[T_S_A_R]

levein gets paid to try and win matches for scotland.

he is the one who should make the first move. earn your money you absolute fucking tit.

[Savage Henry]

T_S_A_R, on 16 October 2011 - 16:31, said:

levein gets paid to try and win matches for scotland.

he is the one who should make the first move. earn your money you absolute fucking tit.

Why? It's entirely in Fletcher's grasp to get himself back in the team. He said he didn't want to be selected via text, now Levein has asked the player's agent to get Fletcher to text him back. Levein has made the move. One can only take it that the player isn't interested, and the Daily Retard interview was entirely bollocks.

Craig Killie's right. As long as Fletcher doesn't want "to look like a bit of a knob" - and he's entirely failed at that, by the way, this is a non-issue.

[woof!]

Levein is totally in the right here. Fletcher's text was "tell him I'm not coming". The ball is in Fletcher's court, end of story.

[MattBairn]

woof!, on 17 October 2011 - 13:06, said:

Levein is totally in the right here. Fletcher's text was "tell him I'm not coming". The ball is in Fletcher's court, end of story.

If either one of them weren't acting like petulant children it would be sorted.
If I was the manager, Id have approached Fletcher. Equally if I was the player I would have approached the gaffer.

Both of them need to grow the f**k up. Its pathetic seeing 2 fully grown adults acting like that.

[HibeeJibee]

woof!, on 17 October 2011 - 13:06, said:

Levein is totally in the right here. Fletcher's text was "tell him I'm not coming". The ball is in Fletcher's court, end of story.

To an extent... the fact remains that he'd be an asset to our squad at a time when Scottish strikers playing and scoring regularly in EPL are hardly in surfit. As such it should be Levein's and/or "the SFA administration's" job to overcome whatever barriers exist - however childish they are, whoever thinks the other is wrong/needs to back-down in public, etc.

[Savage Henry]

HibeeJibee, on 18 October 2011 - 08:53, said:

To an extent... the fact remains that he'd be an asset to our squad at a time when Scottish strikers playing and scoring regularly in EPL are hardly in surfit. As such it should be Levein's and/or "the SFA administration's" job to overcome whatever barriers exist - however childish they are, whoever thinks the other is wrong/needs to back-down in public, etc.

I think that's fair comment, actually.

Clearly though the player himself isn't of a mind to play for the national team.

[craigkillie]

Surely a manager has to have the right to instill some sort of discipline in his squad? If the SFA starts stepping in to tell him that Fletcher should be in the squad despite his lack of commitment, then what's to stop Charlie Adam deciding he can't be arsed with a couple of friendlies, safe in the knowledge that the SFA will intervene on his behalf if Levein doesn't want to call him up.

And how would the lesser players feel about a two-tier system existing, where guys can swan in and out of the squad as they wish as long as they are playing at a high level.

[placidcasual345]

craigkillie, on 18 October 2011 - 09:53, said:

And how would the lesser players feel about a two-tier system existing, where guys can swan in and out of the squad as they wish as long as they are playing at a high level.

In other words, Wales.

[HibeeJibee]

craigkillie, on 18 October 2011 - 09:53, said:

Surely a manager has to have the right to instill some sort of discipline in his squad? If the SFA starts stepping in to tell him that Fletcher should be in the squad despite his lack of commitment, then what's to stop Charlie Adam deciding he can't be arsed with a couple of friendlies, safe in the knowledge that the SFA will intervene on his behalf if Levein doesn't want to call him up.

And how would the lesser players feel about a two-tier system existing, where guys can swan in and out of the squad as they wish as long as they are playing at a high level.

That isn't what happened with Fletcher (yet), though. He - wrongly - said he didn't want to go to one game... albeit there seems to have been a lot of 'stuff' going on, with a suggestion that his criticism of 4-6-0 had cooled relations... and then this impasse developed.

In think that impasse should be overcome, by an external party as - sadly - Levein and Flecher are both proving too immature.

Then if Fletcher ever subsequently oncemore says he doesn't want to play, it'll be tutty-by time.No swanning-in-and-out suggested.

My impression is that both men/grown-up boys are to blame, basically.

[Jambomo]

Jesus, anyone would think we were trying to get Messi back in the squad. Fletcher is a good player at a bottom-end premiership side he's not done a massive amount for Wolves and even less for Scotland. He's not the bloody Messiah.

