All To Play For: The Home Nations' Football Adventures

[QTXAdsy]

Chapter 129: Swede Revenge
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Two British teams through, one more to join them. Scotland. The opponent, Sweden, surely a game that Scotland could pull off? That wasn't quite the case when one remembered that Sweden had been in a group with Italy and had held them to a draw and they had the talent of one certain Zlatan Ibrahimović which many in the Scotland camp were fearful of getting ripped up by him alone, never mind the fairly decent team they had. Scotland's manager Alex McLeish knew that Knockout football was always different from the group stage, however he did notice that with many of the big names all falling to the wayside such as Germany, Italy and France, could Sweden suffer the same fate as them?

The last time Scotland were in a Quarter finals at the European championship was Euro 96 and pretty much every Scotsman will know what happened there, however what was to say they could not only repeat that, but go one step better? Plus the victor here would actually play England in the Semi final, if that didn't get the team pumped up for this game then who knows what would. As Sweden kicked off, many Scottish eyes had their eye on one such player in the Swedish team, Henrik Larsson, the Swede who had made a name for himself at Celtic and had been a terror for all the other teams in the league, plus with all the success he earned there and only a recent move to Barcelona, it was going to be difficult for the Celtic players in the Scotland team such as John Kennedy, Robert Douglas and Jackie McNamara to put club differences aside and focus on paying for their country.

Ironically, that wasn't the case for the players for the other Scottish teams in that Scotland team such as captain Barry Ferguson who felt the motivation to lead the team to victory. However it didn't start of the best for the Scots as a lot of slack play from the men in blue was frankly inviting the Swedes to score the first goal and Larsson himself would nearly do this in the 6th minute in which would been an early lead for Sweden had not Douglas got a hand on it. Despite McLeish's cries from the touchline wanting Scotland to tighten up, it was not looking good for the Tartan Army who could only pray that things would pick up.

Andy Webster gets on the ball during the Quarter final
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Slowly though, Scotland did soak up Swedish pressure and made sure that Sweden didn't break through to try and score and indeed, Larsson's own attempt had been Sweden's best effort on target as the game and the longer the Scots kept this up of stopping goals from shots from flying in, the more frustrated the Swedes seem to get as during the 17th minute while the Swedes were awarded a throw in, Mattis Jonson got into a small spat with John Kennedy over how stubborn Scotland was and this saw him get a warning from the referee to keep a cool head.

Granted Scotland were quite honestly playing anti-football, but this was actually part of McLeish's plans in order to lead the Scandinavian side into a false sense of security and then in the 24th minute, they'd get that chance. Mikael Nillson was near on the edge of the field deep in the Scottish half in which he attempted to try and cross the ball over into the box, instead when he crossed it over, it was diverted away by Barry Ferguson who leapt up and sent the ball flying towards Neil McCann who immediately went charging down on the left field heading deep into the Swedish half with many Scottish supporters rising to their feet expecting something while over on the Scottish bench, McLeish cried out at McCann to send it over towards James McFadden inside the box.

He would do just that just as he found himself getting overwhelmed by two Swedish defenders and it was now down to McFadden to do the business for Scotland, however he found himself being caught by Olof Melberg who tried to stop him and it looked like that Scotland's first good chance of the game was going to come to nothing, instead he pulled off a smart turn which caused the Swedish player to make a tumble, much to the delight of the Tartan Army before McFadden would hammer home the ball and slam it into the top left of Andreas Isaksson's goal and from against the run of play and with their first shot on target, Scotland were in front.

Melberg falls just before McFadden scores for Scotland
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For the Swedes, it is a hammer blow as they thought they had a grip on this game when instead, the Scots have punched them in the gut and the confidence they might've had going into this game seems to vanish. The delighted Tartan Army now start chanting for another goal as Scotland start to come into their stride but oddly they do make a few loose ball mistakes in which many fall to the Swedes to try and make something from them. Not that the Scottish fans seem to care about that as most of their attention is directed at Henrik Larsson and whenever he gets on the ball, he is greeted by a storm a booing from the supporters, it is always after all the hell he had dished up against all the Scottish teams while he played at Celtic that the supporters of those other teams are making it known how much they want him to fail.

This doesn't go unnoticed by McLeish and while he is delighted that his side are out in front, he can't help but feel a bit sorry for Larsson that he has to get all this grief, then again when you are the top player, everyone wants to beat you and in a more funny sense of irony, the big named Swedish player, Ibrahimović, seems all to be forgotten about and no matter how much he tries to help his team get something back in this game, it is not going well for Sweden. Scotland then nearly double their lead in the 32nd minute when Kenny Miller lets the ball land on his chest following a cross from Paul Gallagher and lets it fall as he attempts to try a one footed volley, but sends the ball flying up and over the bar. Some relief for Sweden but annoyance for Scotland knowing that a second goal now would surely kill this tie.

Just a mere 7 minutes later in the 39th minute, it goes from bad to worse for the Swedes. The Scots are awarded a corner and as Gallagher takes the corner, there is suddenly a ruckus in the Swedish box in which while trying to get in the air, Melberg elbows Richard Hughes in the face and see's him crashing to the ground with his hands over his face. The players, supporters and the Scottish bench all cry for action and the Slovakian referee does so as he blows his whistle and points to the spot, a penalty for Scotland. The Scottish fans are delighted at this news though in all of the confusion, poor Melberg is shown a red card for his troubles and is sent off just as Kenny Miller steps up to the spot to take the vital penalty that would surely see Scotland kill this game off.

Anders Svensson trying to help Sweden get back in the game.
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Miller places his hands on his hips as we waits impatiently for the referee to blow his whistle for him to take his spot kick while the Swedish fans behind the goal can only pray and hope Miller doesn't score, though with a stuttering run up and cheeky chip, Miller sends Isaksson the wrong way while the ball is sent right down the middle and not only are Sweden a man down, they are also two behind and Scotland have taken the game by the neck and look certain not to let it slip. The half time whistle arrives and one look at the Swedish players will saw you that they look down and out and nothing can seem to help them.

Thankfully for them in second half, Scotland don't score again but neither do Sweden as the Scotland in the second half now look a more solid team than before and in the end, the second half proved to be a fairly uneventful game for all as Sweden seem to give up though Scotland don't seem bother to add to their lead which in the end does seem a decent idea if they want to rest players for the Semi finals, in which in the end, that is where the Scots are off to next. For Henrik Larsson, he can only look on in sadness as his former Celtic teammates in the Scotland team celebrate happily. If only...

The Swedes are heartbroken at how bad the game has gone for them while the Scottish players celebrate with their fans up in the stands as they have made it to their first semi final since 1996 and lying in wait in a team that everyone in Scotland wanted to face, an auld enemy who happens to be the World Champion and to quote Alex Ferguson, hope to 'knock them off their fucking perch.' An exciting encounter lay in wait over in Lisbon in a few days times...

One happy Scotland fan after the final whistle over their victory over Sweden

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Scotland in the last four and if you didn't know by now, here is how the last four line up:

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England vs Scotland

Wales vs Czech Republic

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Oh yes, I think you know the next update will be an epic encounter in which more than bragging rights are at stake, can Scotland do it or will England stamp on them? Predictions...

