forameus Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 4 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said: Excellent piece from Tom English demolishing some of the misconceptions about whether - even with a win v Slovenia - it's still realistic to reach the playoffs:http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39358976 But seriously, I imagine most media outlets - and some fans - will forget about the one group missing out on a playoff place. That's what makes it all the harder. It's a lot to project, but it will take probably everything on the list of us winning pretty much every game, Slovakia/Slovenia/England dropping points where they weren't expected to, another group having an absolute nightmare happening to upgrade our chance from infinitessimal to slim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 English has gone into a bit more detail by looking at where certain teams were compared to now. However it you take it back a step from that then quite simply put - the totals needed to avoid being the worst runner-up, from WC2010 qualifying (when 5/6 team groups got readopted) and having stripped-out points gained against bottom (i.e. Malta), were as follows:WC 2010 - 12pts Euro 2012 - 12pts WC 2014 - 11pts Euro 2016 - 14pts We have 1pt, and only have 15pts left to play for. In the Euro 2016 scenario we need to win 4 and draw 1. In the other scenario we need to win 3 and draw 1 or 2. Given we've played our easiest counting game at home to Lithuania - and only drawn - it's even worse. All assuming that'd even secure runner-up, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DAVIDB69 Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 It's times like this I'm glad I'm night shift and didn't see any of it. However, I think one of Scotland's big problems in international football is the completely lackadaisical approach to friendly matches. Every friendly match should be taken 100% seriously and if players can't get themselves up for it they get bombed out the squad. When you are playing twice every couple of months you can't just switch on and off when you feel like it. You need to get momentum, confidence, get supporters on board, get a bit of excitement going and a run of form and then you start going places. All too often Scotland amble about during friendlies and that shows something else - a lack of pride. We don't have great players but discipline and determination can go a long way in football but the SFA, our manager and these players don't seem willing to make that sacrifice for the country. Exactly I don't why our approach to friendlies is so bad, this the result doesn't matter mantra , the lack of friendlies we actually play.The daily record solution today was not to play friendlies at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordopolis Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Exactly I don't why our approach to friendlies is so bad, this the result doesn't matter mantra , the lack of friendlies we actually play.The daily record solution today was not to play friendlies at all Or get a manager who knows how to talk up every game we play, friendly or otherwise, and instill a sense of positivity in everything we do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue_e'hm_A_Dee Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 38 minutes ago, Gordopolis said: Or get a manager who knows how to talk up every game we play, friendly or otherwise, and instill a sense of positivity in everything we do. Pretty much this tbh. He should have been punted when he failed to get us out of the previous campaign for the euro's which was the the easiest it ever was to qualify, totally fucked it. Some of his picks player wise for starts have been as baffling as Avril's before him.. and the SFA have this blind faith like with Levein where they'll just plod along before eventually sacking him when it's too late while repeating the same old repetitive cycle next time around.. while Regan and Doncaster are still here we're going tae fucking nae championships.. The apathy in the crowd at the end last night was telling, the fans are totally disillusioned with it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 3 hours ago, DAVIDB69 said: Exactly I don't why our approach to friendlies is so bad, this the result doesn't matter mantra , the lack of friendlies we actually play.The daily record solution today was not to play friendlies at all Shocker. Of course we play notably fewer friendlies than almost anyone else already, have done for years. We'll be right and they'll all be wrong, though... Still remember SFA panicking over our world ranking before WC qualifying draw during Levein's reign. Had to fix-up something last minute and ended-up with the Faroes at Pittodrie. Authorities and management (if still in place) will get a hell of a fright when Nations League starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkoRaj Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Said it before and will say it again - Strachan out now.Saw a guy on my fb suggest there has to be complete overhaul and I think he's right. Get the manager out and dross out the squad and start blooding the young guys like Gauldy, Harper etc into the team. What's on show at the moment is negative, boring, shite and hasn't worked for us since the 90s. Big change required. Lol this again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkoRaj Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 What you saw last night and in previous Scotland games is the result of bad coaching from youth level upwards for the past 40 years. The is evident in the lack of technique and tactical awareness against a Canada B team. Football in Scotland is fucked. Run by self interested idiots. Standard of leagues in Scotland is terrible and its all hit and hope. It's going like the Northern Irish league. Only thing that keeps the interest going from overseas is the sectarian Old Firm freakshow. Thanks to them your national side and league is bust. Has no one noticed that most of our players learn their trade down south? Why do people gibber on about Scottish training methods? What does that have to do with the likes of Snodgrass, Anya, Burke, Martin, Martin, Hanley or anyone else who hasn't played here beyond the age of 18 and yet has still had a successful career.There is one person to blame for the current state of affairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverWolfe Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Has no one noticed that most of our players learn their trade down south? Why do people gibber on about Scottish training methods? What does that have to do with the likes of Snodgrass, Anya, Burke, Martin, Martin, Hanley or anyone else who hasn't played here beyond the age of 18 and yet has still had a successful career.There is one person to blame for the current state of affairs. David Murray? