Gordon Strachan

[lanky_ffc]

17 minutes ago, Gordopolis said:

Fear not, we'll turn it down

Surely. Nothing to be gained from (hopefully) beating a team ranked 130th.

[wastecoatwilly]

if Strachan wants to make Scotland into having a club mentality why did he not play a friendly this week?for me Strachan is treating the Scotland job as part-time going away to Portugal to play golf and leaving the SFA to make a decision on his future,the players we have available to play for Scotland should be doing better than the results we've had so the manager should be sacked,have the SFA got the balls or the money to do it?  

[forameus]

9 minutes ago, wastecoatwilly said:

if Strachan wants to make Scotland into having a club mentality why did he not play a friendly this week?for me Strachan is treating the Scotland job as part-time going away to Portugal to play golf and leaving the SFA to make a decision on his future,the players we have available to play for Scotland should be doing better than the results we've had so the manager should be sacked,have the SFA got the balls or the money to do it?  

Not playing friendlies is hardly a Strachan thing.  They've rarely played friendlies at any point.

[TheScarf]

Did Wales and Romania not pie friendlies as they worked out that not actually playing games was better for their ranking points as if they did play a friendly against a jobber or a top side and lose heavily, their points would be less the next month?

Sure I read that on there once.  Might be talking utter shite of course.

[wastecoatwilly]

5 minutes ago, forameus said:

Not playing friendlies is hardly a Strachan thing.  They've rarely played friendlies at any point.

this is partly down to the club-country argument,keeping the players and the clubs sweet,by not playing friendlies less call offs to the detriment of the Scotland team,don't tell the fans strachan has a club mentality at Scotland when he treats it as a part-time job?    

[Forfinn]

31 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Did Wales and Romania not pie friendlies as they worked out that not actually playing games was better for their ranking points as if they did play a friendly against a jobber or a top side and lose heavily, their points would be less the next month?

Sure I read that on there once.  Might be talking utter shite of course.

You'll be referencing this excellent article, I imagine.  It sets out why friendlies are generally a Bad Thing, and if you do play them you need to be aware of the possible consequences for your ranking.  Something Scotland have historically failed to do, but perhaps the recent dearth of friendlies signals that they've finally woken up.  Or that Strachan would rather play golf.  I rather suspect the latter.

[TheScarf]

5 minutes ago, Forfinn said:

You'll be referencing this excellent article, I imagine.  It sets out why friendlies are generally a Bad Thing, and if you do play them you need to be aware of the possible consequences for your ranking.  Something Scotland have historically failed to do, but perhaps the recent dearth of friendlies signals that they've finally woken up.  Or that Strachan would rather play golf.  I rather suspect the latter.

That's the very thing I read! I remember seeing the Wales team at the top.  Good find.

[Big Fifer]

£800k reported this morning to get rid of them. 

[wastecoatwilly]

1 minute ago, Big Fifer said:

£800k reported this morning to get rid of them. 

wow if that's the case strachan will be playing more golf while in charge of Scotland,more golf less friendlies less games for Scotland no results makes sense  

[mizfit]

9 minutes ago, Big Fifer said:

£800k reported this morning to get rid of them. 

 

Wheres they euromillion winners when we fucking need them.

[HibeeJibee]

There is being savvy about who you play in friendlies and when; and there is just not being ars*d. We clearly fall into the latter camp.

I posted these figures last October illustrating the total number of games played from 2005 to 2015 inclusive for countries for which figures were readily available.

Since then we've passed-up 4 more dates from a total of 12 available. Given our poor performances and unsettled team selection it's inexcusable.
 

Armenia - 74
Azerbaijan - 113
Belgium - 102
Bosnia-Herzegovina - 100
Croatia - 108
Czech Republic - 106
Denmark - 107
England - 109
Estonia - 134
Faroe Islands - 72
France - 119
Eire - 112
Macedonia - 101
Moldova - 100
Portugal - 110
Romania - 105
Scotland - 90
Serbia - 108
Slovakia - 108
Sweden - 130
Turkey - 120
Wales - 94

[RadgerTheBadger]

Christian Dailly was the last 'top' scoring defender, with four....Nigeria, Iceland, Moldova and Lithuania. McManus joint next with two (Lithuania and Liechtenstein). Caldwell, Berra, Hanley, Hendry, Elliott, Weir, Ritchie, Boyd and Webster the only others within the last twenty years......roughly one goal every 16 months from centre-backs. 

Caldwell has 2 he scored at Easter Road against Trinidad and Tobago

[HibeeJibee]

Since the Brown era ended I make the figures:

5 - Christian Dailly (v Nigeria, Hong Kong League XI, Iceland, Moldova, Lithuania)

3 - Christophe Berra (v Wales, Slovenia, Northern Ireland)

2 - Gary Caldwell (v Trinidad & Tobago, France)
2 - Stephen McManus (v Lithuania, Liechtenstein)
2 - Charlie Mulgrew (v Estonia, Nigeria)

1 - Kirk Broadfoot (v Iceland)
1 - Grant Hanley (v Wales)
1 - Andy Webster (v USA)
1 - Lee Wilkie (v Iceland)
1 - Danny Wilson (v Faroe Islands)

[capt_oats]

That'll be that then: http://stv.tv/sport/football/1373029-gordon-strachan-to-stay-as-scotland-boss-after-board-meeting/?utm_content=buffer41ed0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Scary Bear]

That'll be that then: http://stv.tv/sport/football/1373029-gordon-strachan-to-stay-as-scotland-boss-after-board-meeting/?utm_content=buffer41ed0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Breath new life into the campaign? Good luck with that.

[Forfinn]

2 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

That'll be that then: http://stv.tv/sport/football/1373029-gordon-strachan-to-stay-as-scotland-boss-after-board-meeting/?utm_content=buffer41ed0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Fucking hell.

[mizfit]

That's it, I don't think we'll ever be back at a major tournament, why didn't I appreciate France 98 more than I did?

I was 6. 6, 18years with no major tournaments. Any other country would've rewrote the game. Here, no chance.

[capt_oats]

In fairness given that the SFA's solution to Sbragia being pish as u21s manager was simply to get him to job swap with Scott Gemmill and give him the u19s job and install Gemmill as u21s manager rather than actually do anything about it I can't say I'm entirely surprised. 

It seems that they're simply following the path of least resistance, let Strachan continue, whatever happens happens and they don't actually have to do anything about it.

[1320Lichtie]

What's the point?

Have tickets all been sold for our upcoming games? If not then it'll be Wales'esque in the millennium for our remaining games.

f**k the SFA. c***s. More angry at the Blazers here than Strachan.

[AyrExile]

Short term vision here. The poor results today come back to haunt you further down the line with a poor seeding and tough group. Exactly what happened with Levein and the last euro campaign.