ScotlandFootballStats
History
Along with England, Scotland are the oldest international football team dating back to 1872. Before WWII, most of Scotland's matches came in the British Championships against the home nations, with games against other nations being a rarity. After WWII Scotland decided to take part in the World Cup for which they have qualified 9 times. They took part in their first European Championships in 1968, and have qualified for the finals on 2 occasions. This section gives a more detailed account of Scotland's history, including success, controversy, and failures.
Chapters
Post-War Years (1946-1959)
The years following the Second World War which included the withdrawl from the 1950 World Cup Finals, Scotland playing in their first World Cup Finals, and The Munich Air Disaster that included the then Scotland Manager Matt Busby.
The 1960s
The decade during which Scotland failed to quallfy for any World Cup Finals. They were successful against England though as they defeated the Auld Enemy four times, including 1967 when they were World Champions.
The 1970s
The decade during which Scotland gained many fans after the 1974 World Cup Finals, and suffered heartbreak in Argentina '78. There were also some famous victories over England.
The Early 1980s
A period during which Scotland qualified for the 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals. Tragedy also occured, with he death of Jock Stein.
The Andy Roxburgh Years (1986-1993)
An era during which Scotland qualified for the 1990 World Cup Finals, and also qualified for the European Championship finals for the first time in 1992.
The Craig Brown Years (1993-2001)
The era of arguably the greatest ever Scotland manager, who took Scotland to the Euro '96 Finals, followed by France '98. He was not as successful in the following two tournaments, but he did defeat England at Wembley in a Euro 2000 Play-Off.
The Berti Vogts Years (2002-2004)
A dark time for Scotland when they dropped to 86 in the World Rankings under a foreign manager. The only high point in this era was a 1-0 victory over Holland in the Play-Offs.
The Smith & McLeish Years (2005-2007)
A renaissance period which saw Scotland recover from the brink of death to rise as high as 13th in the world. This included the Euro 2008 campaign in which Scotland defeated France home and away, and came so close to qualification.
The Burley & Levein Years (2008-2011)
A period full of controversy, from managerial appointments to players quitting, to players receiving lifetime bans. To make things worse, the results were poor on the pitch during the World Cup Qualifiers.