Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Scotland exceeded all expectations in , and . Conversely, and the were on the wrong end of unexpectedly severe spankings. And in the match I was working on, against Macedonia.

And yet, despite the disappointment we felt at Old Trafford, the day still illustrates why international football is still important. Everyone knows that World Cups and European Championship Finals deliver huge audience figures, even when the home nations are not playing. However, you may be surprised to learn that the three biggest TV Sports audiences in the three months since the World Cup ended have been for the three England home games we've shown. That even includes the August friendly with Greece.

I love club football. I was privileged to be at the , and think it was probably the finest match I've ever seen in person. The most exciting would be . But for the most part, club football does not unite a nation in the way international football does and - English teams in Champions' League finals apart - the viewing figures, while good, tend not to be as high as those for internationals.

Moreover, there's something pure about international football. A golden generation of Dutch playes or a well-coached Greek side can take on all-comers. No national coach can look at Samuel Eto'o playing for Cameroon, or Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal and decide to try to buy them. No Macedonian club side is likely to fight out a goalless draw in England, nor, with respect, are a Northern Irish club side likely to beat a Spanish one, but at national level, the equivalent fo both has happened in recent weeks.

And international football can be a unifying force. Whereas, say, an AC MIlan or Juventus Champions League victory will positively infuriate much of Italy, a national team's success is generally seen as good news for the whole country.

England's next opponents, , illustrate most of the above points. In their short history since independence in 1991, they've had players like (in his pre-Boro pomp) and who most other teams would have loved to be able to buy. They've achieved resuts like beating Germany 3-0 at France '98 that their club sides are unlikely to emulate and, along with , they've been the national and international embodiment of a newly-independent nation.

Also, from what tells us (his mum's Croatian, you know) and from first hand experience of a fascinating, if slighly scary, night at France '98 when the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ team shared a Paris bar with the , tne national team is the only thing which causes the mutual loathing of the big two in club football - Hajduk Split and - to be put on hold.

Though both of those club sides are steeped in history, economic reality means they're unlikely to beat Chelsea or Manchester United in the Champions League anytime soon. However, there has to be a decent chance of their national side giving England an extremely uncomfortable night in Zagreb.

See what happens, along with the latest instalments of the Scotland and Northern Ireland adventures, in a MOTD highlights show at 1040pm on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ1. And such is the fluidity of the rights situation, we've just found out (at 1530 BST the day before the match) that we can now show Ukraine v Scotland live to the whole UK on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ2. In addition the game is also on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland and is being streamed on our website (UK users only).
And if you have access to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ NI, you can also see that game live later the same evening.

At the time of writing, I'm afraid we don't have the rights to show Wales or the Republic of Ireland highlights as they look to bounce back. On this particular international evening, Sky have the England, Wales and Republic of Ireland games live. Sorry the rights situation is so uneven - if you'd like an explanation, please read my blog from last week!