Guest Ruggy Bairn Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I've now had around 7 hours (excluding sleep time ) to reflect on Scotland's result and performance last night in Amsterdam. Yes, the result was a drubbing, yes we're out, and yes we could and maybe should have done better. However, I am not embarrassed. Think back to that draw a couple of years ago against the Faroes. Then I was embarrassed. We were losing 2-0 at half time to a team made up of joiners, plumbers, and teachers. People called for Vogts' head, and I admit, I thought at the time that he should go. Since then, we've done magnificently well to finish second in our group. When the draw for the qualifying group was made, even the most eternal of optimists could only have hoped to finish second behind Germany. We did that. When the draw for the play-off was made, we wanted to avoid two teams; Spain and the Netherlands. If we drew any team other than these two, we would have probably expected to go through. We drew the Netherlands, typical Scottish luck. The majority of fans were now of the opinion that the passports could be tucked away, or at least, we wouldn't be needing them for Portugal next summer. Then everything was turned upside down. I witnessed the best Scottish performance I've ever seen with my own eyes at Hampden on Saturday, and we beat them, without conceding. We now had a chance, a good chance. Having said that, the Dutch were embarrassed by that defeat, badly. They shuffled their pack, and brought in younger, hungrier players. They wanted revenge - how dare we beat them? Our chances were out the window within 35 minutes, and understandably, the heads went down. They could have scored 10. We were lucky it was six. They are ranked 5th in the world. Before the double header, we were 58th. Of course we had no chance. When the draw was made, 6-1 on aggregate would not have been unexpected. In fact, the thing which would have been most surprising about that scoreline, would be the fact we had scored. 1-0 on Saturday was incredible, unexpected, and a result and a half. 6-0 last night was unexpected, but not incredible. Holland were world class last night, they'd had have given any team in the world a good game on that form. Look on it this way, would you have been surprised if we'd lost last Saturday 3-1, and last night 3-0? That would have been 6-1 and it was an aggregate scoreline which would have been pretty much expected against a team such as Holland. Pardon the pun, but the future is bright. Our U21's lost on Tuesday night, mainly because three of their star players were drafted into the full squad. Of those left behind, Kennedy, Lynch, Hammel, Maloney and Canero all look like they have big futures. Add to that Fletcher, McFadden, Pearson, Miller, and you have an excellent nucleus. If we could find a good goalkeeper, we'd be laughing. I firmly believe that we will qualify for Germany '06. That's what Vogts always said his goal was - he said from the start we shouldn't expect to qualify for Portugal, that he had a long-term plan with Bonhof. He's been proved right, and I think things are looking good. I think we are in the best position we have been for years, if you're looking medium to long term. The only reason everyone feels so downhearted, is that we were close to getting there after that first game. We could touch it, but again, that was unexpected. If we'd been humped 3-1 on Saturday, we'd have just had a laugh last night, a few bevvies, and said, "Oh well, here's to the World Cup". I'm proud to be Scottish, I always am. But the events of the last week have added to my pride. We beat Holland. Then they gubbed us, but hey: WE BEAT THEM FIRST! Let's get behind Scotland and Vogts. PROUD TO BE SCOTTISH! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJ Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Well said Ruggy. At least we have a future now. When Vogts took over from that FUD Brown, we had an ageing squad with little or no realistic hope of challenging for anything. Now with Vogts, we have a young squad that will (hopefully) have learned from the experience and go on to get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeMan Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 The young players learned on Saturday that if they concentrate and work hard they can beat anybody. Last night they learned that if you take your eye off the ball, international football can turn around and kick you in the teeth. Hopefully two leasons that will stand them in good stead in the future. At least Berti looks like he is building a squad and the country can't wait for the World Cup qualifiers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scot_17s Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Well Said Ruggy Ok so we got absolutly malled, but when you look back to the Faroes game i for one didnt expect to be sitting in behind the wall last night watching my country line up against the dutch. We can focus on Saturdays performace and take the positives out of that, take the experiance that we have gained out of the dutch game and try and build for the future. As said above when Craig Brown left there wasn't much of a future, at least now with a young first team, and the under 21's doin well, we can look with a little bit of optomism to the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevemac Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Well said Ruggy. At least we have a future now. When Vogts took over from that FUD Brown, we had an ageing squad with little or no realistic hope of challenging for anything. Now with Vogts, we have a young squad that will (hopefully) have learned from the experience and go on to get better. If Craig Brown was in charge we would not have turned in such a dismal performance. I fail to see in what way we have moved forward under Vogts. If anything, we are a worse side now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bairns-r-us Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I only hope that last nights smacking doesn't put the players, particularly the young players back. Some, like Rae and Wlkie looked very poor last night and you could almost watch the confidence draining away. Fletcher and McFadden look as though they are so sure of themselves that I dont fear for them, what they were demonstrating was anger and that is a good thing. I agree though that the international future looks brighter than we could have anticipated and god knows how many gems like Fletcher there are hidden away ready to burst onto the scene. As for the game, I have to say that I hear what Ruggy is saying but I do feel embarrassed by a 6 - 0 scoreline although there are no recriminations. Scotland made some basic errors and were punished by a quality side. I can handle that and I suppose that just like four years ago we do have the memory of a quality 1 - 0 win in one leg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eugene ionesco Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 We have a couple of promising players in Fletcher and McFadden but that was without doubt the most inept display from a Scottish international side that I've seen in over 30 years. Criticise Craig Brown all you like but there is no way that one of his teams would have been so defensively shambolic and utterly clueless as that bunch of incompetents masquerading as an international side last night. Players as utterly bereft of quality as Lee Wilkie shouldn't even get a sniff of an international cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eenimac Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 The biggest problem with the Scotland team last night was adaptability. How often did you see the Dutch players turn up in positions which were alien to them and still look remarkably comfortable and composed. McFadden and Fletcher were the only two who really showed that they could live at that level. But it is a starting point and the Scotland team does seem to have at least a nucleus of a settled side to build on. I am surprised about some of the comments about Saturday though. It was a good victory but to say that it was the best performance for years when in reality Scotland had two or three clear cut chances against numerous for the Dutch (including the one that almost broke the bar) is maybe a tad rose tinted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon EF Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Well said Ruggy! Everything you said is spot on. Your view is a wee bit more rational and measured than my first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caltonfan Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I would rather have Lee Wilkie in the squad than Maurice Ross he is utter p!