EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.LETS DO IT. SCOTLAND FOR EVER.

I am sure pressure is on both sides and there are plenty of bad moments for Scotland too that could be reminded to the scottish fans.
This game is there for the taking.

Hungary beat them 3-1 quite recently

How about mentioning the probably 30+ occassions scotland have bottled it....

this is nothing but tabloid sh*te that the italians will just laugh at!!!

Given the proximity of Italy to where the final tournament is going to be held, surely the only way to avoid violence amongst fans is to kick Italy out of the tournament?

You know what Jon, we all know that we've bottled it on some occasions, but we have risen to the occasion on many. The impression has always been that Italy don't bottle it, and this article shows that they too can get it wrong. As the real JBJ once said "we're living on a prayer"

Ahahahahahhahahaha, thank so much, i enjoy a lot this wonderful article.
Ok, now let's underline the great moments in our history:
1934: Italy won the world cup in Italy after beting the great Brasil in semifinal (2-1)
1938: Quarterfinals in Paris against the host. Italy destroyed the French 3-1 and then won the second straight world cup
1968: Italy won the Euro Championship after a great double final agasinst Jugoslavia
1970: Italy-Germany 4-3, probably the greatest match in football history. Italy won that semifinal and went to the world cup final
1978: great tournament, loss in the semifinal against the dutch after a remarkable world cup campaign.
1982: Champions!!!! Won against the world cup holders (Argentina) and the fantastic Brasil (hat trick for Pablito Rossi). The underdogs went to the semifinal and walked on the polish and germans ruins to triumph for the THIRD time
1990: We lost against the Argentinians, ok, but we arrived to the semifinal, i think it's not an ugly result
1994: 1/16: Italy down against Nigeria (0-1). At minute 89 Roooberto BAGGIO scored a fantastic gol to tie the game and then transformed a penalty in the extra-time (2-1). QUARTER FINALS: Draw at minutes 91; but Robeeerto BAGGIO scored another fantastic gol in the injury time and gave us the semifinal. SEMIFINAL: Italy played a great game against Bulgaria. Two gol from an unforgivable Roooberto BAGGIO and it's final. Then, the 0-0 agianst Brasil and the loss at penalties (dramatic evening, but second is better than watching it at home)
2000: EuroChampionship: Holland-Italy. Zambrotta sent-off at 30 minutes. Than catenaccio for the rest of the game and historic win at penalties. Only the italians!!!!
2006: WORLD CHAMPIONS...nothin else to say.
Bye bye Friends.
Ps: we never drawed against the Faroer island (at home)...eheheheh.
I hope italy and scotland will qualify for the next year campaign. But, please, don't wri

Alba Gu Brath!

italy are without a doubt the superior team going into this game, but the tartan army put the azzurri to shame....for that reason the scots will be made far more welcome next summer, and i don't think italy will be too missed.....maybe now would be a good time to start looking at summer holidays for next year forza....somewhere quiet away from televisions might be a good idea

1-0 Scotland....'mon the boys

Let's put this into perspective - Italian teams come to Galsgow over the last 5 or so years and are finding it very difficult so htye will not be as confident as you may think.

We should be less surprised byt the improved performance of the national team since Rangers & Celtic have continually improved in Europe over the last 5 or so years (with a hagh % of scots in the team), and with the likes of Aberdeen qualifying for the group stages of Uefa - more and more young scots lads are getting more and more experience of high quality european football - and indeed, beating these teams.

Much of the credit lies with these clubs who then pass on better players to the national team, and the national coach has added to this or channelled it.

Forget trying to rattle Italy ! WANT TO WIN MORE, PLAY BETTER, PLAY INTELLIGENTLY AND DON'T BE SCARED.

Go on lad's - do us proud

This game has got draw written all over it.

#9- Terrible spelling, must try harder!!!

On a more serious note, I hardly think losing a World Cup Semi on penalties would be regarded as a failure were Scotland to find themselves in that position.

This does seem to be a spurious article, however the point made by Nelly is definitely relevant. The likes of Pirlo and Gattuso will know how hard it can be in Glasgow and won't look forward to Saturday. Fingers crossed it's a schneider of a night and the Italians may start to doubt themselves.

