Gordon Strachan

[RandomGuy.]

I'm not convinced TW would take it. Hes been pretty clear in the past about wanting a chance in English football, and acknowledged his age means he might be running out of time. He'd likely see the Scotland job as a waste of time considering hes getting linked with English jobs already.

He'd leave us in a heartbeat for NI though.

[Officer Barbrady]

According to 1916Lhichtie, the manager's impact is minimal. Ask Gareth McAuley or James Chester. 

 

Wright has enough basic credentials.....taking St.J into Europe in four of the last five years, getting often the best years out of players who wouldn't get a second glance from supposedly bigger, better clubs. He also has enough humility and realism to fully excavate the abilities of his players, over a consistent timeframe. Money ought not to be an issue, but plenty of that has been spunked on far too many egos as it is. Norn Iron has, latterly, had a larger per cent of SPFL Prem managers, than we had EPL in our heyday. It would be foolish to ignore this, especially given that they are currently a better side than Scotland. 

[mizfit]

[Dons_1988]

as a dons fan , I really cant think why anyone would want McInnes as the manager.

He is continually out thought by other managers. His substitutions are too late for any purpose.

Players are constantly played out of position.

maye he would do better with better players   big ?

All IMO off course.

On the other hand, I do hope the new Rangers will take him as their manager .[emoji4]

 

Bore off you moany faced f**k.

In the nicest way possible.

[Diamonds are Forever]

54 minutes ago, eez-eh said:

The SFA could have done more to not hinder the team by pricing the game better and getting close to a sell out. Instead they overcharged, saw a shite crowd as a result, the atmosphere was flat and the ones that did turn up got frustrated at the pish that was served up before them even more easily than normal.

 

This is a good point and has been overlooked slightly. A home qualifier on a Saturday, especially at the start of a campaign when we can qualify, should be near enough a sell-out. Hampden's atmosphere is terrible at the best of times, but when it's only two thirds full it makes it a really flat atmosphere and that translates onto the park. It shouldn't make a difference to the players and we should be able to beat them anyway, but the reality is it does make a difference and not pricing tickets in a way that gets a sell-out is hindering our chances. There were tickets on sale last night that were just shy of £40, so for it to be sell-out you are requiring thousands of people to pay those prices, it's ridiculous pricing.

As a comparison, England had family tickets on sale last night for £30 which got in 2 adults and 2 children.

[Officer Barbrady]

4 minutes ago, mizfit said:

A win on Tuesday, based on what's occurred so far, can't be discounted. They lost to Slovenia, who couldn't beat Lithuania either, and must be seriously considered to be beatable. A third defeat, including two at home, would kill the Slovaks off, and in any sensible administration, would now be seen as more important arguably than a win to boost our own prospects. This, however, isn't a sensible administration. Four points is still attainable, but given the panning out of the group, its failure to materialise, however its come about, should see a new manager lead out the team at Wembley. One or two points, is failure. 

[Blootoon87]

Chris Martin is the worst player in the squad, yet has started both games so far, and I suspect will start on Tuesday. Strachan is just being a petty wee f**k by playing him and I hate him for it.

[Diamonds are Forever]

9 minutes ago, Blootoon87 said:

Chris Martin is the worst player in the squad, yet has started both games so far, and I suspect will start on Tuesday. Strachan is just being a petty wee f**k by playing him and I hate him for it.

 

It will interesting to see whether, despite all Strachan's bluster about how great he was, whether he starts him on Tuesday when his job is really on the line. That will be the true judge of whether he thinks he was good yesterday.

Depending on fitness I'd assume Fletcher will drop out along with Burke or Ritchie. With McArthur and Forrest coming in. If Fletcher is fit I wouldn't be surprised if McArthur was played a bit further forward in front of Fletcher and Bannan and then just goes with Snodgrass and another winger out wide playing off the striker. If I had to bet I'd say Martin will keep his place. If he doesn't start Griffiths at home to an inferior side it would make no sense to play him away to a side where we wont have as much of the ball. Although maybe I'm making the mistake of thinking Strachan will apply logical thinking..

[Mr Heliums]

14 minutes ago, Diamonds are Forever said:

 

It will interesting to see whether, despite all Strachan's bluster about how great he was, whether he starts him on Tuesday when his job is really on the line. That will be the true judge of whether he thinks he was good yesterday.

It's an interesting dilemma. While you'd think he'd see sense, there is a part of me worries that there's that bloody-mindedness about him that will still pick Martin, because if he plays and we win, Strachan will be able to stick the Vs up at everyone. I think that's quite a motivation to someone of Strachan's character. If we lose, Strachan will be gone anyway.

