🔵🟡Scotland v Poland 🔴⚪

[Fletchers Saucy Manbun]

Midfield looks miles better without that coward McGregor in there passing it sideways or backwards 40 times a game.

[Miguel Simao]

I still feel like we are a couple of players in important positions(CB ST) away from being a good side, but that’s always the problem with Scotland, and when the few quality players we do have in crucial positions like Tierney and Hickey turn out to be permanently crocked then the drop off in standard in those coming in to replace them is laughable and we always end up getting punished at this level because of that.

[Central Belt Caley]

Neil McCann really does talk an absolute power of shite 

[wirez]

A game we should have won but didn't. That is football.

Norway probably thought the same against us last year.

Hard to take. However, it was a much improved effort from the players than that cold mince served up at the Euros.

 

[MarkoP]

Just now, Central Belt Caley said:

Neil McCann really does talk an absolute power of shite 

So much he once got given a managers gig 

[Richey Edwards]

4 hours ago, Richey Edwards said:

Elvis Costello is playing Glasgow tonight if anycunt fancies that instead of the fitba.

Elvis Costello was good at least.

[PSJ.84]

13 minutes ago, Boo Khaki said:

I thought he was the right man for the gig when he was appointed, liked his first wee while in charge. He got it wrong in the Euro 2020(2021) Finals, but fair enough, learn from it and move on. He got us to another tournament, and proved he'd learned nothing from the 2020 shambles and got it wrong again. It's fair enough for him to claim he's earned the right to see out his contract, but I simply don't trust him any more, even in the scenario whereby he miraculously qualifies us for the WC, because going on past evidence he'll just make a f**king pig's ear of the competition once we get there and have us embarrass ourselves for a third time. Why give him that opportunity?

We've qualified for back-to-back Euros, so the players are clearly capable of achieving that regardless of how precisely it came about, so I don't get the fear that mving on from Clarke would result in a backward step, because the players have proven they are up to qualifying at least, so any competent coach should be able to match that, but why not give the opportunity to someone who might not make a James Hunt of the actual Finals tournament itself? We're fast approaching the point whereby we are sticking by a proven failure, not a proven success. That's if we haven't actually passed that point already.

Wouldn’t dispute any of that. Mainly because it’s fair enough and I understand it, but also because it becomes that tedious cat and mouse debate most of us have had to read since about who got us there, who shat it when we were there. 
 

I’m still in but a disastrous Nations League performance, which tonight wasn’t, will likely change that. 

[JS_FFC]

1 minute ago, PSJ.84 said:

Wouldn’t dispute any of that. Mainly because it’s fair enough and I understand it, but also because it becomes that tedious cat and mouse debate most of us have had to read since about who got us there, who shat it when we were there. 
 

I’m still in but a disastrous Nations League performance, which tonight wasn’t, will likely change that. 

This was our easiest group game and we’ve lost it by giving away two needless penalties. In what universe is that not a disaster?

[AUcal]

12 minutes ago, Snobot said:

Hats off to the 4 drunk fat morons in D4 north stand who decided to start assaulting each other at half time. Never seen anything like it at a Scotland game, blue on blue violence.

A mate was telling me about that. There was also a couple of p***ks near me giving abuse to Poland supporters in the home end. Horrendous lazy stereotypes. It was all just families.

They then tried to kick off with a steward when folk told them to zip it.

Wasn't actually going to make it along tonight but last minute change of plans made it possible - then spent the first half miserable with these p***ks constantly in earshot.

[git-intae-thum]

I'd have Christie in for McLean.

He plays that deeper role for Bournmouth. Can't understand why we have yet to try him in the double pivot with Gilmour.

Also...it will free up a space for a Gauld/Morgan/Doak type creative player and give us more going forward.

 

[Boo Khaki]

3 minutes ago, MarkoP said:

So much he once got given a managers gig 

Aye, having initially turned it down, and after the BoD went crawling back to him having been KB'd by their back-up plan. Really odd, considering the consensus in Dunfermline was that he was less than impressive in his time coaching there.

