The trouble with making bold statements is they can sometimes come back to bite you.

Gordon Strachan in the immediate aftermath of another botched campaign claimed genetics were to blame for Scotland’s failure to reach World Cups and European Championships.

He said our country has too many small players, insisting the lack of height and strength is a hindrance.

This is despite the fact the national team manager had previously and repeatedly claimed height should not be a disadvantage, often citing the examples of Lionel Messi and Andreas Iniesta as proof of his once-held theory.

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Strachan’s U-turn caused consternation among the Tartan Army on Sunday night.

But is he right or do the stats show it’s the height of nonsense?

Looking at countries with the tallest average height, Record Sport Online sees if size really does matter...

Tall story: The Netherlands aren’t going to Russia
Neither will the gigantic Norwegians

The top 10 tallest countries

  1. Netherlands - 1.838m (failed to qualify)
  2. Montenegro - 1.832m (failed to qualify)
  3. Denmark - 1.826m (in the playoffs)
  4. Norway - 1.824m (failed to qualify)
  5. Serbia - 1.82m (still up in the air)
  6. Germany - 1.81m (have qualified as group winners)
  7. Croatia - 1.805m (can still make the playoffs)
  8. Czech Republic - 1.8031m (failed to qualify)
  9. Slovenia - 1.803m (failed to qualify)
  10. Luxembourg - 1.799m (failed to qualify)

Carlos Alberto runs away to celebrate scoring
Wee team, big success: Brazil’s 1970 World Cup stars were smaller than Scotland

A history lesson

Another hole is blown in Strachan’s argument when the average height of Scotland’s squad is compared to other great World Cup-winning sides.

The outfield players who took the field for Scotland in last night’s 2-2 draw against Slovenia had an average height of 1.8m, about 5ft 11in.
That leaves them quite short of being the tallest team in the world.

However, some of history’s greatest national haven’t let their short stature hold them back.

The outfield players of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup winning side, arguably the greatest in history, had an average height of just 1.75m, around 5ft 9in.

The Argentina team of 1986 had an average of 1.78m, 5ft 10in, while the Dutch team of 1974 had an average of 1.8m, the same as Scotland last night.

Spain with the 2010 World Cup
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It’s not just sides from way back either.

The Spanish outfield players from the 2010 World Cup final had an average height of 1.79m, 5ft 10in.

The Brazil team of the 2002 Final which featured the likes of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho had an average of 1.8m as well.

Team: Average height (m)

Germany 2014: 1.85

Italy 2006: 1.82

France 1998: 1.82

Brazil 2002: 1.80

Scotland: 1.80

Netherlands 1974: 1.80

Spain 2010: 1.79

Argentina 1986: 1.78

Brazil (1970): 1.75

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