lady-isobel-barnett Posted June 21 Report Share Posted June 21 1 hour ago, MarciaBlaine said: Bit weird that while FIFA are seeking to outlaw keepers going down spuriously to prevent Scott Brown-style pitchside coaching sessions, the hydration break is just allowing them to happen anyway. It's obvious that the "hydration break" being mandatory regardless of necessity is to allow for pre sold advertising. A game of four quarters increases commercial revenue significantly. I'm only suggesting partly in jest we're not too far off the introduction of "time outs". One thing FIFA could do is to have the water breaks at the opposite side of the pitch. Be at least less "American" tho' no doubt we'd see head coaches, or more likely their underlings, dishing the bottles out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted June 21 Report Share Posted June 21 3 hours ago, lady-isobel-barnett said: It's obvious that the "hydration break" being mandatory regardless of necessity is to allow for pre sold advertising. A game of four quarters increases commercial revenue significantly. I'm only suggesting partly in jest we're not too far off the introduction of "time outs". One thing FIFA could do is to have the water breaks at the opposite side of the pitch. Be at least less "American" tho' no doubt we'd see head coaches, or more likely their underlings, dishing the bottles out. There have been games where during VAR breaks there has been adverts in the corner of the screen, so they don't even need the hydration break to sell advertising space but it can be scheduled that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted June 21 Report Share Posted June 21 3 hours ago, scotty said: There have been games where during VAR breaks there has been adverts in the corner of the screen, so they don't even need the hydration break to sell advertising space but it can be scheduled that way. But scheduled planned breaks make more money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted June 21 Author Report Share Posted June 21 On 6/21/2026 at 2:59 AM, thistle4celtic1 said: It's also a breath of fresh air to see the penalty box pushing and grabbing on corners and free kicks has virtually disappeared. Really?? Not in most of the games that I've seen. There are fouls and penalties going on all the time, totally ignored by the officials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted June 21 Author Report Share Posted June 21 13 hours ago, Ruchillnomore said: The way I see it with VAR at this World Cup is……..are the UK refs the only teams when officiating looking at incidents from 100 different angles and taking at least 5 minutes to make a decision. At this World Cup when a contentious decision has happened an answer usually comes after about 10-30 seconds 🤔 There is no long waiting about for minutes and there have been a few decisions that you can think of where in the UK it would have took ages. This all begs the question are we ie the referee’s in the uk interpreting the use of VAR differently to the rest of the world 🤔🤔 They have to be absolutely sure that their preferred team will not be disadvantaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld Jag Posted June 24 Report Share Posted June 24 When are players going to clear the ball when they are in their own area, instead of mucking about and giving goals away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partickthedog Posted June 24 Report Share Posted June 24 26 minutes ago, Auld Jag said: When are players going to clear the ball when they are in their own area, instead of mucking about and giving goals away. I knew that you were going to say that! You are of course quite right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle4celtic1 Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 If Scotland do overcome their slim to none chance of moving on, their lineup for next game should be…… Gunn Tierney-Tierney-Tierney-Tierney Ferguson-Ferguson-Ferguson-Ferguson Any two forwards 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1876 Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 To old To slow Need a decent goalkeeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 6 hours ago, thistle4celtic1 said: If Scotland do overcome their slim to none chance of moving on, their lineup for next game should be…… Gunn Tierney-Tierney-Tierney-Tierney Ferguson-Ferguson-Ferguson-Ferguson Any two forwards I'd be tempted to play Tierney & Ferguson upfront. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanieD Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 The “happy just to be there” attitude has perhaps permeated the campaign more than at first feared - even subconsciously - but being Thistle supporters we perhaps are well aware of how hope sometimes outweighs realistic expectation in such circumstances. The frustration is perhaps that Scotland were frankly poor in the win against Haiti whilst Morocco and Brazil didn’t have to be particularly good in order to (relatively) comfortably beat them. We all know we are never going to win the World Cup but I suppose the bloated 48 team version currently being contested did give us some hope that we might get through the group stage (we still might of course!). Newlandsfield on Saturday might bring some light relief from such weighty matters!