IT may be an institution in the west of Scotland, but who knew that the GBX would one day be the saviour of the national football team? Or, at least play its part in turning around their faltering fortunes.
For those unfamiliar with the GBX, the name is shorthand for the ‘The George Bowie Experience’, a Saturday night radio show featuring the aforementioned DJ that has been the soundtrack to countless nights out in Glasgow and surrounding areas for around 20 years.
And now, it is helping Alex McLeish’s Scotland squad forge the sort of team spirit that not only contributed to their emphatic win over Albania on Saturday night, but also got them through the dicey two-hour journey back to their hotel after the game.
Not every player is a fan. Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna, being the unassuming Forfar lad that he is, can’t quite wrap his head around it. But he wasn’t about to spoil the party atmosphere among the squad after they shook off the gloom that has seemed to be trailing them on the long and winding road back to Tirana.
“We were driving up the wrong side of the road with a police escort, going round blind corners and that,” said McKenna. “We made it back and we got home safe so that was main thing.
“The right lane was full of buses, so we were going down past them and there were cars coming the opposite way who had to go off the road to pass us. We got there in the end. But it wasn’t great to be honest.
“The mood on the bus was obviously good, though. The louder ones up the back of the bus had all the bam tunes on, all the Glasgow boys. You know what they’re like. It’s not really my cup of tea, that music. We don’t get that in Forfar.”
Didn’t it then cross McKenna’s mind though to question the musical tastes of his teammates?
“No, definitely not,” he said. “I’d get absolutely slaughtered for that. And I am outnumbered. There are more Glasgow boys than there are Forfar boys.
“[I’d choose] something a bit calmer, but upbeat. Not GBX, or Zander Nation. It’s the louder ones, let them do what they want.
“It was just delight from everyone to celebrate with each other. The way we started the game on Saturday, right from the get go everyone knew what their jobs were. When you get a goal quite early it settles everyone down, and when everyone celebrates together it just shows you the team spirit we have.
“It’s always a lot easier when you go away and win a game. But the manner in which we did it was great for everyone.
“The clean sheet was obviously great for the defenders. That’s something we take extra pride in. That made it even better.”
The performance of Scotland’s centre-back pairing on Saturday belied their inexperience. The 22-year-old McKenna, with seven caps to his name, was the senior partner alongside debutant David Bates, who is a month younger.
McKenna is encouraged by the understanding they showed, and sees signs of potential for a long-term partnership at the heart of the Scotland defence.
“Batesy came in beside me and didn’t look one bit out of place,” he said. “I thought it was an excellent debut.
“I think we can complement each other. The key to it is communication and helping each other out. We limited their chances and I don’t think Greegsy really had a save to make in the game.
“Batesy is a great guy. I spoke to him on his first day in the squad and we got on right away. There wasn’t any awkwardness of anything.
“Sometimes people feel someone is coming to take your position or it’s competition, but he was fine.”
The battle to top the UEFA Nations League group all comes down to the showdown with Israel at Hampden tonight where Scotland must win to earn a Euro 2020 play-off semi-final, a one-off match that would take place back at the national stadium.
It is quite the incentive, and McKenna believes that if he and his fellow defenders can do their part again, the attackers will deliver at the other end.
“We came wanting to top the group and we have got ourselves into a position to try and do that,” he said.
“We had a disappointing result in Israel and will be trying to correct that. If we go out and win the game, we win the group. It’s as easy as that.
“There is no sitting in trying to get a 0-0 or knowing a draw’s enough.
“We need to go out and outscore them and try and hopefully keep a clean sheet. It’s black and white.”
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