Legendary Scottish broadcaster and football commentator Archie McPherson has launched a scathing attack on Scotland's performances at this year's World Cup, describing them as "the worst ever" to represent the country. The 89-year-old, who covered six World Cups for the BBC between 1974 and 1998, made the remarks following Scotland's 3-0 defeat to Brazil in Miami.
McPherson's blistering criticism
In a series of blistering comments posted on social media, McPherson said the current team had insulted the memory of great players of the past and had "no right" to be at the tournament. He wrote: "The Scotland side I saw being comfortably beaten by the Brazilians last night is the worst ever to have represented our country at the World Cup."
McPherson added: "Yes, we had disappointments in the past, which I closely witnessed six times through the years. But the almost feverish efforts to equate our presence in the States as being of potential historical significance invested qualities in Clarke's side they simply did not possess."
Insulting past legends
The former Sportscene presenter argued that the team's performances had insulted the legacy of Scotland's footballing greats. "Thus insulting the memory of some of our great players like Dalglish, Jordan, Bremner, Gemmill etc. We had our faults certainly. But never did I feel, as I did last night, that this Scotland team were simply trespassers with no authentic right to be there," he said.
McPherson is also known for his iconic commentary, which was famously re-voiced for a sex scene in the 1996 film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's cult novel Trainspotting, where he voiced Archie Gemmill's famous goal against the Netherlands at the 1978 World Cup.
