Belgium vs Scotland

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

15 minutes ago, SpoonTon said:

Seven is a bit generous but this is pretty much how I saw the game. If KDB had put away that big chance early on then it certainly could have been more. 

It was particularly worrying how many times their defence played passes straight through our midfield. This wasn't much more than a training match for them. 

Courtois is right.  It was only some good goalkeeping, bad finishing and good luck that stopped us conceding 6 or 7.

While I agree that we looked a shade more organised than we did in the friendly at Hampden, these are really tenuous straws we're grasping at.  I suspect that most who are praising this performance to the heavens are doing it due to the blind faith that comes with a change of manager.

The honeymoon period for Clarke will inevitably be short. A win against Russia and a much improved home performance against Belgium (where we actually compete) is a big ask given the poor quality of players we have.

 

 

 

 

[Scary Bear]

Sergeant Wilson and Scott McKenna, to be more precise.

 

Let’s start a witch hunt! Who else is to blame for Scotland being eternally shite at football even through it’s our national game?

 

My proposal: Chick Young.

 

My solution: sacrifice Chick Young to appease the football gods. I favour tying him to a stake and cleansing his soul with fire. Could chuck some playstations, xboxes and the likes on the pyre.

 

 

[forameus]

5 hours ago, Scary Bear said:

Let’s start a witch hunt! Who else is to blame for Scotland being eternally shite at football even through it’s our national game?

My proposal: Chick Young.

My solution: sacrifice Chick Young to appease the football gods. I favour tying him to a stake and cleansing his soul with fire. Could chuck some playstations, xboxes and the likes on the pyre.

Good call.  I want to see a notarised list not just of the people responsible, but the entities.  We need to know exactly who is to blame so we can put them on a horse and send them into the wilderness.

We've already found our first 3

1) Sergeant Wilson (for some reason)
2) Scott McKenna
3) Chick Young

Fire in, everyone.

7 hours ago, Bob Mahelp said:

The honeymoon period for Clarke will inevitably be short. A win against Russia and a much improved home performance against Belgium (where we actually compete) is a big ask given the poor quality of players we have.

It's an odd situation we have with the playoffs still on the horizon.  We're in an odd state of flux where we could get pumped in the next six games, and yet still have a chance of making it to a tournament with two shit-fest wins.  Had we not had that option, I think Clarke would effectively have a three-game honeymoon period - one we really should win, one we never will win, and one we absolutely have to win.  If we lose against Russia, the group's effectively done, and it'll be very interesting to see what the general consensus is.

I think he's made us more organised, but the method changing doesn't really matter if the end result is the same.  Big few months coming up.

[54_and_counting]

8 hours ago, Scary Bear said:

 

We lost 3-0 in Kazakhstan too. The encouragement I can take from this 3-0 away defeat is that we’ve gone from disorganised shite to organised shite against one of the better teams in the World.

It reminded me of performances of old (mainly the ‘90s) when we had 10 men behind the ball and occasional glimpses of a headless chicken forward running about at full pelt up front chasing the aimless punts. Just like the halcyon days Under Craig Brown.

 

Tbf Scotland looked less organised against Cyprus as well, and over the last few campaigns its been they supposed wee teams that Scotland inevitably f**k it up against with some disorganised shambolic performances 

A lot of it comes down to experience, its no surprise that a team with guys from killie, Aberdeen etc, teams that during the course of a season will face tougher opponents domestically, can keep their shape against tough teams but go to shit more often when they are playing games where possession is in their favour, 

Cyprus could and probably should have been ahead before robertsons wonder strike, scotland keeper was the more busier

[Guest DAVIDB69]

Similar population? They've over double our population.

Also a lot warmer in Belgium in the summer

[Guest DAVIDB69]

The fact that fraser and mctominnay didnt start both games is ridiculous, while they are hungry young players scotland should be starting them every game they fit and available 

That’s the problem thing we talk about Fraser being a young player for the future , he is 25 should be at his peak.

The effect of the dads army 30 somethings under strachan will linger for a long time .

We have a lost generation in mid 20s should be experienced internationals yet they aren’t because of the above

[Boo Khaki]

On 12/06/2019 at 11:55, This time Perthshirebell said:

Don't know if it's been mentioned but how wonderful was Eden Hazard?   

Not a Killie player, therefore he must have been shite.

[nsr]

23 hours ago, Scary Bear said:

My solution: sacrifice Chick Young to appease the football gods. I favour tying him to a stake and cleansing his soul with fire. Could chuck some playstations, xboxes and the likes on the pyre.

Can we do that even if it wouldn't help the situation?

[MarkoRaj]

When fraser was 21 he would have been playing in the championship with Ipswich and Bournemouth. There are a myriad of players who played at that level as a youngster and didn't make it to the level he did so it really doesn't make sense to say he should have been capped younger. You would end up with a lot of no hopers being capped in the faint hope they turn out to be better than what we had at the time. Pointless and detrimental

[Jeremiah_Cole]

18 hours ago, DAVIDB69 said:

 

 

That’s the problem thing we talk about Fraser being a young player for the future , he is 25 should be at his peak.

