Scotland v Russia (Match Thread)

[The_Judge]

4 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

Starting to wonder if we should just forget about National football. It seems to be passing us by. Even with good players on the park we always look less than the sum of our parts. Starting to wonder if an wver decreasing number of fans are the only people who actually give a f**k and everyone else is going through the motions

The desire to only watch winning teams is what gives Celtic and The Rangers so many fans along with seeing Barcelona/Man City, etc replica tops all over the place.  Never give up and never give in, fight that desire!!

[The_Judge]

6 hours ago, ThatBoyRonaldo said:

I'd be tempted to go 4-6-0 in future

Just be aware that if you do and it doesn't work you'll still be getting abuse 9 years later 

[Falcor Roar]

I didn't bother to watch the game last night but it sounds as though we were far too deep. The Russians will have learned from the Kazakh game. Clarke needs to use this qualifying group to build confidence. When Strachan first came in he fixed the shape and that's what Clarke needs to do. It's difficult when you have a makeshift partnership at the back, you need your defenders to be comfortable holding a higher line at home to sides like Russia. We need midfield players who can retain the ball but also players who can run it out so Armstrong should come into Clarke's thinking. When Tierney comes back do you try to play Robertson higher up the park? He's top class going forward but not top level at defending - he's made a few mistakes for club and country defending recently. 

At the end of the day this group was always a tough ask after the shambolic start. If we can get up and running for the playoff games then i'm still optimistic with Clarke in charge. We've got good players. 

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

53 minutes ago, QwaarJet said:

They weren't shit, but they weren't good either. Most of their good play was us allowing them to do it.

Agree on this totally. Russia were fine but they aren’t world beaters. We’ve played far better against better teams than that at Hampden.

Poland are a better side and qualify more easily than the Russians, and we gave them far more of a game.

Last night’s problem was not the opposition. Our players shat it again, as we so often do. We let Russia play like the home side last night.

Fair enough against Belgium, England, Germany whoever, but we surrendered the ball, possession and territory against a second-tier nation that didn’t need a win, or even a draw whilst we absolutely had to win.

All our problems are down to mentality. Northern Ireland would not have done that last night, and they have far inferior players to us.

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

5 minutes ago, Falcor Roar said:

I didn't bother to watch the game last night but it sounds as though we were far too deep. The Russians will have learned from the Kazakh game. Clarke needs to use this qualifying group to build confidence. When Strachan first came in he fixed the shape and that's what Clarke needs to do. It's difficult when you have a makeshift partnership at the back, you need your defenders to be comfortable holding a higher line at home to sides like Russia. We need midfield players who can retain the ball but also players who can run it out so Armstrong should come into Clarke's thinking. When Tierney comes back do you try to play Robertson higher up the park? He's top class going forward but not top level at defending - he's made a few mistakes for club and country defending recently. 

At the end of the day this group was always a tough ask after the shambolic start. If we can get up and running for the playoff games then i'm still optimistic with Clarke in charge. We've got good players. 

I’ve never seen us play so deep. In the first half there were times that only McBurnie was more than 23 yards from his own goal.

We sat in the area and every clearance was immediately back to a white shirt. 

Our section thought it was a deliberate tactic. Clarke said last night he didn’t know why it happened.

We need a striker, a right back, and another centre half. Personally i thought Cooper looked fine, and it bewilders me that it’s taken that long for him to get his first cap.

[Raidernation]

Do you really expect better from a country that has pandered to two “giant” clubs, founded and relying on bigotry, with increasing fervour over the last few decades?
Well, did ya?

[Bairnardo]

The desire to only watch winning teams is what gives Celtic and The Rangers so many fans along with seeing Barcelona/Man City, etc replica tops all over the place.  Never give up and never give in, fight that desire!!

Just starting to feel like the fans are the only ones who didnt get the "who gives a f**k" memo as regards International Football in Scotland.

I really hope Stevie Clarke can turn it around but its so lacking in spirit and belief the now. Absolutely reeks of going through the motions.

Anyway. That aside from a purely football perspective until we can start playing with some cohesion from back to middle we are fucked. No understanding there at all. Misplaced passes all over the place turinng over possession in dangerous areas.

[rainbowrising]

Scottish football caught up with the idea of a passing game but unfortunately our idea of a passing game is to just pass the ball.

The great possession teams dont just pass a ball, they work their arse off, off the ball pulling opponents out of position and creating space for the next pass.

Watch footage of the Russian game and see how quickly our 'passing game' falls apart the minute 2 forwards close down our defenders. It quickly becomes a pass to the keeper and a blooter up the park. We dont really know how to 'pass' a ball, a fundamental of the game.

