibs announced a return to profit after two years of losses. Given the disappointments and catastrophes of the last couple of years the most recent financial statement might just be the most impressive result Hibs have posted since Fenlon took over.

It certainly explains why Rod Petrie's moustache oversaw an unusually munificent summer - you might argue on the quality of the signings but 10 players arriving and a transfer fee paid for James Collins represent a reasonably significant outlay, certainly in the current climate of the Premiership.

The return to profit will please Petrie, he's a bottom line kind of guy.

But a football club as a business has two bottom lines: the financial and the sporting.

Petrie has been with Hibs long enough to know that sustained improvements in one area can only be achieved with matching success in the other.

Seventh place last season might have been an improvement but it wasn't the sort of progress Fenlon was employed to deliver.

And eighth place, five points and three goals scored after five games this season is not the return on investment Petrie would have wanted when he gave the go ahead to the summer signing spree.

All of which means Fenlon will continue to be a manager under pressure. But possibly not - and this might depress some people who suffered the misery of Hibs v Ross County - a manager in immediate danger of being emptied.

Why? Finances. If other teams continue to struggle, if Hibs can get a few wins and some of the new signings display more consistency then Petrie might just hold fire.

Easter Road's improved finances can at least in part be put down to not parting company with a manager in the last financial year.

With Fenlon's two and a half year deal running out next summer, a natural - and cheaper - end to the relationship is in sight.

It's not a prospect to enthuse but if Fenlon can negotiate the traditionally shark infested waters of the pre-AGM period this month, he might just stick around for the season.

Scotland: Kenny Miller retires

There we are then.

12 years, 69 caps, 18 goals and a final memory of a goal to savour at Wembley.

Farewell Kenny Miller, Scotland striker.

If the announcement of Miller's international retirement saw many of the old criticisms of his ability resurface, there was also a strong swell of appreciation for the service he's given.

His timing is impeccable. With no 2014 World Cup for Scotland he leaves on the personal high of scoring in his solitary appearance against England.

And he forces Gordon Strachan to face the remaining qualifiers without trusted experience up front. The manager might not have been ready for the immediate future without Kenny Miller. With no choice, he has to build for the next qualifying tournament. To the end, we could say, Miller has served the greater good of the Scotland cause.

The greater good. Servant.

Running themes of the tributes to Miller. The willing servant who'd turn up - in an era when not turning up is common - and give his all whatever the circumstances.

Often those circumstances involved him playing as a lone striker. Lacking service, chasing, running, waiting for the support of midfielders who often failed to arrive.

He did all that time and again. For seven different managers. Decent managers, bad managers, befuddled managers. All trusted Miller at different times.

Miller repaid them by getting on with the job, perhaps coming close to a public strop only when dropped for an empty space when Craig Levein chose 4-6-0 in Prague.

He saw off managerial changes as surely as he survived recurring episodes of public clamour when a new rival appeared on the goalscoring charts.

For a decade Miller outlasted Scotland managers and outlasted so many of those rivals for his shirt.

He never escaped the brickbats though.

His thoroughly modern club career maybe didn't help. An apparent 'have bank account, will travel' attitude might make the most of football's new opportunities but it doesn't create folk heroes.

Rangers-Celtic-Rangers swapsies also have the power to alienate large constituencies, often at the same time.

Then there is the simpler reason. That Kenny Miller just wasn't "Scotland quality."

He frustrated this writer often enough. He should have more than 18 goals, should be higher than sixth on the all time scoring list.

Profligate Kenny Miller, caught in two minds and choosing the third option. Kenny Miller, the non-scoring lone striker, enduring long dry spells.

We could never pretend that he was among the greats of the past. But he wasn't playing with great players either.

His decade as a regular choice coincided with Scotland's decade in the wilderness.

No major tournaments, some embarrassing performances, more than a few dire results.

Miller was part of all of that but successive managers saw him as the best of what they had as Scotland tried to get to grips with their reduced standing.

He could hardly be blamed for getting picked so regularly. And we couldn't accuse him of not giving his all when he was picked.

