Explains @Alex99 lovely I think, you must think the same
Scotland National Team Discussion
- Thread starter SilentWitness
- Start date
No sympathy for side that seemed only focused on raising their game in the group for the england match.
I've got no ties to Wales anyway so it's not the same.
Would have been nice to see Giggs at a major tournament finally but obviously that didn't happen.
Mad supporting the country your dad supports (and happens to be his home country) when your mum has no interest in football, when said country is literally half an hour up the road from your house, and literally everyone where you're growing up also support England, to the point that schools were playing England games during the 2002 World Cup.
fecking Welsh bloke supporting Manchester United with the username Zlatan 7 going on about glory supporting. Big connection to Manchester, I'm assuming?
If Giggs give half the commitment that our better players do now we may well have had a better chance to see him in a major tournament when he was a player. Oh well, he’s not missed at this one.
Came in here taking the piss and leaving crying
Sounds like you have a bit of nagging thought about your choices. Nice reasoning though.My mam didn’t like football so I supported a different country excellent.
excellent.Our biggest footballing rivalry of course we were going to give everything ffs. There was very little in the Czech game and Croatia were a much better team than England. You lot can only dream of having a technically gifted midfield like that.
Missed opportunities for Scotland, they should have beaten or at least got a draw against the Czechs and certainly gone for the win against England. I still think they need to move McTominay in midfield and play a defender in defence. Feel they should utilise their best players in the normal positions. Also need someone better than Dykes up front.
Aye, crying. Nailed it.Came in here taking the piss and leaving crying
Just banter, isn't it? Why does everyone on here assume people take things so seriously?
I'm in my last week in my current job, clock watching all day with feck all to do. May as well get into it with Scotland and Wales fans. You'll be having a good laugh when England get knocked out so I'll enjoy taking the piss while I can. Certainly not been able to take the piss out of City and Liverpool fans with any regularity of late.
I'm sure your interest in the Welsh national team has always been as strong, and certainly didn't become noticeable in the summer of 2016, eh?
Yet still topped the group...
It was a decent effort. A number of the players did very well - Robertson and McGinn I thought were the standouts - and Tierney (Peresic header apart) and Gilmour. A few were decent, showing some promise but also some weaknesses - McTominay, McGregor, Adams, Tierney. Going forwards there are a few who you'd probably want to phase out. We'll need a new keeper, Hendry and Patterson to step on and become first-team fixtures, and a goalscorer of some description.
For Clarke it's a similar assessment. Made a couple of mistakes in the Czech game, did well against England, and mostly got the set-up right last night but took far too long to respond to what was going on. I think he should have responded to Modric exerting control in midfield and it was clear after about 15 minutes that O'Donnell wasn't offering anything going forwards. Across the three games in his defence, we created a hell of a lot of chances and had over 40 shots. Normally you'd expect a couple more of these to have gone in. That's backed up by the expected goals, we had more than double the Czechs and Croats in our respective games, yet took nothing in both ties.
For Clarke it's a similar assessment. Made a couple of mistakes in the Czech game, did well against England, and mostly got the set-up right last night but took far too long to respond to what was going on. I think he should have responded to Modric exerting control in midfield and it was clear after about 15 minutes that O'Donnell wasn't offering anything going forwards. Across the three games in his defence, we created a hell of a lot of chances and had over 40 shots. Normally you'd expect a couple more of these to have gone in. That's backed up by the expected goals, we had more than double the Czechs and Croats in our respective games, yet took nothing in both ties.
I’d back Croatia to knock you out if the pressure was really on. Just like 3 years ago.
I’m only winding you up bud, chill. It’s all fun.
I’ve been to 90% of home wales matches since group qualifying in ‘93 when bodin missed that pen. All those years of heartache, similar to Scotland. Then we celebrate mediocrity when we finally do get to tournaments. It’s fecking great fun. We’re not all glory supporters
Agree with a lot of this. McT should be in midfield against better opposition, he can help in defence against weaker opponents but against the better sides it's not ideal. Some of the younger lads should become permanent fixtures in the side. Robbo was great in all 3 games and McGinn is brill (I'd love him at United).
But a goalscorer is desperately needed. We didn't get the luck at times but a goalscorer gets 3 goals or so for us in those 3 games. I'd look to phase some of the older guys out now moving forward and I really am looking forward to seeing us play again in the qualification campaign. Been a long time since I could say that.
I think having that terrible striker up front was a killer for you. Dykes is it? He just never ever looked like scoring.
A halfway competent goalscorer up front and you'd have probably got through.
The formation against the Czech was all wrong.
Scotland’s midfield 3 for years should be McTominay, McGinn and Gilmour. Putting McTominay at CB is just ridiculous.
Although it’s not the dream attack, Fraser, Adams and Forrest would cause problems. It’s good width and pace and it is seriously better than what we approached Euro 2020 with.
O’Donnell needs binned. If Clarke is obsessed with trying to fit in Tierney and Robertson, then Tierney at right back where he played against the Dutch. I’m not a fan of it but Tierney and Robertson at full back is clearly a better option than O’Donnell.
Central defence and goalkeeper is difficult though and hopefully there are players coming through for the future.
Gutted we are out. It was the first tournament in a long long time and a lot of really strange decisions from management affected us from the start.
Scotland’s midfield 3 for years should be McTominay, McGinn and Gilmour. Putting McTominay at CB is just ridiculous.
Although it’s not the dream attack, Fraser, Adams and Forrest would cause problems. It’s good width and pace and it is seriously better than what we approached Euro 2020 with.
O’Donnell needs binned. If Clarke is obsessed with trying to fit in Tierney and Robertson, then Tierney at right back where he played against the Dutch. I’m not a fan of it but Tierney and Robertson at full back is clearly a better option than O’Donnell.
