Scotland v Denmark

[Scary Bear]

When was the last time a midweek game was a sell out? 

What are the chances Denmark play a weakened/experimental team as they’ve already qualified?

Scotland team for this one?

Score predictions?

I managed to get my shit together and buy 4 tickets for this game. The Monday night thing is a pain in the hole and with a sell out crowd I’ll be looking at getting home around midnight, but I’m still looking forward to the game.

[BFTD]

You just don't know which Scotland side will show up. If Steve Clarke gets the tactics right in the first half and the team's on form, who knows, but I can't see the Danes slacking off with the chance of a 100% win record without conceding. If we have another shocker and have to change things around at half time, then it could be grim.

If we get the job done of finishing second before this game and then somehow take something from Denmark to confirm play-off seeding, this will surely have been the most remarkable qualifying campaign in my lifetime.

[Insert Amusing Pseudonym]

Can only see Denmark resting folk close to a suspension.  So hopefully they pick up about 9 bookings against the Faroes

Edit:  suspensions don't carry over so we can forget that

Edited October 29, 2021 by Insert Amusing Pseudonym

[2426255]

I wonder if the squad will  reflect an element of trying one or two new things should we beat Moldova and have a game with Denmark that we don't require a win. The Nations League is good in terms of the competitive matches, but if every game has something on it when can a manager begin to try out a few different ideas and take some risks? 

Edited October 30, 2021 by 2426255

[General dissaray]

8 minutes ago, 2426255 said:

I wonder if the squad will  reflect an element of trying one or two new things should we beat Moldova and have a game with Denmark that we don't require a win. The Nations League is good in terms of the competitive matches, but if every game has something on it when can a manager begin to try out a few different ideas and take some risks? 

Why do you want him to take risks?We just need to win,a 1 0 is the same three points than a 3 0

[2426255]

3 minutes ago, General dissaray said:

Why do you want him to take risks?We just need to win,a 1 0 is the same three points than a 3 0

Oh, I meant more try a few different players and strategies against Denmark if we beat Moldova. It's more with an eye to future games, I'm sure Steve Clarke has a few things he wants to test out but given the important nature of the past fixtures he hasn't been able to experiment since Luxembourg. Maybe Denmark is a chance for some limited experimentation. (I'm aware the seeding could be dependent on taking something from Denmark)

[General dissaray]

13 minutes ago, 2426255 said:

Oh, I meant more try a few different players and strategies against Denmark if we beat Moldova. It's more with an eye to future games, I'm sure Steve Clarke has a few things he wants to test out but given the important nature of the past fixtures he hasn't been able to experiment since Luxembourg. Maybe Denmark is a chance for some limited experimentation. (I'm aware the seeding could be dependent on taking something from Denmark)

Stevie Clarke isn't that kind off manager it will be the same players,he is trying to foster a club ethos and mentality to the national team

We maybe see one new player in midfield possibly Henderson or Gauld if he is feeling really adventurous 

[General dissaray]

Would be good to organise some kind off B International for him to be looking at players in

And play the Irish B team or whatever better still maybe have a bounce game closed doors between ourselves 

We could easily put two or three different squads together we got a lot more options right now especially in the English championship 

 

 

[Scary Bear]

31 minutes ago, 2426255 said:

Oh, I meant more try a few different players and strategies against Denmark if we beat Moldova. It's more with an eye to future games, I'm sure Steve Clarke has a few things he wants to test out but given the important nature of the past fixtures he hasn't been able to experiment since Luxembourg. Maybe Denmark is a chance for some limited experimentation. (I'm aware the seeding could be dependent on taking something from Denmark)

Trying out new strategies against the runaway group leader might not be the best strategy. If we can’t do friendlies, I would have thought the time for that would be against the likes of Moldova and the Faroes at home.

[2426255]

39 minutes ago, General dissaray said:

Stevie Clarke isn't that kind off manager it will be the same players,he is trying to foster a club ethos and mentality to the national team

We maybe see one new player in midfield possibly Henderson or Gauld if he is feeling really adventurous 

 

22 minutes ago, Scary Bear said:

Trying out new strategies against the runaway group leader might not be the best strategy. If we can’t do friendlies, I would have thought the time for that would be against the likes of Moldova and the Faroes at home.

Those games have passed and at the time represented must win games as part of a triple header so if there is anything we want to try before potential play offs then I'd suggest a game at home to Denmark (Should we be in a position where both teams have already qualified) might be an option and our last chance to try different things. - It doesn't have to be wholesale changes, just maybe a few different things potentially even if it's simply with the established squad.

It's difficult as it's jumping the gun a bit as we still have to do the business against Moldova, but equally the squad announced next week for the two games might take it into consideration. That's really what I'm trying to say.

Edited October 30, 2021 by 2426255

[General dissaray]

10 minutes ago, 2426255 said:

 

Those games have passed and at the time represented must win games as part of a triple header so if there is anything we want to try before potential play offs then I'd suggest a game at home to Denmark (Should we be in a position where both teams have already qualified) might be an option and our last chance to try different things. - It doesn't have to be wholesale changes, just maybe a few different things potentially even if it's simply with the established squad.

It's difficult as it's jumping the gun a bit as we still have to do the business against Moldova, but equally the squad announced next week for the two games might take it into consideration. That's really what I'm trying to say.

