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No Shots On Target


Jaggernaut
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That was so much like watching Thistle this season . Passing the ball back and forth and going nowhere then punting hopless balls into the forwards who won nothing. Everything was done too slow.We were far too long on the ball for almost every pass allowing Georgia to get back and cover. Brown was particularly guilty of sitting too deep with Morrison , again similar to the problems Thistle have had this season. Germany a couple of hours later looked like they were playing in fast forward copmpared to us.

To finish behind a team as bad as RoI and a manager as bad as O'neil would be unbearable.

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I've always thought that Scotland were the thistle of international football, and vice versa.

 

There are certainly similarities: both have good goalkeepers, a decent midfield, a sluggish defence and an impotent attack.

 

Much of what passed for Scotland's attacking play on Friday reminded me of Thistle so far this season, all harmless tippy-tappy passes, a lack of urgency and a poor final delivery.

 

Scotland were pish against Ireland in the previous game as well. Whatever bubble we had has burst.

 

They were, but they could actually have won that game; Ireland's 'goal' was clearly offside.

 

I was absolutely gutted on Friday, far more so than I thought I might be. The real test of how good this Scotland team is will be how they react to Friday's defeat.

 

To be honest, though, I am struggling to remember the last time Scotland got a result when it really mattered. Ukraine in 2007, perhaps?

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To be honest, though, I am struggling to remember the last time Scotland got a result when it really mattered. Ukraine in 2007, perhaps?

 

 

scotland 2 latvia 0

porkhead

11 october 1997

gallacher and durie

 

got us to france 98 wc, as best runner-up in qualifying groups, in what was a "must win" game.

 

not much to gloat about that wc finals appearance, or any result since then that ultimately "really mattered" imo.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lbTYM-dsEiE

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WGS is promising changes. I expect Fletcher to be benched; can't see a goal coming from him anytime soon. Ritchie should start in my opinion. Time for Brown to go too. Three, maybe four, stalwarts coming to the end of their days in navy blue.

 

I have strange optimistic hope that we might do something against even this resurgent Germany side, but it will mean no passengers and nobody having an off night tomorrow. Selection and tactics will have to be flawless.

 

Like watching Thistle? Never been any different. Monni Bonnie Scotland - intae this mob!

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scotland 2 latvia 0

porkhead

11 october 1997

gallacher and durie

 

got us to france 98 wc, as best runner-up in qualifying groups, in what was a "must win" game.

 

not much to gloat about that wc finals appearance, or any result since then that ultimately "really mattered" imo.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lbTYM-dsEiE

 

Yeah, that probably is the last time we were in a 'really mattered' game and delivered the goods - and it was nearly 18 years ago!

 

Craig Brown's sides of that era were characterised as being defensively solid but weak in attack, yet he could still call on someone like Kevin Gallacher, who scored regularly in the EPL, as well as guys like Scott Booth, Gordon Durie and Ally McCoist, who could all score goals at international level. Fast forward to the present day and the current Scotland manager's best forward is the one-footed Steven Fletcher. :(

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WGS is promising changes. I expect Fletcher to be benched; can't see a goal coming from him anytime soon. Ritchie should start in my opinion. Time for Brown to go too. Three, maybe four, stalwarts coming to the end of their days in navy blue.

 

I have strange optimistic hope that we might do something against even this resurgent Germany side, but it will mean no passengers and nobody having an off night tomorrow. Selection and tactics will have to be flawless.

 

Like watching Thistle? Never been any different. Monni Bonnie Scotland - intae this mob!

 

Broon looks like a red card waiting to happen at the moment; and he was at fault for Georgia's goal on Friday. I'd like to see Darren Fletcher come back into the side. Ritchie I have yet to be convinced by but at least he is prepared to take a shot on goal from outside the box - something we lacked on Friday.

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We still don't have one player of really top quality. And before anyone jumps in Iceland (population: 333,000) have just qualified at the top of their group. Being a wee nation doesn't hold you back if you have proper youth policies and a commitment to developing a decent national football team.

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The fact that a nation of 300,000 have just qualified with 2/3 games to spare while we are languishing in 4th place in our group shows how far behind the rest of the world we are.

 

Wales have waited 58 years to get to a major finals. I wouldn't bet against us having to wait the same length of time, the way things are going.

 

That's not just a criticism of Scottish Football, but if you take in to consideration the seeding system and the world ranking system, it's only going to get more difficult for us the longer we go without qualifying for anything.

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I realise that comparisons may be futile, but I can't think of one of our Scottish team who would be picked for the English one.

 

Turned the other way round, but still in complete agreement. I can't think of any successful Scottish team that didn't have at least one player that would've been a first pick in the English team of the day. Maybe we've got potential game changers out there but I certainly haven't seen any lately. The best I could come up with would by Ryan Gauld but that's just a stab in the dark.

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I'm still a fan of Strachan, despite a few misgivings about his starting line up: reprieves for Fletcher and Broon, neither of whom showed Strachan any justification for his perseverance with them. Likewise, in my view, Mulgrew who seemed awol every time Germany threatened down the left flank, their most productive area all night long.

 

Like probably every one of us, I could go on and on, but everything's relative: I treasure our renewed attainment of glorious failure; under that super twat, Avril, we were simply insufferable. Tonight, at least, and like many other games in this campaign, we came out fighting, ready to get stuck into the opposition despite our patent inferiority to them. That's all I ask of Scotland (and Thistle for that matter) - show me passion and pride in the colours in abundance. Show me you have an almost surreal will to do well for the jersey. Fear no opponent, despite the difference in rankings. Show me that it matters how well you play and that you do care about the loyal fans who will risk their livelihoods to follow you to every corner of the group we're in.

 

I think we got that tonight, and for it I applaud wee Gordon. There's nobody within touching distance of him whom we could realistically expect to do a better job. The furnace in his gut truly infects the team on the field. I ask for no more, and can sleep well tonight knowing that my country is no longer a joke on the field. Bring on the Poles.

Edited by Blackpool Jags
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