IT has become lazy and old fashioned stereotype to suggest any Scotland team are only good enough to kick their opponents.

Poland have been caught out in recent days suggesting as much, Robert Lewandowski has been particularly vocal, that Gordon Strachan's team are no better than cloggers.

Given how small some of our players are, it's all a bit silly.

Strachan had some stats and facts to prove that if anyone in this campaign has been a bit naughty, then it's Poland not his boys.

Strachan said: "I was asked a question about our discipline and I answered with facts rather than fantasy.

"I am not saying they are sinners, I didn’t say that, all I said was these are the stats (110 fouls by Poland, 75 for Scotland and 15 yellow cards to 13 in the group).

“I would think if you went back 30 years ago then they could lay claim to that when anything went in those games. But the game has changed, it has been sanitised a lot since then and for the good players , this is the best time to be an attacking player by a million miles.

“The surface is great for your control, the rules mean the players are looked after so everything is right.

“It depends who was talking about this. It could have been one or two people. There is actually a lot of respect between the two teams having played one another twice. I get on well with the coach.

"And big Robert did play in the game after we faced him!"

Strachan has been pleased with his team's discipline over the campaign and called for cool heads for this last final real test.

He said: "Charlie Mulgrew would probably say he wouldn’t have expected to get sent off for whatever he did in Germany – but that was it.

" We have felt our discipline has had to be good. I don’t want people sent off and costing us things.

“Charlie’s red card didn’t cost us anything. It was late in the game and it was sheer exasperation. It didn’t hurt anyone."