Pointless Speculation: How Would Scotland Do?

[Aidan]

The fact that Scotland at major tournaments have never had more than 5 points from the 3 group games says we would struggle in most of the groups at the euros. ( in fact no more than 4 points coz in 74 it was 2 points for a win)

If we were to take 4 points in any of the groups in Euro 2016, we would be through.

[dogmc]

If we were to take 4 points in any of the groups in Euro 2016, we would be through.

Quite a big if when we couldnt get 4 off of georgia and needed a deflection to get more than one.

[forameus]

Doesn't really matter to me. Their success shouldn't be discussed unless they played an actual part in our place.

 

This.  The absolute breakdown some people had because other nations who had no direct competition with us qualified was ridiculous.  Surely if it reflects worse on Strachan because he failed to get out of a different group than Wales and Northern Ireland did get out of, then it also follows that had they not qualified, Strachan now did a better job?  Doesn't really make sense does it.

 

The only one we can directly compare to is obviously the Republic.  We did enough in direct competition against them (remember, head to head was the first tie-breaker), and then shot ourselves in the foot in other games.  That's our f**k up, not whatever anyone else did.

 

If we're playing this game, then let's make it a bit more believable.  We beat Georgia, so finished where Ireland ended up finishing.  Got the same playoff draw, same result as Ireland, then the Euros draw carried on as it did before with us replacing Ireland against Italy, Belgium and Sweden.  We wouldn't have qualified from that group, as it's pretty tough.  Couldn't see us beating any of them, finishing on 2 points after a draw against Sweden, and then a battling point against Italy after they rest 10 players and put Buffon up front.  Or scratch the last result and we finish on 1.

[Aidan]

Quite a big if when we couldnt get 4 off of georgia and needed a deflection to get more than one.

The post I was replying to said that Scotland would struggle, purely on the basis that we have never had more than 4 points over 3 group stage games. The point I was making, is that 4 points would see us through in this competition. Whether or not we would or could actually get 4 points in any of these groups is something we won't ever know.

[forameus]

Quite a big if when we couldnt get 4 off of georgia and needed a deflection to get more than one.

 

Do deflections not count the same as normal goals?  If you really want to play that game, then we were unbeaten against Poland in our group, and they've ended up getting 7 points in their Euros group. 

 

It's almost like you can take results in isolation and get them to fit any point.

[Frankie S]

Well, we're still the only unbeaten team at the Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 1974.

Slim consolation, New Zealand were unbeaten at the 2010 World Cup. We have consistently failed to perform in the final stages of major championships.

[Iain]

Slim consolation, New Zealand were unbeaten at the 2010 World Cup. We have consistently failed to perform in the final stages of major championships.

 

It's a pretty arbitrary measure though, isn't it? In what way is Northern Ireland winning one game and losing two to reach the last 16 a better performance than Scotland getting the same results in the 1992 tournament when we were one of only eight teams to qualify?

[Erskjne Bridge]

It's a pretty arbitrary measure though, isn't it? In what way is Northern Ireland winning one game and losing two to reach the last 16 a better performance than Scotland getting the same results in the 1992 tournament when we were one of only eight teams to qualify?

Maybe the measure is the progress in the finals? On that we are an abject failure. England have progressed numerous times. Wales 2 out of 2 . N.Ireland at least three. Scotland A big fat fucking zero!

[Guest DAVIDB69]

Strachan saying on the news we are better that some teams in the euros , well we are ranked behind everyone in the tournament so i am intrigued as to who he thinks we are better than

[Ira Gaines]

Strachan saying on the news we are better that some teams in the euros , well we are ranked behind everyone in the tournament so i am intrigued as to who he thinks we are better than

Also, if he believes that, he also gets that he failed miserably. So you'd hope we'd see changes.

[Dirty Debbie Harry]

Strachan saying on the news we are better that some teams in the euros , well we are ranked behind everyone in the tournament so i am intrigued as to who he thinks we are better than

Strachan also said we were unlucky losing against Georgia when we couldn't even muster a shot on target and were utterly abject. He clearly has a habit of talking utter guff.

[NewHope]

Well, we're still the only unbeaten team at the Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 1974.

 

Meagre food for souls forgot.

 

 

Slim consolation, New Zealand were unbeaten at the 2010 World Cup. We have consistently failed to perform in the final stages of major championships.

 

[Gnash]

Scotland's record in our qualifying group against the teams that qualified from that group was: W1 D3 L2.

 

The record of opponents of those teams in the group phase has been (excluding the one match they played against each other): W1 D1 L5.

 

So we had a better record than the combined results of Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Ukraine and NI.  It's not unreasonable to think we would have done ok and may have qualified for the knockout phase.  You can easily pick a few teams from the tournament that we look better than, with Ukraine and Austria at the top of that list.

[NewHope]

Scotland last won a game at a major tournament 20 years ago (1-0 vs Switzerland). Scotland last won a game at the World Cup 26 years ago yesterday (2-1 vs Sweden).

 

Yes, but you forgot to mention that we were unbeaten in all the major tournaments of 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, you naughty boy.