Scotland v Ukraine

[Oystercatcher]

Just now, ArabFC said:

Wales have got lucky here, but Ukraine haven’t been great either.

A very beatable team we just played shite against.

I think Wales have done really well containing them but also played their own game really well, highlights just how rotten we were on Wednesday 

[ropy]

On 01/06/2022 at 17:06, Venti said:

Are we the baddies?

No

[Dunfermline Don]

As a Palace fan can I just say that I have never seen Hennessy play like that before!

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

8 minutes ago, Oystercatcher said:

I think Wales have done really well containing them but also played their own game really well, highlights just how rotten we were on Wednesday 

They are better drilled and disciplined than us.  Outside Bale and Ramsey, they are a team of very average players, but they are simply a far better outfit than us.

No doubt that our match took a bit out of Ukraine, but they should have won tonight.

Wales continuously find a way to win games that they shouldn’t.  It’s a brilliant ability to have.  They’re an absolute stick on to get past USA and Iran as well.

Edited June 5, 2022 by HuttonDressedAsLahm

[18BAIRN76]

Ukraine should probably have won that, but watching that game just makes Clarke and the players total shitebaggery on Wednesday even harder to take. Made a relatively average team look like prime Barca ffs.

[Kapowzer]

I hope our squad watch that and use it constructively. A bit more out the traps on Wednesday and Wales were definitely beatable.

Not one that got away, but we have enough in our squad to ask better questions than we did.

[sergie's no1 fan]

Difference between ourselves and Wales was Bale and Ben Davies. Davies was an absolute rock, and when Ukraine had the chances the keeper pulled off some wonder saves.

Ukraine did have a stonewaller turned down right enough. f**k knows how that wasn't given. 

[RandomGuy.]

6 hours ago, monthefife said:

with the 2nd highest number of assists and completed passes in the SPFL, 2nd only to Tavernier

Who'd have guessed someone playing in the title winning side who dominate 34 matches a season would play a lot of passes.

[qos_75]

14 minutes ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

Ukraine should probably have won that, but watching that game just makes Clarke and the players total shitebaggery on Wednesday even harder to take. Made a relatively average team look like prime Barca ffs.

Agreed.

It will be always be a mystery why we played for 70 minutes like a team that was playing an end of season friendly.

Ukraine were hardly great the other night but they didn’t need to be. I think Ukraine  played better tonight and certainly created a lot more chances. Wales didn’t look particularly great but got their nose in front and held on. 

A huge opportunity missed by us to qualify. 

[Need2Speak2Caesar]

Ukraine's finishing tonight was utter garbage. It hurts still that we never showed up against them.It was definitely an opportunity lost in more ways than one.

Wales have 2 things we dont have ...organisation and Gareth Bale.

[monthefife]

1 hour ago, Kapowzer said:

I hope our squad watch that and use it constructively. A bit more out the traps on Wednesday and Wales were definitely beatable.

Not one that got away, but we have enough in our squad to ask better questions than we did.

I was thinking the same thing. I found myself hoping that every single Scotland player was watching that and realising what could or perhaps should have been.

I just find it beyond infuriating that Wales (a country with almost half the population of Scotland) will be heading to the World Cup and we're stuck at home yet again. Plenty of quality on Wales' bench as well, who can change a game. 

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

28 minutes ago, monthefife said:

I was thinking the same thing. I found myself hoping that every single Scotland player was watching that and realising what could or perhaps should have been.

I just find it beyond infuriating that Wales (a country with almost half the population of Scotland) will be heading to the World Cup and we're stuck at home yet again. Plenty of quality on Wales' bench as well, who can change a game. 

Wales’ team is built out of predominantly Championship players, with a couple League One, and Premier League players added in. There’s absolutely nothing on their bench that is better than ours. 

Beyond Ramsey and Bale, which of them really get in ahead of any of ours? Ben Davies as an auxiliary centre/left back? Dan James if we’re fed up with Ryan Fraser?

