Somebody up there in footballing heaven has a sense of humour. When the draw for the Euro 2000 play-offs was made this week, he - whoever - threw England and Scotland together. Nothing unusual, you might say, for two countries that have existed (though not without the odd spat and the odder breakaway movement) under the same flag since the union almost 300 years ago. In footballing terms, though, it's like putting the Serbs and Bosnians together; or, closer home, India and Pakistan playing cricket during the Kargil conflict.The animus between the two peoples predates even Braveheart, and has not lost any of its heat in the years since. If the players somehow keep their cool when playing each other, the fans don't. Especially the Scottish fans, who are a fearsome sight anyway painted all over in their red and yellow. When Glasgow Rangers began hiring a slew of English footballers in the mid-80s, supporters of their arch-rivals Celtic joked that their team could kill two birds with one stone: BeatRangers and the England team at the same time!Ironically, the greatest managers in post-war England have been Scotsmen: Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Alex Ferguson. Ironic, because they have been responsible for the amazing success of English teams in European football.After the initial success of Manchester United winning the European Cup in 1968 (though Scots would love to remind you that Glasgow Celtic won it the year before), Liverpool notched up a string of successes in the late 70s-early 80s. They paved the way for Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa to also win the trophy, before the Heysel disaster put English teams in the doghouse for five years.But back to England and Scotland. Guess who's the most worried about the matches? Not the managers, not the players, but the police. Especially the English police, who know that their 2006 World Cup bid will suffer greatly from any disturbances on field or off.Anyway, the same person up there also has a heart. Against heavy odds, UEFA awarded the2004 European Championships to Portugal, the first-ever tournament to be staged there. Portugal were fighting off stiff competition from neighbours Spain and a joint bid from Austria and Hungary (revival of the empire?); their slogan was the touchingly simple `We love football'. Their argument? Spain had already hosted a Euro championships and a world cup; now it was Portugal's turn. Obviously, the Great Referee in the Sky agreed and gave the country its due.Looking at Portugal's national team today, one tends to forget its past. The glory days were in the sixties, when Eusebio led a team of awesome skill that somehow failed to win major honours. Great clubs, too: Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and, latterly, Porto.There's good news for the English Premiership. The Living Legend, aka Pele, has called it the best league in the world. So that should silence the fans of the Primera Liga, the Serie A and the pretenders north of the border.However, The Legend is nothing if not fair, and so in the same breath hesaid the best footballer in the world is not David Beckham (as some people, especially those down London way, believe) but Rivaldo. Well, we'd never have guessed, would we? Rivaldo, says LL, is the most complete player, and scores more goals; Beckham needs to prove his star quality.Anyone who watched the `Best vs the Rest' on TV Monday night could not help but marvel at how much Alex Ferguson has achieved. Forget the merits of the football on display, it was the footballers in the ex-Man United players' team who testified to Fergie's coaching skills. Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes, Peter Schmeichel and Steve Bruce, the best defender never to play for England. The crowd loved it, of course, reviving the chants of yesteryear: `Yewzie' for Hughes, `Ooh-aah Cantona' and `There's only one Bryan Robson'. A night to remember, even if you believe better dead than red.Check list(UN)WORTHINGTON CUP?: Proof was on hand, if at all needed, that the former League Cup was of little value to topEnglish teams when Man United and Chelsea fielded second-string sides in their opening ties. Both lost, but will shed few tears; their eyes are on bigger things.WATCH OUT FOR.:Liverpool vs Chelsea, Saturday. Have the Blues shaken off the hangover after thrashing Man United 5-0? Can they deal with a Liverpool who, when on Song (and, presumably, on Camara) are the team to beat? Watch this space.PLAYING FOR KEEPS: The continuing saga of Man United's goalkeeping problems. Van der Gouw kept goal in Fergie's testimonial match, Bosnich in the Worthington cup tie. Who will it be against Watford? Common sense dictates Bossie be given another chance, after Taibi fluffed the many he got. But Fergie is no respecter of egos or heirarchy and could spring another surprise.
