Euro 2024 Expectations

[2426255]

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I think it’s great that they’re [the supporters] onside. I think it’s great that they expect their team to be competitive. It’s all part of the process: The more you do, the more people want. The more successful you are, the more success people want, so you have to embrace that and get on with it.

Steve Clarke

It’s around the midway point from the disappointment of the March camp to the June camp. The excitement will ramp up as the media spotlight turns towards the tournament so probably the best time to do this type of post before the frenzy hits. So what are you expecting from Scotland at Euro-2024 and does it match what you think our aim should be?

I don’t have any expectations for the tournament. I think the aim should be to qualify from our group, but if we fall short it wouldn't necessarily be failure. Steve Clarke suggested for the most part that the aim is just to be competitive and see where it takes us although has also touched on trying to get out of the group. Clarke did an interview with Tom English that was released today which touches on the aims for the tournament amongst other things.

Most of the comments made by Steve Clarke on the subject since we qualified back in October:

Spoiler

 

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I keep talking about the Scottish National Team; what are our ambitions? Our ambitions have to be, if you speak to members of the Tartan Army, I know you’re one yourself, if you speak to the Tartan Army all they want is for their team to be competitive every time they go to the pitch. I think we’ve got that now, I think we’ve got a competitive team - so we go into these three games competitive, hopefully we’ll play as well as we can play and then at the end of the three group games we’ll tally up the points and see where that takes us.      

 

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For you guys it seems like getting out of the group is the big thing, but for us it’s just to be competitive. We want to come to Germany and play as well as we can. We’ll count our points up at the end and see where it takes us.

 

 

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To be competitive in every match, that's our aim.

 

 

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The first thing for us to do is just to prepare properly. Make sure we’re competitive, play as well as we can in the games and then after that we’ll count on the points and see if we’ve got enough.

 

 

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For us it’s to be competitive and play as well as we can. We’ll count the points at the end of it and see where it takes us.

 

 

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The players are motivated to be successful for their country, they are motivated to play for their country and they quite enjoy making little bits of history along the way. So there is a chance going into the summer that they can do something that no Scottish team has ever done before. And that will be the aim.

 

 

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That would be the intention, to go there and compete. What we’ve worked hard at is being very competitive every time we go on the pitch.

 

 

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I think we need to go away, prepare well and be competitive. That is all we promise. We are going to go to Germany and try to do that next summer.

 

 

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We talk about creating history. We could do that, it’s a long way off. We need to see what the draw is next month and then we’ll reassess our aims, but ultimately you want to get out of the group.

 

Steve Clarke

Edited April 25 by 2426255

[Crawford Bridge]

Two loses and a 0-0 draw.

It's the Scotland way. 

[Butters Scotch]

What does being competitive look like? If we perform well in all three games and lose is that really being competitive? 

If we don't pick up at least two points then it's a complete failure. 

[realmadrid]

This point last year i was very enthusiastic about the whole thing  but that's gone down to zero just now. The reality of past finals, the NI game and Saints making football shit to watch has me thinking we will be home finishing bottom of the group.

 

[PSJ.84]

24 minutes ago, realmadrid said:

Saints making football shit to watch 

This is making me even more eager for the summer to come around. 

[Old Bing]

Bit weird and attention seeking starting a thread about expectations.

Then saying you have no expectations

Strange topic for a thread then eh.

 

[Dunfermline Don]

The way injuries are going, I might take my boots with me just in case! 

[Butters Scotch]

27 minutes ago, Bing.McCrosby said:

Bit weird and attention seeking starting a thread about expectations.

Then saying you have no expectations

Strange topic for a thread then eh.

 

Then when you give your opinion, you will be told you are wrong also

[Old Bing]

1 hour ago, Butters Scotch said:

Then when you give your opinion, you will be told you are wrong also

its as obvious as it gets

[BFTD]

I don't care what you all say, we're still winning this.

We're all going to spend the rest of our lives waking up with the mental image of an ecstatic John McGinn hugging the Henri Delaunay Trophy.

Spoiler

Similar to this, but apparently this is the best impression of John McGinn that DALL-E could muster. Oh well.

 

[GordonS]

It's a fact that Germany, Hungary and Switzerland all have better records than us in recent years. That's why they're ranked above us. Ask fans of those sides who they expect to finish bottom of our group and they'll all say Scotland.

Hungary were in a horror group at Euro 2020 but were 0-0 v Portugal until 84 minutes and drew with France and Germany. They qualified for Euro 2024 unbeaten and top of their group. In the Nations League they were in the top league and they beat England at home before humping them 4-0 away, and they drew with Germany at home and beat them away. Only defeat to Italy in their last match cost them a semi-final place.

Switzerland qualified top of their group for Euro 2020 then made the quarter finals, knocking out world champions France in the R16. They only lost to Spain on penalties. They qualified top of the group for Qatar 2022 unbeaten, ahead of Italy, finished second in their group by one goal behind Brazil having beaten Cameroon and Serbia, before getting dismantled in the R16 by Portugal. In the Nations League they were also in League A and beat Portugal at home, Spain away and Czechia at home, to finish 3rd and keep their top league place.

Those two sides have undeniably, objectively achieved more than Scotland in the same period and go into the matches against us as favourites. Not strong favourites, but definitely expected to win.

I'd argue both sides have much better balanced squads and better players in defence and attack than us.

One of the daft things about having high expectations of Scotland in these matches is that you won't enjoy any good results as much as you should. If we get out the group we'll have overachieved. 

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

We'll get soundly beaten in each game. Hopefully get a couple of goals for the fans, though.

[Lex]

Winning a game would be the first target, remarkably we haven't won a single game at a major tournament since 1996. Second target is just not finishing bottom of the group. The dream is to qualify from a group stage at a major tournament for the first time ever, which is doable but will be tough.

Based on our current terrible form and lack of tournament experience compared to our opponents, we are certainly more likely to finish fourth than anywhere else

[Central Belt Caley]

Play like we did for the first 70 minutes against the Netherlands, against Germany. 
 

Hungary and Switzerland are good sides but I’d like to think we could beat at least one of them. As the last time we won a game at a tournament was before I was born. 
 

Just don’t be embarrassing, I.E the Germans hump us by a cricket score and then Hungary batter us 

[bobbydazzler]

honestly expect us to get beat x3. current run of form coupled with injuries making me fear the worst

[Lurkst]

12 minutes ago, bobbydazzler said:

honestly expect us to get beat x3. current run of form coupled with injuries making me fear the worst

I can see this happening too, but at least we're there for the fans. Out of all the tournaments this decade, Germany 24 would've been my top pick to qualify for.

 

[Butters Scotch]

The likes of Wales drew with Switzerland a few years ago at previous euros and their team has had a run of terrible results in their recent qualifying campaign. 

Hungary first 11 are littered with players from the Hungarian, Mls, championship, Japanese leagues etc and drew with the likes of Lithuania and Bulgaria late last year..

I wouldn't be fearing any of these teams nor would they fear us either, I think all the teams based on the players available to each nation are fairly similar in terms of stature. In my eyes, it'll come down to tactics, mentality, luck, hard work etc to grind out the results required to qualify and we are certainly are good enough to do that with the group we are in. 

Edited April 26 by Butters Scotch

[Guest]

Repeat of 98... great performance and narrow defeat in the opener.

Go in to the last game "just" needing to beat Hungary and get scudded

[eez-eh]

With the now weekly news of another injury my expectations are currently on the floor.

[PSJ.84]

I expect to have a jolly good time, any football related joys are a bonus.