Smith: Scotland should expect disappointment
Scottish players were ecstatic after last night's win
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Sunday, 08, Oct 2006 07:27
Scotland manager Walter Smith has reminded players and fans that they will experience the same pain of defeat his team inflicted upon France at Hampden Park yesterday at some stage in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.
The Tartan Army defied expectations to secure a famous 1-0 win over the World Cup runners-up thanks to a second-half Gary Caldwell strike, but Smith says that Saturday's result was indicative of the quality of opposition in group B.
"I don't think there is any doubt this is the most difficult group in the European Championship. I think every one of the teams will struggle a bit," he told Sky Sports News.
Scotland face a daunting trip to Kiev on Wednesday to meet Andriy Shevchenko's Ukraine, with World Cup winners Italy also looming.
And the former Rangers and Everton manager said that to the nation's credit, people were by and large refusing to get ahead of themselves.
"I think there is, if there can be such a thing in Scotland, a semblance of reality in the fact they know that, not only have we played France and managed to win the game, but we have an equal game in terms of Italy and we go to Ukraine on Wednesday," Smith explained.
The manager insisted that if Scotland are to qualify for their first major tournament in ten years in Switzerland and Austria, there will have to be a repetition of last night's heroics.
He said: "I think one of the things for Scotland is you are not going to achieve a great deal unless you have a great deal of hard work.
"When you see they [the players] are working as hard as they do, then they can achieve. I don't think they had that belief previously. We are beginning to see that now."
But Smith also found time to praise the "tremendous achievement" of beating France, which he says has given hope to all the teams in group B.
"The fact France started the tournament so well, they beat the World Cup winners in their previous match, I think they were establishing themselves as firm favourites to qualify," the boss said.
"And to lose that game has given everyone an indication there will be tough matches ahead, not only for Scotland, but for all the teams involved in that section."