Euro 2024 Expectations

[Chripper]

People forget that Wales reached the semi-finals in 2016.

Fine. They had Bale. But so what? Doak is like a mini Bale.

Take out Bale and this is a better team than Wales had.

Seems like most Scotland fans are going to watch matches through their fingers.

Not me.

I believe.

 

[BFTD]

4 minutes ago, SlayerX said:

People forget that Wales reached the semi-finals in 2016.

TBF, I don't think anyone forgets that Wales got to the Euro 2016 semis. A fair few folk are still gnashing their teeth about it.

It should be a source of inspiration, like Greece winning the whole thing in 2004, but some folk are just going to go into every international tournament seeming like they'd rather we hadn't qualified because the hope is too painful and we're Scotland, so we'll never, ever put in a good performance, and these other countries have just experienced luck that we'll never see.

A few decades ago, it used to be something of a joke that we'd probably be shite, but I think such a long time in the wilderness has turned the joke into bitterness for some people.

[Tartan Dave]

Hoping che doesn't sign for anyone before the tournament and plays the tournament as a man hunting for a deal. Talking myself into him having a stormer

[Chripper]

12 minutes ago, BFTD said:

TBF, I don't think anyone forgets that Wales got to the Euro 2016 semis. A fair few folk are still gnashing their teeth about it.

It should be a source of inspiration, like Greece winning the whole thing in 2004, but some folk are just going to go into every international tournament seeming like they'd rather we hadn't qualified because the hope is too painful and we're Scotland, so we'll never, ever put in a good performance, and these other countries have just experienced luck that we'll never see.

A few decades ago, it used to be something of a joke that we'd probably be shite, but I think such a long time in the wilderness has turned the joke into bitterness for some people.

Maybe I'm just speaking for myself.

Personally, I forgot about it till I read an article about it a few days ago.

I couldn't agree more.

Not only that, but I think the two decades of failure to qualify has knocked the stuffing and the belief out of some fans.

You can compare it with the political landscape and the Union. Some Scots have no confidence in their country. They'll settle for surviving rather than thriving.

[BFTD]

7 minutes ago, Tartan Dave said:

Hoping che doesn't sign for anyone before the tournament and plays the tournament as a man hunting for a deal. Talking myself into him having a stormer

He always puts in a performance for us TBF - he's just not a goalscorer at international level. I can't really think of a bad game he's had for us; he's good at what he does.

What we could use is either Doak exploding into the team - unlikely and unfair to expect - or McTominay and McGinn on qualifiers form. If they're both fit, I can see the latter happening, fingers crossed. Otherwise, scoring goals is going to be tricky.

[Theroadlesstravelled]

Wales were brilliant in Euro 2016. Is Gareth Bale the most underrated British player of all time? 

Qualifying for the next round and England not winning it would be a good tournament for Scotland. 

[pthardie]

If we do the same as Euro '96 we'll go through this time:

Lose to the hosts, beat Switzerland and draw with the team that begins with the letter 'H' (last one is a bit of stretch) 

[kennie makevin]

On 01/06/2024 at 13:51, SlayerX said:

People forget that Wales reached the semi-finals in 2016.

Fine. They had Bale. But so what? Doak is like a mini Bale.

Take out Bale and this is a better team than Wales had.

Seems like most Scotland fans are going to watch matches through their fingers.

Not me.

I believe.

 

You think Doak is 'a mini Bale' based on what exactly  ? Hope you're right But considering that in our 150 odd year history Scotland has never had a player with the game changing properties of Bale at his peak I sense you may be wrong, sadly.

[A Diamond For Me]

4 minutes ago, kennie makevin said:

You think Doak is 'a mini Bale' based on what exactly  ? Hope you're right But considering that in our 150 odd year history Scotland has never had a player with the game changing properties of Bale at his peak I sense you may be wrong, sadly.

Should Hughie Gallacher be forgot, and never brocht tae mind? 

[ScottishZizou]

Not to get through the group would be a real disappointment after the last Euro campaign and not qualifying for the World Cup. To only get to the last 24 of the Euros twice and not the last 16 as the crowning achievements of the Clarke regime would be underwhelming and should see us looking for a new manager to take us to the next level.

[PrestersKTID]

On 01/06/2024 at 18:43, Theroadlesstravelled said:

Wales were brilliant in Euro 2016. Is Gareth Bale the most underrated British player of all time? 

Qualifying for the next round and England not winning it would be a good tournament for Scotland. 

Bale had 4/5 years of being right up there with best in the world. Probably the quickest player in the world at the time, strong, stupidly good left foot. Wales also had good foundations with Williams and Ramsey. Joe Allen was decent at the time. But without Bale they had no chance of recreating that performance.

