Steve Clarke - in/out/general discussion

[eez-eh]

11 minutes ago, VictorOnopko said:

Indeed. And the interesting question is - why have they been on such a strong upward trajectory since we got a win and a draw off them in the World Cup qualifiers, leading to their superb, free-flowing, attacking showing in these Euros, while we've just come 24th out of 24 and completely humiliated ourselves?

I can only assume they’ve had a massive influx of immigrants. Can’t be anything to do with the new manager.

[DA Baracus]

1 hour ago, FalkirkBairn2021 said:

Herein lies the problem a bit. After the last Euros debacle the dust settled, people got less angry, Clarke carried on.. got a few decent results and a ha.. it was right not to punt him 

And here we are again. As others said we won't qualify for the World Cup. We will qualify for the next Euros (both of these are givens imo whoever we have in charge) and we don't move forward. 

Can bookmark all these posts for 2028 and yet more scudding disappointment. It's not great.

There's a distinct lack of anger and demanding of answers and accountability.

Instead we have moping and introspection when what we need are hard questions and not allowing said questions to be brushed off, as well as challenging bullshit replies.

Clarke and his team need to be called out and asked why they so pathetically let everyone down, why they left bristling with regrets, why it wasn't all left on the pitch, why they were such timid shitebags and ultimately why they were such craven losers.

[Old Bing]

3 minutes ago, eez-eh said:

I can only assume they’ve had a massive influx of immigrants. Can’t be anything to do with the new manager.

that was good, or perhaps they are brilliant at coin tosses

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

4 hours ago, SH Panda said:

So you did or didn't know that their two starting CBs are French? It sounds like you didn't, hence the confusion, but that's fine no judgment on my part.

 

You seriously think I’m not aware Laporte is French? It was you who moved the goalposts you complete clown. Rest of your post is just boring nonsense that I can’t be arsed responding to.

[Old Bing]

To be fair to Mr Panda he's not a regular poster on here.

And to come in completely out the blue, pull yourself to the top of the pile and post undoubtedly the biggest post euro lot of shite is impressive  

[jimbaxters]

1 hour ago, Zazu said:

With a bit of luck we could make the world cup

Should be second seeds in qualifying, and even if we come third we will get a play off from being in group A of the nations league. 

Not sure I back us to be able to put out the likes of Austria, Ukraine, Serbia etc. in a series of play off matches but it isn't outwith the realms of possibility 

How can you possibly make that out given the fact that we are bottom of a group of 24 team at the current Euros? Are there 24 places for European countries at the next World Cup? 

I know that's a bit simplistic but there was absolutely nothing in our game play which suggests we are better than any other team at this tournament. 

Used to hate it when people said we're better off not qualifying for Finals as we just make an arse of it but the embarrassment levels of this tournament were off the scale and I was thinking exactly that. Compounded by the fact that we did very similar at Hampden in the last Euros and learned centre-of-a-doughnut. 

Edited June 26 by jimbaxters

[forameus]

35 minutes ago, eez-eh said:

I can only assume they’ve had a massive influx of immigrants. Can’t be anything to do with the new manager.

Interestingly enough, although it's definitely more of an English thing, Rangnick is largely a figure of fun because he went into an absolute circus at Man Utd and got essentially bullied.  Look at him and his glasses!  HAHAHAHAHAHA!  Granted, he was always rated as a good coach, but there's still that arrogant air of lolz around him.  Yet that's another nation taking a cold, hard look at the qualities they need in a manager, putting them in place, and reaping the results.  Not hanging onto some pre-conceived notion of what a manager should be.  

But when we eventually punt Clarke* we're not going to be looking for that incredible coach that ticks all the boxes for success like Austria have, we'll be looking at whatever Scotsman is available and f**k all else.

 ^{* I think it's a near certainty he stays on for this campaign, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a similar trajectory to Strachan.  He arguably should have gone the campaign before he ultimately did, and then ended up in an arguably better position by the time he did leave.  I can see us having a positive World Cup Qualifying, maybe even making it to the tournament, or at least having a very close shave.  Then they'll let him go, and we can go down the Big Skip o' Scottish Managers again.}

[forameus]

17 minutes ago, jimbaxters said:

How can you possibly make that out given the fact that we are bottom of a group of 24 team at the current Euros? Are there 24 places for European countries at the next World Cup? 

I know that's a bit simplistic but there was absolutely nothing in our game play which suggests we are better than any other team at this tournament. 