$h, Rab Douglas time up as well, i am sorry to say as i have always like him as a player but he was at fault for at least two of the goals and if you are going to try and take out van nistelrooy even if he scores then you have to succeed, Neil Alexander deserves his chance. But other than that the future is bright Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raving On Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Totally agree Ruggy Hope those misrable b*****ds posting in this topic never go to watch a Scotland game on our way to World Cup Glory in Germany Well, maybe the 2nd round Well done Berti and the lads, you gave it your all but just weren't good enough at the end of the day. However, our day is just around the corner. CUMMON SCOTLAND!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrison Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 That's cheered me up a bit, Ruggy! Very logical thinking there too - which was slightly unexpected coming from yourself . But I couldn't have put a more positive spin on what must be our worst result since Portugal in '93. I'm not saying we were expecting to win or anything, but a bit of respectablilty would've been nice! Anyway, just got to look forward to the draw for the World Cup Qualifiers in a couple of weeks time now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevemac Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Totally agree Ruggy Hope those misrable b*****ds posting in this topic never go to watch a Scotland game on our way to World Cup Glory in Germany Well, maybe the 2nd round Well done Berti and the lads, you gave it your all but just weren't good enough at the end of the day. However, our day is just around the corner. CUMMON SCOTLAND!!! How can you say well done after a 6-0 defeat. The performance was a sham and no team should be getting hammered to such an extent at international level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_mcshug Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Totally agree Ruggy Hope those misrable b*****ds posting in this topic never go to watch a Scotland game on our way to World Cup Glory in Germany Well, maybe the 2nd round Well done Berti and the lads, you gave it your all but just weren't good enough at the end of the day. However, our day is just around the corner. CUMMON SCOTLAND!!! How can you say well done after a 6-0 defeat. The performance was a sham and no team should be getting hammered to such an extent at international level. i here what you're saying stevemac but to try and help put things into perspective, it wasnt that long ago when a far better Yugoslavia team littered with stars lost 6 to holland in amsterdam !! IMO we are improving under Vogts. He is willing to take a risk with either young players or unfashionable players who are hitting good club form. Brown just stuck with the same 14-16 players to give himself a good record. Playing it safe aint always gonna get you progress ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_mcshug Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 ....oh aye, and well said ruggy !!! "Are you 'Skline Drifter in disguise !?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ruggy Bairn Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 ....oh aye, and well said ruggy !!! "Are you 'Skline Drifter in disguise !?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Totally agree Ruggy Hope those misrable b*****ds posting in this topic never go to watch a Scotland game on our way to World Cup Glory in Germany Well, maybe the 2nd round Well done Berti and the lads, you gave it your all but just weren't good enough at the end of the day. However, our day is just around the corner. CUMMON SCOTLAND!!! How can you say well done after a 6-0 defeat. The performance was a sham and no team should be getting hammered to such an extent at international level. Totally agree and I don't know how people can get excited about finishing ahead of Iceland and Lithuania!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bully wee dave Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Totally agree and I don't know how people can get excited about finishing ahead of Iceland and Lithuania!! Oi! c'mon Dave your forgetting we also finished higher than the Faroes. I don't care if we lost to the dutch tbh i never thought we were going to qualify ahead of them in the first place. and I was probably feeling the best i had ever felt watching Scotland after we won 1-0. I go to a "non-denominational" school which is full of Rangers fans who all know i go to the Scotland games and the slagging they gave me was unreal I can not believe the mentality of these people. Okay so we've missed out on another tournament but think of the potential our national team will be able to reach for the next world cup. Being a Scotland fan is like being a Clyde fan, as I have said on other threads, I don't watch them to win silverware. I watch them because when we beat a bigger team than us you get such a thrill. A thrill that Rangers/England fans will probably not feel in their lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Totally agree Ruggy Hope those misrable b*****ds posting in this topic never go to watch a Scotland game on our way to World Cup Glory in Germany Well, maybe the 2nd round Well done Berti and the lads, you gave it your all but just weren't good enough at the end of the day. However, our day is just around the corner. CUMMON SCOTLAND!!! How can you say well done after a 6-0 defeat. The performance was a sham and no team should be getting hammered to such an extent at international level. Totally agree and I don't know how people can get excited about finishing ahead of Iceland and Lithuania!! Its not so long you lot were wetting yourselves at finishing above Alloa Maybe Brown's team wouldnt have lost 6-0 last night, but they wouldnt have won 1-0 on Saturday either. Broon did a shift for us but he stayed too long, who can forget 15000 Scots going to Brussels in a game we HAD to win and he started Tom Boyd, a 35 year old with no pace and an occasional reserve centre half for his club, as a wing back. Berti has his faults but he's given youth a chance and also brought some passion back to the national team. If people like David W have no interest in the national team why is he on this forum, it sticks in the throat seeing fellow Scots seeming to be smug after that disastrous result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I'm not being smug, I'd much rather Scotland win than Holland, I'm just not that upset we lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.