What If...Scotland beat England in that Euro 2000 Play-Off?

[QTXAdsy]

As some of us who know British football will remember for the play offs for Euro 2000 that England and Scotland drew with each other in which England won the first leg 2-0 though Billy Dodds had a brilliant chance to get a goal for Scotland had it not hit the crossbar.

And we know the second leg in which Scotland won that game 1-0 though Dailly had a glorious chance to make it 2-0 had he not aimed his shot at Seaman in the last 10 minutes of the game. From what I remember England were on the rocks during that second leg and had Scotland got a second they would have eventually collapsed if in the last few minutes or extra-time.

So if Dodds and and Dailly managed to score in the first and second legs respectively, Scotland would have qualified 3-2 on aggregate and England would have no part at Euro 2000. So the question is what if Scotland had qualified for Euro 2000? Who would the squad be and how would they get on in a group with Germany, Portugal and Romania?

Don't know what this does for England or their reaction to the loss but it's fair to assume that Kevin Keegan is sacked for the failure to qualify though the hooligan action at the tournament is butterflied away.

Any thoughts to add?

 

[Changundramon]

Maybe Scottish football starts to be taken more seriously (investment into infrastructure). Also, would success of Scotland NT reduce the religious tensions in the country? I'm a Celtic fan from Croatia, so I might have incorrect ideas on the situation.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Maybe Scottish football starts to be taken more seriously (investment into infrastructure). Also, would success of Scotland NT reduce the religious tensions in the country? I'm a Celtic fan from Croatia, so I might have incorrect ideas on the situation.

About the sectarian divide in Scotland...not as bad as it is made out to be though (only in the west it is at it's worst) it is there though was starting to slowly die a death by that point at the start of 2000 with the rivalry being more IMO nowadays being about politics in some ways. That all said even if the NT did well by getting to Euro 2000, it's highly unlikely that it would have made any difference given the Scotland team before had qualified with all this going on when it was much worse.

The interesting thing is with Scotland as the only Home Nation at the tournament it would mean they would get all the attention from the British tabloid press and with how they went well for the team in 1978, it might have side effects to how well they might do given how they aren't use to the media attention compared to the England team. I could see a Scotland team actually qualifying for 2002 at either Belgium or Croatia's expense given how close that group was which might have gone either way.

 

[MKD]

If Scotland qualify for a major championship they get knocked out in the first round. They have to play well against a decent team, get beaten by an embarrassing team then play fantastically and beat a good team but get knocked out on goal difference.

Thems the rules

 

[QTXAdsy]

If Scotland qualify for a major championship they get knocked out in the first round. They have to play well against a decent team, get beaten by an embarrassing team then play fantastically and beat a good team but get knocked out on goal difference.

Thems the rules

Sounds like England at Euro 2000!

 

[MKD]

Sounds like England at Euro 2000!

It does - be we usually get through the group stage before embarrassing ourselves ;-)

 

[Coulsdon Eagle]

Charleroi is spared the visit of the cretinous parts of the England support.

I was on a battlefield tour based in Tournai. We spent the day of the England vs Germany match down at Fromelles. Coming back into Belgium in late afternoon the border was manned for the first time in years, and armed with automatic weapons. A bus-load of Englishmen coming into Belgium? What for? It took some convincing we weren't headed to the "fun" in Charleroi.

 

[jmmcb94]

I'd imagine we'd have either gone out in the group stage like England did (I can easily see us losing to Romania in a similar manner), and if we did reach the knockouts, we wouldn't have beaten Italy. However, I'd like to think, with a bit of extra confidence from beating England (and avenging that game from Euro 96), we'd go on to fare a bit better during, at least, the '00s.

Perhaps Brown might've stepped down after the tournament (on a high, after getting us to our first knockout stage), and someone like Walter Smith might've taken over then, thus butterflying away Berti Vogts, whose tenure seemed to be the catalyst for the spiral of poor performances/bad luck in the qualifiers that has dogged us for the past 20 years. (That said, I do think the general disdain towards Vogts is a bit harsh; at least he got us to a play-off, unlike his numerous successors)

 

[QTXAdsy]

I'd imagine we'd have either gone out in the group stage like England did (I can easily see us losing to Romania in a similar manner), and if we did reach the knockouts, we wouldn't have beaten Italy. However, I'd like to think, with a bit of extra confidence from beating England (and avenging that game from Euro 96), we'd go on to fare a bit better during, at least, the '00s.

