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Serbia V Scotland - EURO 2020 Playoff Final ( Thursday 12th November)


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1 minute ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

Thinking back to last night, how the f**k did Norway with the wonder kid Haaland lose to that mob. At times last night Serbia were like Brechin.

No Haaland at the Euros is pleasing though.

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Aye, I was quite surprised at how average Serbia were.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really know much about them, but it had been built up as though they were overwhelming favourites and I did fear the worst when they dispatched Norway.

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3 minutes ago, AJF said:

Aye, I was quite surprised at how average Serbia were.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really know much about them, but it had been built up as though they were overwhelming favourites and I did fear the worst when they dispatched Norway.

Some of the stuff at the back was comedy gold. 

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Aye, I was quite surprised at how average Serbia were.
Don't get me wrong, I don't really know much about them, but it had been built up as though they were overwhelming favourites and I did fear the worst when they dispatched Norway.

They should be very good, as all their players seem to play at a high level - and they are naturally athletic, robust types with plenty technical ability.

They have been totally overshadowed by Croatia since the break up of Yugoslavia, despite having double the population - and have done no more on the international stage than Slovenia or Bosnia who would be considered the poor relations.

It’s for Serbia to worry about - but the only time we were really under sustained pressure was the first half of extra time, which was strange for 120 minutes in their own ground.
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1 hour ago, Slenderman said:

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Seeing this really showed how good a save it was for me. To save with one hand like that when the ball is struck with reasonable power takes real strength.

Also noticed watching it back that the Serbia goalie boots the ball away in anger.

 

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Finally all caught up with the thread. Seriously though - where to start with last night? Since I have to start somewhere, I'll do so by saying that is probably the best performance by a Scotland team in 90 minutes that I've ever seen. Aye, the extra time where we'd got the subs wrong was nervy and we did well to hold on at times, but if you look at the victory on penalties you can say for the vast majority of that game we deserved to win. Serbia were passive and we played them off the park, so it was understandable that Clarke changed the team in the final ten minutes because Serbia looked beaten. Christie's goal was a brilliant bit of footwork and he aimed his shot at the one place the goalie couldn't get it, he was unlucky to only get the one goal. Had he scored with his curling effort I don't think Serbia would have come back from that at all, and we'd have been on (relatively) easy street for the remainder of the game. As it was that didn't happen. The shootout at the end was the most nervous I've ever felt during a shootout involving one of my teams, and given my club side are horrendously bad at them I always fear the worst. Brilliant composure from all 5 takers and you've no idea how ecstatic I was when David Marshall saved the final penalty from big dunderheid (as he will now be forever known in my household). I'd say that his penalty summed up his entire game, he'd have been as well not playing because Gallagher had him sussed for the entire game and he was totally ineffective. 

It still hasn't quite sunk in. Because this is the point at which we slink off dejected as the winners run off jubilantly into the sunshine of a tournament and we're left with nothing but regrets and disappointments, I'm still having to pinch myself and remind myself that this is actually happening that we're back on the world stage and have so much to look forward to next summer. I was just too young to remember 1996 (probably a good thing after the England game) but remember 1998 very well. In the months leading up to the tournament there was France 98 merch everywhere, and you couldn't escape Colin Hendry's image anywhere. All the pubs were decked out with lion rampants and saltires and I remember being taken to watch one of the games in Paris Match in Killie with my mate and our two dads. While it didn't go our way I've rarely seen such scenes before a game where everyone's as happy and united behind the one cause - and we won't have a clue just how much we've missed that feeling until it comes around again in the summer and we're experiencing it. I'm so pleased that I no longer sound like an auld dobber talking to my younger pals about how I remember us being at a tournament and they don't. Like others have said it'll be a totally new experience for so many people seeing all the merch come out with heroes like Dykes, McGinn, Robertson etc featured in it, and I can't wait to hopefully get to Hampden for the opener against the Czechs now.

One final note - the gaffer. As a Killie fan it'll come as no surprise to anyone that I'm a total fanboy of his, but Stevie Clarke gave me my club back and now he's given me my country back too. He is without doubt the man to lead Scotland forward and there's nobody I'd rather have at the helm going into big games against Croatia and England. He's a big-game manager and it shows in games like last night that he's absolutely got what it takes. Here's to the national team and after 22 years, the end of glorious failure. May it be put to rest forever and our future failures just be failures without the perennial losers mentality that's been cast to us for years. It's gone, and we did it. Let's drink to it again tonight and hopefully the boys will put the effort in on Sunday. I have every faith that they will. 

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Work with a lad originally from Dumfries, his family are quite close with Dykes family. He had said previously the main reason that Dykes chose Scotland over Australia was due to his Covid outbreak. Whilst the Australian FA didn't get in touch, The SFA and Steve Clarke both reached out to see if there was anything they could do. Seemingly this swayed his decision. 

I can imagine Clarke being that type of person, I know he's made out to be the dour Scotsman, but I think he genuinely cares about his players. 

 

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1 minute ago, Carnoustie Young Guvnor said:

Played golf with my wee pal today who was Declan Gallagher's bootboy.  Felt you'd want to hear what he shared.  Apparently Gallagher has the biggest nob you've ever seen, which is also 'thick' and 'like a cucumber'.  So there you go.

Don't believe this, not a chance you're friends with anybody who is wee.

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8 minutes ago, Andy_K_97 said:

Finally all caught up with the thread. Seriously though - where to start with last night? Since I have to start somewhere, I'll do so by saying that is probably the best performance by a Scotland team in 90 minutes that I've ever seen.

Wembley 1999 was better but last night was right up there.

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