Until then, catch you next time!

 

[HesitatedEye]

I dunno how I'd feel in the game how do you boo a king even if he's playing against your country. It's a pity Henrik was so good that he played for Sweden I'd have loved to snuck him in with the 5 year passport rule.

 

[Yülia]

I dunno how I'd feel in the game how do you boo a king even if he's playing against your country. It's a pity Henrik was so good that he played for Sweden I'd have loved to snuck him in with the 5 year passport rule.

Exactly. I'm a Dortmund (and United) fan, but I don't hate grest players like Müller, Lewandowski, Boatengn Hummels, Agüero, Kroos, KDB etc.

Do I wish they were players for my club? Hell yes. But do I hate them or boo them? No.

Only person I actively hate and boo is Ronaldo and Ramos, and Ramos is more of a hate but respect and like.

 

[Wings]

Just caught up to this TL and I only have two words : oh boy.
Needless to say probably every nation on the continent hates England now.
I love Scotland and Wales finally doing well though! Can't say that much for their southern neighbours...

 

[QTXAdsy]

Just caught up to this TL and I only have two words : oh boy.
Needless to say probably every nation on the continent hates England now.
I love Scotland and Wales finally doing well though! Can't say that much for their southern neighbours...

Glad you are enjoying this TL so far, I wouldn't say it's just England that is hated, with the home nations all doing far better some think that the UK has an unfair advantage for spaces at tournaments and that doesn't include how the club's are getting on, that will be looked into following TTL's Euro 2004.

That all said, is there anything you've like so far or one that you are looking forward to later on?

 

[Wings]

I’d love to see Scotland finally going the distance in a World Cup for sure. Finals, winners, doesn’t matter as long as they do well

 

[Yülia]

Personally, I want you to go completely odd-ball and have a nation like Iceland or such win the World Cup. Kinda because I love those kinda underdog stories, and because I think Iceland genuinely could have made a run in 2018 had they not been in a group with the World Champion* Croatia.

* I believe Croatia was absolutely robbed by the iffy call for the Penalty and that invader. Should have replayed the game because of that since he ended a potential goal on a counter.

 

[Yülia]

Or Kazakhstan winning the Euros, as that would be hilarious. But that is totally ASB given the quality of teams in Europe.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Chapter 130: The New Lisbon Lions
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Whenever a Scottish football fan thought of Lisbon, they would quickly think about Jock Stein's Celtic side of 1967, nick named the Lisbon Lions, that won the European Cup becoming only the second Scottish club to do it, but now it looked set of 'lions' could be about to come a reality in Lisbon's Estádio José Alvalade stadium as Scotland prepared to take on England in the semi final of Euro 2004 with the winner getting a place in the final. The pressure was there on both sides, England were under pressure to try and pull of a World Cup and European double while Scotland hoped to not only stop England from doing this or reaching their first final since 1996, but finally end thirty five years of hurt and win silverware.

It was going to be an epic clash and while it may not have had the glamour surrounding it such as the finals in 1966 or 1996, it did feel like there were a few scores to settle as the last encounter between the two sides at the last world cup had ended in a 2-1 victory for the English, the Scots pretty much didn't want a repeat defeat and knew they had a fairly young but ambitious team who were hungry for success. McLeish had one trick to try and rile his players up that he didn't need to work too hard about and that was to show them all the hype around England and use that to get under the player's skin which was all that was needed to give them confidence.

As the players stepped out of the tunnel and the scene of white and blue on either half of the stadium, it may have had the look of a typical 'Auld Enemy' clash, but it certainly didn't feel like it. The sticky heat was enough to make the sweat on anyone's shirt to stick to your back and it wasn't really weather you'd like to play in, but that was what the players of England and Scotland had to do if they wanted to get into the final. The atmosphere was brilliant as one might expect as both sets of fans had been trying to outdo each other and this was all before a ball had been kicked. Back across the UK from Plymouth to Peterhead, many sat in their living rooms, bars and some even had garden parties going on as many hoped for a victory for their respected sides.

England fans before kick off
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After the two captains, Ferguson and Beckham, shook hands and England kicked off first, the game started with the game having all the skills of the typical British game with England hogging the ball a lot while Scotland spent most of the early part of the game chasing shadows and England would get the first shot on target when in the 6th minute, Frank Lampard attempted a shot from 50 yards away from the Scottish penalty box that looked to be set to go under the crossbar but the hand of Robert Douglas just managed to prevent it from going in and much to the great relief of the Scottish support.

Even the most hardened member of the Tartan Army in that stadium would sadly admit that England were by far the better team and it didn't look good for Scotland and the pundits who expected a comfortable English victory looked set to be proven right as England seemed to show Scotland now mercy as they looked to find that opening goal and this was in contrast to a rather relaxed Glen Hoddle who did have to shout out too much to his players who seemed to know what they were doing in contrast to poor Alex McLeish who was putting on quite a performance on the touchline as he yelled and motioned at his players to keep it together. Seeing that, one had to wonder if the Scotland boss had anything under control.

It may had been all England, but the first signs that Scotland might have a chance when Scotland made a rare counter attack moment in which won them a corner in the 19th minute and James McFadden came closer to scoring from a header which saw his shot whizz over the bar. As agonising as this might've been for the Scots, it was a boost to their hopes that they weren't out just yet. Then the first booking of the game came about just 7 minutes later when Stephen Pearson was booked for a tackle on Paul Scholes that was clearly too late though the Scottish player argued with teh referee that it had been a fair challenge and that a booking was harsh.

Pearson looks on at the referee
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As the first half progressed, England's domination of the game started to slip as Scotland began to slowly find their way back into the game. However the game was still goalless and many watching either on TV on in Lisbon started to wonder if this hyped up game was going to turn into a damp squid, this was a semi final, surely that was to tempt anyone to win the game? It became clear that the final finishing for either side was looking either dreadful or in some cases comical as when a player found themselves in a good position to score, the ball would either hit the post or drift way past the goals to the point in which the goalkeeper on either side didn't need to worry and pretty much could spend most of the game counting down towards the end of the first half.

In the end as the first half neared it's end with nothing of note happening, it all kicked off in the 37th minute when Scholes ran into the box and was pulled down by Gary Naysmith who not only was booked for said challenge but also saw England being awarded a penalty and a chance for England to finally break the deadlock. Beckham stood by the spot awaiting to take it with him facing down Robert Douglas with the goalkeeper being Scotland's last line of defence to try and prevent England from scoring. The penalty is taking and Beckham sends the ball to his right however Douglas guesses correctly and holds the ball close to him to make sure it doesn't get out of his hands.

The roar of the crowd is from the Scots and Douglas' teammates all surround him to thank him for letting them off the hook, no more so than Naysmith who could've quite been the villain here if things had gone differently. The frustration of not being in front starts to get to the England players in which in the 43rd minute, John Terry is booked after he and Darren Fletcher get into an argument over a challenge that Terry caused and it probably didn't help that the heat was getting to the players. In the end, the half time whistle goes with both teams frustrated that neither has scored and the jeers from the supporters reflects that. Surely a goal would be due soon?