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert's Ghost Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 25 minutes ago, JeanieD said: Newlandsfield on Saturday might bring some light relief from such weighty matters!!! Enough of these petty distractions from afar. Bring on the real stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laukat Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 The quality of football at the world cup has in general been poor. Think maybe France and Argentina are the only teams that have looked decent but then again their opponents have been poor. International football used to be the pinnacle of football with teams aspiring to match the standard of Brazil in 1970. When you look at Scotland and see starting 11 that include a goalkeeper, right-back and right-winger that don't play regularly it emphasises that clubs now have so much more power than International teams. Clarke's football can be negative and I have no idea why he only made 1 sub until 10 minutes to go last night but what does he or any manager have to work with? For us to improve means finding better players that play regularly. Its been many years since Ernie Walker and then Henry McLeish's think tanks came forward with their reports and we are going backward. I don't remember either report putting forward any significant change. When you add that we now have a decent array of astroturf pitches and whilst rental costs are huge the lack of facilities is not really the problem any more. We still have a fundamentally poor youth development and professional league structure designed to feed the 2 arse cheeks and nothing else. If we really want to change (spoiler - we don't) we would bring in a new national coach, SFA chief Exec, Youth development lead from outside the UK with the express remit of wiping out what currently exists and to implement a whole new structure. We should be looking at what Scottish Rugby have done and how they approach player development. Under 18 players should be contracted with the SFA not with clubs. The SFA should ensure that those players are loaned to teams that best support their development. We have far too many youngsters sitting on the books of clubs that will never play them. Once they reach 18 clubs can buy players from the SFA which then funds the next round of youth development or we implement the American draft system whereby the teams that finish lower get first pick. With this approach it means we reduce the win at all costs mentality that stilts player development or players sabotaging their own career for a sniff of the subs bench at Ibrox or Parkhead because they were a fan of one or other. Coaches should also be contracted with SFA for the first years of their career to make it more like getting a degree in coaching rather than just coaching badges to tick a box. During that time the SFA allocate them to youth coaching and to teams where they gain the experience needed to develop them. The SFA if they were forward thinking enough should work with other countries to create placement opportunities so that the coach is not just trained by the SFA. At present most ex-players get a first job with little safety net at a club that can't afford anything other than instant success which massively stifles any creative thinking. However we will instead just keep going as we are and continuing to find new ways of getting eliminated at World Cup Finals whilst any Scottish kid with a minor bit of talent gets hoovered up to play in the B teams or the reserves of English 2nd division teams. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 What I don't get is if we were to get thru to the knock out stage it would be (would've been) such a big deal as the media (and many fans) are making out. Historically, I get it but a) it's only into the last 32, and b) it's even possible in the first place to progress on a one win, two defeats and a minus 3 goal diff. Compare that to to not progressing in '74 unbeaten with a positive goal difference. So perhaps no big deal to progress, but I'd suggest even in a relatively tough group a somewhat large let down to be going home. Of course just one fluky or unjustified goal against Morocco and we'd all be in a completely different mood today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenziejag Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 1 hour ago, laukat said: The quality of football at the world cup has in general been poor. Think maybe France and Argentina are the only teams that have looked decent but then again their opponents have been poor. International football used to be the pinnacle of football with teams aspiring to match the standard of Brazil in 1970. When you look at Scotland and see starting 11 that include a goalkeeper, right-back and right-winger that don't play regularly it emphasises that clubs now have so much more power than International teams. Clarke's football can be negative and I have no idea why he only made 1 sub until 10 minutes to go last night but what does he or any manager have to work with? For us to improve means finding better players that play regularly. Its been many years since Ernie Walker and then Henry McLeish's think tanks came forward with their reports and we are going backward. I don't remember either report putting forward any significant change. When you add that we now have a decent array of astroturf pitches and whilst rental costs are huge the lack of facilities is not really the problem any more. We still have a fundamentally poor youth development and professional league structure designed to feed the 2 arse cheeks and nothing else. If we really want to change (spoiler - we don't) we would bring in a new national coach, SFA chief Exec, Youth development lead from outside the UK with the express remit of wiping out what currently exists and to implement a whole new structure. We should be looking at what Scottish Rugby have done and how they approach player development. Under 18 players should be contracted with the SFA not with clubs. The SFA should ensure that those players are loaned to teams that best support their development. We have far too many youngsters sitting on the books of clubs that will never play them. Once they reach 18 clubs can buy players from the SFA which then funds the next round of youth development or we implement the American draft system whereby the teams that finish lower get first pick. With this approach it means we reduce the