Scotland manager Gordon Strachan will be aiming to vanquish bad memories of Bratislava when his side face Slovakia.
Bad memories of a certain location, stadium or team can haunt a manager for years, as well as players. For Gordon Strachan, the memory he will be attempting to erase took place over a decade ago. In the summer of 2005, Strachan was the manager of Celtic when they traveled to face Artmedia Bratislava in the Champions League.
They lost that game 5-0, and to this day it is the Scotsman’s worst day in management. As reported by Daily Record, the 59-year-old will try to vanquish the memory of that night when his side face Slovakia in a vital World Cup qualifier.
Scotland fans will be praying that they have a much better fate, and Strachan himself is confident that they can get the job done as they attempt to steer their qualification campaign back in the right direction.
“What do I remember about that night?,” he said. “Well, it was a long journey home – that’s for sure.
“It was madness all round. Madness before it even started. If I could write a book about that game I would because of all that madness. It is too long to go into and it is well and truly in the past.
“But we will get a better storyline tomorrow. It is a different place, different time, different players and different circumstances.”
The game takes place just 40 miles away from the scene of Strachan’s worst day, and the players will be fully aware of that as they prepare for what is sure to be a vital clash.
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