Two weeks ago I was lambasting friends and workmates who dared suggest Sccotland could turn over the Italians on Saturday.
Unfortunately, severe bouts of optimism have overtaken me in the last couple of days, and such is the worrying state of my mental health right now, that I am beginning to believe we can sneak it.
Sure, it will take a performance like no other, but hey...stuff happens.
C'mon you Scots!

Comeon Scotland.
Would love to have bragging rights on this one across here (even though my car might suffer if we win ,still got GB plates Alba sticker and tartan army foot-soldier in the back window).
No.9 Forza Azzurri
Not a stupid article , could also have stated things like "World cup winner 82 Rossi known cheat" as he was found guilty of match fixing which after last years fiasco goes to prove it's still going on in Italy.

What ever the result, this Scotland team has restored my faith that we can be a great footballing nation again. They have been an absolute joy to watch and it has been superb to carry the real hope - right up to the last match - in a group with both World Cup finalists, Ukraine and the bogey former Soviet Union team, that we can qualify!

When we beat the Ukraine I walked back to my flat in London from the Rob Roy bar on air, like I was 10ft tall!

So come on Scotland! One more - 90 full minutes of pride, we CAN do this!!! :-)

#18

Just proves that you should never mix your drinks.

Keep believing Scorchio......

I'm telling you...with 5 minutes to go...it will be all square....

Scotland will mount one last cavalry charge up the pitch..a huge stramash in the goalmouth will follow...McManus or Weir will toe poke it home....

Hampden will explode and all will leave dancing and singing to drink copius amounts of beer....

The end.

Since 1988 italy have not lost a game in 90 minutes that they needed to take a result from.

i.e. qualifying games like this, or in the major tournaments.

Italy have always taken the game to extra time or penalties before they went out.

That's a record that should be mentioned, and does not inspire confidence in scotland being able to win this.

If Scotland get a draw it will a long 4 days til France go to the ukraine.

Will the Italian team's designer shorts be able to hold back the torrent of keech that'll be pouring oot the Azzuri's backsides come Saturday?

A glorious day in the history of World fitba - Scottish honest endeavour defeats the bullying, cheating and dirty Italians!

#22
"the bullying, cheating and dirty Italians"

Have you seen Lee Mculloch play?

;o)

#23 Prime

I did see him curl one of the goals of the campaign into the top corner against Ukraine.

Westendger
Sei un succhianerchie a tradimento, testa di merda che non sei altro, cretino di un britannico, demente e strappafiletti.
Why don't you try to translate or to speak italian??? ehehehehehe

THE JET said:
Not a stupid article , could also have stated things like "World cup winner 82 Rossi known cheat" as he was found guilty of match fixing which after last years fiasco goes to prove it's still going on in Italy
...........................................................................
Yes, Paolo Rossi known cheat, but World Champion in 1982 and top scorer at that world cup. Italian football corrupted and violent, but however WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!
Bye bye
We are dirty (but we have hot water to wash ourselves), divers, cheaters, violents, fascists, mafiosi, criminals, pizza, spaghetti...but we are the CHAMPIONS...and you are not!!! Only words from the britains (BLA BLA BLA BLA). LOOSERS!!!
We'll win in hampden

#25,

You have just demonstrated why the rest of the World will want Scotland to stuff you good and proper!!

Btw, I admire and enjoy many things Italian - Gina Lolobrigida, Sophia Loren, Chianti, pasta, films etc, but yer fitba team needs urinated upon from a great height!

Here here AJ, well said dear boy. Lets get into the Oily Mamma's boys!!!!

Welcome to Forza Azzurri, nice to have you on here.

I quite agree that the article is a load of rubbish, and that your great moments by far outweigh the not-so-good. However we also know that Italy will respect Scotland and that it will be a tough, tight match. I just hope that the Azzurri at least try to play football and don't 'treat' us to 90 minutes of catenaccio, I think I might open a vein if that happens...

By the way Forza, please note that we are not 'Britains'.