Beckham reacts after his failed penalty

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It is a strange atmosphere when the players begin the second half as neither side seem to know how to beat the other though if one was to make a guess at who seemed more confident as it seemed England were left frustrated after all that hard work had left to nothing a failed penalty, Scotland fans began to think they could get something out of this as every five minutes of the second half went, Scotland slowly started to find their way into the game even manged to get a few crosses into the box and while neither came to much thanks to some bad finishing, it was encouraging to see if were supporting Scotland.

Then just when Scotland thought that were starting to get a hold in this game, England suddenly broke away on the counter with Owen rushing down the Scottish right flank before passing the ball up towards Rooney who was giving a wide open area to score with many England fans rising to their feet thinking that this was the moment in which he struck home the ball into the back of the net. England fans and players celebrated but the Scottish players protested to the Swiss referee that Rooney was offside and while normally wouldn't be something for the referee to decide on, he make the odd move to rush over to the linesman and the two began debating on the goal.

The celebrations stopped as neither knew what was happening as all eyes looked on the referee. After what felt like ages, he ran back towards the field and blew his whistle pointing towards the Scottish goal, no goal given. The Scottish fans roared in delight that they now twice escaped from going behind first from Beckham's botched penalty and then to this. For any Englishman, the game was starting to look like it was going to be one of those days in which nothing was ever going to go right, and soon enough more bad luck was to follow.

McLeish celebrates after England's goal is disallowed
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Then in rather the fittingly timed 67th minute, a number any Scot would know what it meant, Darren Fletcher had the ball near the edge of the field and saw McFadden enter a position that looked fairly decent and decided to take the risk by punting the ball up towards him in which the Scottish forward manged to weave his way past the likes of Cole and Campbell in which just 30 yards inside the box, McFadden hammered home the ball into the back of the net England were left stunned, Scotland had taking first blood and now as it stood, England were going out and Scotland were heading to the final.

The stadium seemed to rock as that goal went in with the Tartan Army jumping up and down and waving their flags wildly, was this too good to be true, were Scotland in front ahead of the much fancied England? Oh yes, Scotland were ahead against all the odds but there was still a long way to go just yet as now England begin attacking back like a wounded animal wanting revenge and they almost manged to reply in the 72nd minute when Beckham attempts a volley that clatters on the crossbar that if a few inches lower might've seen England back into the game.

The 75th minute approaches and McLeish decides to bring on Kenny Miller to replace Neil McCann in order to give some fresh legs to his team after England start to show that they mean business in this game. In the 78th minute, Scotland are awarded a free kick some 50 yards away from the box and Kenny Miller goes up to take it, but instead he only succeeds in sending the ball flying way up into row Z, the only thing that the English fans can cheer about in this second half so far. With 10 minutes to go, the atmosphere is looking very tense. Everyone knows Scotland can bottle it, the Euro '96 final is still a painful one to remember in which Scotland led a lot during that game to ultimately lose it in the end. Surely lightning won't repeat itself?

McFadden celebrates with his teammates after Scotland go in front
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5 minutes to go and no one can take their eyes off this game as while England are now putting Scotland in their own half in which they can't get out of, Scotland are still holding onto their slender lead and it wasn't a win that many would say was ugly and wasn't all that good, but would any Scot care? Like hell they would especially if it came to playing England. In the 87th minute, Rooney is brought off to be replaced by Darius Vassell in which the much talked about Rooney has largely disappointed in this game for not making much of an impact and he trudges off to less than satisfying reception from the fans.

Time is now running out and even with 3 minutes of added time to be played, Scotland hold the fort well as England try everything to break them down with Owen nearly scoring a dramatic equaliser but it is knocked away by Douglas who no doubt will go on to win man of the match for the Scots. Several Scottish fans can't bare to look, the gravity of the situation is so important that no one dares to breath if they might jinx it while in contrast, the England fans scream for their players to score in which ever since that opening goal, Scotland have barely been out of their own half with England pushing and pressing for a goal in which in the end never happens as the referee's shrill whistle rings around and Scotland have done it. They have knocked out their arch rivals and world champions out of the tournament in a similar vein to 1994 and as an added bonus, reached the final.

Wild celebrations follow in the streets of Lisbon as drunken happy Tartan Army foot soldiers party well into the early hours of the next morning as there is no better feeling that beating England in a tournament and such scenes are replicated in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen just to name a few. Although they still have one more game to play, to many Scots this game was their final and the actually final itself doesn't seem that important, but the players seem to have the mindset that they can win the tournament and if beating the world champions isn't a confidence booster then who knows what is. For now, the victorious Scots await who they'll play in the final...

Defeated England player after the final whistle

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And so Scotland knock out England at Euro 2004 and before you say anything, yes, it might sound ASB that Alex McLeish leads Scotland to a final considering how things are going bad for him right now IOTL, but you have to remember McLeish was a half decent manager back then and with a much improved Scotland team ITTL, things look more fonder for him and I had all this planned out back in November 2017 with the results so it does make McLeish looking good here seem rather awkward somewhat.

Anyway, next update will be Wales vs Czech Republic, can Wales get to the final too? Find out in the next update! In the meantime, some fun 'in character' moments from you would be fun with your 'memories' of this game would be nice to see! So stay tuned...

 

[QTXAdsy]

Chapter 131: Was It That Easy?
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If you weren't English, then England's defeat to Scotland in the semi finals was being treated as celebration by Scots, Welsh and Irish folk as not only that they didn't have to hear endless hype about the now defeat World Champions, unless you wanted to listen to the pundits on either BBC or ITV over where it all went wrong for England, but that at last there seemed to be a decent chance to win something for the other Home Nations. With Scotland in the final, many eyes now looked towards Wales who now had the tough task of taking on the Czech Republic in the other semi final if they were to join the Scots in that final.

It wasn't going to be an easy task for Mark Hughes' men, the Czechs had topped a group featuring the Scots and had defeated the Germans, though the latter team had been having a poor time, plus they had spanked the Danes 3-0 in their Quarter final game and it looked firmly stack against the plucky Welsh. That all being said, Hughes knew that if they were to become the best, they had to beat the best and with Scotland in the final, that game was certainly one they could take. However in the early hours of the morning before their big game, Hughes sat in his hotel room reading a Western Mail newspaper from back home and he was stunned at what he read.

In it he was shocked to read that their own media were saying that Wales didn't have a chance to get to the final and while granted it hadn't been a vintage performance throughout this tournament in which some results were quite lucky such as their game with France, it was pretty bad that they weren't getting support for how far they had got? Had they forgotten that they had beaten the Italians on that unforgettable night in Cardiff or just that recent victory over France? Here they were trying to win damn silverware for their country and this was what they were getting? It made the Welsh manager's blood boil as he read more of it, he had to show the players this and use as a way of hopefully to motivate the players to go out put on a show that would make those pessimists to think again. Time for a trip to Porto...

