Most readers of the Parliament Magazine probably haven't even heard of Ally MacLeod or don't know much about the humiliating failure of the Scottish 1978 World Cup campaign in Argentina. Perhaps before reading any further you should get Google loaded up as there are likely to be a few references that are fairly obscure outside the world of Caledonia. The wounds of Argentina '78 still run deep in the Scottish psyche. It was a turning point of sorts for Scottish football that led to major changes in the way the sport was managed and perhaps even more fundamentally, the failed campaign changed the relationship between ordinary Scots and the then footballing establishment. Drawing parallels between that debacle and the results of the European elections is tenuous at best and as dodgy as an Alan Rough perm at worst (told you that you'd need Google), but sifting through the media coverage the day after the elections, it wasn't hard to think that perhaps somewhere along the line the EU elite had scored a number of own goals in the run up to the 2014 elections campaign.
"It isn't hard to think that perhaps somewhere along the line the EU elite had scored a number of own goals in the run up to the 2014 elections"
Take the Spitzenkandidat process; was there ever any doubt that Jean-Claude Juncker, Martin Schulz and company would be substituted in injury time? Even before EU leaders began discussing the transfer market for the EU commission president last week, the legal uncertainty that surrounded the whole Spitzenkandidat campaign was as shaky as a Partick Thistle offside trap. Listening to Juncker proclaim that he "won" the elections wasn't as excruciatingly embarrassing as Scotland's defeat by footballing minnows Peru and a hapless draw with lowly Iran, but it's close. Juncker's humiliation by Angela Merkel, and the subsequent self-righteous outcry from many in the EU political bubble merely serves to highlight the delusional world that many in the European parliament elite and their pan-European political groups got themselves into with the idea that their winning candidate would automatically be chosen by member states as the next commission president.
"This time it's different", we were told. Martin Schultz would "knock the vote" (whatever that meant), Juncker's 'experience' would somehow make up for the fact that nobody outside Luxembourg knew who he was. Voters would understand that they were voting for the next commission chief. Er… really? Let's face it, the Spitzenkandidat campaign has been as mortifying as Scotland's 78 'Ally's Army' World cup song. The team selection process was as convoluted and opaque as anything Sepp Blatter could devise. The televised debates were as dreary as a warm up match and the team, well, let's just say that their star players' striking skills weren't as good as their dribbling.
"The EU can and should look to counter the result of the elections by fielding its best squad, by bringing in fresh blood and new tactics"
There's an infamous and discomforting photo of the then Scottish manager Ally Macleod, sitting in a dugout, head in hands, wondering where it had all gone wrong. The current crop of EU leaders could do worse than take a moment to ponder that image and perhaps learn something from Scotland's failure. The EU has, in Scottish footballing parlance, been given a 'drubbing'. Many of its citizens, for a number of reasons, have lost faith in their star players and managers. The injury-time success of the Eurosceptics and the far-right in the European elections shouldn't really have surprised anyone. The previous EU team hadn't been playing well for quite some time. But the EU can and should look to counter the result of the elections by fielding its best squad, by bringing in fresh blood and new tactics. It's perhaps time for those in the parliament and Europe's political parties to give up and retire their journeymen players and let the real managers pick the best candidate for European commission president.
Of course, the parliament still has a key position to play, for despite the fact that the Scottish team failed to win the World Cup, it was arguably the most talented squad ever fielded by Scotland. Parliament also has a talented squad, a bit reduced this time round, but still talented, with some senior players and a fresh crop of eager hopefuls. The parliament, like national football squads carry the hopes and dreams of its supporters. Even when the team is playing badly, true supporters stick with the team they believe in. But supporters also want their team to listen to their concerns and change tactics when necessary. That's what makes the best football teams into great ones.
Argentina in 1978 was a crisis moment for Scottish football, yet Archie Gemmill's goal against Holland has been rated as one of the best world cup goals ever, and went a long way in restoring pride to a demoralised team. Let's hope the new European parliament intake has a few Archie Gemmills waiting for their chance to score.