Central defence and goalkeeper is difficult though and hopefully there are players coming through for the future.
Gutted we are out. It was the first tournament in a long long time and a lot of really strange decisions from management affected us from the start.
Fair fecks to you.
I was howling in 2016 when a load of people I'd grown up with, with no connection to England whatsoever but had supported them since they were kids, were giving it large at the Euros about Wales.
My father in law has followed Wales for yonks and I've never seen someone as buzzing about football as he was in 2016.
You get them everywhere, same as people who don’t watch rugby but then are massive daffodil waving rugby fans during 6 nations.
I have just always loved football, went as a kid with my folks in the 90s, drowned sorrows with beer during the 00’s and now take my own kid since 2015. It’s the circle of life
Croatia really just did knock you out though.
Similar to me really, minus the kids bit (although the first is due in December so it won't be long). Wife is a United fan, fortunately, but international allegiance might be split.You get them everywhere, same as people who don’t watch rugby but then are massive daffodil waving rugby fans during 6 nations.
I have just always loved football, went as a kid with my folks in the 90s, drowned sorrows with beer during the 00’s and now take my own kid since 2015. It’s the circle of life
As was expected. They were favourites for the game and rightfully so. England fans seem to think we were supremely confident going into this game. Hopeful yes. Expectation? No.
Not surprised this Scotland team failed, they‘re a shadow of the World Cup Scottish teams of the 70’s and 80’s.
Gilmour the only positive.
Shame that, if he hadn`t tested positive they might have beaten Croatia and still be in it.
They didn't, neither did the Czechs and neither did your lot.
I find it funny that Scotland are the only non qualifiers from the group, yet were celerating the other night as if they'd won it all. Small time is an understatement.
We celebrated taking a point off of your lot, as it kept us in with a glimmer of hope of reaching the knockout stages.
Funny how a team of players from the supposed best league in the world, could only manage a draw against us, yet the two other worse teams take 2 and 3 goals off us.
Maybe a bit of pressure on Clarke now? Very disappointing Euros. World Cup Qualification is going ok but we've dropped points and qualification is far from certain. If we don't qualify, does he go?
We aren’t equals. I don’t think England fans grasp this concept.
I don't think there's much pressure. So much of our support are happy just to be at a major tournament given the 23-year gap. We have become a more organised team with a smattering of good players, but we have to remember that the main reason we are in the Euros is because it's expanded massively to a 24-team tournament. It would have been great to qualify for the last 16, but all the talk in the build-up about us doing something we've never done before was nonsense really. Our last Euros was a 16-team competition and we were a ball-hair away from making the last 8. The time before that it was an 8-team tournament and we were mightily close to making the last 4, and had the 5th best record of any team. Ultimately being one of the 17-24th best teams in Europe is decent but I'm not really seeing it as a major achievement, just a reflection of the players at our disposal and a decent manager. Given what we have we should be in that 9th-16th best team in Europe ballpark.
Of course the same expanded format will apply for the next World Cup so we should be expecting to qualify.
It was a stupid decision not to play your strongest team against the Czech Republic. It made it almost impossible to qualify after losing to them.
There should be pressure on Clarke but there isn't. He's been poor. We've got a not bad crop of players but we just lump it long.
it was a really strong group, the strength of which has bizarrely been ignored by many.
England, and Croatia and the Czech Republic are all top teams.
can’t comment on Scotland’s actual play, and perhaps that can be improved - but it would have been quite a big shock for Scotland to qualify from that group.
We landed perhaps the easiest qualifying group for the world cup we could have, and we've made a arse of it already.
In his 24 games as manager we've won 9 games beating Luxembourg, Faroe Islands, Czech Republic (x2 although one was against their third XI due to COVID), Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Cyprus (x2), and San Marino.
Excluding the weaker teams and the match against the Czech C team, we've beaten two teams who are around us in the rankings. We've played Israel 4 times and haven't been able to beat them.
We don't have the best squad, but we've not got a bad squad. I'd rather we didn't waste the likes of Tierney, Robertson, McTominay, McGinn under Clarke.
Where did the yes sir I can boogie come from?
Scottish & Irish fans always celebrate English defeats. I’m not sure about the Welsh, doesn’t seem to be we much animosity there.
Glad Scotland are out anyway. Offered nothing to the tournament. The problem with making the euros 24 teams is we’re getting more & more teams just park the bus & try to draw every game 0-0. Scotland were one of the worst for that.
Glad Scotland are out anyway. Offered nothing to the tournament. The problem with making the euros 24 teams is we’re getting more & more teams just park the bus & try to draw every game 0-0. Scotland were one of the worst for that.
Andy Considine somehow made the Scotland Squad when we qualified.
A video from his stag do has been doing the rounds for years of him and his mates in drag singing to Yes Sir, I Can Boogie.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54930718
Wonder why it's celebrated...
Ah right, ok thanks
That's exactly the problem, there should be lots of pressure on a manger who has 2 wins in his last 10 matches. 2 in a 11 if you wanna be extremely harsh. One being a 1-0 win against ten man Luxembourg and the other against the Faroe Islands.
Clarke getting Scotland to Euro's is so overhyped. Firstly, it was McLeish that got them into the play off SFs. Scotland narrowly defeated a weak Israel side at home on penalties. He's practically living off the Serbia match, again on penalties but it was a great result and performance to be fair.
WC qualifying campaign has started poorly. Blew qualification in the second Nations league even though it was put on a plate with a Covid ravaged Czech side.
Losing at home to Czechs is a shocking result that deserves more scrutiny. His team selections have been woeful.
Also to the point above, Czechs are nowhere near a top team. Make 3rd tier level if being generous.