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkoRaj Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I remember when Bannan first broke through he was criticised for always playing Hollywood passes. Think he has developed relatively well and is very much a deep lying playmaker for Sheffield Wednesday. I think the abject lack of movement ahead of him, attacking momentum or tactical nous probably holds him back when he plays for us.I also think our defence plays a ridiculously deep line, especially given the opponents in certain games. I get that we have slow defenders but we really have to take the chance of pushing them up if we are going to actually get our players in enough attacking positions to create chances. Probably the loss of pace of Russell Martin has had a much bigger affect that anyone could have seen coming. Think 3 at the back is probably the way to go to be honest. Mulgrew is a good outlet for bringing the ball forward and finding a decent pass into the midfield but the idea of leaving Berra or Hanley isolated is horrible and it means they end up way inside their own half even when we dominate possession Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Did Wales not positively arrange friendlies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 48 minutes ago, jagfox99 said: Did Wales not positively arrange friendlies? Wales and Romania strategically arranged friendlies specifically to boost their ranking a couple of years ago IIRC. They seeked games they would more likely than not win which would also give them maximum ranking points. Then when they couldn't find a suitable opponent, they didn't bother and lost zero ranking points in those international game slots. Something like that anyway. Someone posted the article on it on here not so long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NathanQP Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Wales and Romania strategically arranged friendlies specifically to boost their ranking a couple of years ago IIRC. They seeked games they would more likely than not win which would also give them maximum ranking points. Then when they couldn't find a suitable opponent, they didn't bother and lost zero ranking points in those international game slots. Something like that anyway. Someone posted the article on it on here not so long ago. That's all good and well but when you can't beat Canada there's no point going down that route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 15 minutes ago, NathanQP said: That's all good and well but when you can't beat Canada there's no point going down that route Well quite. The point was that the SFA wouldn't even think about even looking into doing it. It would never occur to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 47 minutes ago, TheScarf said: Wales and Romania strategically arranged friendlies specifically to boost their ranking a couple of years ago IIRC. They seeked games they would more likely than not win which would also give them maximum ranking points. Then when they couldn't find a suitable opponent, they didn't bother and lost zero ranking points in those international game slots. Something like that anyway. Someone posted the article on it on here not so long ago. Which is exactly what we should be doing. The sad part is that it doesn't take someone with a PhD to sit down and put this plan into place. It's not like when Herbert Chapman decided to invent passing, it's something someone with a basic working knowledge of Excel could do. And the benefits are obvious given that Romania and Wales are both punching - arguably - well above their weight currently. Wales rode high in the rankings thanks to a great Euro 2016, but the basis for it was picking the right friendlies at the right time. The only reason we should be sitting out an international opportunity is if all avenues have been exhausted for finding an opponent, and that won't happen if we're doing the process correctly and in decent enough time. Obviously we'll need to have players who have been convinced not to be such shitebags by that point, so we'll just have to live in hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy2015 Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Which is exactly what we should be doing. The sad part is that it doesn't take someone with a PhD to sit down and put this plan into place. It's not like when Herbert Chapman decided to invent passing, it's something someone with a basic working knowledge of Excel could do. And the benefits are obvious given that Romania and Wales are both punching - arguably - well above their weight currently. Wales rode high in the rankings thanks to a great Euro 2016, but the basis for it was picking the right friendlies at the right time. The only reason we should be sitting out an international opportunity is if all avenues have been exhausted for finding an opponent, and that won't happen if we're doing the process correctly and in decent enough time. Obviously we'll need to have players who have been convinced not to be such shitebags by that point, so we'll just have to live in hope. Totally agree but won't make a difference come 2018 as will be hardly any friendlies as all dates will be taken up with these fixtures. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Nations_League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy2015 Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 And the way our ranking going we are going to be in one of the lower leagues. This is way better than playing friendlies in my opinion and holds a qualification spot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy2015 Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 We could finally win some something . Lol Top of group d here we come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 46 minutes ago, skippy2015 said: Totally agree but won't make a difference come 2018 as will be hardly any friendlies as all dates will be taken up with these fixtures. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Nations_League I'm well aware, but there is still the potential of extra dates for friendlies, and there should be a plan for those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy2015 Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 I'm well aware, but there is still the potential of extra dates for friendlies, and there should be a plan for those. Yeah agree the Qatar and Canada friendlies especially a joke. There's defiantly a lack of planning here. Also if for instance we are in group c or d we will be playing lower ranked teams which I guess would make it harder to climb the rankings. In that case any spare dates we need to get good standard of friendlies to boost our overall ranking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.