The bottom line is that he refused to turn up for a game. Levein is right not to pick people who don't want to turn up when given the chance.

If he wants to get back in the squad the rather than moaning to the press or getting Berra to talk to Levein he fucking mans up and apologises face to face to Levein for acting like a knob. It's what I'd do if I'd fucked up and wanted to undo the damage.

[woof!]

Fletcher is a good player, but I'm not sure he has sufficient pace to play the loan striker role. For me, CMS is in pole position.
As for who breaks the impass, it has to come from the player, otherwise respect for the manager and squad discipline could crumble.

[paddymcp]

HibeeJibee, on 18 October 2011 - 15:51, said:

That isn't what happened with Fletcher (yet), though. He - wrongly - said he didn't want to go to one game... albeit there seems to have been a lot of 'stuff' going on, with a suggestion that his criticism of 4-6-0 had cooled relations... and then this impasse developed.

In think that impasse should be overcome, by an external party as - sadly - Levein and Flecher are both proving too immature.

Then if Fletcher ever subsequently oncemore says he doesn't want to play, it'll be tutty-by time.No swanning-in-and-out suggested.

My impression is that both men/grown-up boys are to blame, basically.

And one of them is the manager. Players and staff a like fall out all the time - the way this has dragged out in public with no sign of resolution any time soon is pitiful.

Levein phones up Fletcher and asks him if he wants to be selected for his country.. He asks for a straight answer... If Fletcher says yes then Levein has a top striker to add to the squad, if he says no then Fletcher looks like a fud and this wouldn't be dragging out in public. Problem solved.

The fact that Levein hasn't done this baffles me.

This post has been edited by paddymcp: 19 October 2011 - 23:39

[mozam76]

paddymcp, on 19 October 2011 - 23:36, said:

The fact that Levein hasn't done this baffles me.

I have to say, I'm not all that surprised. Leveins formation for the team is one striker, that's irrefutable. Miller is his main man, and both Goodwillie and Mackail-Smith have come in and performed well when asked. If Steven Fletcher were to come into the squad then, and I have to say this is how I think Levein sees it, Fletcher would be fourth choice. Which means more time on the bench, which it seems was the start of the problems in the first place.

If people think that Fletcher coming in would automatically make him first choice striker, then they're mistaken IMO.

[Diamonds are Forever]

Savage Henry, on 17 October 2011 - 09:55, said:

Why? It's entirely in Fletcher's grasp to get himself back in the team.

Because Levein is paid to manage Scotland and get the best results for Scotland, having Steven Fletcher in the squad would benefit us therefore he should get him in the team, especially when, by the sounds of it, all he needs to do is phone him and ask him to play. Who is in the right is completely irrelevant, if your job is to do the best for Scotland then you stop behaving like a whining child (something that Levein has a long history of doing) and get the best players you can in your team. What's the point in searching the whole of England for 3rd rate strikers with English grannies when you've got a full international scoring goals in the Premiership who you wont play because you're too stubborn to pick up the phone. Levein needs to f**king grow up, every time he opens his mouth he's complaining about something or blaming someone else for his own failings.

[Jeremiah pickle pants]

paddymcp, on 19 October 2011 - 23:36, said:

And one of them is the manager. Players and staff a like fall out all the time - the way this has dragged out in public with no sign of resolution any time soon is pitiful.

Levein phones up Fletcher and asks him if he wants to be selected for his country.. He asks for a straight answer... If Fletcher says yes then Levein has a top striker to add to the squad, if he says no then Fletcher looks like a fud and this wouldn't be dragging out in public. Problem solved.

The fact that Levein hasn't done this baffles me.

Yes because asking Barry Ferguson repeatedly to come back wasn't embarrassing or demoralising.

[RobbieD]

mozam76, on 20 October 2011 - 10:32, said:

I have to say, I'm not all that surprised. Leveins formation for the team is one striker, that's irrefutable. Miller is his main man, and both Goodwillie and Mackail-Smith have come in and performed well when asked. If Steven Fletcher were to come into the squad then, and I have to say this is how I think Levein sees it, Fletcher would be fourth choice. Which means more time on the bench, which it seems was the start of the problems in the first place.

If people think that Fletcher coming in would automatically make him first choice striker, then they're mistaken IMO.

Miller can't play forever. He can't be leading the line for us if we, by some miricle, make the world cup.