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For the traveling Welsh fans, it must've been quite a funny thing to see that this stadium was named after a dragon, in the coat of arms for Porto, and knowing that Wales' own national animal is a dragon so there was hope that luck might be on their side today, then again they had used a lot of luck during this tournament and it was surely to run out soon. The Welsh players would play in their usual red kit while the Czechs would be playing in white, however looking around the stadium it was quick to see that the Welsh supporters outnumbered the Czech fans 2 to 1 and while they did help create an atmosphere to make it their own, however they could only do so much as the players had to go out there and win.

Despite fears of it being a tight opening, Wales started off promisingly with Andy Johnson trying an ambitious volley from 60 yards inside the Welsh half in which Czech keeper Petr Čech had to make an impressive one handed save to deny Wales an opening in the 7th minute. Nonetheless it would lead for Wales to get the first corner of the game and in the end came to nothing as the Czechs were able to clear it away. Wales however kept pressing and it was becoming clear that it was looking to be Wales' day, providing they could make the most of it.

Then in the 11th minute, Wales would win a free kick some 15 yards outside of the box and it was here that Craig Bellamy would take it with a white Czech wall standing in his way. Then with a blow of the referee's whistle, the ball went up and over the wall where it reached the top left corner and to the delight of the men and fans in red, Wales were ahead. The flags of Wales fluttered around the ground with the fans enjoying taking the lead while Bellamy was piled on by his teammates who all expressed their delight and happiness as even though it was early days yet, Wales were one step closer to a final...

Happy Welsh fans during the early part of the game
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The Czechs struggled to get back in the game with them looking flustered and some frustration began showing with Jan Koller getting a booking in the 18th minute and that wasn't just half of the story as Wales had been by far the better team and one who you'd expect to score another goal pretty soon and to show how much the poor Czechs hadn't really much of a chance, Welsh keeper Paul Jones had very little to do during the game so far and thus acted more like a spectator only checking the big clock to see how long they had left.

The Czech Republic would finally get a shot on target when in the 26th minute, Milan Baroš would volley a shot that curled towards goal and even got past Jones' hands, but to his relief the ball slammed on the post to go out for a goal kick, it was pretty much the only thing the poor Czechs could cheer about and their supporters could only hope that things would turn around for them. In the 32nd minute, Wales would win a corner and came very close to going 2-0 up thanks to a header from Robert Earnshaw but his header would proved to be badly placed in which he sent the ball over the bar and into the stands behind it.

Wales though never gave up and it was quite an eye opener how poor the Czechs were playing, it wasn't clear it that Wales were playing exceptionally or that Czech Republic were just bad, either way most Welshmen didn't care as long as they were winning. Then it got better for Wales for then in the 39th minute, Ryan Giggs ran down on the left flank with him seeing up ahead in the box that Earnshaw was racing forward and he kept his eye on him at all times as he weaved his way around a hapless Czech defence in which he linked up with his teammate and Earnshaw repaid the favour by slamming home the ball into the bottom right corner and everyone had to rub their eyes at what they were seeing. Wales were coasting at 2-0 up in a semi final, what was going on?

Earnshaw celebrates his goal
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Oddly enough, the only Welsh person who wasn't now losing their head in celebrating was Mark Hughes who merely sat on the bench with his arms crossed and seemed content with what he was seeing. Anything to get those dour cynics to think again was always a satisfying thing that was for sure. In the end, Wales ended the first half with a 2-0 lead and the poor Czech players looked disgusted and mortified with how badly this game was going while for their Welsh counterparts, neither of them had thought what this meant for the country for if they were to win this, they'd be playing in their first final since 1962 in Chile. Now they had to hope they didn't blow it...

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Czech Republic would start more brighter in the second half, no doubt having gotten a damn good chewing out by their manager over that disastrous performance in the second half and they even came close to scoring a goal in the 48th minute from a corner. Hughes though sat there with his hand on his chin and looked thoughtful. Even though his team were winning, he had warned them not to take their foot off the gas as the other team would be wanting to find something to get back into the game. Sadly for him, it looked like his warning had fallen on death's ears as Wales were looking rather ropey.

Ryan Giggs did try and help get his side to score a third goal in the 56th minute, but it would saved and slowly after a brief spell of the Czechs pressing the Welsh into their own half, Wales were slowly getting back into the game and everyone knew that a third goal for Wales would be the deciding factor in the game that would send Wales to the final. The previously delighted Welsh fans are left now stunned at what they are seeing, everything is going so well that it seems too good to be true. The game will no doubt will go down in history as one of Wales' greatest games.

Hughes doesn't want it to be a mere 2-0 victory and orders the team to keep going in for the kill and then in the 69th minute, there is a crunching tackle from the Czech midfielder Vladimír Šmicer on Jon Hartson that looks painful and the Welsh fans roar for action to be taking. The referee does so by showing a yellow card but there is now concern for the injured Welsh player who is holding his leg in pain and despite the help of the Welsh medical team, it's looking not good for him to carry on. With a heavy heart, Hughes has to make a change for Garth Taylor to come on, will that affect the game?

Koller trying to help get his team back in the game
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Despite fears that Hartson being taken could affect the game, the Welsh faithful would have nothing to fear and Wales play a strong team effort in putting this game to bed and then in the 76th minute, Wales' pressing play finally brings in the final nail in the coffin for the Czechs as from the left, Ryan Giggs leads the charge into the Czech box and by now the men in white look drained that nothing has gone right for them and for Wales' captain, he slips the ball over towards Bellamy who with a simple little toepoke of a shot, he slips it through the legs of the Czech keeper to make it 3-0. The dream was really starting to become a reality...

From his location, Hughes doesn't celebrate with those on the bench nor does he look at the overwhelming happy Welsh fans who have now broken into a hair-raising rendition of 'Land of my Fathers' which makes the whole place like a little piece of Cardiff in Porto. Instead he looks up at the Welsh press box who many up there no doubt had rubbished his team's chances, now they were looking on shocked at how better than expected this game had gone for the Dragons and a lot of humble pie, along with drink, would be taken tonight.

Wales eventually let their foot off the gas as the Czech Republic lose all heart and can't do anything to get back in this game, even trying to score a consolation goal, which see's several players being taken off in preparation for needing everyone to be ready for the final. Then before anyone knows it, the game has gone in a blur and the final whistle is blown...Wales are in a final for the first time in 42 years, a long time coming but better late than never. There is nearly a minor pitch invasion as some delighted Welsh fans attempt to celebrate with their heroes but are kept back by the police.

Despair for the Czechs on losing badly to the Welsh
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Hughes is soon carried on the shoulders of his players who carry him around to receive the affection from the fans for making history. Now they have a mouth-watering final with Scotland due and there will be a lot of scores to settle, but for now, this is Wales' night and mass celebrations taking place across Wales and who knows if football will take over rugby as the game's national sport...

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Finally an update and Wales are in a final! So yeah, next update will be, well, the final. It will be the Celtic show if you know of the history during who played at the club then, but who will win silverware? Find out next time in the final update for Euro 2004!

 

[Yülia]

Why am I constantly being disappointed?

Oh yeah, because I keep rooting against the main focus of the TL.... Time to put the Czech flags away.

Guess I am in favour of Wales now.....