A decent player giving of his best. That sounds unspectacular but it's been an unspectacular decade.

Some good memories, some bad memories and very often little to show in games when hard graft just wasn't enough.

Kenny Miller's story has been the Scotland story for the last decade.

If the players he's now stepped aside for can harness their potential with Miller's commitment then the next decade might just offer more reward.

So thanks for the effort, Kenny. And thanks for calling it quits at the right time.

Brazil win 2013 Homeless World Cup

Brazil won their second Homeless World Cup trophy after a penalty shootout win over Mexico in Poznan.

Financial pressure meant the 2010 champions arrived in Poland with just four players but they held their nerve to consign Mexico to their third consecutive final defeat.

Travelling with a squad cut back to the minimum number of players allowed failed to dent Brazil's recent consistency in their tournament with two wins and three third place finishes in the last five Homeless World Cups.

The Women's Homeless World Cup again offered consolation for Mexico as they ran out 4-1 winners over Chile to retain the title they won at home in 2012.

Scotland, who lost their Polish President's Cup semi final to Austria yesterday, lost 8-4 to Ireland today to finish the event in 12th place overall.

On a mixed day for the home nations Northern Ireland beat Greece 12-1 in their Ministry of Labour Cup play off match while Wales lost 7-3 to Cambodia in The Cup of Tolerance.

England's men lost 6-4 to the United State in The INSP Trophy but the English women's team beat Wales on penalties after a 4-4 draw to lift The Equality Cup.

So the 2013 Homeless World Cup ends with Brazil crowned champions. But the beauty of this tournament are the hundreds of other winners it produces as players from across the world travel home with a new determination to change their lives.

As Homeless World Cup president and co-founder Mel Young said in Poznan today:

"There are one hundred million homeless people in the world today and one homeless person is one too many.

"Football has the power to transform lives and the best result this week was not on the pitch, but how the players took the next step to move forward in their lives and inspire other homeless people to do the same."

Brazil lift the Homeless World Cup trophy

Homeless World Cup 2013 finals:

• The Homeless World Cup: Brazil beat Mexico on penalties
• The Polish President's Cup: Netherlands beat Austria 6-5
• The Poznan City Cup: Bulgaria beat Costa Rica 8-4
• The Ministry of Labour Cup: Belgium beat Slovenia 8-4 
• The Cup of Tolerance: Germany beat Norway 3-1
• The INSP Trophy: Finland beat Sweden on penalties
• The Women's Homeless World Cup: Mexico beat Chile 4-1
• The Equality Cup: England beat Wales on penalties

Why are so many games played on Homeless World Cup finals day?

Mel Young explains:

"During the week, the teams have been playing in a series of qualifying sections and knock out stages. In the men’s competition, teams compete for the Homeless World Cup but there are also five other plate competitions to be won. Unlike other cups, teams do not go home if they lose but they stay in the competition to play for a place. Each team will play at least once to decide their final position.

"The Women’s Homeless World Cup works in exactly the same way except there are fewer plate competitions because there are fewer women’s teams taking part.

"Each team will receive a trophy for their position and every player will receive the same medal. Because the teams are all now at the same level each game will be very close.

"I always love Finals Day at the Homeless World Cup because there is high drama in every game. Then the medal ceremonies are a fabulous show of friendship and solidarity as the players each receive their awards with a big smile on their face in front of a cheering crowd."

Visit the Homeless World Cup website for all this year's news and results

Homeless World Cup: Scotland remain in contention

Scotland's 2013 Homeless World Cup team still have a chance of third title win as the tournament continues in Poznan.

On Tuesday wins over Argentina and Wales saw the Scots qualify behind Indonesia in Group G, joining 23 other teams in the group stages competing for the main Homeless World Cup trophy.

The Scots moved into Group C alongside last year's champions Chile, Romania, the Netherlands, Namibia and Denmark.

Recovering from an opening 7-4 defeat to Romania, Scotland secured back to back wins yesterday.