[Bobby Skidmarks]

Bump

After scoring 10 premiership goals in 15 games (albeit when fit) is Levein's ego too big to ignore a player who is obviously on form and could provide another dynamic going into WCQ2014?

[craigkillie]

Has Fletcher decided he wants to play for us yet?

[Bobby Skidmarks]

I thought he had cleared this up and made himself open for selection. I didn't think he ruled himself out ?

My mistake if he has, just thought he looked pretty handy against Sunderland.

This post has been edited by Bobby Skidmarks: 04 December 2011 - 23:28

[craigkillie]

He gave an interview where he told a journalist that he wanted to play for Scotland, but that apologising to Levein would make him feel like a "knob". He certainly didn't give the impression of a guy who was desperate to play for us.

[McKee]

Just thought I'd say his positioning and off the ball work is top notch. Always finds himself in brilliant wee places in the box.

[nessies long lost ghost]

He's a big loss for Scotland. A one minute phone to Levein would see him back in the fold but he's being a c**t about it by the looks of things.

http://news.bbc.co.u...nd/15700111.stm

[Vanquinho.]

Fletcher and Levein are both a couple of bairns.

In doing nothing, they are both part of the reason that we will go into the next qualification campaign with a weaker team.

30 seconds on the blower, that's all it takes. Ridiculous situation.

[Paco]

He wouldn't play Fletcher anyway so it's all a bit of a pointless debate. It would be nice if they weren't a couple of kids but bringing Fletcher back in would merely frustrate us as Kenny Miller strolls around doing fuck all for the duration of the campaign.

[Frankie S]

As I said on a previous post, you expect immaturity from football players, that's par for the course, but you hope that the national team manager might just be a big enough man to swallow his pride and resolve a clearly resolvable issue in the interests of the nation. It's not just the press; Mick McCarthy, Christophe Berrra, Uncle Tom Cobley and all are corroborating the press line that Fletcher wants to play for Scotland again. Fletcher has signalled his intentions, albeit indirectly, giving Levein the opportunity to make the call and sort the whole sorry mess out once and for all. Levein clearly thinks it will make him look weak to do so; on the contrary it will make him look stronger, a man who will put the national interest before his stubborn pride. But no, this stalemate drags on, like two 13 year-old girls who won't talk to eachother in the playground, getting their best pals to send messages instead. Pathetic all round. We're so short of talent that Levein, rightly, invests countless hours in scouting for players with connections to Scotland, however tenuous, and determining their eligibility, but he seemingly won't spend a few minutes of his time sorting out the relatively simple matter of restoring an undeniably talented striker to the fold.

Levein thinks he has a strong hand, he seems to believe that the longer he waits the stronger his striking options will get, the more difficult it would be for Fletcher to justify a place in the squad and the clamour of the fans for his return will die down. Sadly, we're still some way off a position where we can afford to consign a guy who is scoring regularly in the EPL to the margins. Miller and CMS are both doing ok in the Championship, but hardly setting it alight. Half a dozen goals each so far, hardly prolific. Throughout his career Miller has been an SPL/Championship-level journeyman, his spells in the EPL were accompanied by a negligible goal return. CMS can score for fun at 1st division level but is finding the going much tougher in the Championship. At 27 he's at the peak of his career and there must be doubts about whether he will ever step up to the top level - it certainly looks unlikely that he'll get there with Brighton next season. For all the hope that's been invested in Goodwillie, he's done nothing of note in a struggling side at Blackburn. More than likely he'll be in the Championship (or back in the SPL at one of the Old Firm) next year. He's still got time to develop, but I'm far from convinced he's top class. Boyd didn't cut it in the Championship and is struggling to make an impression abroad. Rhodes is as prolific as CMS was last season in the first division, but the advantage Rhodes enjoys is that he's still young enough to improve significantly. He's got a good attitude and work ethic apparently and the smart money is probably on him ending up in the EPL in due course. He still has a way to go yet though. Longer term we've got the likes of Harper at Real Madrid and Feruz at Chelsea, perhaps Mandron at Sunderland if he declares for Scotland, but these are still kids and who knows how they'll develop over the next few years.

Whether Levein likes it or not, Fletcher is the one Scottish striker currently scoring goals at a decent level in the game. It looks like we may have more options in the future than we've had for a while, but it's well past time for Levein to extend the olive branch to Fletcher and restore him to the squad.

This post has been edited by Frankie S: 05 December 2011 - 13:18