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by rainbowrising

[dstuart82]

47 minutes ago, rainbowrising said:

Scottish football caught up with the idea of a passing game but unfortunately our idea of a passing game is to just pass the ball.

The great possession teams dont just pass a ball, they work their arse off, off the ball pulling opponents out of position and creating space for the next pass.

Watch footage of the Russian game and see how quickly our 'passing game' falls apart the minute 2 forwards close down our defenders. It quickly becomes a pass to the keeper and a blooter up the park. We dont really know how to 'pass' a ball, a fundamental of the game.

 

Brilliantly summed up, what I was saying last night.

Passing for the sake of it with no purpose or vision of the bigger picture.

Edited September 7, 2019 by dstuart82

[forameus]

1 hour ago, Bairnardo said:

Anyway. That aside from a purely football perspective until we can start playing with some cohesion from back to middle we are fucked. No understanding there at all. Misplaced passes all over the place turinng over possession in dangerous areas.

We have the players that could very well put themselves together to be way more than the sum of their parts, but instead decide to put themselves together to look like that awkward 7s game where you're 6 short, and end up inviting that guy from work who's wearing rugby boots, some guy with a lazy eye who hangs about the pitches, and four junkies you found on the way.  They honestly look like they've never seen each other before.  I get we don't have that long to prepare at international level, but what are they doing for those few days?  

[skippy2015]

Brilliantly summed up, what I was saying last night.
Passing for the sake of it with no purpose or vision of the bigger picture.

We did know how to pass under strachan.

[ewan14]

1 hour ago, forameus said:

 They honestly look like they've never seen each other before.  I get we don't have that long to prepare at international level, but what are they doing for those few days?  

Seconded eg the attempt at a one - two towards the end of the game and 

Robertson (?) passing to Phillips who had peeled off his marker for some reason

[ewan14]

6 hours ago, The_Judge said:

Just be aware that if you do and it doesn't work you'll still be getting abuse 9 years later 

and rightly so !

[ewan14]

3 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

Just starting to feel like the fans are the only ones who didnt get the "who gives a f**k" memo as regards International Football in Scotland.

I really hope Stevie Clarke can turn it around but its so lacking in spirit and belief the now. Absolutely reeks of going through the motions.

Anyway. That aside from a purely football perspective until we can start playing with some cohesion from back to middle we are fucked. No understanding there at all. Misplaced passes all over the place turinng over possession in dangerous areas.

Sorry , I think we need cohesion from middle to front more

[pandarilla]

We did know how to pass under strachan.

I was as big a fan of Strachan as anyone on here but that ship has sailed. Stevie Clarke is absolutely the right man for the job. Last night was not good but let's give him time.

[Aufc]

21 goals in 37 caps, including 6 goals in 5 games in these qualifiers alone, and as many goals at last years World Cup as Hazard and Diego Costa. Hes better than any striker we've produced in fucking decades.
Yet theres folk on here who seem to be suggesting hes a giant plank of wood who could be easily stopped, when our best defensive options are Mulgrew and Cooper. 
A great laugh.

He is literally everything you want in a lone striker. Bullied the defenders, got his team up the pitch and scores most of his chances. We can only pray to ever have a striker like that

[Bairnardo]

34 minutes ago, ewan14 said:

Sorry , I think we need cohesion from middle to front more

We need it, but not more. We are going to need to make ourselves hard to beat before anything. We are soft at the core just now and will alwyas lose because of it. 

[Guest DAVIDB69]

I was as big a fan of Strachan as anyone on here but that ship has sailed. Stevie Clarke is absolutely the right man for the job. Last night was not good but let's give him time.

Strachan was failing regularly with the dads army and usually getting us to fourth in groups.

[Tartan Dave]

For 20 mins last night I thought we were a right side. Mcgregor fraser robertson triangle was showing its class and thought it was gonna be a great night. Then we bricked it and shelled balls long to an isolated frontman. Really crap stuff. My rating, fwiw,

Marshall 8

Odonnell 1

Mulgrew 6

Cooper 6

Robertson 4

Mctominay 5

Mcginn 3

Mcgregor 4

Fraser 6

Forrest 2

Mcburnie 5

 

[Distant Doonhamer]

4 hours ago, forameus said:

We have the players that could very well put themselves together to be way more than the sum of their parts, but instead decide to put themselves together to look like that awkward 7s game where you're 6 short, and end up inviting that guy from work who's wearing rugby boots, some guy with a lazy eye who hangs about the pitches, and four junkies you found on the way.  They honestly look like they've never seen each other before.  I get we don't have that long to prepare at international level, but what are they doing for those few days?  

Apparently they had double sessions and trained really well. Thank f**k they weren't dicking about. just think how bad things could have been. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Distant Doonhamer