This afternoon, I read an article where former Scotland star, John Collins, urges the Scottish crowd to keep the noise up in the stadium as they face Italy on the final road to EURO 2008. They will qualify if they beat Italy this Saturday. A loss means bye-bye to the brave Scottish squad. Collins’ advice should be a great add on weapon to victory: Hampden fans should be making a lot of noise.

“I was a player not so long ago and when you hear the Hampden roar there is no doubt it gives you extra energy. There will be periods when Italy get hold of the ball and take control but we don’t want any silence. The crowd has got to keep going for 90 minutes,” says the former player.

I couldn’t agree more. I believe fans have potential to lift a team and take it to victory. To be inside of a roaring stadium, which seems to sing in one voice as a single unified heart, is one of the reasons why football is so beautiful. Beautiful not only because of the skilled players but also because of the passionate fans.

Luck is at the Scots’ side. They haven’t lost a single match at Hampden Park and if they beat the World Champions, they will be entering EURO 2008 in the best possible momentum. And football has a great deal of momentum, caused by results and the fans.