12000 Numpties

[Shannon]

Losing any games to Slovenia or Slovakia or drawing to Lithuania or Malta will make it very tough to qualify.

Positively I can see us getting a draw at Hampden to England and hope they can keep up their good form against other teams. Hope we can nick the second spot but think we will end up third. Need more depth to our squad and youngsters as has already been said.

[Squirrelhumper]

Yes, he was right.Cheering as the goals go in is of course fine. It was a decent performance on Sunday - although it's a difficult thing to gauge - and some applause on the whistle was probably appropriate.However, the chanting of Strachan's name, the extended photo shoots - that was uncomfortable. As some have pointed out, the fan response was not unanimous, but the vocal one certainly favoured Strachan.Miller was spot on in pointing out that it all jarred a bit.

How do non vocal fans voice their opinion though?

I'm in different to Strachan staying. I still went to Portugal and made most of it.

Definitely the most subdued away support in years. Fans were deflated. There was periods of almost silence for long spells.

Calling the support 12000 numpties is plain daft. I've been amongst the support outside the stadium in Oslo to heckle Gordon Smith and Burley, sang for Levein to be punted in Cardiff/Belgium (Prague too and after the home games vs Serbia and Macedonia.

I was gutted after Georgia. We blew it. I'm not sure who we can get that's better than Strachan however. I'd rather keep him than replace for sake of it with somebody like Lambert.

[Monkey Tennis]

How do non vocal fans voice their opinion though?

I'm in different to Strachan staying. I still went to Portugal and made most of it.

Definitely the most subdued away support in years. Fans were deflated. There was periods of almost silence for long spells.

Calling the support 12000 numpties is plain daft. I've been amongst the support outside the stadium in Oslo to heckle Gordon Smith and Burley, sang for Levein to be punted in Cardiff/Belgium (Prague too and after the home games vs Serbia and Macedonia.

I was gutted after Georgia. We blew it. I'm not sure who we can get that's better than Strachan however. I'd rather keep him than replace for sake of it with somebody like Lambert.

Eh?

I'm not calling for non-vocal fans to find a voice. I'm just conceding that not everyone was on Strachan's side, as pointed out by some of those present at the game.

There are no obvious candidates on these shores to replace him.

That however,doesn't mean we need necessarily stick with him.

[covdoonhamer]

aye but the amount of qualifying places aint as generous

Not forgetting the last placed side in the playoff table doesn't even make the playoffs.

[La_Leyenda]

Not forgetting the last placed side in the playoff table doesn't even make the playoffs.

To add to that, the play-offs will be harder too because it's second place teams rather than third place ones.

One of France, Holland and Sweden will be in the play-offs from group A.

Spain and Italy in the same group, something has to give there.

Portugal tend to start slowly in qualifiers, if Switzerland can win group B then we might be facing Ronaldo and co over two legs.

[Gordopolis]

To add to that, the play-offs will be harder too because it's second place teams rather than third place ones.

One of France, Holland and Sweden will be in the play-offs from group A.

Spain and Italy in the same group, something has to give there.

Portugal tend to start slowly in qualifiers, if Switzerland can win group B then we might be facing Ronaldo and co over two legs.

a 32 year old, past it Ronaldo...and we'll have Gauld and Ross Turnbull to give them something to think about...

[ShawfieldAggro]

The Slovaks are probably the epitome of where Scotland ought to be aiming for. With the exception of Hamsik, they have a solid batch of middling to mediocre players bouncing around second-tier clubs such as Stoch, Weiss, even Skrtel as a once lauded centre half has immersed himself in Liverpools mediocrity very very well. Slovenia seem to have slightly similar number and standard of Bundesliga players to ours down south, Kampl and Handanovic of Inter being about their best individuals. The differing format ought not to present any additional difficulties, but already plenty are writing off the England fixtures in the hope they'll clean up elsewhere. Completely contemptable attitude imo, England are extremely beatable, from the 30 points available i believe a target of 20 should be set as a minimum.....otherwise whats the fucking point in starting???

