BONNY SCOTLAND v SPAIN

This match had sentimental and nostalgic appeal , the very first match i went to was Bonny Scotland v Spain in 1975.The crowd was 90,000 in the days football allowed drink , copious amounts at that , into games.At half-time there was something as famous as the great "Hampden roar" , the great pissing ceremony , the crowd would go to the large wall at the top of the stand and pish on the wall.This would release a cascade of rich warm steaming liquid flowing down to the bottom of the stand.If you were a skilled veteran you could pish at the top and be back in your seat to see your own pish seeping past your shoes like the river of gold going though the supporting pillars of a bridge.At night the floodlights would turn blue to cut through the fog.This light gave a multi-toned kaleidoscope of rainbow colours to the pish rolling down, thus giving an early science lesson on the diffuse nature of light as well as the properties of gravitational motion of liquid.Strangely , being a wee nipper i remember the lessons of pish and its properties more than the game.What little i remember of the match was the crowd would stand as soon as Scotland got anywhere near 30 yards of the Spanish goal in swathing heaps of animated anticipation.Being small i could not see a thing when that happened ,eventually Scotland scored , all i could do was look at the floodlights and get lost in a passionate reverie of triumphant noise.Spain came back to win 2-1 , thus introducing me to the other aspect of Scottish/Celtic culture - the glorious and brave failure , heroism without the unnecessary inhibitants like success that just increase your responsibilities, which spoil the romance.I remember nothing of the Spanish goals , only one which was given offside - a philosophic lesson which i learned for the first time , that it could always be worse.So that was laws of science , the culture of a national identity and a philosophic lesson , and the humbling aphorism that success is fleeting as well as the value of devoting a life to pish and its many values , not bad for a 90 minute game of football.

This time my Son pestered me to get tickets to see Scotland take on the popular and deservedly highly acclaimed World Champions.Being a good Scottish lad of the 90s reared on La Liga football there was only one team he wanted to see.As the time of the game approached he was somewhat disappointed when the Spanish and Barca genius creative midfielder pulled out of the squad due to injury , worse was to come only days before when Fabregas and Torres were also ruled out , and then a crestfallen Son reported Pedro was also out.The only consolation was we might see Casillas ass , the same view that the infamous Real Madrid Ultras see of him front behind the goal at matches in the Bernabeu.Casillas has also a special attachment to Hampden , this is the ground in which he made his first appearance in what is shaping up to be one of the best careers in World Football.

The game itself was highly entertaining with a typically brave nearly-nearly effort from Scotland.The match seemed to be over in the 55th minute when the World Champions went into a 2-0 lead through the worlds most gifted midfielder Iniesta.The Spanish must have believed they could pass out the game to a comfortable close and the players could then concentrate on domestic challenges in the La Liga.Bonny Scotland had other ideas , they came storming back into the match with 2 goals , the Spanish composure turned into scurrying about in a most unseemly manner of organised panic before they took the lead to a loss of concentration by the Scotland defence.In the end the game , instead of being a glorified training session for the World Champions , had them working up to the last moment to secure the win.It must be a long time since Spain conceded 2 goals in a competitive match.

All in all honour was saved for both teams , Bonny Scotland got there brave heroic romantic win , and Spain got the 3 points.A very Tartan win-win situation.

But Scotland most impressive win was the allegiance of my Son , he started out wanting to see his Spanish La Liga heroes hammer some minnows , he left the ground sad he has witnessed the first time "his" team had lost a match that he attended.But , as a true Scottish lad , it was a defeat to be celebrated and savoured more sweetly than a mere win.And not everyone can claim they have seen Casillas arse with their own eyes.


Iker Casillas Arse , as seen by the Ultra Sur and my Son