3 5 2 is the way Scotland play and it has been working for us,we absolutely don't need to play any other way

If we can defend right we have good players in midfield that can create chances for the strikers 

My thing is more about who those strikers will be or will they be wingers playing up front like Fraser and Christie 

When Nisbet came on he actually looked more natural in the six yard box and was making the right runs 

Would love us to have four real fowards/strikers in the squad but can't see him changing it up much

[2426255]

Yep, okay I won't labour the point. I just thought in a double header with a potential dead rubber (seeding aside) we might see some variation in the Denmark game in some shape or form that would be reflected in the squad announcement.

Edited October 30, 2021 by 2426255

[BFTD]

This is the problem with making every game competitive. It's more interesting for the fans, and easier to justify to truculent clubs that don't want to release players, but managers have zero incentive for blooding new players until they really have to.

It won't be such a problem for the seeded nations, as even their 'B' teams will still have enough to see off the bottom seeds in their group (at least), but everyone else needs to pick their best team to avoid dropping points. Imagine if Steve Clarke tried out Ryan Gauld against Moldova next month, he had a mediocre game, and we ended up not scoring. He'd get absolutely slaughtered for it, so there's not a lot of incentive to try unless we suddenly have a bunch of call-offs.

[General dissaray]

7 minutes ago, BFTD said:

This is the problem with making every game competitive. It's more interesting for the fans, and easier to justify to truculent clubs that don't want to release players, but managers have zero incentive for blooding new players until they really have to.

It won't be such a problem for the seeded nations, as even their 'B' teams will still have enough to see off the bottom seeds in their group (at least), but everyone else needs to pick their best team to avoid dropping points. Imagine if Steve Clarke tried out Ryan Gauld against Moldova next month, he had a mediocre game, and we ended up not scoring. He'd get absolutely slaughtered for it, so there's not a lot of incentive to try unless we suddenly have a bunch of call-offs.

We don't have a lot off call offs though,that is the great thing about Stevie Clarke in charge they all want to play for him

Only way we will get call offs is if we get injuries 

I like the nations league as well gives us smaller teams the chance off a play off and gets us up the seeding pots

We do have a good three or four players that are very near the squad though that haven't been in before 

[General dissaray]

Scotland 42th in the world in the rankings 

Are we better than any off the teams above properly do we struggle with the teams ranked below us such as Isreal almost certainly 

Do we have a decent pool off players that hopefully we can add to probably 

Do we have quality young players good enough for,a move to EPL yes we have 

Was gutted young Ferguson had his move to Watford scuppered as a prime example 

[Donathan]

42nd in the world but more importantly 24th in Europe (I think the rankings system is pretty much apples to pears between the confederations since they only ever meet competitively every four years)

 

That suggests that we should be right on the fringe on qualifying for the Euros (And be one of the weakest sides if we do make it) and will struggle to make world cups.

 

I think the aspirations for Scotland in the next 8-10 years should be to qualify for the world cup at least once, and to make the knockout stages of a European championship. Both of these would mandate being a top 16 European side (I'd add a 3rd goal that requires the same level - making league A of the nations league)

 

We'd need to get above the likes of Austria, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Not easy but not impossible by any means.

[General dissaray]

We need to start producing better players though we should be promoting any young player that is brave enough to go and play abroad instead off critising them for it

Take a look at the Gauld thread it just shows you what the average Joe punter Scotland fans thinks about football abroad that isn't in top 7 European leagues 

Once that happens and moving to the Belgium or Dutch league becomes the norm 

Maybe just then we will also have more better technical players such as the Croatians as a perfect example for another small nation that punches above its weight 

We might even find a top class striker like the Norwegians across the water

[Blootoon87]

42nd in the world but more importantly 24th in Europe (I think the rankings system is pretty much apples to pears between the confederations since they only ever meet competitively every four years)
 
That suggests that we should be right on the fringe on qualifying for the Euros (And be one of the weakest sides if we do make it) and will struggle to make world cups.
 
I think the aspirations for Scotland in the next 8-10 years should be to qualify for the world cup at least once, and to make the knockout stages of a European championship. Both of these would mandate being a top 16 European side (I'd add a 3rd goal that requires the same level - making league A of the nations league)
 
We'd need to get above the likes of Austria, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Not easy but not impossible by any means.

We should be winning the 2026 World Cup what with all the experience the old firm youngsters will have had in the Lowland League..............

[BFTD]

42 minutes ago, General dissaray said:

We don't have a lot off call offs though,that is the great thing about Stevie Clarke in charge they all want to play for him

Only way we will get call offs is if we get injuries 

I like the nations league as well gives us smaller teams the chance off a play off and gets us up the seeding pots

We do have a good three or four players that are very near the squad though that haven't been in before 

Yeah, I like the Nations League too, but like everything, it has its down sides. Possible returning to having more 'B' internationals would help, but I can't imagine clubs being terribly pleased with that. By call-offs, it was injuries I was mainly thinking of, which isn't ideal. Our midfield would likely need to be decimated for someone like Gauld to get a run-out.

And aye, we're surprisingly judgemental about American football considering their national team surpassed us quite a long time ago. The whole "MLS isn't as good as the EPL or Serie A" argument going on is bizarre, considering that would preclude any Scottish-based players from playing for Scotland. Nobody could surely think that the American league is significantly worse than Scotland's Premier League.

[BFTD]

Just now, Blootoon87 said:

We should be winning the 2026 World Cup what with all the experience the old firm youngsters will have had in the Lowland League..............

Might take a while to get all of their players nationalised though.