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From todays times:
A miserable year for Scotland has been capped today by the news that they have slipped to 86th place in the latest Fifa world rankings, behind the likes of Burkina Faso, Syria and United Arab Emirates.
Walter Smith, who last month was named as successor to Berti Vogts after the German's resignation, has yet to take charge of a senior squad, but the former Everton and Rangers boss must now lift the national team after a total fall of 32 places in 2004. After their latest monthly fall of nine points, Scotland are ranked alongside Albania and Guinea.
Smith's first game in charge will be the World Cup qualifier in Italy in March 2005.
Scotland's year began poorly when Wales comfortably ran out 4-0 winners at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff last February before Romania won 2-1 at Hampden Park the following month in another friendly. Their performance improved in the 1-0 friendly defeat in Denmark before further non-competitive wins over Estonia and Trinidad & Tobago offered some hope for the long-suffering Tartan Army.
But a 3-0 Hampden defeat by Hungary in August - Scotland's biggest loss at the national stadium since February 1973 - set a low standard for the rest of the year.
After the embarrassing 1-1 draw in Moldova left Scotland with just two points from their three opening World Cup qualifiers, Vogts resigned. Only Iceland have fallen further than Scotland in the world rankings over the past 12 months.
Meanwhile England have traded places with Mexico in the latest monthly rankings. Sven-Goran Eriksson's men slipped one spot from seventh to eighth with the Mexicans taking their spot and Portugal - England's conquerors in Euro 2004 - one place behind.
Wales have dropped five places from 63rd to 68th to slip narrowly behind Qatar and Peru but ahead of Belarus and Zambia. Northern Ireland remain static, sandwiched between Cyprus and El Salvador in 107th.
The Republic of Ireland have risen two places to 12th ahead of Sweden and Denmark and immediately behind the United States.
Brazil, France and Argentina remain the top three sides in the rankings.
A miserable year for Scotland has been capped today by the news that they have slipped to 86th place in the latest Fifa world rankings, behind the likes of Burkina Faso, Syria and United Arab Emirates.
Walter Smith, who last month was named as successor to Berti Vogts after the German's resignation, has yet to take charge of a senior squad, but the former Everton and Rangers boss must now lift the national team after a total fall of 32 places in 2004. After their latest monthly fall of nine points, Scotland are ranked alongside Albania and Guinea.
Smith's first game in charge will be the World Cup qualifier in Italy in March 2005.
Scotland's year began poorly when Wales comfortably ran out 4-0 winners at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff last February before Romania won 2-1 at Hampden Park the following month in another friendly. Their performance improved in the 1-0 friendly defeat in Denmark before further non-competitive wins over Estonia and Trinidad & Tobago offered some hope for the long-suffering Tartan Army.
But a 3-0 Hampden defeat by Hungary in August - Scotland's biggest loss at the national stadium since February 1973 - set a low standard for the rest of the year.
After the embarrassing 1-1 draw in Moldova left Scotland with just two points from their three opening World Cup qualifiers, Vogts resigned. Only Iceland have fallen further than Scotland in the world rankings over the past 12 months.
Meanwhile England have traded places with Mexico in the latest monthly rankings. Sven-Goran Eriksson's men slipped one spot from seventh to eighth with the Mexicans taking their spot and Portugal - England's conquerors in Euro 2004 - one place behind.
Wales have dropped five places from 63rd to 68th to slip narrowly behind Qatar and Peru but ahead of Belarus and Zambia. Northern Ireland remain static, sandwiched between Cyprus and El Salvador in 107th.
The Republic of Ireland have risen two places to 12th ahead of Sweden and Denmark and immediately behind the United States.
Brazil, France and Argentina remain the top three sides in the rankings.