[Insert Amusing Pseudonym]

1 minute ago, git-intae-thum said:

I'd have Christie in for McLean.

He plays that deeper role for Bournmouth. Can't understand why we have yet to try him in the double pivot with Gilmour.

Also...it will free up a space for a Gauld/Morgan/Doak type creative player and give us more going forward.

 

100% agree.  McLean is a tidy enough player but never plays a progressive pass.  Christie would be much better there

[Salvo Montalbano]

58 minutes ago, ArabFC said:

Hanley fcuked up, but you could at least see what he was attempting to do - we see that second too slow challenge all the time. There was literally no way Ralston could win the ball sticking his leg in like that. None, zilch, nada. I couldn't even understand how it was a penalty when the ref first blew, because it didn't make any sense that a defender would do that.

A still image always makes it look worse. Looked in real time that he thought the ball was ahead of him and he'd be able to gather it and turn around in one movement, either not realising the Polish player was coming in or believing he could get there first. Now both of those excuses would be poor positional awareness and sloppy defending, but in real time and trying to see what he's seeing, I can understand what he was trying to do. 

Hanley on the other hand... (although it all came from McGinn losing it in the centre circle).

[PSJ.84]

1 minute ago, JS_FFC said:

This was our easiest group game and we’ve lost it by giving away two needless penalties. In what universe is that not a disaster?

Appreciate I sound like a manager making excuses - it’s disappointing but miles from a disaster. 

[Virtual Insanity]

I'm no Clarke fan but you absolutely cannot legislate for two horror show penalties like that. That said, you can legislate for starting Kenny McLean as part of your strongest 11.

[ArabFC]

2 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

A still image always makes it look worse. Looked in real time that he thought the ball was ahead of him and he'd be able to gather it and turn around in one movement, either not realising the Polish player was coming in or believing he could get there first. Now both of those excuses would be poor positional awareness and sloppy defending, but in real time and trying to see what he's seeing, I can understand what he was trying to do. 

Hanley on the other hand... (although it all came from McGinn losing it in the centre circle).

Yes, it's a still image. Go back and watch the video. He knows the Polish player is there and if he thinks he can get there first, well... fcuking hell!

[TheMotherwell1]

1 minute ago, Virtual Insanity said:

I'm no Clarke fan but you absolutely cannot legislate for two horror show penalties like that. That said, you can legislate for starting Kenny McLean as part of your strongest 11.

Can also legislate for picking Hanley and Ralston.

2 Stupit idiots.

[Quentin Taranbino]

Just watched Clarkes press conference post game

"The team sheet was good...."

"Happy with the performance....."

[Boo Khaki]

2 minutes ago, PSJ.84 said:

Appreciate I sound like a manager making excuses - it’s disappointing but miles from a disaster. 

I can't shake the feeling though, that we'll squeak a result somewhere down the line, possibly in Poland, and we'll be looking back at tonight as the blown opportunity that would have seen us in the playoff as a minimum had we conceded one fewer or scored one more. It's usually a case of hindsight with Scotland, and the margin between success and failure being wafer thin, so I don't buy into the "humpings the rest of the way" narrative. The last couple of Euro qualifications have bucked that trend a wee bit, but we returned to "form" in the WC playoff, losing comfortably to a "meh" side at home, so I fear that in a few months from now it'll be a case of "we could have stayed in Pool A but for that daft result v's Poland".

[PSJ.84]

1 minute ago, Boo Khaki said:

I can't shake the feeling though, that we'll squeak a result somewhere down the line, possibly in Poland, and we'll be looking back at tonight as the blown opportunity that would have seen us in the playoff as a minimum had we conceded one fewer or scored one more. It's usually a case of hindsight with Scotland, and the margin between success and failure being wafer thin, so I don't buy into the "humpings the rest of the way" narrative. The last couple of Euro qualifications have bucked that trend a wee bit, but we returned to "form" in the WC playoff, losing comfortably to a "meh" side at home, so I fear that in a few months from now it'll be a case of "we could have stayed in Pool A but for that daft result v's Poland".

Its inevitable.  Part of the fun!