[Monkey Tennis]

The Slovaks are probably the epitome of where Scotland ought to be aiming for. With the exception of Hamsik, they have a solid batch of middling to mediocre players bouncing around second-tier clubs such as Stoch, Weiss, even Skrtel as a once lauded centre half has immersed himself in Liverpools mediocrity very very well. Slovenia seem to have slightly similar number and standard of Bundesliga players to ours down south, Kampl and Handanovic of Inter being about their best individuals. The differing format ought not to present any additional difficulties, but already plenty are writing off the England fixtures in the hope they'll clean up elsewhere. Completely contemptable attitude imo, England are extremely beatable, from the 30 points available i believe a target of 20 should be set as a minimum.....otherwise whats the fucking point in starting???

Even leaving aside the fact that it's England, making it a derby and imbuing it with all that history and politics stuff, I think we need take a different view of playing the Pot 1 team in general.

Usually, the big gun will drop points here and there, but we seem to have abandoned any notion of it actually being here. Back in the days when we qualified for things, we usually recorded wins at home against bigger sides. We now seem to assume that such a thing can't possibly happen.

[RadgerTheBadger]

Leveins campaigns:

Failed to qualify, played shite

Strachans campaign:

Failed to qualify, played so so

All this sugar coated shite is pathetic. No prizes for artistic impression in this game.

[RadgerTheBadger]

Portugal tend to start slowly in qualifiers, if Switzerland can win group B then we might be facing Ronaldo and co over two legs.

No we won't, we won't make the play offs. We'll play for a draw away to Slovenia and Slovakia. We'll lose a plucky goal then hear the same old shite and onions about how hard the boys worked

[accies1874]

I disagree that the TA are accepting of failure. The "Strachan SOS" banner in Belgium? Booing Levein whenever he came on the screen at home to Macedonia? I didn't hear one person (other than Strachan) that accepted the defeat to Georgia.

[ShawfieldAggro]

No one has the option of accepting anything about any result...its there in black and white for all to see. Self-appointment and refusal to hold to account those setting among the highest prices in Europe, are far more fitting accusations. Regan's pricing policy, managerial appointments/firings and overall performance look pretty fucking good when considering he has barely lost a customer (attendances, memberships etc) through a cataclysmic disaster of a period in the history of the game.....the stands are full of people praising his immediate selections to the hilt, and the coffers never hath swealt like they do. Stamping that c***s CV with gold stars is a far more damning atrocity than standing clapping half-fit spineless millionaires from a field they once again failed on.

[Monkey Tennis]

No one has the option of accepting anything about any result...its there in black and white for all to see. Self-appointment and refusal to hold to account those setting among the highest prices in Europe, are far more fitting accusations. Regan's pricing policy, managerial appointments/firings and overall performance look pretty fucking good when considering he has barely lost a customer (attendances, memberships etc) through a cataclysmic disaster of a period in the history of the game.....the stands are full of people praising his immediate selections to the hilt, and the coffers never hath swealt like they do. Stamping that c***s CV with gold stars is a far more damning atrocity than standing clapping half-fit spineless millionaires from a field they once again failed on.

Good post.

Indeed, nobody has any option but to accept results, once they've happened.

It is ridiculous though, that people keep filling the place at such ridiculous prices to back something so consistently pitiful.

You're right about Regan - ostensibly, the boy's doing great; except of course that he isn't.

I remember three years ago, at the height of the SFA's disgraceful, duplicitous crying of "Armageddon" midst the debate over where to put Rangers, some fan suggested on here that the most successful boycott might be one of the SFA's own team. He was predictably shouted down by the daft wee lads who chiefly populate this section.

Too many are too keen to just turn up anyway, regardless of what they're helping to keep in place.

Of course it's a free country and their entitled to spend their money as they wish. It's misguided though and it's not helping.

[RandomGuy.]

Yeah, we'll all be much better off if we starve the SFA of income and the Scotland squad of support, that'll solve every problem we have. Every time we lose a game the players should be publically flogged aswell.

