Scots must make Norway pine for fjords
Once, of course, . Visiting teams were blown away in its infamous swirl, deafened into submission by its legendary roar.
Sadly, these days it is renowned for its hospitality to visiting nations. "Come away in and enjoy yourselves. And here's a point or three to take home with you."
All that must change when Saturday comes. .
Norway must be despatched homeward across the North Sea, their World Cup dream in tatters. It's them or us.
. Not arithmetically but realistically.
. South Africa might as well be on the dark side of the moon.
This is a World Cup campaign, not a government in disarray. .
. This is the time to grasp the hour, to thrill a sell-out crowd and revive the memories of times when Hampden throbbed with anticipation of another savaging of the visiting team.
The loss through injury of Kenny Miller is a major blow, so Scotland's boss must turn to Steven Fletcher to partner Kris Boyd up front. Indulge the maverick James McFadden and play him just off the front two and give him a licence to thrill.
A win of any sort is acceptable, but it would warm the cockles if this business was done with some style. Push the gamble button.
We cannot go on like this. At best, it will be 12 years of famine, a dozen years during which somehow the world has partied on without us at World and European finals hardly noticing our absence.
This is the match that lets us sleep with a smile on our faces through the competitive international hibernation of the winter ahead, .
Indeed, should the Scottish team blow it against the Norwegians, the Scottish FA might face financial meltdown when the former World champions come to call. There could be an outbreak of apathy the likes of which could rust up the Hampden turnstiles.
The manager needs to thump out his message.
, whatever spin the manager may put on the second half, and . But it could have been over before it had hardly started.
Burley, of course, could reasonably argue that he should be given time. But that is a commodity that is in short supply.
Even so, if he wins at the weekend, he can at least be assured of a peaceful Christmas. We will be off his case until the spring.
As it happens, I feel good about this one.
Norway - surely - cannot rain on our parade this time and they must be eliminated from this dogfight for the play-off place. Because, when the dust settles, .
However, that is for another time. .
Nothing less than victory is acceptable. No ifs, no buts, no maybes - and no excuses.
"Tell them who you are and what you are about," they said. To be honest, there are days when I struggle to remember myself. Forty years toiling at the coalface of football journalism does that to you. But I have reason to believe that I have reached the heady heights of the title of Football Correspondent of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland which gives me a renown, in Scottish terms, of somewhere between Alex Salmond and the deep fried Mars Bar.
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