The U21s lost 1-0 in Denmark tonight which resulted in us slipping from 2nd to 3rd with the Danes overtaking us. We finished level on points and had a better goal difference but I guess results between teams are considered first. A 0-0 draw and 1-0 defeat against them means we miss out on a play off place for the finals in Sweden

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_UEFA_Eur...ication#Group_6

That's a shame, to come so close. We played really well against Slovenia on Thursday I thought we could do it.

Great credit must go to Billy Stark and the boys for doing so well.

Burley should not have pulled Fletcher from the under 21 squad

Yea, I watched the Slovenia game and thought we looked really good. Tried to watch tonights game but couldn't find a working stream. It hasn't been a bad campaign but its annoying to come so close to getting to the next stage and losing out in the last game, I guess thats a typical Scottish way of doing things in international tournaments.

Hopefully some of these lads can step up to the senior side over the course of the next couple of years or so.

The boys can only benefit from the experience and perhaps use tonight's disappointment to spur them on to greater things.

Totally agree, the importance of qualifying for these tournaments and the experience it brings is huge. To pull our best player from the squad (to be replaced with Calum Elliot!!!) for him to sit on the bench in Iceland seems extremely shortsighted.

Didn't see the game. How did Steven Lennon do?

Maybe he isn't going to be sitting on the bench..... (or has the team been announced?)

Listened to the game on Radio Scotland. Sounded like the Danes deserved to win and that Garry Kenneth had an absolute howler.

Spot on, hes obviously not content with fucking one team up.

agree with what has been said about Fletcher
If he doesn't feature, even for 2mins at the end, then if I were Billy Stark i'd be going fecking mental.
All we needed was a point to qualify...

Steve Fletcher - 1 player does not make a team. What about Considine picking up a daft 2nd yellow v Lithuania.

It is a shame that our u21's didn't qualify, but to slate Burley for pulling him out to call to the 1st team which is the most important is just daft.

Burley is in an impossible job. Slagged off if he doesn't include Fletcher, slagged if he does.

Exactly. I think people need to get off his back for a bit and let him get on with it. Regardless he is in charge till the end of our qualiyfing campagin, so back him and the boys until then.

So in the end he never kicked a ball for Scotland. And with the other forwards available and the fact that Burley decided to go 1 up top I don't think it was ever likely he would. I think it was a poor decision to bring him into the senior squad when it was unlikely he would feature.

I think Fletcher would have got on if it hadn't been for the red card. He can play any of the front 3 positions in the formation we played.

At the end of the day, the U21 Championship means very little compared with the World Cup.

He was behind Maloney, McFadden, Miller and Boyd so it's likely he wouldn't have played whatever the circumstances. 




But it is still very important for the development of those players. 

Was he? I think he would have got on before Boyd last night.

I don't. We were leading last night so Miller came on which is what would have happened every time we were leading in the second half but had we needed a goal Boyd would have been thrown on. 

I think Fletcher would have got on for at least the last 10 minutes if McManus hadn't been a moron.

I think he would also have been the first choice to come on if we were chasing a goal, because he is strong physically and has more flair than Boyd. Boyd would have got his usual 25 seconds at the end.

I think Boyd would have been brought on with 10 minutes to go if we needed a goal because that always seems to be what happens. I suppose neither of us really know what Burley would have done had McManus not been sent off or had we needed a goal though.