Plotting Scotland Euro 2024 glory from Purbrook: How ex-Portsmouth man is chasing international history

Scotland are bidding to reach the European Championship knock-out stages for their first time in their history - with a Purbrook man helping plot their pathway.

The Tartan Army have been matched with Germany, Switzerland and Hungary in a tough Group A for the tournament, which kicks off on Friday.

Despite qualifying on three previous occasions since the competition’s inception in 1960, they have never progressed beyond the group stage.

Certainly it’s a depressing statistic Neil Sillett is hoping to rectify, with the former Pompey physio from Jim Smith days employed on Scotland’s scouting team since 2020.

His remit involves monitoring the form of those players qualified to play for their country, while compiling reports on opposition, with a focus on Hungary.

And after failing to progress in 1992, 1996 and 2020, he’s hoping this will finally be Scotland’s tournament.

Sillett told The News: ‘We have a team of five scouts, of which three of are based in England. One is Manchester-based, one in the Midlands and anything south of Birmingham is me, so I have a huge area and 30 clubs to cover.

‘I had Lyndon Dykes (QPR) until he got injured, while I’ve watched Ryan Porteous at Watford a few times. There have been four I’ve looked at at Southampton in Ryan Fraser, Ross Stewart, Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong.

‘You are updating on form, but the problem is Scotland have been hit by so many injuries to influential players and players that would probably start that it’s been really difficult for Steve Clarke to have a positive run at it.

‘Recently the scouting team have been used for opposition analysis, which I did for Costa Rica leading into the 2014 World Cup finals and the last European Championships for Scotland.

‘I've been out to Hungary and watched them. They have some excellent players and play in a very attacking style. You report back this is going to be tough!

‘We are not over in Germany with the team, but instead watching videos through Wyscout. We’re covering more or less everyone now just in case Scotland get through, because obviously you don’t know who they are going to play.

‘We’ll be given a couple of teams each to watch through the tournament, although who gets what hasn’t been decided yet.’

Aside from scouting Southampton’s Scottish players, Sillett was also at Fratton Park on occasions last year.

He was following the progress of Alex Robertson, with the Australian international also eligible to represent Scotland, before the midfielder’s untimely injury in January.

Still, Sillett is hoping Clarke’s man can click - beginning with Friday’s encounter with Germany in Munich (8pm).

He added: ‘The bookies will have Scotland as the outsiders in the group and that’s probably realistic looking at squads and top players they are up against.

‘They have done fantastically well to qualify, but since then it has been really difficult, through injuries mainly.

‘England would find it tough in that group, so you’re under no illusions that it’s going to be really hard, but if they can scrape a win and get a draw that might be enough.

‘What I do know is Steve will be organised. I really like the way he manages the team, the expectations and the group.’