A tight game against Namibia was won 8-7 before Denmark were beaten 4-2.

That leaves Scotland with a strong chance of progressing from a very close group although they'll have to negotiate two tough fixtures today against an undefeated Chile team and a Dutch side with their own hopes of qualification.

The top two teams from Group C will qualify for the knockout stage of the Homeless World Cup trophy.

In today's other group games the Netherlands face Namibia, Romania and Chile both tackle Denmark and Romania round things off against Namibia.

While that scheduling might ultimately leave Scotland's fate out of their hands, two wins this afternoon would be a massive step towards qualification.

The knockout stage looks like being typically tough - Brazil, Mexico and Russia are all undefeated heading into the final round of group games.

While the players continue to inspire with their triumphs over adversity, the Homeless World Cup tournament thrives thanks to the tireless work of volunteers.

So a special mention to Mexican referee Antonio Gutierrez. An amateur official, Antonio got a taste of the tournament in Mexico City last year:

"I stayed in touch with the Hary Milas and Iain McGill, referees of Homeless World Cup in Mexico and they invited me to participate again this year. Last year was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life - I was eager to do it all again."

That meant making a sacrifice to pay his way:

"I sold my car to be able to be here, but for me this is the real job, the reason why I worked all the year!"

• Scotland v Chile, 12.40pm UK time
• Scotland v Netherlands, 3pm UK time

Watch all the 2013 Homeless World Cup games live on the tournament website

Homeless World Cup: Scotland overpower India

The group stage of an international football tournament. In the second half of a crucial match the referee awards a penalty to the side desperately looking for a way back in to the game.

But he's made the wrong call. And the manager of the team about to take the penalty has spotted the mistake.

He runs over to the referee and persuades him to reverse his decision.

It would never happen?

It would at the Homeless World Cup where Scotland yesterday bounced back from the loss of the opening goal to overcome India 8-1 while benefiting from the Indian manager's sense of fair play.

That result leaves Group G looking even tighter with Wales beating India on penalties after a 2-2 draw and Argentina remaining undefeated with a shootout win over favourites Indonesia after a 6-6 draw.

Indonesia recovered from that setback to beat Wales 12-2 in their afternoon fixture.

After day two, Indonesia - having played three games - top the group with seven points, Argentina lie second with five points and Scotland are third with three points after two games each.

All of which means today might be Group G's "moving day" and Scotland have two big games in store.

They play Argentina at 2pm (UK time) before finishing the day's play against Wales at 5.20pm.

Elsewhere yesterday England and Northern Ireland met in the first home nations clash of 2013 - with the debutants from Northern Ireland crusing to a 8-0 win.

That was as good as it got for Northern Ireland as they lost their next game 5-4 to Denmark while England's second outing had echoes of 1954 - a 7-1 defeat to Hungary.

In Group H, Ireland are second after losing on penalties to Russia after a 7-7 draw.

Team of the day yesterday might just have been the Philippines. They lost 6-1 to Austria and 8-5 to Slovenia but, having spent 24 hours travelling to Poland, they're not going to let defeats upset them too much.

Coached by Rudy del Rosario, a former captain of the Philippines national team, the players are living the Homeless World Cup experience to the full:

"More than football, these guys are having the time of their lives."

You can watch all today's games live on the Homeless World Cup website

Homeless World Cup: Scotland face India

Scotland's 2013 Homeless World Cup campaign started with a defeat in Poznan yesterday.

Opening up against Indonesia, Group G's top seeds, always looked a daunting prospect and so it proved as the Scots lost 6-4.

In a tight round of fixtures Argentina edged Wales 5-4 and Norway beat India 5-3. Scotland face India today - you can catch the game live on the Homeless World Cup website from 4pm UK time.

A bit of a tough day for the home nations yesterday - England lost their opening fixture 13-2 against Lithuania and Northern Ireland were beaten 6-1 by Hungary.

2013 is actually the first time all four home nations have been represented at the Homeless World Cup with Northern Ireland making their debut, the team drawn from street leagues in Belfast and Derry.