win at all costs mentality that stilts player development or players sabotaging their own career for a sniff of the subs bench at Ibrox or Parkhead because they were a fan of one or other. Coaches should also be contracted with SFA for the first years of their career to make it more like getting a degree in coaching rather than just coaching badges to tick a box. During that time the SFA allocate them to youth coaching and to teams where they gain the experience needed to develop them. The SFA if they were forward thinking enough should work with other countries to create placement opportunities so that the coach is not just trained by the SFA. At present most ex-players get a first job with little safety net at a club that can't afford anything other than instant success which massively stifles any creative thinking. However we will instead just keep going as we are and continuing to find new ways of getting eliminated at World Cup Finals whilst any Scottish kid with a minor bit of talent gets hoovered up to play in the B teams or the reserves of English 2nd division teams. The problem with this is the premis that the SFA is a competent organisation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenziejag Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 41 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said: What I don't get is if we were to get thru to the knock out stage it would be (would've been) such a big deal as the media (and many fans) are making out. Historically, I get it but a) it's only into the last 32, and b) it's even possible in the first place to progress on a one win, two defeats and a minus 3 goal diff. Compare that to to not progressing in '74 unbeaten with a positive goal difference. So perhaps no big deal to progress, but I'd suggest even in a relatively tough group a somewhat large let down to be going home. Of course just one fluky or unjustified goal against Morocco and we'd all be in a completely different mood today. I think it is just to get the monkey off the back. Every tournament now, it is at the forefront of every conversation. It was always going to be a big ask getting through this group with 6th and 7th ranked teams in the group. Had any other group got 2 top 10 teams ? What is the closest to it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted June 25 Author Report Share Posted June 25 (edited) Two things stand out for me: the absolutely shocking defensive errors, and the almost non-existence of shots on target. The latter raises the question: what the hell are we doing when we do manage to get possession of the ball? The answer of course is tippy tappy nothing whatsoever, until the final 10 minutes or so, although we've been losing since the first 10 minutes! Baffling. Or more accurately, bowfin'. Edited June 25 by Jaggernaut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Our ba’ is well and truly burst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a f kincaid Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Not just our ball. I haven't seen all of the games but I'm surprised the number of times a ball has burst during those that I have watched. Not much of an advert for whoever makes them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert's Ghost Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Thanks Germany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partickthedog Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Wearing my underdog hat, I have to salute Ecuador. Painful for Scotland, but Ecuador did show what happens when you have a go. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-R Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Now a 7% chance of Scotland qualification according to BBC there - never say never.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 2 hours ago, a f kincaid said: Not just our ball. I haven't seen all of the games but I'm surprised the number of times a ball has burst during those that I have watched. 7 minutes ago, P-R said: Now a 7% chance of Scotland qualification Fair to say our ba's bust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted June 26 Report Share Posted June 26 I propose that for the next world cup we don't bother sending a team. The Tartan Army can ballot to see who they will support and then head off to be ambassadors. They're better at that than the team are at football! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted June 26 Author Report Share Posted June 26 (edited) I can remember each of the World Cups in which Scotland (briefly) participated going back to 1974. This one is easily our worst tournament performance, with a team that looked frankly second rate, needed a wicked, lucky deflection to score our only goal, and with a defence that appeared to let the occasion get to them -- or else they totally forgot the occasion -- and cost us dearly. No originality, precious little creativity, and just no answers to better trained, more talented footballers. I mentioned to my brother: our level in world football is now probably perceived as similar to that of most African nations decades ago. In this case, level = "rank," But those countries have progressed by leaps and bounds, whereas we have regressed. I just noticed this, but haven't confirmed it: in every European team that I've seen -- and they're all outperforming us with ease -- there are at least a couple of players who are black. In some cases, black players make up most of the team. The exception: Scotland, not a single player of African origin, not to mention Asian or American. Diversity seems to work in those teams' favour. Any comments? ETA: If we need a new goalie, then Suzuki, the Japan keeper would be great. Maybe we could do a deal with his current club, Parma.... Edited June 26 by Jaggernaut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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