SIAMO SCOZZESE... :-)

Well Forza
whoever wins on Saturday will qualify,the problem being that if Italy qualify i think the supporters will be about as welcome as the Celsea headhunters or the Millwall crew of old next year in the finals were as the Scots will be welcomed with open arms.
We may not be champions on paper and have never pretended to be (yes sometimes we can get a little excited and then reality comes in ) but cheating or paying to win is always a hollow victory.
Our football suffered in the 70's and 80's due to problems with certain groups of supporters but we have nearly cured this problem and if the only problem now is a few chants concerning which colour of god we prefer well compared to Italy we are perfect.
I love Italy (i have lived here now for more than 12 years) the people are fantastic , the weathers great and the food fantastic to name but a few things but and it's a very big but there is some very grave problems in Italy at the moment that have exsisted for many years.
In politics you still have a very active fascist party
and the Lega Nord meetings reminds me of Berlin in 33, on the football side of things the lunatics really are ruling everything and none are making a stand against them not the politicians or the FIGC the police who are in the middle suffer every game and although they have made tradgic mistakes a really do feel sorry for them every Sunday.

Anyway enough of this RANT,whoever wins Saturday lets hope its a good game and the best team on the day wins and for the sake of footabll on a whole i really do hope that Italian football can come through this period for the good of football wordwide as a whole.

Only 3 more sleeps....

In my dreams we hammered the great Azzurri 4-0 with a Paul Hartley hatrick,. Who got the other one? Who the f*ck cares...
;-D

30 - Yes, that would do nicely.

I dreamt a cheeseburger was eating ME!

Ok boys, every country has its problems, and we have a lot (violence, the come back of fascism ideology in some part of the politics, corruption, ecc), also in football.
But we won 4 world cups because we are a great team, and not because we stole or cheated. This is english press rubbish (i know you get angry when i say you are british, eh eh). And we are not arrogants like the french (we don't speak, we win). However, i have nothing against Scotland, i only think you should respect more the italians and our national team.
CHAMPIONS
F..k the french

Ok boys, every country has its problems, and we have a lot (violence, the come back of fascism ideology in some part of the politics, corruption, ecc), also in football.
But we won 4 world cups because we are a great team, and not because we stole or cheated. This is english press rubbish (i know you get angry when i say you are british, eh eh). And we are not arrogants like the french (we don't speak, we win). However, i have nothing against Scotland, i only think you should respect more the italians and our national team.
CHAMPIONS
F..k the french

Forza,

We admire your women and wine, but not yer fitba team!!!

Scotland 2 Italy 0

PS, will Donadoni get the Milano Mussolini telegraph pole treatment, when you fail?

The journo left out another campaign...here's an snipet:

September 1943
3: Mainland Italy is invaded as Allied forces under Bernard L. Montgomery land at Reggio de Calabria. An Italian Armistice is signed and Italy drops out of the war.
3: Nazi Germany begins the evacuation of civilians from Berlin.
4: Russia declares war on Bulgaria.
4: The 503rd Parachute Regiment under American General Douglas MacArthur lands and occupies Nadzab, just east of the port city of Lae in northeastern Papua New Guinea. Lae falls into American hands and Australian troops take Salamau.
8: United States General Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly announces the surrender of Italy to the Allies.

I've nothing against Italians, I just wondered when they surrendered in the war (you know the old joke about how many gears an italian tank has - one forward and 5 reverse) - so I checked out this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II

If your hit Ctrl & F buttons on your keyboard and type in the word 'surrender' and keep hitting 'next', see how many times the word refers to Italian forces; freaky! How many times in a war do you get to surrender?

Scotland have a great chance on Saturday playing the decisive game in their fortress. Without a doubt.

However Scotland - somewhat a victim of their own success - can not count on a "surprise effect" on Italy to win the game.