Finally being represented at the tournament is an achievement in itself and Northern Ireland's Sean O'Neill remained philosophical: "Have fun and you’ve won."

Today's football headlines are again infuriating - rich men and rich clubs arguing over transfer deals and money, quoting figures most of us can't comprehend.

Mel Young, the co-founder of the Homeless World Cup, counters that in his blog post about the tournament's opening ceremony which was hosted by Lech Poznan before their league match against Korona Kielce:

Sometimes the football industry receives a lot of bad press and deservedly so. Some parts of it seem elitist and greedy where the rich take all at the expense of the smaller players and where cheating or play-acting is encouraged in an atmosphere of win at all costs.

However, I really believe in the power of football and my experience of the football world is incredibly positive. Lech Poznan deserves huge praise for allowing the official opening of the Homeless World Cup to take place at their stadium yesterday. They didn’t have to do anything but they went out of their way to organise something which will be cherished by everyone involved.

Lech Poznan has shown how professional football clubs can put something back into the community and make a difference. Other clubs should follow their example. It gives the club genuine soul and an authenticity which is reflected in their fans who gave the Homeless World Cup teams such a fabulous welcome when they entered the stadium.

We shouldn’t have any homelessness in the world. We need to end it. The Homeless World Cup has proved that football has real power and we make genuine impact every day. But, we need to build on the momentum. Everyone has the ability to make a contribution and help change the world.

Lech Poznan has shown what is possible and other clubs should follow their example. I thank the Club and its supporters for their fabulous input. 

Homeless World Cup 2013: Scotland kick off against Indonesia

Amid the bluster of the opening stages of the new season, it's easy to ignore an international tournament taking place in Poland.

A tournament where Scotland can create history by becoming the first team to lift the trophy three teams.

The Homeless World Cup kicks off in Poznan today offering Scotland a rare shot at global glory and, far more importantly, changing lives while bringing attention to the worldwide scourge of homelessness and poverty.

In a unique street football arena next to Lake Malto, 64 teams of men and women from 50 countries will come together to celebrate the power of football and the work of the Homeless World Cup Foundation.

In 2012 the Homeless World Cup and its network of 70 national partners engaged with over 100,000 homeless people - 70% of them changed their lives in a significant way.

That can include beating addictions, finding work, securing housing, entering education or training, becoming social entrepreneurs or, in some cases, becoming football players or coaches.

Thanks to football. Much derided, much fretted over but still an incredibly powerful force for good.

There's still football to be played in Poznan though - 2013 is the eleventh Homeless World Cup tournament.

And Scotland's record is good: winners in Denmark in 2007 and France in 2011 and fourth in 2004, at home in 2005 and in 2008.

2013 sees in Group M with Argentina, India, Indonesia and Wales. At 17 in the pre tournament ranking we're a place behind Argentina while Indonesia's are ranked seventh after their thrilling fourth place in Mexico last year.

And we'll get the chance to test ourselves against Indonesia straight away - we play them in our first game this afternoon.

Ally Dawson, formerly of Rangers and Scotland, will once again manage Scotland's Homeless World Cup team:

"Scotland teams have always performed well in past Homeless World cup tournaments and we’re hoping that will continue this year too.

"We’ve won it twice in the last six years and the players are absolutely determined to try and become the first nation to win it for the third time."

But the eight players selected for Poland represent something much bigger at home: organisers Street Soccer Scotland now work with over 5000 socially disadvantaged people every year.

Glory next Sunday would be nice. But it's the work the Homeless World Cup and its partners do throughout the year that sets up the biggest victories for the players in Poland and many thousands others.

The Scotland team for 2013:

• Aaron Shaw from Inverness
• Thomas Park from Glasgow
• David Clark from Glasgow
• Thomas Kerr from Glasgow
• Alexander Robertson from Glasgow
• John Moore from Edinburgh
• John Brash from Edinburgh
• Declan Quinn from Edinburgh

Watch all the Homeless World Cup games live on the tournament website

Scotland v Indonesia kicks off around 1.45 pm UK time this afternoon.