Used to hate it when people said we're better off not qualifying for Finals as we just make an arse of it but the embarrassment levels of this tournament were off the scale and I was thinking exactly that. Compounded by the fact that we did very similar at Hampden in the last Euros and learned centre-of-a-doughnut. 

It means f**k all where we stand against other sides in other groups that play 3 games.  Switch teams around groups and things look a lot different.  Hell, change the order of our fixtures and we might not get absolutely horsed by Germany opening game, still pick up one point and rise as a result.  It's just a meaningless stat used to beat the team with when there's plenty of other weapons you could use.

You also can't draw much of a line between the performance at this tournament - which was pretty shit - and what it means for the World Cup Qualifying.  Just like you ultimately couldn't draw much between what was - for the most part, until it wasn't - a really good qualifying campaign and the actual tournament itself.  We could get a really tough draw and this malaise continues and we end up reaching a new low, or we get a pretty comfortable draw and be odds on for a playoff or maybe even an automatic spot.  We have a squad that is simultaneously capable of doing either of those.

EDIT: Should also add, if this was "traditional" World Cup qualifying, I'd be more inclined to say we're unlikely to qualify.  Not because of what happened this summer, but just because it's incredibly hard as the tier of nation we are to make it there.  But from what we know of the new format, I think (I'm sure someone will correct me if not) that we'll almost certainly be pot 2, and there's only 5 pots, not 6.  A runner-up spot guarantees a playoff, and there's a second chance in the Nations League if we don't make it.  If we don't embarrass ourselves in the Nations League (and we got a better draw than we might have with two nations that also underperformed this summer in Poland and Croatia), then we could finish 3rd in a 4 team group and still have a play-off spot.  That's probably par for our tier of nation I would've thought.  I'm talking pish, it's only the four best group winners, so it would be incredibly unlikely for us to get a Nations League second chance unless we win our group.  Nope. I think the rest is still pretty fair though.  The way the seedings go, as a pot 2 side with a bigger pot 1 that gives more chance at a better draw, 2nd place is definitely achievable.  

Edited June 26 by forameus

[jimbaxters]

5 minutes ago, forameus said:

It means f**k all where we stand against other sides in other groups that play 3 games.  Switch teams around groups and things look a lot different.  Hell, change the order of our fixtures and we might not get absolutely horsed by Germany opening game, still pick up one point and rise as a result.  It's just a meaningless stat used to beat the team with when there's plenty of other weapons you could use.

You also can't draw much of a line between the performance at this tournament - which was pretty shit - and what it means for the World Cup Qualifying.  Just like you ultimately couldn't draw much between what was - for the most part, until it wasn't - a really good qualifying campaign and the actual tournament itself.  We could get a really tough draw and this malaise continues and we end up reaching a new low, or we get a pretty comfortable draw and be odds on for a playoff or maybe even an automatic spot.  We have a squad that is simultaneously capable of doing either of those.

So what criteria are you using then if it's not the last three matches against countries from Pot 1,3 and 4 (were we Pot 2?) of the top European countries? 

Define "comfortable draw". Even if we are in Pot 2 for the qualifying draw there will be a Hungary type team in Pot 3.  I repeat, there has been NOTHING in either these three games or in fact since beating Norway which has suggested we can give anyone a game. We will not qualify for anything if Steve Clarke is in charge as there will be no change of personnel.

Edited June 26 by jimbaxters

[Derryboy62]

51 minutes ago, Bonksy+HisChristianParade said:

You seriously think I’m not aware Laporte is French? It was you who moved the goalposts you complete clown. Rest of your post is just boring nonsense that I can’t be arsed responding to.

He tried to make himself seem like a football expert because he said that about the 2 CHs. 

Let's ignore the fact that it was mentioned by the commentators about 60 times....

[forameus]

2 minutes ago, jimbaxters said:

So what criteria are you using then if it's not the last three matches against countries from Pot 1,3 and 4 (were we Pot 2?) of the top European countries? 

Define "comfortable draw". Even if we are in Pot 2 for the qualifying draw there will be a Hungary type team in Pot 3.  I repeat, there has been NOTHING in either these three games or in fact since beating Norway which has suggested we can give anyone a game. We will not qualify for anything if Steve Clarke is in charge as there will be no change of personnel.

I'm not using any criteria, that's kind of the point.  There's 9 months between now and when the qualifiers start.  Any  number of things can happen to international squads in that time.   It could get even worse than it is now, just like it could get better.  