 

[QTXAdsy]

Chapter 132: At Long Last
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It was now 4th July, the final of Euro 2004 to take place between Scotland and Wales. Those on their way to the Estádio da Luz stadium in Lisbon would've noticed a BBC camera crew filming a scene for an upcoming sitcom special that was to be realised for Christmas later that year. For the Scots heading on their way, they would've instantly recognised the characters, a bunch of old age pensioners that were the characters from the Scottish sitcom 'Still Game', the show about a pair of Glaswegian pensioners, Jack and Victor, who get up to various misadventures that has become a household name across Scotland and this particular special would be the first for the show and would see Jack, Victor and all the gang head out to Portugal to follow Scotland throughout Euro 2004.

Though the crew and cast were keeping a tight lip of what would happen in the special to the interest of the nosy Tartan Army, it wouldn't be long until leaks would show what the plot would be about. Prior to the start of the tournament the barman, Boabby, has managed to acquire tickets along with a number of his friends to head out to Portugal much to the annoyance of the pensioners who now won't have anyone running 'The Clansman' while he is away, however he soon hears of shocking news that many of the guys he was originally suppose to be with have all been arrested as part of an embezzlement scam which leaves Boabby with many tickets that look set to go to waste. However after much persistent from the gang all wanting the chance to follow Scotland for what might be their last time due to their advance ages, Boabby reluctantly allows them to join him in Portugal.

Throughout the special, various mishaps happen such as Jack and Victor getting a sunburn while trying to get a tan, Winston getting food poisoning, Tam being arrested after trying to use forged Euro notes to get around and Isa trying to flirt with local Portuguese men which all end in failure due her annoying personality. It wasn't the first time the BBC had done something like this as during Italia '90, fellow Scottish sitcom 'Rab C. Nesbitt' had a similar concept in which the characters head off to Italy to support Scotland at the World Cup which also was a Christmas special and in some ways this special could be seen as some sort of sequel that that one. As the team progressed along in the tournament, many changes to the script have been done to accommodate this such the England semi final match which ends in a mass hangover the following day after Scotland's victory and the scene that was being filmed as such was one in which the gang find themselves on their way to the final but have to their horror lost the tickets...

Viewers would find out at Christmas later that year as to what happens next, but that was not the main focus of the moment, what was more important was the upcoming final with Scotland and Wales and one thing was for sure that at least someone's wait for silverware was about to come to an end, the question was for who though...?

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As McLeish and Hughes shook hands just after the teams walked out of the tunnel and prepared to stand for the anthems, it must've quite a funny situation knowing that the two would've came across each other during that match at the 1982 World Cup in which Wales prevented Scotland from reaching the Semis on that occasion, now the two were to meet again this time from the dugouts and the Scottish manager was hoping for revenge but only knew too well the pressure was clearly on the Scots. Despite suffering a humiliating 4-0 loss to Wales in Cardiff just a few months ago, Scotland were expected to beat the Welsh as history had shown the Scots often had a far better record over the Welsh from the Home Championship days, yet when it came to tournament football whenever the two locked horns, it was always quite an even affair with not much between the two so this match was anything but a foregone conclusion.

What made the game perhaps more eyebrow raising was that for fans of Celtic FC, the game in question could be thought of as the Celtic show due to the fact that of the 22 players on that field, 6 of them all played for Celtic with 4 being in the Scotland line up and the other two, Hartson and Bellamy, in the Welsh line-up. Club loyalties for these players would have to be put aside and a few scores from that last encounter in Cardiff would have to be settled now, it is a rivalry that had now become something different but nonetheless special when compared to either's rivalry with England.

From the get go, the game showed what it looked set to be a dirty game of football. From the early moments such as the 4th minute, Scottish captain Barry Ferguson would make a rough tackle that sent Bellamy to the ground and the captain was, much to the surprise of the Welsh, let off with a warning from Markus Merk, the German referee, who was trying his best to get the game flowing in these early moments. The Welsh would show that they weren't all angels as in the 8th minute, Carl Fletcher would while chasing Kenny Miller on the counter would send the Scottish player crashing the ground on the right flank and the Tartan Army roared for action, but like with before, the referee would let the Welsh player off with just a warning, at least the referee wasn't bias for one side.

Just one such scene during the early moments of the game
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After about 15 minutes of play, the game finally started showing a more flowing form of football as the ball was knocked about the pitch and with it being all end to end stuff, it made for what now looked set to be an entertaining game. Though that wouldn't last as in the 18th minute, Wales were awarded a free kick after Gary Holt made a tackle on Paul Parry in which the free kick would be some 50 yards away from the Scottish box and Hartson would step up to take it. He would bend the ball over the wall and what looked like it would be going in, but thankfully for the Scottish, the Scotland and Celtic keeper Robert Douglas would deny his Celtic teammate by getting a hand on the ball as he dived to the right and divert it away out for a corner kick. Hartson glared at his teammate at club level and knew that playing at international level was a challenge in more ways than one.

Attempts were made on both sides to try and find the opening goal but nether were having any success and with the lack of success at trying to find the back of the net would lead to frustrations among the players as demonstrated in the 29th minute in which Rob Edwards would foul his Wolverhampton teammate, Kenny Miller, as he neared the box and this would see the first yellow card of the day and for some one was bound to happen sooner or later. Nonetheless, Miller stepped up to take it and it would be in a quite a good position being on the edge of the box.

With a blast on the whistle, Miller curled it up and over the Welsh red wall and it went curling towards the left top corner of the Welsh corner post and Paul Jones dived in the correct position to try and stop the ball, but he ended up being just a little bit up short and he can only watch as the ball clunks on the corner post and eventually bounce into the direction of the net. The roar from the Tartan Army pretty said how things were going, Scotland were a goal up in the final and just what they all wanted. McLeish celebrated on the touchline and punched his fist into the air towards the Scottish supporters to show how much this meant to him.

Happy Scotland fans celebrate going in front during the final
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Wales didn't give in so easily and from the bench, Hughes yelled out orders for the players to follow if they were to find something within the last 15 minutes of the first half and much to everyone's amazement, Jason Komus almost did in the 38th minute when he made a lovely little chip of the ball over hands of Robert Douglas and many Welsh fans in the stadium rose to their feet thinking that this would be the moment that they'd have a game. Instead, the ball hit the crossbar and would go out for a goal kick, such a wonderful chance for Wales to equalise but that all being said there would be hopefully more chances for Wales to get something in the game.

The first half would though come to an end with the Scots still in front by that single goal, granted there was still all to play for, but compared to what happened in Cardiff, they were doing better so far and the only hope that the supporters had was if they could this up then Scotland would be European Champions for the first time since 1968. The only thing that Mark Hughes could do was give his Wales side a strong team talk that this game was far from over and for their captain Ryan Giggs, he would bring a tacit called 'Fergie Time' from his own certain Scottish manager at Manchester United...

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A real determination could be seen from the Welsh players who started the second half off very strongly and the Scots looked slacked, almost if McLeish had told them that they were going to have their name on the trophy by the end of this game. Ryan Giggs shows his captain's skills as he kicks and screams Wales to find something in the game, so much that Hughes has very little to order to his player and becomes a spectator from the bench. Some keen eyes could see that Giggs might be a manager in the not too distant future...

