Grandparent rule

[HeartsOfficialMoaner]

We should be able to sign players from different countries. 

We could have a countries football association holding the players international football contract.

For example:  if we want to sign, say, Messi the SFA has to ask AFA what their price is. The SFA agree terms with Messi, SFA pay the cost of the transfer to the AFA and he signs for us. Perfect.

The SFA can sign lots of Brazilians that way and we can watch good football.

[parsforlife]

Suspect if we were to find a star man whose grandad was born in Gretna, moved away the next day and died well before the player was born. Then the complaints would quickly be forgotten, especially if it lead to qualifying or better.

Imagine yer da screaming at the tv when he’s being interviewed following at hat trick. ‘He’s noo even Scottish, why’s he playin 111!!!!’

[Sergeant Wilson]

24 minutes ago, HeartsOfficialMoaner said:

We should be able to sign players from different countries. 

We could have a countries football association holding the players international football contract.

For example:  if we want to sign, say, Messi the SFA has to ask AFA what their price is. The SFA agree terms with Messi, SFA pay the cost of the transfer to the AFA and he signs for us. Perfect.

The SFA can sign lots of Brazilians that way and we can watch good football.

League internationals. We've had that before.

[Ingo ohne Flamingo]

The whole idea of international fitbaw is "representing your country", hardly that if you've got a bunch of players who are representing another country. If you call yourself Scottish then fair enough. 

[forameus]

53 minutes ago, effeffsee_the2nd said:

why not just play a team of foreigners who are not good enough to make their own first teams but are still better than our players? results  like?

Why not? The eligibility rules I'd imagine. 

If the rules were to change wholesale and, this is the key, for EVERYONE, then fine. It would actually be interesting to see how nations look afterwards. But to suggest that we do it out of some xenophobic small-minded wee-man syndrome, and actively make ourselves demonstrably worse is, with the best will in the world, fucking mental. 

[Clyde01]

Always hated it, when players like Matt Phillips (who aren't even that good) come to Scotland for the first time, it's to play for the national team... Ridiculous. 
Time to get that rule to f**k and get shot of those who aren't good enough to play for their own countries. 
Would rather have a player with no Scottish blood whatsoever but has lived in Scotland for a large portion of their lives, they're more Scottish than the chancers like Phillips etc etc. 

This is the kind of blue sky thinking that will see more duds like O’Donnell getting international caps.

[Jambomo]

The whole idea of international fitbaw is "representing your country", hardly that if you've got a bunch of players who are representing another country. If you call yourself Scottish then fair enough. 

Other nations make the most of the grandparent rule, so I don’t see why Scotland shouldn’t. Are we the only fans that actually have a problem with people wanting to represent our nation and having a larger number of players to choose from?

[Savage Henry]

This is the kind of blue sky thinking that will see more duds like O’Donnell getting international caps.

Accents = passion.

[Crawford Bridge]

It speaks volumes that the OP has chosen to single out Matt Phillips as his example of "no Scottish enough".

[Father Ted]

This isn't even worth discussing. Most other countries exploit the rule to the extreme, including major nations.

 

We are not good enough, not too.

 

I'd take 11 Martians as long as we got to a major finals.

 

 

[effeffsee_the2nd]

I'm not blaming non domiciled players on us being shite, were shite because we're shite

every other country uses the ever expanding eligibility criteria to maximise their potential player pool with the result that players with the faintest connection to a place often end up playing. we're not doing anything wrong in a rulebook sense, I just think its getting a bit too much like club football which we already have club football for. if its just the same then why bother ?

which brings me to my last point . for many players and fans club football is number one. many are indifferent to internationals .

  many have had a go at mcburnie for his coments. now leaving aside questions of his ability for a minute .  forget the fact he was born in England or has an English accent or whatever . maybe when you'v been playing at top flight clubs in England and Germany and are used to highly professional and cutting edge set up they have . And the quality players they have then maybe just maybe , playing with Scotland IS shite in comparison but being an international makes you more valuable as a player

[Guest DAVIDB69]

It speaks volumes that the OP has chosen to single out Matt Phillips as his example of "no Scottish enough".

The fact that he is utter rubbish and doesn’t get games for West Brom is pretty key.