Around a year ago, there was a similarly pointless league table getting floated about that showed us having the best record across all of European qualifying, 5 out of 5.  It would have been mental to stand there and say that because of that table, we'd clearly be a contender for the Euros, just like it's mental to look at three tournament games in the space of a week and extrapolate that out to an entire year's worth of fixtures that are 9 months away.

[Old Bing]

11 minutes ago, forameus said:

I'm not using any criteria, that's kind of the point.  There's 9 months between now and when the qualifiers start.  Any  number of things can happen to international squads in that time.   It could get even worse than it is now, just like it could get better.  

Around a year ago, there was a similarly pointless league table getting floated about that showed us having the best record across all of European qualifying, 5 out of 5.  It would have been mental to stand there and say that because of that table, we'd clearly be a contender for the Euros, just like it's mental to look at three tournament games in the space of a week and extrapolate that out to an entire year's worth of fixtures that are 9 months away.

Yeah it's mental to watch us be absolutely shite and draw the conclusion we're absolutely shite.

[eez-eh]

37 minutes ago, forameus said:

It means f**k all where we stand against other sides in other groups that play 3 games.  Switch teams around groups and things look a lot different.  Hell, change the order of our fixtures and we might not get absolutely horsed by Germany opening game, still pick up one point and rise as a result.  It's just a meaningless stat used to beat the team with when there's plenty of other weapons you could use.

Change the order of the games to make us play Switzerland first and there’s every chance we come home with 0 points. They’d have been going for the win instead of being content for a draw all second half.

See, we can do it in reverse as well. Going on about the order of the new games is a new low.

[forameus]

7 minutes ago, eez-eh said:

Change the order of the games to make us play Switzerland first and there’s every chance we come home with 0 points. They’d have been going for the win instead of being content for a draw all second half.

See, we can do it in reverse as well. Going on about the order of the new games is a new low.

Absolutely!   I'm not saying we switch the order and we're crowned champions, I'm saying that drawing lines across groups is essentially pointless when even changing the order of one group potentially changes everything.  It probably doesn't change our ultimate fate, but it probably changes the table that I was disagreeing with.

[Scary Bear]

2 hours ago, ICTChris said:

Worth noting that for the last year we have figures for, 2022, were the highest ever recorded.  More people immigrated into the UK in that year than did between 1980 and 2000.  Immigrants from countries like India, Nigeria and Zimbabwe far outnumber the arrivals from Ukraine.

 

Are there any figures on how many immigrants settle in Scotland? 

[MarkoP]

Shitey wee inward looking country acts like a shitey wee inward looking country- shock

 I love Scotland, but it’s the Scotland we could be, not the Scotland we are that I love!

The fact that the SFA haven’t acted already to remove Clarke or at least reprimand him for his xenophobic pish let alone his rabbit in the headlights tactical cluster f**k over the last 9 months tells all

 

[BFTD]

5 minutes ago, MarkoP said:

 I love Scotland, but it’s the Scotland we could be, not the Scotland we are that I love!

"...and then she said she thought we should split up; I can't understand it. I said I loved her, what more did she want?"

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

56 minutes ago, SH Panda said:

 

Well I posted that "Spain are starting two French centre halves".

Now given that statement is in the present tense, and they are starting two French CBs at the euros, it was a bit of a surprise to me when you started talking about Pique and Puyol. Maybe you didn't pick up on the tense?

Hardly moving the goalposts, I was talking about their current team, as my post made abundantly clear. You are welcome to talk about their 2010 team, or whatever you want really.

Their starting two CBs will still be french.

And all good see you next time

You are seriously dense eh? I was the one who brought up the Spain WC & Euros winning team initially before you started talking about French centre halves in the current side (who have won f**k all). Why would it be a surprise to you? 

[ICTChris]

22 minutes ago, Scary Bear said:

Are there any figures on how many immigrants settle in Scotland? 

You can see figures on it here - https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/migration/migration-statistics/migration-flows/total-migration-to-or-from-scotland

 

Interesting stuff - between 1950 and  1980 more than 750,000 left Scotland.

In the 21st century 440,000 people have moved to Scotland from both the rest of the UK and abroad.

[Old Bing]

1 minute ago, SH Panda said:

Oh so you're going to keep posting then?

That's cool, bash on.

Meanwhile it can be our secret whether the tense confused you or if you didn't know Le Normand or Laporte were french.

I don't judge you for it.

Already looking forward to your next insightful post on this thread.

"Le" Normand and "La"porte are French, no way man that's amazing. Wow you know your stuff