Lawrie Reilly: Hibs and Scotland

"So, that's the last of them."

My dad probably wasn't the only Hibs fan of a certain age to say something like that when he heard the news of Lawrie Reilly's death.

"Them" are the Famous Five, for some generations of Hibs fans the quintet that will forever be the best of us.

For the rest of us, those that didn't see them play - and it's now 55 years since Reilly last played - their achievements are sustained through the record books and through the colourful tales of of those who were there when Reilly and his four mates took Hibs to the top of Scottish football.

Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Willie Ormond, Eddie Turnbull and Reilly. Different backgrounds, different styles, different personalities. Collectively admired and feared, a chunk of Scottish football history and at the very heart of Hibs.

How do the generations that have come since Lawrie Reilly’s career was ended by injury before he reached the age of 30 measure his contribution and impact?

The statistics are worth revisiting:

38 Scotland caps - the biggest haul of any of the Famous Five, more caps than any other player has won while playing for Hibs.

22 Scotland goals - beaten only by Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law and Hughie Gallacher. Although on a goals to game ratio only Gallacher tops Reilly.

187 goals for Hibs in 233 leagues games and another 47 in cup competitions - only Gordon Smith, a first team regular for longer and whose career covered the years of the Second World War scored more.

But statistics don’t tell the whole story.

The league goals contributed to a period when Hibs won three league titles, when the Famous Five's battles with the Iron Curtain of Rangers defined the post-war boom in Scottish football and when the honours in that clash of collectives so often came back to Leith.

The five goals against England at Wembley, including the important late goal in 1953 that earned him the nickname "last minute Reilly."

For a heady period in the early 1950s Hibs fans must indeed have felt that they were living in 'Reilly time' - when no defence was safe from a player Hugh McIlvanney described as an "unsubduable plunderer."

And then there's the Boy's Own stuff:

The young Hibs fan who played for his childhood heroes for the length of his career.

The Edinburgh boy who inherited a love of Hibs from his father and grandfather, who went on to become one of Easter Road's most celebrated players, a forward feared throughout Britain and beyond who didn't have to leave Leith to find acclaim.

A career from a different age that has echoed down the years.

There was steel in there as well, defenders in Reilly's era didn't believe in half measures. Reilly took the knocks and still scored goals.

The stubborn streak that saw him recover from injuries - and from the pleurisy that kept him out of the 1954 World Cup - manifested itself in a financial dispute with Hibs. Although eventually resolved it was a disagreement that robbed him, at the peak of his powers, of the chance to increase that impressive goals tally.

The stories that will be recounted in the coming days about the life and times of Lawrie Reilly are too plentiful to do justice to here.

A couple:

Of a young Lawrie, awestruck but emboldened, asking Gordon Smith if he fancied coming home for tea after he’d watched the great Smith play for Hibs at Tynecastle. Smith politely declined, within a few short years the great winger would be creating goal after goal for his young fan.

A favourite, if apocryphal, tale of many a Hibs fan of a certain generation - of Reilly marking another headed goal for a select side by shaking his fist at the celebrated Stanley Matthews: "When Gordon Smith crosses the ball he makes sure the laces are facing away from my head."

Among all the changes that Scottish football has seen since the pomp of Lawrie Reilly, the greatest is perhaps the idea of Hibs producing a one club man who could be so widely celebrated across the game.

When Hibs inaugurated their Hall of Fame a few years ago, Reilly and Turnbull were the only living members of the Famous Five.

Turnbull, walking with the aid of sticks but the fire clearly still burning, was as forthright and rumbustious as ever.

It was Reilly, however, who resonated most with the crowd:

"I was born a Hibby and I’ll die a Hibby."

As ever with Lawrie Reilly, a simple statement of fact. One that has come to pass sooner than we hoped or expected.

I was lucky enough to be in his company on a few occasions. If he seemed slightly bemused that younger generations remained starstruck by his achievements, he could still delight in a shared support for Hibs.

I passed him on the stairs leaving the stand after the 6-2 win over Hearts. The beaming smile reflected how we all felt.