Perhaps Brown might've stepped down after the tournament (on a high, after getting us to our first knockout stage), and someone like Walter Smith might've taken over then, thus butterflying away Berti Vogts, whose tenure seemed to be the catalyst for the spiral of poor performances/bad luck in the qualifiers that has dogged us for the past 20 years. (That said, I do think the general disdain towards Vogts is a bit harsh; at least he got us to a play-off, unlike his numerous successors)

Good call about Smith. IIRC with him at Everton at the time that he was close to leaving after several disagreements so its not hard to feel that if the Scotland job comes calling as soon as Brown leaves after Euro 2000 as you say if Scotland make it to the knockout stage with his reputation on a high, I could see that tipping Smith over the edge to leave Everton to take the job.

Yes it would butterfly the Vogts era though TBF we failed by small margins to qualify for 2002 and 2004 (that Faroes Islands game remember dropping points) so with a decent manager taking them team then, I could see Scotland qualifying for 2002 and 2004, how'd they do at either would be anyone's guess.

 

[jmmcb94]

Good call about Smith. IIRC with him at Everton at the time that he was close to leaving after several disagreements so its not hard to feel that if the Scotland job comes calling as soon as Brown leaves after Euro 2000 as you say if Scotland make it to the knockout stage with his reputation on a high, I could see that tipping Smith over the edge to leave Everton to take the job.

Yes it would butterfly the Vogts era though TBF we failed by small margins to qualify for 2002 and 2004 (that Faroes Islands game remember dropping points) so with a decent manager taking them team then, I could see Scotland qualifying for 2002 and 2004, how'd they do at either would be anyone's guess.

I'm honestly surprised Smith stayed at Everton so long TBH. But him leaving sooner could possibly butterfly away David Moyes as Everton manager too, as I imagine the summer of 2000 would be too early for him to replace Smith then. Depends whether Smith's replacement ITTL would last beyond March 2002 when Moyes came in IOTL.

 

[James Ricker]

Drunken men parading down the streets of Glasgow in kilts playing Scotland the brave

 

[QTXAdsy]

I'm honestly surprised Smith stayed at Everton so long TBH. But him leaving sooner could possibly butterfly away David Moyes as Everton manager too, as I imagine the summer of 2000 would be too early for him to replace Smith then. Depends whether Smith's replacement ITTL would last beyond March 2002 when Moyes came in IOTL.

This could have interesting butterflies for Everton during the decade if Moyes isn't there. Who would be manager and how would they get on? Also where would Moyes be then?

Drunken men parading down the streets of Glasgow in kilts playing Scotland the brave

Half right there...yes there would be dancing in the streets though weirdly Scotland the Brave or any other song other than Loch Lomond is never sung by the Tartan Army, they only seem to know Flower of Scotland which would likely be what would heard sung into the night...as well as a drink shortage.

Also off topic but if a Smith managed Scotland team qualify for the 2002 World Cup, how would they get should they knock out either Croatia or Belgium here and the effects of that?

 

[M79]

Yanks start watching football just for the lol's of Braveheart sinking Four Weddings and a Funeral.

 

[MatthewFirth]

Kevin Keegan is sacked early. Nothing much else changes though.

Scotland comes last in their group, but tournament experience does boost them going into qualifying for 2002 World Cup.

 

[yulzari]

England fans go for an ‘ anyone but Scotland’ campaign..........

 

[QTXAdsy]

England fans go for an ‘ anyone but Scotland’ campaign..........

Curiously enough, that has never been a thing for England. During the 1974 and 1978 WC's, many in England did support Scotland as they were the sole British team in those tournaments. Not sure here though if they would get behind Scotland after being humiliated by them though, however if Scotland are playing Germany in the group, your sure to see England fans rooting for Scotland in that encounter which is possible for Scotland to cause an upset there given how Germany in that tournament was dire.

Interesting to know how the dynamics between supporters after that would pan out though...