Steve Clarke once got into trouble for losing his younger brother on a trip to see Scotland play England at Wembley.
The Scotland manager hopes to gain a lot more from the latest in the series of the world’s oldest international fixture.
The two teams meet at Hampden on Tuesday to mark the 150th anniversary of the first international – a goalless draw at the West of Scotland Cricket Club in Partick.
Clarke’s side go into the game on a high having won 11 qualifying matches in a row. Friday’s 3-0 victory in Cyprus made it five wins from five in the Euro 2024 qualifiers and kept open the possibility of Scotland qualifying on Tuesday.
But Clarke will put aside thoughts of Germany next summer as Scotland host a side who will provide a stern test of their recent progress, as well as sparking memories of previous meetings.
When asked for his own, Clarke referenced a famous Wembley win in 1977 and his own more difficult experience two years later.
Clarke said: “Gordon McQueen, header, the big man sadly no longer with us. I remember that one, he jumped so high, an incredible, incredible goal.
“I remember as a young man, the year Scotland fans got banned from going to Wembley, I remember being there. My sister and her husband lived in London at that time and he was in the Met Police so he managed to get a couple of tickets for us.
“I remember somewhere between the stadium and getting back to my sister’s house, I lost my younger brother Michael and my sister gave me an absolute hell of a time.
“But he turned up eventually. He jumped in somebody’s car and got a lift back, because the tubes were off, the buses were off, you had to walk. So he managed to get a lift off some random geezer and made his way back.
“I’d have been 16 at the time so Michael would have been 12, so I can understand now why my sister was so upset.”
Clarke stressed that the game means a lot to English football fans as well as Scots.
“They like to beat us,” he said. “Don’t make any mistake about that, don’t think it’s more important to Scotland than it is to England. Having lived in England for quite a long time, I understand it means a lot to them as well.
“The memories are great. I think we became world champions when we won in ’67, didn’t we? All those memories, the 9-3 game, maybe not such a good memory. There’s loads of memories and hopefully we can give them a few more.”
Clarke’s side held England to a goalless draw at Wembley in the European Championship finals in 2021 and he hopes Tuesday’s game will help his side prepare for some challenging competitive matches.
He said: “Certainly in my lifetime England have probably moved a little bit further in front. We are trying to close the gap on them and we will find out how much we have closed the gap.
“For us, it’s just about trying to continue to improve. I speak about it all the time, game to game. Obviously we played well in Cyprus, it was a comfortable evening and now we see what we can do against a team that’s nominally a pot-one team, always in the later stages of major tournaments.
“That’s the benchmark we want to judge ourselves against and we will find out how close we are.
“I’ve got some things I want to see on the pitch, testing ourselves against top opposition, which we are going to come across more often in the next 12-18 months.
“We play this game and then we go over for a very competitive game against Spain, and then we play France in a friendly. And then next year, after we have hopefully played at Euro 2024, we go into a Nations League group against another three of the top European sides.
“This is where we are as a team and this is where you have to challenge yourself and get better. I believe the more you play against the top sides the better you become. You might suffer a little bit at times but if you suffer in the right way, you can only improve.”
Scotland will qualify for Euro 2024 with three games to spare if Norway and Georgia draw with each other in Oslo at the same time as the Auld Enemy encounter but Clarke will not be seeking updates.
“I think the crowd might keep me up to date,” he said. “I won’t be monitoring it, I will be watching the game. That’s my job, not to worry about what happens elsewhere.”
Al Ahli 1-2 Al Hilal: Malcom saves league leaders' winning streak
Malcom’s stunning solo goal finished Al Hilal’s second-half comeback to earn a 2-1 win over Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.
The forward started his run from inside his own half before slotting in the winner, after teeing up Aleksandr Mitrovic for the equaliser just after the interval.
Feras Al Brikan had given Al Ahli the lead in the 30th minute, but the hosts could not hold onto it against the league leaders.
Al Hilal continue their unbeaten league campaign to a 30th match, moving 12 points clear at the top of the table, while Al Ahli remain in third, now 22 points off the AFC Champions League spot.
Data Debrief
Malcom was one of Al Hilal's most influential players; as well as playing a hand in both goals, he had the joint-most shots (five), and the joint-most shots on target (two), and created two chances for his team.
Al Ahli also struggled to cope with Mitrovic's threat, as the Serbian created an xG of 0.61 from his five shots, having 11 touches in the opposition box.
Ronaldo delivers another hat-trick as Al Nassr ease past Al Wedha
Cristiano Ronaldo crafted a decisive hat-trick as Al Nassr hammered Al Wedha 6-0 in Saturday's Saudi Pro League meeting.
Portugal veteran Ronaldo found the net twice in the first 12 minutes at Al Awal Park before completing his treble after the interval.
Sadio Mane teed up Ronaldo's third finish, as well as an 18th-minute strike from Otavio, who returned the favour for the Senegal international to score on the stroke of half-time.
Mohammed Al Fatil added a late sixth as Al Nassr recorded their seventh straight league win since their March 7 loss against Al Raed, moving them back within nine points of leaders Al Hilal.
Jorge Jesus's Al Hilal swept Al Tauwoon aside in a 3-0 away triumph on Friday for their fourth straight victory across all competitions.
Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium before Saud Abdulhamid and Saleh Alsherhi wrapped up a win that kept Al Hilal in charge of the title race.
There was no such fortune for fifth-placed Al Ittihad as they fell to a third straight defeat in all competitions after a 3-1 loss away against Abha.
Jota levelled after Grzegorz Krychowiak's 57th-minute penalty, only for Hassan Al-Ali and Fabian Noguera to power hosts Abha to a comfortable win.
Pioli focused on Genoa clash as speculation intensifies over Milan exit
Milan's disappointing campaign has put Stefano Pioli under scrutiny but his full concentration remains on a positive end to the season.
The Rossoneri are second in Serie A but 19 points adrift of champions Inter, and their fans suffered witnessing their fierce rivals secure the Scudetto in the recent derby win at San Siro.
That has only increased media reports about Pioli's dismissal once the season ends, with fans also protesting at the situation Milan face.
"My task shouldn't be complicated, there are four games left," Pioli told a press conference before Sunday's home game against Genoa.
"It's true that outside they talk about everything except the games, but not us. We have a great sense of responsibility. Then we'll see what the future is at the end of the season."
Some Italian reports have suggested Pioli could move to Napoli, though the Milan head coach refuted those claims.
"No thoughts, other than the next four games. At the end of the season, I'll meet with Milan and we'll see what to do," Pioli said.
"You've waited a long time, wait a little longer to talk about the future, the work is not done. The reality is I have another year on my contract with Milan and I won't speak to any other club while I'm under contract."
The atmosphere is tense around the club, and Milan ultras have announced they will not support the team against Genoa, remaining in silence without any banners or flags, as a form of protest against the owners.
"Our fans have always been an added value, especially in difficult moments. And I don't forget it," Pioli continued.
"They have taken this position and we respect it, then we have to do everything to win the game."
Milan have a five-point lead over Juventus in third and Genoa are 12th on 42 points, moving out of relegation danger.
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