Not that his support wasn't healthily critical. At a Q&A session a few years ago he was asked about the current Hibs team. Gentleman to the last he apologised for the language he was about to use before describing the side - of Paatelainen or Hughes vintage - as being "crap really."

A few months ago Pat Fenlon said he hadn’t really been aware of the richness of Hibs' history in his first months as manager at Easter Road.

He could have done worse than sitting down for a chat with Lawrie Reilly - the fan, the history, the legend and the ambassador rolled into one.

The last of "them," the best of Hibs.

Smith, Johnstone, Reilly, Turnbull, Ormond we won’t see again.

Indeed.

But their memory marches on.

Scottish football: A good news round-up

Scottish news update provided by Cole Ryan of BangTheBook.com. follow me on twitter @coleryan9

If the people of Scotland still believe in Scottish football as their national sport then it is a measure of a national trait of defiance. News headlines, front page and back, might still be generated by the sport but too often recently it has been for bad news rather than for outstanding match results.

This summer, as last summer, the biggest story has been financial. While the problems at Rangers hogged the headlines in 2012, 2013 has seen Hearts enter administration amid the collapse of owner Vladimir Romanov’s business empire and the club struggling to pay wages. They’ll start next season on minus 15 points in the top flight.

Dunfermline, too, remain in administration and have now suffered consecutive relegations to find themselves in the third tier of Scottish football where they’ll find themselves battling against Rangers, as the Glasgow club look to continue their progress through the league structure.

Elsewhere a number of club are looking to rebuild squads in the summer transfer window as players move on to search for more bountiful wage packets or are sold to help balance the books in a game that is not awash with money.

But perhaps Scottish football is beginning to see the darkness partly lifted. The 2014 World Cup qualification campaign has been a struggle that has already seen off one manager, Craig Levein, and any chance of qualifying disappearing. But new manager Gordon Strachan finally made his mark before the summer break with a battling 1-0 win over Croatia with a young and inexperienced team.

And the latest news this week from BangTheBook Football has also been more positive. Scottish clubs are long used to starting their European campaigns before the domestic season has started but they’ve not always enjoyed the finest result. This week, however, they could reflect could reflect on two wins from three matches.

If Celtic’s victory of Cliftonville was expected it was a professional performance nonetheless, goals from Mikael Lustig, Georgios Samaras and James Forrest delivering three away goals.

And St Johnstone delivered the result of the week with an unexpected 1-0 victory away to Rosenborg. Frazer Wright gave the Perth men an early lead and they weathered some serious pressure to hold on for the win and to bring a crucial away goal back to Scotland. Manager Tommy Wright was able to reflect on a “magnificent” win in his first competitive match since taking over from Steve Lomas as manager - in what was also St Johnstone's first ever away win in Europe.

If they can get through the home tie, St Johnstone's reward will be a match against Malta's Valetta or FC Minsk from Belarus as they would enter the next qualifying round as seeds.

Hibs were the only Scottish side who couldn’t record an away win this week, losing 2-0 to a superior Malmo side in Sweden. But after conceding two goals in two minutes to be 2-0 inside 15 minutes Hibs might feel they deserve some credit for keeping the score down, relying on some excellent saves from goalkeeper Ben Williams to retain faint hope for the return leg in Edinburgh.

While Scottish football has never lost its ability to make headlines, it is to be hoped there can be many more weeks like this one where the stories relate to good news on the pitch rather than bad news off it.

Football's search for Murray magic

Andy Murray meets Hibs' Keith Wright

Another huge day in the massive career of Andy Murray.

After the nerve jangling five sets against Fernando Verdasco comes the challenge of the giant, big serving Jerzy Janowicz in the Wimbledon semi final.

Like his national football team, Murray is no stranger to putting his fans through the wringer.

Unlike Scotland, Murray - four finals, five semi finals and a quarter final in his last ten grand slams - has a knack of getting the job done.