1) Italy was in Hampden two years ago. The Italian players know the crowd will be electric and will boost Scotland enormously before and during the game;

2) Scotland has already taken Europe by storm by defeating France twice;

3) McFadden, Miller (who scored against Italy in 2005 as an obscure Championship player), Fletcher, Ferguson and Brown. All this players are now well known in Italy because of either their club (Celtic and Man U) or international games;

4) Donadoni in recent weeks got his aides to go to watch the Old Firm games to keep an eye on the Scotland players playing for the OF.

Donadoni is somewhat a diminutive and unassuming character but he has certainly prepared this game with the highest degree of professionalism.

Then the game is 90mins of fitba (as you call it) and this is a very open one.....Nail biting stuff for both sets of fans....

#35

That reminds me of the old story about the book in the library with the least number of words....

The book on Italian Military stratagy...

Page 1....Surrender....The end.

36. Zlatan - good post - on the socttish news last night I think it was Donadoni that was saying he was surprised that Scotland were in the running at the end and everyone thought it would be France & Italy (which is fair enough): it was when he talked about Scotland beating France home and away that there looked like there was real fear in his eyes and a tightening of his sphincter. Clearly, he's worried about his job because he senses that playing Scotland at Hampden could be on the scary side.

Personally, I think that it will be a tight for most of the match and if Scotland can keep it 0-0 for most of the match and then score in the last third, Roberto Donadoni will be Roberto Dona-managing-his-national-side.

#35 - grow up. The British had a fair few white flag moments in their time so let's leave the war behind, eh?

I'd say most Scottish football fans respect Italy, Forza. Please ignore any stupid comments here! Anyone who dismisses the current world champions is a fool to themselves and their own football team.

I hope it's a good game and both sides don't let their fans down. (And Scotland squeeze a 1-0 result!)

#9 how much did that lot cost in bribes and horses heads.

#37 good one paulmac,

We better be a bit more respectful - we're coming up to xmas soon and have you ever seen an Italian nativity scene?

It has Jesus, Mary, and three wise guys.

OK, one last childish gag from me, then I'm off to do some work -

Heaven & Hell

HEAVEN is where:
The police are British
The chefs Italian
The mechanics are German
The lovers are French
and it's all organised by the Swiss

HELL is where:
The police are German
The chefs are British
The mechanics are French
The lovers are Swiss
and it's all organised by the Italians!!

#35 THE BPRENTICE

The government that made an underdeveloped and militarily ill prepared country go to war was a dictatorship (Benito Mussolini and his fascist regime) and that was a tragic decision.

In 1943 the Italian King - that for his own weakness had not stopped Mussolini in 1922 - shamefully (for him) fled Rome and seeked refuge in Brindisi beyond the then enemy line and signed an armistice with the Anglo-American.

The above can not be taken as an example of the cowardy of the Italian people (between 1943 and 1945 Italy had a civil war between fascist loyalists in a Germany occupied country and the anti fascist supporting the Allies).

Your beloved Gen. Montgomery had words of sheer admiration for the Italian troops (ill equipped) that fought in North Africa and so did the Russians about the Alpine troops that fought a desperate war in the diabolical Russian campain.

It was a dictatorship for God's sake!

43. Zlatan, that was a great post. A good point well made.

As someone who does respect your country despite my chidlish gags - you just have to remind us how the Roman Empire kicked much ass over many countires and were astute enough to convince other countires to assimilate rather than get creamed, to put me in my place.

I have a serious question for you: how do you feel when you see, over the years in international competitions, your country (and they're not the only ones) do more than their fair share of diving and feigning injury?

BPrentice - good point. What about the dive (the blatant and not even very good dive) that won the penalty that beat the Aussies last year?

OK, the ref was stupid enough to fall for it, but diving is cheating, as certain diminuitive Lithuanians know all too well......

So, Zlatan and Forza - do you still hold the moral high ground as World Cup champions, despite the fact you cheated to get there?

Still love most things Italian by the way, just not the way your national team plays.

44. THE BPRENTICE

how do you feel when you see, over the years in international competitions, your country (and they're not the only ones) do more than their fair share of diving and feigning injury?

-=-=-=-=-=--=---=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=

I believe WC 2006 was a good advert for Italian football overall.