The effect of the dads army 30 somethings under strachan will linger for a long time .

We have a lost generation in mid 20s should be experienced internationals yet they aren’t because of the above

 

Ryan Fraser wasn't playing regularly in the EPL when Strachan was manager.

Strachan played guys like Snodgrass, Ritchie and Forest on the wings when he was manager. None of them were dad's army 30 somethings.

Its a complete myth that Strachan filled his side with ageing players.

He gave Andy Robertson his first cap at the age of 19, he gave Tierney his first cap at the age of 18 FFS!

 

 

 

[Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier]

18 hours ago, MarkoRaj said:

When fraser was 21 he would have been playing in the championship with Ipswich and Bournemouth. There are a myriad of players who played at that level as a youngster and didn't make it to the level he did so it really doesn't make sense to say he should have been capped younger. You would end up with a lot of no hopers being capped in the faint hope they turn out to be better than what we had at the time. Pointless and detrimental

Fraser whilst at Ipswich got an injury early in the season which put him out for the rest of it.

[Kuro]

3 hours ago, Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier said:

Fraser whilst at Ipswich got an injury early in the season which put him out for the rest of it.

He played 21 times and his manager said at the end of the season he's good enough to play for any team in the premiership.

[54_and_counting]

On 14/06/2019 at 13:04, MarkoRaj said:

When fraser was 21 he would have been playing in the championship with Ipswich and Bournemouth. There are a myriad of players who played at that level as a youngster and didn't make it to the level he did so it really doesn't make sense to say he should have been capped younger. You would end up with a lot of no hopers being capped in the faint hope they turn out to be better than what we had at the time. Pointless and detrimental

I would agree if Scotland had a qualifying team, but given they havent qualified since 1998 and the same guys were failing time and time again, surely trying something different was worth a shot? You're saying Scotland would have capped a ton of no hopers, yet Scotland continued using a squad of no hopers to the point that its now 21 years since they went to a major finals

[MarkoRaj]

41 minutes ago, 54_and_counting said:

I would agree if Scotland had a qualifying team, but given they havent qualified since 1998 and the same guys were failing time and time again, surely trying something different was worth a shot? You're saying Scotland would have capped a ton of no hopers, yet Scotland continued using a squad of no hopers to the point that its now 21 years since they went to a major finals

Do you think we've been playing the same team the whole time?

We brought new players in, they gained experience and they failed. Players get better as they get older so you don't just discard them after one bad campaign.

If we don't qualify this time should we bin the 26 year olds coming into their peak in favour of 21 year olds?

[54_and_counting]

36 minutes ago, MarkoRaj said:

Do you think we've been playing the same team the whole time?

We brought new players in, they gained experience and they failed. Players get better as they get older so you don't just discard them after one bad campaign.

If we don't qualify this time should we bin the 26 year olds coming into their peak in favour of 21 year olds?

No but bin the over 30's gor a start, if Scotland dont have anyone better than mulgrew for centre half then they should chuck football

I said it elsewhere, odonnell at 27 thrown into the international pit, wasn't deemed good enough for the u21's or scotland for the last 5 years, now theres a chance he's gonna play until he's early 30's and earn maybe around 30 caps, meanwhile there will be a potential right back sitting somewhere that will be ignored until they are late 20's

Rinse and repeat 

[MarkoRaj]

Stephen O'Donnell was playing for Patrick in the first division followed by Luton Town

He's only really started performing at a level close to what's required and still isn't quite good enough for the national team. And you're saying he should have been called up 5 years ago? 

Which current young right backs are being overlooked? I'm genuinely all ears

[forameus]

On 6/15/2019 at 16:32, 54_and_counting said:

No but bin the over 30's gor a start, if Scotland dont have anyone better than mulgrew for centre half then they should chuck football

I said it elsewhere, odonnell at 27 thrown into the international pit, wasn't deemed good enough for the u21's or scotland for the last 5 years, now theres a chance he's gonna play until he's early 30's and earn maybe around 30 caps, meanwhile there will be a potential right back sitting somewhere that will be ignored until they are late 20's

Rinse and repeat 

A load of old pish with absolutely nothing backing it up, but to be fair the usual stuff that usually gets peddled by most media sources and fans.  "WE SHOULD JUST DO THIS AND IF NOT WE SHOULD JUST CHUCK IT".  Colour me convinced.

I'm sure you were supporting Thistle as your big team, sitting in the Jackie Husband telling anyone who'd listen that Stephen O'Donnell should be playing for Scotland, aye?  Despite the fact that he was a solid, and rarely spectacular option for a side at the very bottom of the Premiership.  He's literally only playing for us because we have no better options, and he's the guy you're picking to back up your piss-weak argument?