[Monkey Tennis]

Yeah, we'll all be much better off if we starve the SFA of income and the Scotland squad of support, that'll solve every problem we have. Every time we lose a game the players should be publically flogged aswell.

Perhaps a tad extreme, but I back the sentiment.

There should have been a stand taken over pricing.

Instead, people just grumbled a little as they emptied their pockets.

The reception afforded Strachan on Sunday, was simply ludicrous.

[Carl Cort's Hamstring]

England are extremely beatable, from the 30 points available i believe a target of 20 should be set as a minimum.....otherwise whats the fucking point in starting???

We've lost one qualifier in the last eight years (and that was away to Ukraine after we had already won the group). England are extremely good at steamrolling teams in qualifying, it's when we arrive that the problems start.

[Monkey Tennis]

I was there, I am completely indifferent to Strachan going, if a credible replacement became available I'd probably want him to leave, I still sang his name on Sunday because a) I was mortal and b) I'm a hypocritical tosser.

Get that right fucking up you Monkey Tennis.

Well you've made your case for singing his name while feeling indifferent to him so convincingly, it's hard not to take notice.

Sadly, this is so often the level of debate where the Scotland football team is concerned though.

[Monkey Tennis]

I wasn't debating, you're not very socially aware are you?

I do lack the social awareness to chant in favour of something I don't favour.

You're absolutely right.

[Hampden Diehard]

I went to Faro with a heavy heart after the Poland game and ended up thoroughly enjoying it. The TA get up some people's noses (particularly the media) for not going ballistic when the team lose. Tough! I see myself as a supporter and love both my club side and the Scotland team. It gives me no pleasure to give them abuse so I try not to; personally, that's not what "supporting" a team is all about. You take the good with the bad. As far as Scotland is concerned, I don't think that failure is celebrated; it's more accepted with good grace. Is that so bad?

I would accept that it got a wee bit over the top after the game in Faro, but it was a superb show of support and the team and Strachan got a wee bit carried away. On the other hand, I was standing beside a couple of German lads and they said that the Scotland fans were the best in the world for their reaction, given that we did feck qualification up.

What do some folk want; onto the park and kick someone's erse for losing? I think the treatment of Levein when he was booed at Hampden when his coupon appeared on the screens was a bit too much too, it did demonstrate that even the TA have a breaking point.

I think that Strachan has made a palpable difference to the team, but he has been big enough to admit that his team selections in a couple of matches just hasn't been right. Georgia was a disgrace; I don't think he's been too defensive about that. Contrast that with Levein's stance on the Czech 4-6-0 game.

Bottom line is, who would do a better job than Strachan? Anyone who'd take the job must be either desperate or duff.

[Gordopolis]

I went to Faro with a heavy heart after the Poland game and ended up thoroughly enjoying it. The TA get up some people's noses (particularly the media) for not going ballistic when the team lose. Tough! I see myself as a supporter and love both my club side and the Scotland team. It gives me no pleasure to give them abuse so I try not to; personally, that's not what "supporting" a team is all about. You take the good with the bad. As far as Scotland is concerned, I don't think that failure is celebrated; it's more accepted with good grace. Is that so bad?

I would accept that it got a wee bit over the top after the game in Faro, but it was a superb show of support and the team and Strachan got a wee bit carried away. On the other hand, I was standing beside a couple of German lads and they said that the Scotland fans were the best in the world for their reaction, given that we did feck qualification up.

What do some folk want; onto the park and kick someone's erse for losing? I think the treatment of Levein when he was booed at Hampden when his coupon appeared on the screens was a bit too much too, it did demonstrate that even the TA have a breaking point.

I think that Strachan has made a palpable difference to the team, but he has been big enough to admit that his team selections in a couple of matches just hasn't been right. Georgia was a disgrace; I don't think he's been too defensive about that. Contrast that with Levein's stance on the Czech 4-6-0 game.

Bottom line is, who would do a better job than Strachan? Anyone who'd take the job must be either desperate or duff.

Michael O'Neill or Chris Coleman.