Lets get started then!

2-2

Not going and no interest in this rip-off game

It will be a farce, contested by two shadow teams playing at 40%

The Argies look like they are going to take the piss out of the SFA by sending their youth outfit, so if any of our players can be arsed to play against them we should win.

Normally I'm annoyed when players withdraw from friendlies but this looks like a glamour match of Beckhamesque proportions so I couldn't blame it on any of the players if they can't be arsed.

edit:
that said, if the Argies do send a half decent outfit then players of any quality should be looking to test themselves against them, so it might not be so bad if they do send a team.

1-0 Scotland, Lionel Messi becomes another name that Graham Alexander can add to the list of stars he has kept in his back pocket

Franco Miranda's looking forward to his debut for argentina.

funding the SFA is wrong. don't do it.

If Argentina send a half decent squad I'd go but no doubt it will be all youths etc.

How can you say that? Are you suggesting no Tims, no Huns? Next you'll be saying no Lionel Messi...?



Sadly it must remain a dream. Lionel's no playing.
His team think it's a w**k of a game.

I tend to agree, particularly with the former point rather than the second. Smith should have gotten the message with his first "survey" of opinion on this game when people said they weren't prepared to pay premium prices to watch it. Reducing the cost slightly and then booking it anyway doesn't improve the situation much and doesn't improve the principle at all.

I actually don't especially mind that it'll be two shadow sides, or that they might not be going full throttle. I attend club friendlies too. But I don't expect to be fleeced for £35 to watch it. There should be a ceiling of about £15 on friendly games. Maybe £20 for a "glamour" friendly like this. The Croatia game was over-priced too but I went to that one partly because I hadn't anything else on that night but mainly because the wife wanted to go as she's got into watching Scotland recently. And it was only £25.

As it happens I have something else on that night. Had we had a qualifier I'd have cancelled my other engagement and made a point of going but I'm not doing so to make a 170 mile round trip and pay £35 to watch a glorified training session. I'd actually rather watch us face Andorra or San Marino and knock in a few goals than see Argentina at Hampden.

Not that I actually want the SFA to lose money on the game but I'd be quite amused if Hampden is half full or less for this one. No doubt the media would peddle out the "where are the loyal Scotland fans who couldn't get tickets for the Italy game?" line though.

Your post was going so well till then!

I firmly opposed paying premiums to bring teams to Hampden when the idea was first mooted by Smith. Then, in fairly typical Smith fashion, he went ahead with it anyway. I began to come round to the view that since you don't get many chances to see the likes of Aguero, Messi and Tevez in the flesh (unless you are an OF fan, oh wait...) then I would probably reluctantly part with the £35 for that one off chance. I was under the impression that the Argies were obliged to play a full strength team, and now I hear their best player isn't being allowed to show up to appease his (arrogant) club side. Unless there is a dramatic turnaround, I'm not going to bother showing up to a game like that, hopefully Smith will learn his lesson and listen next time. Instead I've got £30 flights to Madrid in December and a complimentary ticket to see Real play Sevilla, should be better use of my cash.

As far as I'm aware, Mascherano and Messi aren't required to play - the deal with the Argentine FA and the clubs was that if they played at the Olympics, they're exempt from friendlies for 18 months.

Did they end up paying Argentina then?

What was the point of Gordhun's big consultation exercise that said "naw" then?

They certainly did,apparently dropped the original asking price.SFA require a full house to break even allegedly which I think they have no chance of getting



To see if supporters were willing to pay upwards of £50 per ticket


Expect a wrack of pull outs from both squads in the week leading up to this game

Yet another reason why Smith must go.

Yes, I really think he's got this one completely wrong. He asked for opinions, got a loud "no" and then went ahead and did it anyway with only a moderate reduction of prices as an excuse for it. It smacks of "I really fancy this but I better get some backing from the TA first" and then, in shock at the fact he didn't manage to pull the wool over enough eyes to get it, he pays lip service to a compromise and does it his way anyway so he can be the one to say "Look, I got a major nation to come play us".

It suits one person and one person only, Gordon Smith and his agenda.

I think Smith is stumbling from one cock up to another on a regular basis now. People can say what they like about David Taylor, whose stock unfortunately fell when his colours were nailed to the Bertie McVogts mast by the media but he was and is a damned good administrator (which is why UEFA head-hunted him). Smith hasn't got a fecking clue but he's media friendly so that's alright and generally his red-top pals will ignore his failings. The Argentina game may turn out to be a sell out success but I have my doubts. It would be hilarious if it comes back to haunt him (though no doubt we'll get some ranting about "Where are the loyal fans who wanted more tickets for the Italy game?").

Then there was threatening to move the Scottish Cup Final to appease Rangers debacle and his "I will make sure that Scottish Cup Runners Up don't get into Europe again" bollocks which, even if you have some sympathy with the principle (I don't), was completely outwith his power to sort and he got a big fat egg in his face when he tried it. He also got a flea in his ear from FIFA when he advocated retrospective yellow cards for diving based on tv evidence. Albeit on that one I agree that should be possible. Doesn't change the fact he opens his mouth and lets his ego rumble without checking he can do it first.

Come back Jim Farry.

Did he not in fact say after the vote results were in that he was "shocked and stunned" by the fans turning this down, or words to that effect?

As you say, it sounds very much like this was pretty much a done deal, and the request was made on a mistaken basis that it was a shoo-in the fans would jump at the chance.
When the fans (quite admirably in my view) said, "no, not at those prices, and why are we paying a side to play us?" he realised he needed to find a way to get the game to go ahead anyway.

It is incredible arrogance from Smith in my view, and like you say, I hope it comes back to haunt him, albeit it will be our national game that suffers financially. Maybe we need to take a one off hit to ensure this sort of thing never happens again.

