We Can Win

Rod told talkSPORT he was a mess of tears and joy as he watched his beloved Scotland qualify for their first major tournament in 2 years last night.

Steve Clarke’s Scotland team beat Serbia in a penalty shoot out in Belgrade on Thursday night to end their long wait to reach a major tournament again, their first since the 1998 World Cup in France. Their win also set up a mouth-watering clash against England, with the Auld Enemies drawn in the same group for next summer’s delayed competition. But, in true Scottish fashion, supporters were put through the wringer by their team. Rod has admitted he ‘thought it was all over’ when Luka Jovic scored a 90th minute Serbian equaliser to force extra-time. The Scots kept their cool from the spot, though, scoring all five penalties with goalkeeper David Marshall becoming the hero with a decisive save to deny Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Rod joined talkSPORT host Jim White  today [Friday] to react to the team’s remarkable achievement, saying: “What a night! , I’m speechless, I must admit. I was sitting here with my two young boys and they had tears in their eyes when we scored.

“We were jumping all over each other, like I’m sure every household in Scotland was, When the late equaliser went in, I was thinking: ‘Here we go again, voodoo has struck us again’.

“How many times have we see that happen?! You look at the last time we played England when we drew 2-2, we should have won that 2-1 and we blew that in the last minute. I must admit, I thought it was all over… but you could see it in their eyes, you could tell they wanted it so much.”

Rod also said he’s praying fans will be allowed back in stadiums by then, admitting he will do everything to join the Tartan Army at Wembley Stadium – even cancel his own wedding anniversary!

And, apparently, that was Penny’s idea!

“I just hope and pray the Tartan Army will be at Wembley,” added Rod.

“The English will obviously want to be there too, all the supporters want to be there and it won’t be the same without them, It’s going to be humongous, it really is.

“I’ll tell you how important it is to our household: my wife, bless her, came in and said: ‘I’ve made all the arrangements, we’ll have to move our wedding anniversary celebrations, and wotsit’s birthday will have to change’, so she’s already been making the arrangements.

“I went to my first tournament to watch Scotland back in 1974 in Germany, when Billy Bremner should have scored against Brazil and put it round the post. I’ve been to every one since then, and it’s been a long, long wait since the last one in 1998.

“I’m over the moon, I tell you, I’m really over the moon.”

To listen to Rod go to https://talksport.com/football/788933/