Our current squad vs theirs (without Bale) is better. Just imagine if you stick a world beater like him in with us.

[Iain]

On 01/06/2024 at 14:29, Tartan Dave said:

Hoping che doesn't sign for anyone before the tournament and plays the tournament as a man hunting for a deal. Talking myself into him having a stormer

A latter-day Hal Robson-Kanu?

[kennie makevin]

2 hours ago, A Diamond For Me said:

Should Hughie Gallacher be forgot, and never brocht tae mind? 

Indeed, the nearest to a 'mini Bale' that this country will ever produce.

[Lex]

On 26/04/2024 at 08:49, Lex said:

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

0/3.

Will be 30 years between wins at a major tournament come 2026. Thirty!

[KirkieRR]

Quite a few posts here haven't aged well.

[2426255]

3 hours ago, KirkieRR said:

Quite a few posts here haven't aged well.

Yeah, you're always going to get that in an expectations thread. I think we'll know who are the most emotional though after last night.

[Thumper]

5 hours ago, Lex said:

Will be 30 years between wins at a major tournament come 2026. Thirty!

Fortunately there's a song for that already.

Anyway, my sole expectation here was it for not to be as drab and shite as shite as last time. It was, remarkably, even more drab and shite. Would have been better to just have gotten beaten in game 2 instead of whatever the f**k Clarke thought he was doing against Hungary.

[allyo]

There should be no blame. The players tried really hard. The manager did his best. They are all held back by an unchangeable fixed factor. They are representing Scotland.

Call me defeatist, but unfortunately I can't get past the thought that there is an inevitability to all of this, and it was nothing to do with who was playing or who was managing us. It's because we're Scotland. 

Last minute last night, that was two evenly matched teams at the end of a really poor game. Both teams open. It should have been 50-50 on which team was going to break and score in the last 30 seconds. But the reality is that it was only ever going to go against us.

It's a national psyche. Runs through the football team, the rugby team, Colin Montgomerie, David Coulthard, Andy Murray (though he worked really really hard to fight it, and had some success). 

It's a fear. On the big occasion we freeze. And it's no wonder; look at the crowds. Every other game you see people singing and dancing. Cut to a Scotland crowd (brilliant as they are), all throughout there is terror and anxiety. I'm completely guilty; I feel sick watching football. I hate myself for it; it's a game, it should be fun.

I'm sure I'll get hammered for saying this. But I believe it. In nine tournaments we've lost eight first games and drawn the other. Our record in the 2nd and 3rd games is much better, but in the third game we always fall short of whatever is needed. We win when it doesn't matter. 

This has happened across generations, too many times to be a coincidence. Maybe we're cursed,  but that goes too far. We're just flawed.

Edited June 24 by allyo

[2426255]

24 minutes ago, allyo said:

There should be no blame. The players tried really hard. The manager did his best. They are all held back by an unchangeable fixed factor. They are representing Scotland.

Call me defeatist, but unfortunately I can't get past the thought that there is an inevitability to all of this, and it was nothing to do with who was playing or who was managing us. It's because we're Scotland. 

Last minute last night, that was two evenly matched teams at the end of a really poor game. Both teams open. It should have been 50-50 on which team was going to break and score in the last 30 seconds. But the reality is that it was only ever going to go against us.

It's a national psyche. Runs through the football team, the rugby team, Colin Montgomerie, David Coulthard, Andy Murray (though he worked really really hard to fight it, and had some success). 

It's a fear. On the big occasion we freeze. And it's no wonder; look at the crowds. Every other game you see people singing and dancing. Cut to a Scotland crowd (brilliant as they are), all throughout there is terror and anxiety. I'm completely guilty; I feel sick watching football. I hate myself for it; it's a game, it should be fun.

I'm sure I'll get hammered for saying this. But I believe it. In nine tournaments we've lost eight first games and drawn the other. Our record in the 2nd and 3rd games is much better, but in the third game we always fall short of whatever is needed. We win when it doesn't matter. 

This has happened across generations, too many times to be a coincidence. Maybe we're cursed,  but that goes too far. We're just flawed.

Ahh, you're probably going a bit too far mate the other way I think. There is no point in getting emotional and fatalistic just the same as there is no point in getting emotional and knee-jerk. It's just a problem: it can be solved, but there is no guarantee this team will solve it you have to accept that.

This team are trying to break new ground and that's something to get behind, probably the main thing for me. If they don't achieve it then it won't be due a lack of effort or because of poor planning/decision making.

Edited June 24 by 2426255

[Thumper]

24 minutes ago, allyo said:

This has happened across generations, too many times to be a coincidence. Maybe we're cursed,  but that goes too far. We're just flawed.

Too wee, too poor, to stupid, to coin a phrase.