A team unable to field an out and out footballing genious (a Messi for instance, Totti is not in that category), yet industrious, skillful, cohesive and with an unbelievable fighting spirit.

WC 2006 will not go down in history as a competition won by Italy by diving and cheating and the same applied for WC 1982.
There are really no episodes to justify that.

Grosso's falling in the box vs. Australia?
Maybe a dubious penalty, but the referee was in an ideal position to judge.
And forgive you me the penalty that allowed France to defeat Portugal in the semi was IMHO just as dubious as Grosso's, but did not get much of a press coverage.
Talk about stereotypes....

What I did not like is Tassotti elbowing Luis Enrique in WC 1994 and DeRossi elbowing McBride in WC 2006. That I did not like in the slightest..

Hmm, a bottle of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo would go down very nicely just now.

And about as easily as an Azzuri player......

#43...Zlatan

Believe me when I say it's all in good fun....

My wife is Italian and whenever I make a joke about Italians, she reminds me that Scotsmen wear skirts....only because they're to tight to buy a kilt.

So if I have offended you my friend....I apologise...

Now to footie...

Come Saturday Italy will be Italy.....very defensive....technically excellent....and dangerous on the break......

Scotland on the other hand will be.....very defensive.....Technically average.....and hopeful on the break.....

It has draw written all over it....hope I'm wrong.

anyone brave enough to suggest a team? 4-4-2 or 4-5-1?

Zlatan - whether or not there was press coverage, both were blatant dives, therefore both were cheating.

Or do you not think that acting to deceive the referee into thinking that another player has tripped you when there has been little if any contact isn't cheating?

If so, how else would you describe that sort of behaviour? That's what winds me up - the Italian players are, almost to a man, fabulously talented in European terms anyway, so why do they need to fall over so easily and roll around on the floor as if somebody has just cut their leg off when in actual fact they were brushed against? It's an insult to the game.

48. paulmac, surrey

No probs, pal.

My wife is Scottish and I even taught her to rinse the dishes after washing them!!!!!!

Got two lovely Scottish-Italian boys, Internazionale F.C. fans of course......

PS
I love talking football with the Scots because they just love the game and I am the same. I love football and lager, working in the spare time....

46. Zlatan thanks for replying - I don't feel that you actually answered question though....

....maybe it should have been broken up into 2 parts:

Q1) do you feel over the recent past (say the last 20 years) when watching your national team, that your team use diving and feigning injury tactics more than other teams?

Q2) If you answer 'yes' to question number 1, are you satisfied that your team deploys such tactics of diving and feigning injury?

I know if its true, its not your fault, but you sound like a stand up guy that would be honest enough about how you view your national team.

50. Roscoe P Coltrane

Difficult to say what a player thinks in that split second and the boundary between genuinely falling down and letting yourself go.

But in all fairness taking that episode (Grosso vs Neill) as the symbol of Italy's WC is unfair.
That very game Italy Australia had in itself been adversely affected by an absurd direct red card against Materazzi that had put Italy in an awful predicament....

I accept the doubts about the episode per se, I can't see that as an exemplification of the "Italian way" of doing things...

Look at all the games in this qualifying group for Euro 2008.
There are no episodes to substatiate claims that Italian players got about trying to con the referee.

Seriously this diving/cheating thing is all a bit out of proportion and should be consigned to the realms of the stereotypes.

52. THE BPRENTICE

Q1) do you feel over the recent past (say the last 20 years) when watching your national team, that your team use diving and feigning injury tactics more than other teams?
-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-

Not really, in all fairness.

In order to fail one needs to be in the game. Many of the ten examples of where Italy failed were in the later stages of major tournaments. Unfortunately for the Scots Italy only needs a tie. What happened against
Georgia? Scotland sealed their fate with a poor performance against a lesser team. The game will end
in a 0-0 tie and Scotland will go out...Again.

#53 - fair point about the red card, but there can be no excuse for diving IMHO.

And I also honesly believe that, unfortunately, the "gamesmanship" of Italian teams, domestic and national, is absolutely not stereotyping. Just because there were no major incidents doesn't mean that there weren't lots and lots of smaller but still significant incidents.