He is allegedly a forward but seems to be a 1 goal in six type strikerate

[RandomGuy.]

5 hours ago, parsforlife said:

Suspect if we were to find a star man whose grandad was born in Gretna, moved away the next day and died well before the player was born. Then the complaints would quickly be forgotten, especially if it lead to qualifying or better.
 

This. Theres young lads in the youth systems at Man U/Liverpool who are showing massive potential.

Born in England, raised in England but likely never spent much time in here.

They turn into a Bale, and says he'll play for Scotland, theres no chance you've got folk wanting to turn him away because hes not Scottish enough.

[Crawford Bridge]

19 minutes ago, DAVIDB69 said:

 

The fact that he is utter rubbish and doesn’t get games for West Brom is pretty key.

He is allegedly a forward but seems to be a 1 goal in six type strikerate

 

I can't believe that terrible bait landed. You bite like a pike.

[munro7]

Some people do seem to want rid of the 'grandparent' aspect, not going as far as players who happen to be born abroad of Scottish parents in the forces/diplomatic service or whatever, nor those who grew up here.

Contrary to expectation the only modern players who could have been excluded by such policy would have been: George Boyd (2 caps), Liam Bridcutt (2), Kris Commons (12), Scott Dobie (6), Danny Fox (4), Matt Gilks (3), Jonathan Gould (2), Craig Mackaill-Smith (7), Jay McEveley (3), Jamie Mackie (9), James Morrison (46), Liam Palmer (1), Matt Phillips (14), Nigel Quashie (14), Robbie Stockdale (5), Neil Sullivan (28). Even then I don't know if any of them grew-up here. So the only real stalwarts you'd have lost would've been Neil Sullivan and James Morrison, then you're talking squad players/occasional starters like Commons, Phillips, Mackie and Quashie; then host of bit-parters nearly-men and never-men. So not a huge difference but then that'll fuel both sides of argument.

Holy f**k, that list is utterly horrendous. A who’s who of abject shiteness!

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Matt Ritchie had never set foot in Scotland before he played for us. That’s not right

[Kuro]

It bothers me more the players we have lost because of that.  McGeady would have been phenomenal for Scotland, having him and McFadden at their best would have made us tremendous, and James Mcarthy would be a great addition for us now.  His composure, experience and passing ability would help enormously with ball retention and protecting our CB's. 

Its very frustrating when we produce players like those two, 100% Scottish born bred and produced, and they go to play for another country.

As for Mcarthy, I have it on fairly good authority he was playing for Hamilton as a 15 year old, their manager Billy Reid was harassing the Scotland set-up saying we have this kid who is brilliant why is he not getting picked, so they sent Archie Knox along to watch him.  Knox watched him and said to his face after the game, as a 15 year old, 'you'll never fuckin play for Scotland'.  Mcarthy was devastated and cried, and he played for Ireland as a f**k you to Knox. 

Knox's ability to judge a young player was obviously laughable, given Mcarthy has now played over 200 games in the Premiership and would have got about 80 caps for Scotland if he had chosen us. 

Our problem essentially is our game is run by idiots, and this is a prime example, as is losing H Souttar cause nobody picked him for the 19s and 21s for over eighteen months despite him patently being our best defensive prospect at that level.

[GordonS]

Matt Ritchie had never set foot in Scotland before he played for us. That’s not right

Ritchie's dad is Scottish. Where do you want to draw the line?

[LiviLion]

7 hours ago, GordonS said:

9 hours ago, Father Dougal McGuire said:

Matt Ritchie had never set foot in Scotland before he played for us. That’s not right

Ritchie's dad is Scottish. Where do you want to draw the line?

You need to spend your entire life in Scotland. Holiday in Spain? What's wrong with Ayrshire you fucking traitor. 

[Lex]

Ultimate yer da patter here. Always comes up when we are struggling, which is often.

 

The reality is we’d be even worse off if we only used players who passed the ‘Scottish enough for yer da’ test, whatever that would consist of.

 

I think we should be using the potential diaspora in England much more than we do. There’s a lot of very good English players who will never play for England, we should be checking all four of their grandparents, just incase.

 

Worth noting that the closest we have got to a major championships this century was when we beat England at Wembley in the Euro 2000 play off. The scorer that evening? Gateshead born and bred Don Hutchison.