Courtesy: Yahoo Euro Sports
A few days ago I had written an article talking bout this year being the 125th running of the Football League in England and that the FA had arranged special fixtures for the occasion, which also happens to be their 150th year. On Wednesday, and right before the Premier League starts up, England will face Scotland in London as part of the celebrations. The U-21 teams will also face off 24 hours before, but their game will take place at Sheffield United‘s ground, Bramell Lane. England against Scotland is the oldest International fixture in the world and was first played back in 1872 which ended 0-0.
From 1872, until the start of the second world war, the fixture was played 63 times with the now less dominant Scotland won 29 of them, England won 19 and the other 15 ended in a tie. The fixture did die out a little in recent times and the last fixture was back in 1999 when England got through at Scotland’s expense in a Euro 2000 qualifying playoff game. Wednesdays game will be the 111th meeting between the sides and England now have the edge over their neighbors to the North with their 45 wins to the Scottish 41.
The games Scottish fans still talk about are the 1928 game at Wembley in which England were defeated 5-1, including a hat trick from Alex Jackson. The other is the 1967 3-2 win, again at Wembley and it came right after England’s World Cup win. England’s goals game in the last six minutes of play and Scotland were so dominant they had a spot of ‘keepie uppie’ and then claimed they were unofficial World Champions. England have their own go to games also and the one I personally remember is the 2-0 victory and Gazza goal at Wembley in Euro ‘96 but the 9-3 win in 1961 also has to be there too.
Hopefully this time it will be a celebration game and played in good spirits and will not have the ugly scenes from the 1977 when fans invaded the pitch after the game and tore down the goalposts, highlighting what would plague English football for the next decade or more.
To the current fixture now and Roy Hodgson has picked a pretty good mix of players from across the league. Manchester United’s striker Wilfred Zaha is in the squad alongside debutant Rickie Lambert. At 31 I doubt Lambert is a serious contender for a place in next years World Cup but it will certainly give this grafter a well earned cap. The side also includes 8 Manchester United players, although Ashley Young has withdrawn, it still violates most Premiership Fantasy Football rules!
Lampard and Gerrard are there once again and while Lampard looks toward another cap closer to his 100th Gerrard is already past that mark and looking to put his name on the list of highest caps earned. Currently on 102 his next tartget is Billy Wright on 105 who from 1939 – 1959 played at Wolves and Wolves alone and managed to get his 105 caps in just 13 years. June this year was the start of Gerrards 13th year playing for England and has been at Liverpool, and Liverpool alone for the last 15 years.
Heading to the game itself and I can really only see one winner. I think England are too good for the Scottish side and will get the job done. Ideally I’d like to see Lambert get on the score sheet, or at least have a good game. More important to me, more than anything else even including result to a certain extent, along with the Premiership managers and fans around the world, I will be hoping none of the players from my team pick up an injury.