Anyway, we obviously have differing viewpoints on that that aren't going to change- just like I'm never going to admit that Scottish players would ever dive to try and.....eh? Oh.

If there's no histrionics from your lot on Saturday I will take it all back and never say a word against them again. Sod it, we're all going to have a great laugh on Saturday whatever happens - win or lose, we'll hit the booze!

#49 Stilllost bhoy

I reckon

Gordon
Hutton McManus Weir Naysmith
Brown Fletcher Ferguson McCulloch
McFadden
Miller

54. Zlatan - you handled that one with silky smooth Italian style! Awesome.

I just hope you've got nothing to do with this famous Italian:

http://www.pinocchio.it/

~;<>

Zlatan
the "diving" here in Italy is beyond a joke,even the TV program "Striscia La Notizia" has a segment in it every week with the best dives that happened during the weekend.
The worst thing is that youngsters are copying their "heros" during games,watched a under 12 match in Novara two weeks ago when a boy went down a the player that treid to tackle him was about 3 to 4 metres away from him at the time even worse after the ref gave a foul his coach patted him on the back a said well done.

Folks who is the referee this weekend ?

Any chance of a frenchman?

come on Italy

JJ, no Hartley? You may be right but I think it's more likely - keep fletcher on the bench for Hartley, aiming to keep it tight for the first half at least.

Either that or keep Miller on the bench until the Italians tire of chasing after the ball which we'll be knocking around with unbelieveable skill while winning 12- 0 in the first half....

#61 stilllostbhoy

You are absolutly correct mate, an oversight on my part.
Probably more likely to be the 5 in midfield with Miller coming on. I be tempted to play Miller from the start though, his running power is a great outlet.

#59 I believe that the ref for the game on Saturday is Charlie Richmond.

FRATELLI D'ITALIA L'ITALIA S'E' DESTA
DELL'ELMO DI SCIPIO S'E' CINTA LA TESTA
DOV'E' LA VITTORIA? LE PORGA LA CHIOMA
CH'E' SCHIAVA DI ROMA E IDDIO LA CREO'

popopopopopoppopo

STRINGIANCI A COORTE SIAM PRONTI ALLA MORTE SIAM PRONTI ALLA MORTE ITALIA CHIAMO' STRINGIANCI A COORTE SIAM PRONTI ALLA MORTE SIAM PRONTI ALLA MORTE ITALIA CHIAMO
SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Oh dear, a lot of misplaced bravado on here, which makes me think we're heading for a fall. As a pessimistic football fan all my life I just cannot see Italy losing this one.

If Scotland win, I'll bare my aris in my front window.

1-0 Italy. Goal scored midway through the first half that they then sit on for the rest of the game, plenty of aerial bombardment and long range efforts, few heart-in-mouth corners, but ultimately no goals for Scotland.

Should have beaten Georgia.

#63 that's a reference to the ref that saw Berra bundle Stevenson in the penalty box and gave nothing.....

...I heard a referee on a radio phone in programme say that he agreed that it wasn't a penalty because when contact was made they were both going for the ball 9 I thought the ball was too far away for that to be correcct) - he also said that if it was obstruction like the presenter had suggested that you can't give a penalty for obstruction by Berra, only an indirect freekick. He then went on to say that your average fan (and I'm paraphrasing) doesn't know what they're talking about.

EH? I still think it should have been a pen and I'm a jambo! I still don't think that hibs would have scored the pen so it would have changed the path in the game because it would have meant that hibs wouldn't have scored their goal just after the penalty claim.

In fact, I think I should be the ref on Saturday.

65. J G W - If you bare your aris in your front window - how will you feel when people still recognise you?

Just kidding! You very well might be right there, I just can't see Italy losing this one either. Our pint glasses will be half-empty no doubt on Saturday for most of the match. We really should have beaten Georgia and Hutton'n'Broon should have been released from their 'death-beds'....to help the cause!

Still where there's fadders ... there's hope buddy. The Scotland squad will be heros whether they win, lose or draw. Proud to be a Scot. don't know how many gears our tank will have on Saturday but guaranteed the suspension will be set for the bumpiest ride possible!!!!!!!!!!!

