You think a football team that wins four consecutive games is unbeatable? Ever heard the phrase “A bad day at the office?” No one is perfect, or perhaps on that day the other team were better, or just lucky!
You might ask if Scotland are the unluckiest team in world football?
Frankfurt, Germany and Scotland's recurring failure at major tournaments has become so etched into the nation's psyche that songs (see video below) have been written about it. They are arguably the unluckiest team in world football, so they lend themselves to ballads of broken dreams.
When the Scots qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, their last appearance at the competition; the Glasgow band Del Amitri penned the team's official song and called it, Don't Come Home Too Soon. It didn't work. Scotland were knocked out at the group stage to make it, at that point, 10 times out of 10 that they had qualified for a tournament, only to fail to reach the knockout stages. Don't come home too soon? They were one of the first to pack up and leave again.
This year’s Euro 2024 was their opportunity to redeem themselves, alas they lost every game bar one that they drew against Switzerland. Unfortunately for them, they are going home once again to probably sulk over the disappointment.
If you want glorious failure and tales of what might have been, Scotland are the team for you, whether it is World Cups or European Championships. The final chapter has always been the same, heartbreak!
Remember that we learn from negativity, so when we fail, it is a time for reflection, an understanding that a positive attitude seeks improvement, and this will reflect by coming back stronger than ever!
Keep your dreams alive and keep pushing!
Have a great day!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Etched (adj) = imprinted, fixed, engraved, stamped, carved, impressed
Psyche (n) = soul, spirit, essence, being, inner self, mind, consciousness, ego, awareness, intellect
Ballads (n) = poems, songs, narratives, fold song, traditional song
Penned (v) = confined, captured, kept, imprisoned, corralled, trapped, shut in, hold in, hem in, cage in, (ant) released
Sulk (n) = mood, temper, huff, strop, bad temper, bad humor
Disappointment (n) = dissatisfaction, displeasure, distress, discontent, frustration, regret, (ant) satisfaction
Heartbreak (n) = sorrow, despair, anguish, grief, pain, misery, suffering, (ant) joy
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