 

[Mr Heliums]

58 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

I'm not convinced TW would take it. Hes been pretty clear in the past about wanting a chance in English football, and acknowledged his age means he might be running out of time. He'd likely see the Scotland job as a waste of time considering hes getting linked with English jobs already.

He'd leave us in a heartbeat for NI though.

He'd deffo take it. Even if he was to view it as purely an emotional decision, he's described himself as an Ulster Scot in the past.

Viewed practically, it's a much bigger – and more lucrative – job than Northern Ireland, with greater potential.

I know he's said he'd like to manage in England, but I saw that just as much as a statement that he'd like to be recognised as a good manager. England is a great stage to prove yourself. But so is international football.

As I've said before I think he's got the qualities. His only arguably weak area - signings - isn't something a national manager has to worry too much about.

[Mr Heliums]

2 hours ago, mishtergrolsch said:

Why Griffiths wasn't on from the start baffles me. He's playing in the Champions League against some huge teams. He scores goals for fun in the domestic league.

Not long ago Strachan was bemoaning the lack of experience of big European games in our squad. Would love to hear how he squares that with picking Martin over Griffiths.

[1320Lichtie]

You also said he isn't the problem and we just have shite players tbf. Last night was completely his fault.

Getting called a Strachan fanboy though, I'm nothing of the sort, it wouldn't matter who it was I just feel we keep blaming managers for not doing certain things or playing X and Y etc. Been happening for as long as I can remember.

I want him to go and I want Michael O Neill simply because he seems to be able to make utter shite play reasonably well. (Even though I think NI have much better defensive options than us) Don't think he would come though.

Next manager will come in when we've nothing to play for in this group, start Griffiths, have Rhodes and McCormack in the squad punt Forrest etc, basically do all the things everybody seems to want.

We will play well, get a few results, there'll be a new wave of optimism going into the Euros and we will once again manage to f**k it up somehow, probably in the play offs next campaign, seen it all before.

Then there'll be the outrage/he's a failure etc and rinse and repeat the situation we've seen the last couple of month.

I think I've spent that much money on it all that I've just lost patience with it, it's really quite depressing, extremely envious of the other football mad nations that get to watch their country take part in tournament after tournament.

The SFA need to come up with some sort of idea that will work and help us produce better footballers, and in the meantime actually go out and pay good money for a good manager if we want to do anything.

What are the odds of us qualifying from this group now by the way?

Eta: it's an extreme example I know but look at the change in the players Belgium are producing, it's incredible.

[Officer Barbrady]

11 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Getting called a Strachan fanboy though, I'm nothing of the sort, it wouldn't matter who it was I just feel we keep blaming managers for not doing certain things or playing X and Y etc. Been happening for as long as I can remember.

I want him to go and I want Michael O Neill simply because he seems to be able to make utter shite play reasonably well. (Even though I think NI have much better defensive options than us) Don't think he would come though.

Next manager will come in when we've nothing to play for in this group, start Griffiths, have Rhodes and McCormack in the squad punt Forrest etc, basically do all the things everybody seems to want.

We will play well, get a few results, there'll be a new wave of optimism going into the Euros and we will once again manage to f**k it up somehow, probably in the play offs next campaign, seen it all before.

Then there'll be the outrage/he's a failure etc and rinse and repeat the situation we've seen the last couple of month.

I think I've spent that much money on it all that I've just lost patience with it, it's really quite depressing, extremely envious of the other football mad nations that get to watch their country take part in tournament after tournament.

The SFA need to come up with some sort of idea that will work and help us produce better footballers, and in the meantime actually go out and pay good money for a good manager if we want to do anything.

What are the odds of us qualifying from this group now by the way?

Eta: it's an extreme example I know but look at the change in the players Belgium are producing, it's incredible.

No it isn't. Belgium have always produced internationalist, adaptable footballers. The likes of England and Italy gave stopped, thus the likes of Hazard, Mertens, Naingollan and Verthongen are lauded as geniuses.....

 

You say you've spent this or that, for the return of f**k all in terms of watching a good team. Im glad you're voicing your opinion, but i fail to see why your first point of reference is that it must be the players who are shite. You watch enough football to know the clubs and leagues those players are playing, and that lesser, diddier nations enjoy a lot more success for *some obscure reason*. If it were indeed the players, then you're being grossly unfair expecting miracles under the tutelage of a fuckwit. Ultimately, if they were organised into an effective, durable unit, and capable of giving 100% of their natural games, i doubt you'd have a gripe. Neither would i. But our manager, held up against the rest, is a clueless, charmless, gormless hard-on of a man. Do yourself a favour and stop giving him and his ilk the room for excuses, the time and money spent by thousands of people is nothing short of a national scandal for what they get back. Believing those offering the excuses, negates any criticism you might have just because they didny fuckin' win. 

