Is it just the one Qatar that we are playing at Easter Road in June or is it all ten of them? Boom! Boom! Oh never mind…..

Anyway I believe this is the first time we have hosted an Asian nation at full international level unless you put forward a geographical [as opposed to a political] argument for Israel or a bed-hopping case for Australia.[No doubt HH will keep me right on this one]. Incidently, I still think an invitation to Japan is long overdue.

It all takes me back however to June 1989 when Scotland took on Qatar’s big next door neighbour Saudi Arabia in the final of the FIFA Under 16 World Championships at Hampden Park. Scotland [which included Gary Bollan, Paul Dickov, Brian O’Neill, Andy McLaren and Neil Murray] lost 4-5 on penalties after the game had finished 2-2.

Confession time- Scotland were in the final of a World Cup and I missed it as I was busy making an arse of myself at the NALGO five-a-side football tournament in Perth that same day.Back to Qatar though and I look forward to seeing a different nation and adding a new badge to my collection! Is it being greedy to ask for back-to-back hat-tricks or should I just be grateful if we record a victory?

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Robert Marshall

First posted on Facebook on 12th April, 2015