F-B-F.org -

Gareth Llewellyn’s side fought hard to ask some serious questions of the tourists and it was not until Carlos Spencer, one of the few genuine New Zealand Test contenders on view, spiced the proceedings with a dash of genius after an hour that his countrymen could be at all sure of victory.
Having seen the Scarlets pay heavily for their fragility under pressure at Stradey Park on Saturday night, the latest red-shirted lambs to the slaughter decided that, whatever might happen in the later stages, they would make a physical point or two while their opponents were still fresh from the haka.Byron Hayward set the tone by aiming his kick-off straight at Jonah Lomu – New Zealand’s one-man Southern Alp had his nose rubbed in it by a posse of offside Welshmen – and then Andy Moore put the opposite wing, Tana Umaga, in similar strife with a perfect hanging kick.If all that constituted a statement of intent, the Welsh underlined it with an impertinent early try. Houghton, 35, picked up a heel injury in the Royals’ 1-0 win over Stockport at Elm Park last Saturday. But the Republic’s manager, Mick McCarthy, is confident that the former Liverpool man will recover and be ready to join the party that flies to Brussels tomorrow.
“The pressure will be on Belgium as they are expected to win after their 1-1 draw in Dublin in the first leg,” McCarthy said. “The fact that they have scored the away goal takes the pressure off us, but we know we can win this game and that they can throw it away.”. The veteran Reading midfielder Ray Houghton missed yesterday’s training session in Dublin as the Republic of Ireland began their preparations for Saturday’s World Cup play-off second leg against Belgium in Brussels. They have fared less well in friendlies, winning four and losing seven out of 12, though that, he would doubtless argue, is what occasions like tonight are for.FRANCE (4-3-1-2) (probable): Barthez (Monaco); Thuram (Parma), Blanc (Marseille), Desailly (Milan), Laigle (Sampdoria); Deschamps (Juventus), Petit (Arsenal), Zidane (Juventus); Djorkaeff (Internazionale); Laslandes (Bordeaux), Guivarc’h (Auxerre).SCOTLAND (3-5-2) (probable): Sullivan (Wimbledon); Weir (Heart of Midlothian), Dailly (Derby), Calderwood (Tottenham); Burley (Celtic), McKinlay (Blackburn), McAllister (Coventry), Collins (Monaco), Boyd (Celtic); Gallacher (Blackburn), Durie (Rangers).. But we’re playing an outstanding team and there will be a big, partisan crowd, so it should give us a terrific yardstick.”Scotland’s record under Brown stands at 16 wins, three defeats and 18 clean sheets in 24 competitive games.

They’ll be one of the favourites next summer and justifiably so. Nine of their squad play in Italy – guys like Djorkaeff, Deschamps and Desailly – where they’re key men.”I have to emphasise; this is France ‘97, whereas our priority is France ‘98. Brown is excited by the Blackburn player’s ability to drive forward and score.David Hopkin, who possesses a similar knack, is also certain to figure at some stage. The Leeds captain has had what Brown called, tongue slightly in cheek, “a magnificent international career – one-and- a-half competitive games, two goals”, yet needs to be viewed in more exalted company.Brown is sure France will provide that, despite the omission of Dugarry, Lama, Loko and Karembeu, and media complaints that they are too dour. “Unless we’d gone to South America and played Brazil, this is the toughest fixture we could have chosen,” he said.”We’re playing the World Cup hosts who went 30 games unbeaten not long ago and were only knocked out of Euro ‘96 on penalties in the semi-final. There may also be a debut, in a cameo role, for Matt Elliott.

Leicester’s London-born defender qualifies for Scotland because his late granny was from Partick.Weir, set to win his third cap as replacement for the injured Colin Hendry, has been outstanding in the Premier Division. “Hearts didn’t get to be top of the league with a weak central defence,” Brown said.McKinlay has played 21 times for his country, mostly as substitute, but is now earmarked to deputise for the absent Paul Lambert as midfield anchor man. Without a match until late March, when Denmark visit Glasgow, they jumped at the opportunity to test themselves against high-quality opposition, and in particular to see how certain fringe candidates might fare.At least three players more accustomed to warming the bench – David Weir, Billy McKinlay and goalkeeper Neil Sullivan – are likely to be in the starting line-up. Armistice Day, rather than any lorry-drivers’ blockades, accounted for the subdued welcome, but Craig Brown is anticipating the storm after the calm in the Geoffroy- Guichard Stadium tonight.The encounter with France will, the Scotland manager believes, be an unusually competitive friendly.

As World Cup hosts, Aime Jacquet’s team did not have to go through the rigours of qualifying. They were therefore keen to pit themselves against opponents who would not treat the game as a glorified training exercise.That is where the Scots – seen here as “Typiquement Britannique” – came in. The former Coventry manager, who left Wednesday in acrimonious circumstances in 1991 to take over at Aston Villa, said: “I have had no contact with anyone from Sheffield Wednesday and I will not become the next Wednesday manager.”The former England manager Bobby Robson, currently the director of recruitment at Barcelona, has been linked with an imminent return to one of his former clubs, Sporting Lisbon, as technical director.. Only Brazil could have presented Scotland with a more formidable test than World Cup hosts France. Phil Shaw, in Saint-Etienne, sets the scene for tonight’s friendly with a lot at stake.
Scotland arrived in this grey industrial city yesterday to find, like W C Fields in Philadelphia, that it was closed. “I have not had any contact whatsoever with anybody from the club.”Alan Curbishley, the Charlton manager, has emerged as Houston’s most likely successor.