Wales are riding a wave of four things: a world class goal scorer; a UEFA/world ranking due to that goal scorer; a disciplined team; motivation and belief that comes from winning and qualifying.

They play to far more than the sum of their parts, and it appears to be irrelevant who their manager is.

I suspect that within the next 2 years they’ll collapse into mid-tier European obscurity. Bale and Ramsey have scored almost 60 goals for them over the last 10-12 years. They are irreplaceable. 

We are still a team in transition, and with some glaring issues to be addressed.

I would still much rather have our squad looking forward 5-10 years than theirs.

edit: and it also infuriates me no end. They fluke themselves past some games they have no right to win, and other times just work harder for games that they should, but where we would come unstuck. Recent wins against Turkey, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Belarus are all games where they somehow got results when they shouldn’t have, or in a manner that wasn’t deserved.

Edited June 5, 2022 by HuttonDressedAsLahm

[KirkieRR]

I think you're right about Wales but you could have been describing Scotland in better times. Remember when we used to beat teams we shouldn't have beaten, teams better than us, teams that outplayed us? France 89, 06, 07: Spain 85: even that ridiculous home WC 98 home qualifier v Sweden where we were under the cosh for 90m and scored with our only real wander upfield?

 

I don't know what they answers are to our problems. I do know I want to see Scotland players who are motivated just by pulling on a Scotland Jersey.

[F_T_Y]

Brennan Johnson came off the bench yesterday would walk into the Scotland team, they have better players and a better manager than us so no surprise they won.

They also benefited massively from our game being delayed, having a 3 month wait for one game while Ukraine had to play competitive matches twice in 5 days after a long lay off.

[Donathan]

3 hours ago, F_T_Y said:

Brennan Johnson came off the bench yesterday would walk into the Scotland team, they have better players and a better manager than us so no surprise they won.

They also benefited massively from our game being delayed, having a 3 month wait for one game while Ukraine had to play competitive matches twice in 5 days after a long lay off.

This is nonsense btw. 
 

They play pretty much the same system as us so let’s have a go at a joint team.

 

Goalkeeper is a toss up, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say Hennessey 

RCB similarly a toss up between Ampadu and Souttar/Hendry so let’s go with the Welshman again 

 

 

CB would be Joe Rodon over Hanley I think.

 

LCB pretty clearly Kieran Tierney.

 

RWB Connor Roberts, LWB Andy Robertson

 

We have three or four central midfielders better than Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen. McGregor and Gilmour walk into their team.

 

 

Then the front three would be John McGinn, Dan James and Gareth Bale.

 

So that’s a 6-5 split in favour of Wales and to get that we have to give them all the toss up calls in their favour.

[Marshmallo]

Dan James

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

4 hours ago, F_T_Y said:

Brennan Johnson came off the bench yesterday would walk into the Scotland team, they have better players and a better manager than us so no surprise they won.

They also benefited massively from our game being delayed, having a 3 month wait for one game while Ukraine had to play competitive matches twice in 5 days after a long lay off.

That is just nonsense. Wales are a very good side, but player for player, they are distinctly below many of ours.

Again, if that’s not the case, then the agents of some of these Championship and League One players need fired.

[2426255]

I think over the playoffs Ukraine were the best team of all four, but fair play to Wales - happy for them.

[FalkirkBairn2021]

As expected Wales progressed. Ukraine aren't very good, despite the inclinations of some to pretend they are because they sworded our hapless bottlers with ease.

[Neilfs]

The side at home in the final won all 3 pathways. 

In the end this was important, as I wouldn't see Wales winning in Kiev or wherever the game was played. 

In fairness, the Wales v Austria game should have been played the same week as Scotland v Ukraine. 

As someone who is English, I thought Scotland came out with great credit for how they greeted Ukraine. Wales seemed to have a win at all costs mentality, which is probably why they won. However it seemed distasteful somehow.