Wales' pressing play comes into it's own in the 54th minute, when Bellamy is handed the ball inside the box but has many Scottish players blocking his way and knowing there's no way forward, he performs a cheeky back pass towards Komus and like before he tries to fire on target towards goal. Is this the moment? Sadly it's not, the ball cannons off the side off Gary Naysmith and finds it's way over to Malky Mackay who boots it far up the field to clear it from danger. While a disappointment, it does show that Wales are far from out in this match.

Then in the 62nd minute, Giggs chips the ball far up the field deep inside the Scottish half and Robert Earnshaw get's his foot on the ball and begins to make his way what is now starting to look like a very ropey Scottish back four and with a clever little roll with the ball, he sends the ball into back of the net and to the dismay of the Scottish players, Wales are back in this game and they have no one to blame but themselves over what has been an awful second half for them. For Wales, not only have they deserved it but now the chance to win silverware is starting to feel like a very possible dream.

The moment Wales get back into the game​

The frustration is clearly seen from the Scottish players and no more so than for poor Darren Fletcher who struggles to keep his emotions in check and shows this when in the 68th minute, he makes a bad tackle on Craig Bellamy which sends the poor Welsh player tumbling through the air frankly and sends him landing awkwardly on the ground. The Scottish player looks over at the referee running towards him and with the roar of the Welsh spectators and Bellamy's teammates motioning for action, Fletcher fears the worse. The referee goes into his pocket and pulls a card out...to everyone's amazement, it's yellow. Cue Fletcher falling to his knees in relief, his heart now going like the clappers.

The Welsh players aren't happy by this and hobble around the referee trying to complain that Fletcher should've been sent off for such a bad challenge. To make things even more worrying, Bellamy looks not as strong as he was earlier and despite trying to keep going in the game, he doesn't look that all fit and it becomes clear for Mark Hughes that he'll need to make a swap to bring off a now injured Bellamy. Gareth Taylor would be the one to take over from Bellamy, in which he got a standing ovation from the grateful Welsh fans as he hobbled off the field.

At the same time in the Scottish dug out, McLeish would also make a change when he brought on James McFadden for Steven Thompson to come on. For the Scottish supporters, it would seem strange why McFadden wasn't included in the team given how much of a rising star he had been during his time in the national side and how he could've played a big part in the game had he been starting the game. Nonetheless with him coming on, the Tartan Army hoped that some magic might be possible as time slowly ticked by. Who was going to get the winning goal?

McFadden just after he comes onto the pitch
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The game is a fairly even affair with nail biting action as it turns into a classic example where one side can't afford to slip in case it might change the game. With the game now entering it's 76th minute, the game is still deadlocked at 1-1 and thoughts of extra time or penalties start to creep in. Then in that minute, it all happens at once when McFadden makes a daring counter attack run and breathes are held as he rushes forward towards the Welsh box and just as he makes his way in and looks set to score, Robbie Savage makes perhaps the most reckless tackle you'd ever see in a penalty box in which only leads to one thing to follow afterwards. A penalty to Scotland.

Savage is shown yellow but he doesn't try to protest it as he knows what he did was an utterly boneheaded thing to do and now faces the prospect of Scotland having a chance to score what could be the winning goal. McFadden walks up to the spot to take it and faces down Paul Jones in which the Welsh keeper now has to try and keep this shot out. The referee blows and McFadden strikes to the top left hand corner, however it is the Welsh fans who cheer and roar with delight as Jones punches the ball away from the goal and the contrast of emotions from the players is there to be seen. McFadden places his hands on his head in despair while Savage falls to his knees and punches in delight the air that Wales are still in the game and that he has now not become the villain, a reaction that likely would've been replicated across Wales.

As the game enters the last 10 minutes, both sides start throwing everything forward to try and get the winning goal and neither want this game to go further than 90 minutes. In the 82nd minute, Garry Speed attempts to try and thread the ball towards one of his teammates but a barrage of Scottish players stop him from going further and before long, the ball is with the Scots who go flying down towards the Welsh half in which McFadden attempts to try and put amends his penalty miss as he attempts a long footed volley towards goal, but it instead ends up with the Scottish supporters. Surely there has to be a winner from somewhere?

Gary Speed attempts to go forward but is caught out
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Then in the 86th minute and with time running out, Scotland are awarded a free kick near the left corner flag and Gavin Rae stands by the ball and awaits for his teammates to get into decent positions for him to try and land the ball in the box. He curls the ball into the box and there is a mass scramble with either side trying to get to the ball, however the ball is kicked away by James Collins out of the box, but not before a cry of handball from the Scots follow as the ball briefly ended up on his arm at one point in what was a 'blink you'll miss it' moment, but the referee failed to spot it and the Tartan Army groan agonisingly that luck doesn't look to be going their way.

However just a minute later as the ball is about to end up with Simon Davis near at the other end in the hope of getting the ball and going on for a quick counter, Barry Ferguson runs out of his position to leap in the air and beat Davis at a header in which the ball ends up in the direction of Paul Gallagher who makes a run with the ball and nearly everyone of his countrymen either in the stadium or watching on TV are screaming at him to go forward. He then threads it up to McFadden who at first attempts to try and slam it in, but when he see's Fletcher right behind him, he makes a side footed back pass and ends the ball up with his teammate.

Fletcher see's a gap in the defence and knowing this is quite literally his only shot at a chance at goal, he hammers home the shot towards the right side of the goal and Jones goes the right way to stop it, but it graces the fingertips of his gloves and the sight of a ball getting lost in the nylon netting is the last thing many jubilant Scots see as wild celebrations follow. Scotland are in dreamland!

Fletcher's reaction says it all
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The Welsh players are left crestfallen as any hope they had now seems to have been stamped out by the Scots and now McLeish, after a wild celebration on the bench, now orders his team to shut up shop and go all out defend and drag the game out until it's dying moments. That all being said, Ryan Giggs starts to play 'Fergie Time' and keeps pressing his side forward and Scotland's newly planned ultra defence plan seems to be attracting the Welsh players to go for one last effort to score a dramatic equaliser. Then right in the first minute of four added minutes, Wales' sudden pressing leads them to win a corner kick.

It is very likely than many Scots and Welshmen start praying though for very different reasons. Paul Perry swings the ball in and a mad scramble follows with Ferguson looking to try and knock the ball away but finds himself pulled down by Savage from a shirt tug, in which then Gary Speed finds the space to get his head on the ball and hammer it home into the bottom right. GOAL!!! Hearts go at once as the Welsh players chase a celebrating Speed who looks as though he has pulled the Scots back to extra time, but not before the referee blows his whistle to bring them all back.

Ferguson furiously protests to the referee about the shirt pull and to the relief of the Scots, the referee noticed it and blows his whistle again and points not at the centre circle, but for a goal kick. No Scot needs reminding where they were in that moment after the referee then blew for full time, either they were in the stadium as the Tartan Army frankly shook the stadium to it's foundations with cheers, tears and strangers hugging each other following, or anywhere in the world as it quickly sunk in for at long last...Scotland had won silverware for the first time since 1968.