I didn't want Smith in the job in the first place. I think he has provenin a number of instances he isn't a fit and proper person for the role, which really is administrative. He has far too much to say about things which are none of his business.

Smith faces a number of pretty big problems, some of them of his own making. The thing I don't get is why he constantly tells the media what he is going to do, whether or not he's actually got a chance of doing it or not. Perhaps this is because of his career in sports broadcasting, and a desire to get sound-bites and promises out there. However, my point stands - he 'told' everyone things like the cup runners-up, retrospective yellow cards for divers, cup sponsor within 6 months (almost 18 months ago...). He didn't need to say any of that. David Taylor, Ernie Walker etc. were all much more sedate.

His failure to distance himself from his Rangers connections - for example, writing a chapter in that complication book - was probably another error. It's vital, for SFA, to appear OF neutral at all times.

Awareness of alteration of Norway v Scotland date in August is another area which defies explanation.

The fact that Walker has been named in "bring back..." terms (not unreasonable when we see Smith's tenure) says it all really.

I echo SD's views on Taylor as well. I always find him unreasonably smug when intreviewed, and not very personable, but he was clearly a good administrator, which is what the job is all about, or certainly should be.



Yes, he was doomed before he started with his opening "anti Rangers agenda" quotes, something which indicated a complete lack of reality or an agenda of his own, and certainly a view which baffled those of us neutral to the OF bitchfest.

Yeah, I think Smith thought "right I better go in and make it quite clear I'm totally neutral and won't tolerate any bias". In Marc Anthony-esque fashion, he drew loads of attention to the total opposite...

Seems caught between 'media's best mate' and 'media's No. 1 enemy' sometimes as well - i.e. Mark McGhee affair. He was totally right to object to the media's criticism of the process, but in doing so at the press conference which unveiled George Burley, he threw the media even more ammunition to have a go at him!! I can see why that must be galling to him, when it's former colleagues and friends.

Back to the original subject of the thread... I think the Argentina game could be a positive experience for the players, but only if we put out a strong team. Bearing in mind the date (sandwiched between final two Champions League rounds, and SPL/League cup midweek before) I fear that won't happen.

Well yes. His cup final statements were a suggestion this wasn't going to be the case, and he was pandering, in an attempt to redress an agenda only him and the RST seem to see existing.

Yes, the plan to move the Scottish Cup Final to 8pm on Wednesday night was not his greatest hour...

You can only wonder what sort of pro-Rangers fixture list he would have concocted had he had SPL control instead of SFA.

We'd still have been finishing off last season in august.

I've met Taylor, and spoken to him on the telephone a couple of times. He may not come across well in interviews but I found him very personable and far less "up himself" than someone in his position normally is.

Obviously, I had reason to find such a suggestion particularly unpalatable, but even if I try to leave that aside, it really does still look despicable.

His ignorant arrogance has clearly motivated his forging ahead with this friendly as well and I therfore hope it falls flat.
To be honest, I find it difficult to take much interest in friendlies for club or country at the best of times.
The 'glamorous' nature of this one is actually more of an off-putting factor than a draw as far as I'm concerned.

This game's so meaningful I can hardly stand it!

I met him in Brussells and the pompous twat told us we wouldn't get tickets for the game that evening. Later on, we purchased our tickets from an official kiosk at the stadium. So you can add "liar" to his list of traits.

This game should be great. Is it free entry? I still won't go though.

That doesn't make him a liar.

What it means presumably is that someone broke policy to sell you tickets. It's hardly unusual and happens all over the world, but I wouldn't expect the Chief Executive of the SFA to peddle anything other than the official line.

With Messi out and Burley still in, I will be very surprised if we get 30,000 for this game.

Who is going to waste £30 watching Burley make an arse of himself against 18 year olds.

7-0 Argentina.

I'm going. Wouldn't have bothered making an effort but turns out I'm home anyway and assuming Motherwell don't reach the cup final, this will be my only Hampden visit between the Italy game and the double header to end this campaign.

Pointless match, wont be attending

i guess that this is everyone that couldnt get tickets for the last 5 games now refusing ot turn up.
honestly just because we arent playing so well and messi aint playing you most of them who where at the norway game are just going to boycott it.
shocking. ill be there and will be supporting them no matter how meaningful the game is .

Ill be there supporting Scotland. Messi dont make a team.

Could you try that again in English this time? I have no idea what that actually means?

I believe he is saying - "how come those tossers in Tartan Jimmy wigs are not bothering to turn up for this, i thought they turned up for all Scotland games."

I would go, if i could justify spending £32 for a decent view of a friendly that I will more than likely be able to watch in the pub. But i can't. I might make the effort to go into Glasgow and watch it, but that's about it.

If it was cheaper or a competitive game i'd certainly be after a ticket, but it isn't.

Saying that, depending on who else i know fancies it, i might reconsider.

I will be there as always. Ye cant beat Scotland games no matter who they are playing. I doubt wel win but meh. Surely Argentina will send a decent enough team. Its only the players who were involved in the olympics that will be left out.

that more or less sums up what i said

Eh? Barcelona pay his wages and had Champions League qualifying ties in August. Argentina wanted Messi to play in a pointless non-FIFA mongrel tournament for (mostly) bairns. They, along with a number of other clubs, won an appeal meaning they did not have to release him, but allowed him to play anyway as it was the player's wish. This despite the obvious risk of injury and fatigue from playing potentially (and that potential was realised) six games in a short space of time at the start of the season. In return they struck a deal with the AFA that they wouldn't call him up for friendlies over the next season. To me, that appears that both the AFA and Barcelona were acting with great reasonableness.

Anyone would think you got in free to Madrid games or something...

I suspect that it will not be just Messi missing for the Argies

Yup - sums it up for me