Heres a question..............
if you could have two players from Scotlands past playing on Saturday who would they be.?

Mines would be in defence..............

Tom "jaws" Forsyth..........mind you i todays game the Italians after a tackle from Tom wouldn't be diving they would be on the way to A&E.

and

Jim "6ft 2 eyes of blue" Holton.......... (may he rest in peace) forwards would basically s**t themselves with these two at the back.

#68 I'd go back in time and make sure that Laudrup and Larsson were born on Scottish soil.

#63

Richmond would still f**k it up.....

#70

Don't you mean McLaudrup and McLarsson.....

# 71 & 72 spot on, macpaul.

Mind you Baxter (1967) style and Dalglish at his peak would not be three bad, in fact im sure these two would fit in any world eleven at their peak.

Let's hope our stars of today can do us proud on Saturday and give be bragging rights for at least the next two to three years across here.

does anybody else feel sick?? this is the first article iv dared to read on this, I just feel ill thinking about it. maybe its cos I have 4 tickets to every one of scotlands group games hanging in the balance, i dont know, but I have NEVER been so nervous about a football game...
I know we can win it though, lets talk recent games, we killed off ukraine and lithuania both 3-1 at hampden, lets get stuck into them world cup cheats and slide 4 past buffon

PS... scott brown is gonna show some class, I can feel it...

No 75
you feel sick i'm sh*tting myself.
On Saturday i'm in the pub for the game across here
(Novara,Northern Italy) cheering the boy's on.
Lose and oh! well a bit of a pi** take and thats it, win and well depends on how much i drink bur sarcasm doe's not go down here that well,plus my car with brotish plate and the tartan army sticker on the back well lets just say last month it got keyed and one of the wing mirrors smashed of for no apparent reason think what they'll do if we win.................must remember to have my insurance certs and phone numbers ready for Sunday morning.

#64 Great anthem, up there with the Welsh anthem in terms of my all-time favourites. Such a shame that ours is a load of rubbish!

You wrote:
"ITALY undeniably have a proud and distinguished history, including four World Cup wins and a European Championship success, but there remains a misconception they 'always get the job done'"

There are no teams which 'always get the job done', as far as I know.

Anyway, I am Italian and what happened in 1990 and 1994 especially, really really hurt, honestly.

Both Scotland and Italy have made a terrific euro2008 campaign so far. I'll be at Hampden, let's hope it's a good game and may the victory go to those who deserve it.

#79

That'll be us then....

A good old sclaf goal on Saturday to win the game will do me fine.....

Its been 10 years since the whole country sat on the inevitable emotional rollercoaster that will no doubt move off at 5pm on Saturday. (in football terms that is)

I don't care who we are playing England, Brazil, Norway, Peru.......... Italy. All that matters is that we get the result that matters.

Lets get together hold hands and think positive thoughts and just wish that ba in tae the poke.

COME ON LADS THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS.

No matter what happens on saturday, this campaign has been a pleasure. The smiles on the Scots fans faces after most of the results has been terrific. Win lose or draw at the weekend, (and it will take a very good team to beat us!) we can be proud of our play, the fans, and our huge improvement. We will still have all that!! My compliments to the Italians on this blog, they always have had a great team. Join the party on saturday and have an experience to savour....no matter the result...that's what it's all about, or should be. It is not life or death.
My team fielded on saturday would be 1 10..howzat?

no matter who'll win..i'm coming to glasgow and i hope to be treaten in a good way like we always treated scottish people here...some posts on here are really offensive.

Good luck to Scotland on Saturday and what a transformation from the Berti years.Scotland has excelled itself with our achievements ,we have to remember that our populatuion compared to Italy's is 11 times less than Italy's,that means for every Scottish player Italy have 11 more players to choose from,so in theory we should be nowhere near the top of our group.Imagine if our population was the same and had more players to choose from, like the Italians,how good would we be?
No9 don't try and gloat about what you've won.Scotland have done much more i'm sure than what your team would have done if the roles were reversed.