The Welsh players are furious at how the game ended but reluctantly calm down to get their runner up medals with Giggs showing tears in his eyes as he and his teammates watch their rivals being led by Barry Ferguson to collect the trophy, but sadly for him, many Scots won't care for that. As Ferguson lifts the trophy, the first Scottish captain to do so since John Greig, it sparks wild celebrations across Scotland as the nation's first triumph in 36 years is one that feels long overdue. Each of those players now become heroes and the welcome they all get at Glasgow international airport is something that can't be described in words.

Who knows where the team will go as the 2006 World Cup in Germany looms, plus the Scots now have the chance to even defence their honour as they will be hosting the European championship in 2008. Whatever will happen next...?

Final results of the Knockout stage at Euro 2004

Scotland's badge after their Euro 2004 victory with the stars representing their victories in 1968 and 2004 being displayed in the badge

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At long last...Scotland are champions once again (and Still Game makes a cameo)! So yeah, I had planned for Scotland to win Euro 2004 in this TL and giving how many shocks happened in that tournament *cough*Greece*cough* it seems fair that one of the Home Nations would've done something if they perform then. Sorry for our Welsh readers, your time will come...

For the usual 'In character' reactions from our readers, where were you when Scotland became European champions in 2004, or if you remember that Still Game special? That and the next update will see a quick look at how British clubs are getting on just before we move onto the next World Cup so until then, catch you guys later.

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[Yülia]

Well. Sadly, we didn't become champion by default due to a Giant Meteor.

Scots only won because it was handed to them. Clearly was a goal.

We shall have the last laugh though. 2006 shall be Czech-Mate in Germany...

...Or we won't even qualify.

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

Congratulations to Scotland 2004 Euro champions!...how did they fare in Confederations Cup in 2005? Did Scotland and Argentina cross their ways in that tournament?

 

[QTXAdsy]

Congratulations to Scotland 2004 Euro champions!...how did they fare in Confederations Cup in 2005? Did Scotland and Argentina cross their ways in that tournament?

Few differences in that tournament, England qualify as 2002 WC winners and Argentina qualify as Cope America winners, Brazil never seem to get over that WC loss in 2002.

Scotland and England met in same group in which both went through with the latter as group winners.

In the semis, both sides go out with Scotland losing 2-1 to Germany and England lose 2-0 to Argentina with that game being a revenge match over 2002. England and Scotland meet again in the third place match in which ends in a dour 0-0 draw and Scotland eventually wins 4-2 on penalties. The final between Germany and Argentina has the Germans win 3-2 after extra time.

I'll put up a Confederations cup section up to show who won what ITTL

 

[QTXAdsy]

Off topic here, but for those who are interested in how different things are in the Confederations cup as of 2005, here are the results as thus...

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You'll notice a few differences here not with who's who here but also where it'll be held in the future, plus results and teams taking part will be very different so have a guess who might be taking part as it may raise a few eyebrows who will be there. Anyway next update will be an update who British clubs have been doing with honours domestically and in Europe since 1997 to 2006. I will say for some of our readers on here, some of you will be delighted with some European results that'll go your way here. Stay tuned!

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

Off topic here, but for those who are interested in how different things are in the Confederations cup as of 2005, here are the results as thus...

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You'll notice a few differences here not with who's who here but also where it'll be held in the future, plus results and teams taking part will be very different so have a guess who might be taking part as it may raise a few eyebrows who will be there. Anyway next update will be an update who British clubs have been doing with honours domestically and in Europe since 1997 to 2006. I will say for some of our readers on here, some of you will be delighted with some European results that'll go your way here. Stay tuned!

Brillant! Indeed, in 2005, Argentina had an experimental team which reached the final and was (in OTL) demolished by the mighty Brazil...here In ATL was beaten by Germany but i think it was part of the same...in the end , Argentina's team was not strong enough to win the trophy ("chelito" Delgado and Luciano Figueroa as strikers? Jonathan Santana? Really?...that was hardcore experimentation by manager Pekerman)...

 

[QTXAdsy]

Before we start with Germany 06, here we go with the recaps of the British leagues and European honours since 1997 to 2006...

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England

To say that English football has been on roll since the start of the 21st century would be an understatement. With the combination of the national side doing well, the money flowing into the Premier League, a new Wembley being built and clubs doing well in Europe, football really has turned itself around to be a major feel good factor ever since England's victory at the World Cup in 2002. Recently however following England's success, the FA would find itself under public pressure to force clubs to breed more homegrown players with the fear of the many foreign players now playing in English football might damper chances for any potential young English player's chances. It is unclear if this was the right thing to do, but nonetheless many clubs would have to follow to have at least 5 English or British players in their starting XI with some having more success than others. It is hoped that English football can keep themselves at the top of the game as the next World Cup looms as they prepare to defend their honour...

English league winners from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Manchester United
1998 - Arsenal
1999 - Manchester United
2000 - Manchester United
2001 - Arsenal
2002 - Liverpool
2003 - Manchester United
2004 - Arsenal
2005 - Chelsea
2006 - Chelsea

FA Cup Winners from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Chelsea 2 - 0 Middlesbrough
1998 - Newcastle United 2 - 2 Arsenal (Newcastle United win 4-3 on Pens.)
1999 - Manchester United 2 - 0 Newcastle
2000 - Chelsea 1 - 0 Aston Villa
2001 - Liverpool 2 - 1 Arsenal
2002 - Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds United (Arsenal win 3-1 on Pens.)
2003 - Arsenal 1 - 0 Southampton
2004 - Manchester United 1 - 0 Millwall (a.e.t)
2005 - Leeds United 0 - 0 Arsenal (Leeds United win 5-4 on Pens.)
2006 - Liverpool 3 - 2 Middlesbrough

League Cup Winners from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Leicester City 1 - 0 Middlesbrough (After Replay
1998 - Chelsea 2 - 0 Middlesbrough
1999 - Tottenham Hotspurs 1 - 0 Leicester City
2000 - Leicester City 2 - 1 Tranmere Rovers
2001 - Liverpool 1 - 0 Birmingham City
2002 - Blackburn Rovers 2 - 1 Newcastle United (a.e.t)
2003 - Liverpool 2 - 0 Manchester United
2004 - Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Bolton Wanderers
2005 - Liverpool 1 - 0 Chelsea
2006 - Manchester United 3 - 2 Doncaster Rovers ​

Scotland

The victory at Euro '04 may have according to some say that Scotland has entered a new era of football and while that might be true, there has been a lot happening even before all that. In 2002, the SFA and FAW agreed a £150 million offer from Sky to broadcast games from the Scottish and Welsh league games and help out promote the game to a worldwide audience to show there is more to British football than in England, plus in that same year, Scotland would become the shock winners to host Euro 2008. The latter choice being controversial due to Scotland's size and how a joint bid might've been more suited, still with all that is going on, Scotland is on the rise and as the Old Firm monopoly becomes a mere memory as the years progress with the rapid rise of Hearts being one example, the landscape of Scottish football is set to change as the team prepare for the 2006 World Cup...

