We Made Them Angry: Scotland at the World Cup Spain 1982

by Tom Brogan

We Made Them Angry is the story of Scotland's journey to and participation in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. The task for Jock Stein's men was to exorcise the demons of the disastrous campaign in Argentina in 1978. With the final squad containing some of the finest footballers playing on both sides of the border, Scotland looked in fine shape to do just that. But after a successful qualifying campaign, obstacles began to spring up. A ticketing disaster, a World Cup group draw fiasco, a threatened boycott of the tournament by the UK government due to the Falklands War, and of course there was no one better at beating Scotland than Scotland themselves. However, none of that would stop the Tartan Army from having a good time - not with Scotland stationed in the Costa del Sol. The group provided three pulsating games where the Scots faced minnows in New Zealand (who provided a shock), the world's most exciting and glamorous team in Brazil (who received a fright), and a dramatic but calamitous exit against the Soviet Union.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2022

Reviews

[Ray Smillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A, mostly, enjoyable trip down memory lane with the surreal (to me) aspect of one of the featured fans being well known to me. Unlike Iain, the fellow Pars and Scotland fan, I didn't go to Spain although I was at all the home qualification games and home friendly warm up games. Well written, well researched and the memories of the world cup matches came flooding back. The two goals conceded against New Zealand, Dave Narey's toe poke, Brazil moving up a gear and the disaster in defence that lead to the second USSR goal. *Sigh*. Oh and Iain's claim that we don't play water polo in Dunfermline. Perhaps the Dunfermline Water Polo Club, currently celebrating it's fortieth anniversary might have something to say about that?

[William Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read