Ranking Scotland's qualification campaigns 1990-2020

14. 2014 WORLD CUP

Levein so soon, Craig?

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
Belgium	10	8	2	0	18	4	+14	26	Qualification to 2014 FIFA World Cup			1–1	2–1	2–0	1–1	1–0
Croatia	10	5	2	3	12	9	+3	17	Advance to second round		1–2		2–0	0–1	2–0	1–0
Serbia	10	4	2	4	18	11	+7	14			0–3	1–1		2–0	6–1	5–1
Scotland	10	3	2	5	8	12	−4	11			0–2	2–0	0–0		1–2	1–1
Wales	10	3	1	6	9	20	−11	10			0–2	1–2	0–3	2–1		1–0
Macedonia	10	2	1	7	7	16	−9	7			0–2	1–2	1–0	1–2	2–1

No, this was not an easy group at all. But we were probably already doomed before it started, given that the SFA bottled sacking Craig Levein after the Euro 2012 debacle. Levein lasted four games of this campaign, though he was a lame duck for the fourth one, a defeat in Belgium. Having drawn at home to Serbia and Macedonia in the opening double header, Levein successfully begged Steven Fletcher to come out of exile for the trip to Cardiff where he played a blinder, set up James Morrison to open the scoring and had a goal incorrectly chalked off. Then along came Gareth Bale who won and converted a very soft penalty and then wellied one in from miles out.  With the horse not only having bolted but disappeared over the horizon at breakneck speed, Levein was finally axed.

Gordon Strachan's remit was to prepare the team for the Euro 2016 campaign, which was just as well as his first games were another defeat to the Welsh followed by a turgid loss in Serbia. At this point we had two points from six games.

So in typical fashion Scotland started turning it on a bit. They only went to Croatia and won, courtesy of Robert Snodgrass. They would win the return game at Hampden too, in the last qualifying game. In between Ikechi Anya inspired a victory in Macedonia.  Were things finally on the up?

We all know the answer to that question.


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