[1320Lichtie]

It's not my 1st point of reference, it's the opinion I now hold after watching the same thing happen time and time again. Without labouring on it it's always the manager should have done this or that and played him or him. There's always players that should be playing, the saviours, your Boyd's/Fletchers/Rhodes etc, you always hear the 2 uptop stuff, we need a young manager/old manager/foreign manager etc. Think we've had all that in the last 18 year and f**k all has changed.

[Officer Barbrady]

Well, in that instance, the least you should expect is 100% from the players. Do you believe you are getting that? If so, i find it hard to think it could be THAT depressing, given that you know (or ought to know) their limitations. If not, however, then things can really only improve. 

[HeartsOfficialMoaner]

7 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

It's not my 1st point of reference, it's the opinion I now hold after watching the same thing happen time and time again. Without labouring on it it's always the manager should have done this or that and played him or him. There's always players that should be playing, the saviours, your Boyd's/Fletchers/Rhodes etc, you always hear the 2 uptop stuff, we need a young manager/old manager/foreign manager etc. Think we've had all that in the last 18 year and f**k all has changed.
 

It's the managers fault, every time every manager or the players are not as good as we think they are.

[kenny131]

The way I see it we have the players to get 2nd in this group no doubt, but the manager is the man who sets the team up to play a certain way and tactically. Last night our game plan was hump long balls to a bag of cement this style of footy belongs in the 80s and will get us nowhere  the wee nyaff has no idea how to play in the modern era,  the so called minnows are learning the new way to play far quicker than we are and this will continue to hammer us.

[1320Lichtie]

Well, in that instance, the least you should expect is 100% from the players. Do you believe you are getting that? If so, i find it hard to think it could be THAT depressing, given that you know (or ought to know) their limitations. If not, however, then things can really only improve. 

I think we are getting 100 percent from the players playing, don't believe any of them playing for their country would do otherwise, and that is what is depressing.

Yes Strachan isn't helping things, IMO Griffiths should have been playing last night for example, and his behaviour and attitude seems to have gotten pretty shocking recently which has completely ruined his relationship with the fans which in turn isn't helping the players (booing last night for example), and that's why he think he should go.

But when you watch the under 21s and look at other options available to whoever comes in next it still looks pretty bleak.

Burke/Tierney/Robertson and Griffiths coming into the team the next few years is a reason to be positive, also the next manager we do get in must be positive, they can't be as negative as Strachan is about the players we have or our game in general. Two very important things for me.

[HibeeJibee]

30 minutes ago, HeartsOfficialMoaner said:

It's the managers fault, every time every manager or the players are not as good as we think they are.

It depends on what campaign you're talking about.

Some campaigns we've been abject and finished lower than we should.

Sometimes we've punched above our weight (but generally screwed-up against a small team e.g. Belarus, Georgia, Macedonia, Wales, Lithuania).

Where we have under-performed, sometimes that's been down to the management and sometimes the players.


I'd classify it as follows:



2004 - finished 2nd, lost to Netherlands in playoff
Performed as expected.

2006 - finished 3rd, behind Norway by 5pts
Gained 1pt v Italy. W-L v Norway. Dropped 5pts v Belarus, dropped 2pts v Moldova, dropped 2pts v Slovenia. Under-performed, should have finished 2nd.

2008 - finished 3rd, behind France by 2pts
W-W v France. Dropped 3pts v Ukraine, dropped 3pts v Georgia. Performed as expected, perhaps better, but in circumstance should have finished 2nd.

2010 - finished 3rd, behind Norway on GD
D-L v Norway. Dropped 3pts v Macedonia. Under-performed, should have finished 2nd.

2012 - finished 3rd, behind Czech Rep by 2pts
D-L v Czech Rep. Dropped 2pts v Lithuania. Performed as expected.

2014 - finished 4th, behind Croatia by 6pts and Serbia by 3pts
W-W v Croatia, D-L v Serbia. Dropped 2pts v Macedonia, dropped 6pts v Wales. Under-performed, should at least have finished 3rd.

2016 - finished 4th, behind Poland by 6pts and Eire by 3pts
D-D v Poland, W-D v Eire. Dropped 3pts v Georgia. Performed as expected, but in circumstance could have finished 3rd.

[wastecoatwilly]

strachan's management style is making Scotland drop points,when we finish the game the way we should have started the game means we have the players to qualify,this pragmatic and pessimistic getting a foot hold in the game approach is making teams like Lithuania look good,strachan is not learning from his mistakes from the last campaign,if Brendan Rodgers or martin O'Neil was in charge of Scotland we would be sitting with 6 points,strachan's approach to every game is the same no matter if we are playing Malta or England.