Scottish League Winners since 1997 to 2006

1997 - Rangers
1998 - Celtic
1999 - Rangers
2000 - Hearts
2001 - Hibs
2002 - Celtic
2003 - Hearts
2004 - Celtic
2005 - Rangers
2006 - Hearts

Scottish Cup Winners from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Kilmarnock 1 - 0 Falkirk
1998 - Hearts 2 - 1 Rangers
1999 - Dundee United 2 - 0 Rangers
2000 - Rangers 4 - 0 Aberdeen
2001 - Celtic 3 - 0 Hibs
2002 - Rangers 3 - 2 Celtic
2003 - Dundee 1 - 1 Inverness CT (Dundee win 3-2 on Pens.)
2004 - Dunfermline 3 - 2 Raith Rovers (a.e.t)
2005 - Dundee United 2 - 1 Hearts
2006 - Hearts 1 - 1 Gretna (Hearts win 4-2 on Pens.)

Scottish League Cup Winners from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Celtic 3 - 1 Dundee United
1998 - Rangers 2 - 0 St Johnstone
2000 - Aberdeen 2 - 1 Kilmarnock
2001 - Celtic 3 - 0 Kilmarnock
2002 - Rangers 4 - 0 Ayr United
2003 - Hearts 2 - 0 Partick Thistle
2004 - Livingston 2 - 0 Hibs
2005 - Rangers 5 - 1 Motherwell
2006 - Motherwell 3 - 1 Raith Rovers

Wales

While it might be wedge in-between it's larger football neighbours, the Welsh league carries on expanding the sport in Wales and with Wales' notorious north/south links finally become more and more accusable by the year in which some say a football league played a small part in addressing that, Wales seems more unified than ever. Despite the big disappointment in finishing as runners up in Euro 2004, Wales has become more well known across the world and with the recent bumper Sky TV deal alongside the SFA, the game becomes richer yet some worry that the game will be dominated by the big three known as Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham. One can only watch with keen eyes as if a fourth force will rise up...

Welsh league winners from 1997 to 2006

1997- Wrexham AFC
1998 - Swansea City
1999 - Newport County
2000 - Cardiff City
2001 - Cardiff City
2002 - Swansea City
2003 - Cardiff City
2004 - Merthyr Tydfil
2005 - Newport County
2006 - Wrexham AFC

Welsh Cup winners from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Barry Town 2 - 1 Cwbran Town
1998 - Bangor City 1 - 0 Cardiff City (a.e.t)
1999- Swansea City 4 - 3 Cardiff City (a.e.t)
2000 - Wrexham AFC 3 - 0 Barry Town
2001 - Cardiff City 2 - 1 Bangor City
2002 - Merthyr Tydfil 3 - 1 Wrexham AFC
2003 - Barry Town 4 - 0 Newtown
2004 - Swansea City 1 - 0 Cardiff City
2005 - Newport County 2 - 0 Wrexham AFC
2006 - Carmarthen Town 1 - 1 Rhyl (Carmarthen win 3-1 on Pens.)

Welsh league cup winners from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Cardiff City City 2 - 1 Llanelli
1998 - Connah's Quay Nomads 1 - 0 Barry Town (a.e.t)
1999 - Swansea City 4 - 0 Merthyr Tydfil
2000 - Newport County 3 - 2 Wrexham AFC
2001 - Cardiff City 2 - 1 Rhyl
2002 - Wrexham AFC 4 - 1 Barry Town
2003 - Swansea City 1 - 1 Merthyr Tydfil (Swansea win 4-2 on Pens.)
2004 - Newtown 1 - 0 Barry Town (a.e.t)
2005 - Wrexham AFC 2 - 0 Cardiff City
2006 - Llanelli 1 - 0 Swansea City (a.e.t)

Northern Ireland

While the other Home Nation teams have made back to back appearances at tournaments, Northern Ireland has sadly fallen to the wayside with the Republic having a bit more success plus as of a consequence, many decide to play for the south. After a shambolic Euro '04 qualification campaign, Northern Ireland would recruit former Wimbledon player Lawrie Sanchez as their new manager who would against all odds pull of a miracle of a campaign, most notable thanks to a certain David Healy, to help Northern Ireland qualify for the World Cup in Germany. The timing itself cannot be perfect for after all the money being spent on improvement the country's football infrastructure such as a revamped Windsor Park (reopened in early 2004 with a friendly with England) and the warm relations between protestant and catholic, it had all been worthwhile. But as the Green and White army prepare to make their first appearance at the World Cup in 20 years, many wonder if time away will do bad for them...

All league winners, cups results remain the same as per OTL
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Champions League Final results from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Borussia Dortmund 3 - 1 Juventus
1998 - Real Madrid 1 - 0 Juventus
1999 - Manchester United 2 - 1 Bayern Munich
2000 - Real Madrid 3 - 0 Valencia
2001 - Leeds United 2 - 1 Bayern Munich
2002 - Real Madrid 2 - 1 Bayer Leverkusen
2003 - AC Milan 0 - 0 Juventus (AC Milan win 3-2 on Pens.)
2004 - Porto 3 - 0 Monaco
2005 - Liverpool 3 - 3 AC Milan (Liverpool win 3-2 on Pens.)
2006 - Barcelona 2 - 1 Arsenal

Cup Winners Cup Final results from 1997 to 1999

1997 - Barcelona 1 - 0 PSG
1998 - Chelsea 2 - 0 Kilmarnock
1999 - Hearts 2 - 1 Lazio
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UEFA Cup Final results from 1997 to 2006

1997 - Raith Rovers 1 - 0 Schalke 04 (On Aggregate)
1998 -Inter Milan 3 - 0 Lazio
1999- Marseille 3 - 2 Rangers
2000- Galatasaray 0 - 0 Arsenal (Galatasaray win 4-1 on Pens.)
2001 - Liverpool 4 - 4 Aberdeen (Liverpool win 3-1 on Pens.)
2002 - Inter Milan 3 - 1 Swansea City
2003 - Celtic 2 - 2 Cardiff City (Celtic win 6-5 on Pens.)
2004 - Valencia 2 - 0 Marseille
2005 - CSKA Moscow 3 – 1 Newcastle United
2006 - Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Sevilla (Middlesbrough win 4-2 on Pens.)

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Here we are again and I bet some results will raise a few eyebrows or a cheer if you see that your team did well here. I know it may look ASB that Scottish and Welsh clubs are getting to European finals, but remember they are vastly improved to OTL plus we haven't seen how far they get in a group or knockout stage here. If you do have any questions prior before we start the 2006 World Cup, now with all four Home Nations teams back, I'd be happy to ask if it's about a club, league or what not. Until then, catch you in Germany!

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[Gwrtheyrn Annwn]

So, Leeds didn't go bankrupt ITTL?

 

[QTXAdsy]

So, Leeds didn't go bankrupt ITTL?

Correct, because they get to the CL final in 2001 and win (pretty much a grudge revenge match for Leeds for 1975), their gamble with money quite literally pays off, not to mention with no Welsh clubs now in England, that night in Cardiff for Leeds is butterflied away. As of 2006 ITTL, Leeds are more of a middle to top half of the table team. The top 4/6 will look different in the coming years in English football.