On the BBC website this week he revealed that he occasionally wonders if he might have thrived on the football pitch:

"If I could finish my tennis career and then somehow go back and try again at football, I would have been interested to have given it a go. I have absolutely no idea if I'd have made it but I would have given it a good shot, I would have tried hard."

What Gordon Strachan would do to have someone of Murray's talent and dedication swapping his Adidas tennis shoes for Adidas football boots (like these).

It's an intriguing thought.

It became a recurring theme of last year's Olympics to compare Team GB's medal winners to footballers.

Footballers generally didn't fare well in the comparison.

That was unfair. There are a lot of footballers who work hard to sweat every ounce of value from their talent. Sadly their stories don't sell newspapers.

And recent generations of Scottish footballers haven't had the talent of Murray to use as a stepping stone to headline grabbing greatness.

Certainly when Murray was a Hibs supporting youngster contemplating a trial with Rangers, few people would have imagined Scotland producing a world class tennis player before we produced another world class footballer.

But here he is. Murray, the golden boy holding his own in a gilded generation, as successive Scotland football teams huff, puff and fail.

His success won't turn us into a nation of tennis lovers, the general impression is that it is Murray's career rather than the sport that is followed.

We don't - yet - have the sporting infrastructure to support a new generation of mini-Murrays holding their own on the world stage.

But he will inspire a lot of youngsters to choose tennis over other sports when they shop at one of the big boys like Millet Sports.

Sportsmen might not ask to become role models but it is a position they are expected to fill. It might make Murray uncomfortable but he does it almost faultlessly.

Since sport became a 24 hour media obsession, Scottish football has failed to produce an on field talent that has come close to enjoying his stature.

For most of the tennis year he grabs the spotlight - turning it away from the ginormous failure that is the LTA's vision for British tennis.

He gives the sport a narrative that grabs the imagination.

Lacking a world class lightning rod, Scottish football sees the focus shift to administrative squabbles, financial shenanigans and soul searching over repeated failures.

The reserved Murray has the talent to create a feel good factor that carries his sport to the front pages for the right reasons.

How Scottish football would benefit from another Denis Law, another Kenny Dalglish coming along and doing the same.

For now we'll just need to make do with the vicarious pleasure of following Murray. Winning Wimbledon has become a hoodoo for British men's tennis to rival his Hibs team's Scottish Cup travails.

We have to hope that tennis, unlike Hibs, has finally found its man.

Scotland v England: In the beginning

Just a few weeks out from a return to the fray against the Auld Enemy.

Always nice to drop in on a friend to celebrate their birthday. 150 years of the English FA, 140 years of the SFA, 141 years of international football and a first Scottish trip to the new Wembley.

14 years on since our last clash, the Tartan Army will snap up their England vs Scotland tickets and arrive in London en masse.

England fans, more used to friendlies against the world's best, could be a little less enthusiastic.

They could be missing out. Because it might be that, even as we've drifted apart over the years, we share more than ever. A nagging sense of disappointment, a shared frustration borne from very different ambitions forever unfulfilled.

Certainly when you buy your football tickets for this one, you're buying a piece of football history.

110 games stretching back to 1872. 45 England wins. 41 Scotland wins. 24 draws. 192 England goals. 169 Scotland goals.

Successive generations on both sides of the border might have done their best to widdle whatever inheritance they got up the wall but still, this is a game with a hell of a heritage.

So, in the run up to the match at Wembley on 14th August, the Scottish Football Blog will revisit some of those previous 110 games, celebrating football's oldest international through the medium of (mainly) Scottish wins.

But I'll start where international football started. The West of Scotland Cricket Club, Glasgow. St Andrew's Day, 30th November 1872.

There were over 3000 spectators.

Scotland were represented by 11 players from Queen's Park, selected by their goalkeeper Bob Gardner.

This was before the SFA existed. In selecting an international team that could perform to a level of competence, Gardner managed on his own what hundreds of men have struggled to do as part of SFA committees in the intervening 141 years.

England arrived as the favourites, a team full of the best talents from the best team in the country.

A portent of what was to come?

