McLeish must rely on skill, not the Hampden Roar, to beat Italians

FOR a cerebral nation, Scotland's history of conflict has tended to err consistently on the side of heart over head. For centuries, tactics amounted to putting on a bit of make-up and a nice skirt and hurling themselves at the enemy like a horde of hairy transvestites with claymores. Unsurprisingly, the Scottish folk music repertoire is rich with laments and ballads for wasted youth.

With that freckled visage and reddish thatch, Alex McLeish could have named his price as an extra in Braveheart. If he is to lead the Tartan Army in a chorus of Edelweiss next summer though, now is the time to allow rationality to supersede emotion. ...