The scratch side of scratch players didn't quite click.

The Scots might have been less celebrated as individuals but they knew how to play as a team. If they couldn't quite vanquish the prototype 'golden generation' they could at least hold their own.

England huffed and puffed in a 1-2-8 formation. Scotland, the blue shirts borrowed from Queen's Park, seemed innovative in their adoption of the more balanced 2-2-6.

Enjoying the better chances Scotland came close to scoring a couple of times.

One attempt was ruled to have gone over the (pre crossbar) tape. Additional assistant referees or goal line technology might have seen it differently.

It wasn't to be.

A scoreless draw that could be read as a moral victory. A Scottish habit formed early.

As was international football. Expecting to break even, Queen's Park were rewarded with a sizable profit.

International football made money. International football was here to stay.

Croatia v Scotland: Gord almighty

It was a result predicted only by the deluded and Scottish Sun sage Kenny Millar.

Gordon Strachan conceded at full time that a win for Croatia was 90 percent certain.

Somehow Scotland made the most of their ten percent chance.

Percentages figured highly. It was, said captain James Morrison, a victory earned by players giving 110 percent to the cause.

Like Morrison I'm not a mathematician, but even I can see that our 110 trumps their 90 percent.

He'd wrapped a sound point in the cliche though. During the slump of recent years we've fielded teams full of hard workers but too often under George Burley and Craig Levein individual endeavour failed to become a cohesive collective effort.

Not last night. A team effort and a team win.

A meaningless win? Our qualifying race has already been run, last night was typically Scottish: glory when there's nothing left to play for.

Not quite. It certainly wasn't a meaningless game, Robert Snodgrass rammed a hole in Croatia's attempt to win automatic qualification.

This wasn't Scotland taking three points from a dead rubber.

It also gave an inexperienced squad a taste of beating a team ranked above them in the qualifying draw. The first time we've pulled that off since the win over Ukraine in 2007.

Only Alan Hutton and Shaun Maloney from last night's team featured in that 3-1 win at Hampden, four managers and almost six years ago.

When failing in the tougher games is all you know it becomes a hard habit to break.

A tangible benefit from last night is remaining in the group of fourth ranked nations for the next round of qualifiers - an anaemic measure of success but an achievement that prevents a hard task becoming even more difficult.

But the real meaning of the win in Zagreb might only become evident over time.

Strachan has looked frustrated since taking over as manager. Under Levein Scotland were going backwards, the new manager needed a platform to halt the decline.

What he got were limp performances from ever changing squads. The run up to the Croatian game was similarly disrupted by call offs but it also featured a fortnight free from domestic football, almost two weeks for the coaching staff and a young squad to figure out how to get the best from each other.

And if, as I mentioned before the game, Strachan's previous conservatism in selection attracted criticism he showed more flexibility here.

It's true that many changes were forced on him. But he appeared to embrace them and passed that adaptability on to his players.

He spoke last night of giving Russell Martin four weeks notice of his switch to the centre of defence. Morrison was asked to not only take on the responsibility of captain but also take on more of the defensive burden in midfield than he is used to.

Leigh Griffiths was fairly peripheral in attack but ceaseless in his effort, backing Strachan's decision not to send a late SOS to Canada for the experienced but rusty Kenny Miller.

Searching for his first win, Strachan wasn't risk averse. It's hard to imagine his immediate predecessors making the same choices or getting the same response from the players.

We should, of course, be wary of false dawns.

Strachan himself spoke of a performance that still leaves room for improvement. It's also true that Croatia stuttered when big chances came their way.

We remain second bottom of the group and we'll watch yet another tournament on the TV. There are still weaknesses and a lack of cover in certain areas.

What we might have seen is an evolution of the squad, players beginning to react to the demands of a new manager and that manager figuring out how to communicate his methods to a young squad, a squad full of players that will face our next qualification challenge.

Certainly Strachan has found his platform. He now has to build on it.

If we can have more days like this, of waking up to hangovers delivered by celebratory toasts instead of drowned sorrows, he'll be doing something right.