A quick word? Velocity! Scotland under Gordon Strachan 2013-2016

A new era begins tonight with a sell out crowd to watch a shit friendly on a shit pitch.

I have modest ambitions. One of which is for the team to have modest ambitions - something beyond defending resolutely but still losing would be nice.

Looks like Gogs has been making noises about finding the best way to attempt play with two forwards - I think that will mean playing a "forward" in a midfield five and calling it a front two when we've got the ball.

I'm slightly concerned with all this talk of a pressing game high up the pitch when our next competitive game is against a team with Gareth Bale in it. Is there anyone who can run faster into space with a football?

Felix Baumgartner

blatant diver

gone down a bit easy there, gravity's hardly touched him.

The idea of putting Alan Hutton on Gareth Bale gives me the heebie jeebies. This will, however, obviously only last for about ten minutes before Hutton heads for an early bath after lunging hopelessly at his disappearing heels. And then we'll have a return to the fucking awful idea once seen at Celtic of putting Gary Caldwell out at right back :(

Despite some weird decision-making in his time at Celtic and my reservations about still including Kenny Miller, I'm still cautiously optimistic about his chances of galvanising an average squad into getting average-and-better results rather than falling below even the lowest of expectations.

More positive line-up than I expected tonight with Burke, Adam, Brown and Maloney all getting forward well to support Fletcher.

I forgot to mention Naismith, who's nominally the second striker, I think.

Charlie Mulgrew scores to get the new golden age of Scottish football up and running. It's mostly been rubbish.

It is a bit pish, isn't it? I had completely forgotten Chris Burke even existed, tbh. Still, I like the idea of players that go forward, even if it's a bit manky in principle right now.

this title seems discordant scotland seem to produce some of the least athletic players ever (adam, broadfoot, mcfadden etc)

how many legit fast scottish players are there? forrest, hutton.....fletcher and brown can (could) cover the ground alright i guess

We're not blessed with pace, no. Naismith can look quick over five yards. Maloney does ok with wee tiny legs. Wallace, maybe?

Lack of pace is the thing that worries me most about playing a high pressing game vs Wales. That and Gary Caldwell.

Tony Watt (not in the senior squad though)

ive always thought players like lennon and maloney should have their speed measured in hz rather than m/s

maloney on a good day would be maybe 15hz, which would cover about 4ft

Gary Caldwell is the epitome of lack of pace, it's true.

all i know about watt is the goal vs barca, is he a real talent or another kiko macheda?

Real talent, I think.

maloney on a good day would be maybe 15hz, which would cover about 4ft

Aye, like in video games where it takes 300 steps to do 100m.

Tony Watt scored for the u21s today.

Lost track of the HT changes - who did Rhodes replace?

Maloney and Burke off, I think

i don't think hutton on bale is that bad an idea, he can at least compete for speed/power down the flanks

who else have you got? bardsley is another remedial psycho but doesn't really have athleticism to make up for it

Hutton has the pace to get close enough to scythe Bale down but I worry that he likes overlapping too much which will leave Bale running at or away from a centre hoff.

That is a very good question, to which I don't have an answer. We're not exactly blessed with fullbacks in Scotland.

xpost

A win's a win and all that but... meh. Good to see us being so positive, even if we weren't very good at it.

Berra gives me the shits.

Kenny Miller needs to be retired. It's got to the point that it annoys me when he makes a decent contribution because it only prolongs his international career.

Should we relieved that our goalkeeper doesn't have a broken wrist but is instead so stupid he missed a game because he had just wrapped his hands so tightly that they went numb?

Ha, I never heard about that. Though I knew before googling that it was bound (no pun intended) to be McGregor.

So, we excited then? Scared? Ambivalent? Do we all applaud John Brown's insightful assessment of how to handle Gareth Bale ("he can't run with no legs", aye, very good ya bawbag)? Has it been snowed off yet?

Kenny Miller needs to be retired. It's got to the point that it annoys me when he makes a decent contribution because it only prolongs his international career

I missed this earlier, but I share this sentiment exactly.

I'm looking forward to it. We were better than Wales up to a point in the last game so there's every chance we can get a win. All I'm really hoping for from this campaign now is that it generates some enthusiasm for the next one.

I worry that the hype surrounding Bale will influence our team selection/strategy too much. I have grumbled many a time about Gordon Strachan taking away what Celtic were good at in order to attempt to negate the other team's strengths.

Yeah, I have "Gary Caldwell or Glenn Loovens at fullback" flashbacks every so often :( I'm happy to not qualify if we can still stop our slide down the world rankings. If we can do that (i.e. not get gubbed off everyone), I'll count that as a success.

Also, my new favourite pub of choice is doing one of those "free pint if Scotland win" promos. I may get a chance to see if they actually honour it (didn't work the last time I went in all full of optimism, stupid Craig Levein or CRAIG LEVEIN FUCK OFF FUCK OFF CRAIG LEVEIN to give him his full ILF name)

Fletcher injured.

Miller on.

Strachan out.

10 minutes gone, possession somewhere around Sco 0%- Wal 100%, give or take the odd aimless punt.

Grant Hanley holy fuck I know he's only young but in the fuck does he think he's doing? "I'm going to press high up the pitch and pass it to Bale and Bellamy every time I get it." Gary Caldwell victim instead of perp for once in the heart attack defending.

Snodgrass won't see the end of this game, if he isn't subbed he'll be sent off.

Still nothing remotely resembling possession for Scotland.

Ooh chance! For Miller :(

Feel sorry for the clubs Strachan sends this lot back to. They've had all their fitba replaced with jitters.

lol ridiculous to be winning this

I suppose that last 15 minutes was better, we strung a few (ok three) passes together and created a couple of chances before the goal. I think some of our players were forgetting that apart from all the OMG GARETH BALE shite Wales are also a struggling team.

Ha, Scotland going to be clear in third at this rate; albeit eight points behind the second-placed team. After five games.

Bale off before assassination attempt. We might actually do this. Incidentally, Hanley is 21. Rough paper round, huh?

hit woodword - beginning to believe - been here before

Snodgrass won't see the end of this game, if he isn't subbed he'll be sent off.

Onimo is prob the most consistently otm ilf head imo

― mister borges (darraghmac), Friday, 22 March 2013 21:07 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

boy oh boy

If I can see that after 20 minutes why can't the three experienced managers on the Scotland bench?

dispirited as fuck right now. stopped believing in the strachanvolution when misser came on. guy is stuck in a timewarp where miller and heid matter.

I've seen some shite Scotland performances in my time but the first 20 minutes of this is possibly the worst ever.

From the other thread but co-sign on this one - I had to make sure we were playing Wales and not Spain. Watching this mob trying to kick Wales (that's Wales mind you) off the park is about as embarrassing as Scotland has ever been. Hanley, don't know where they got this cunt from but send him back pronto, useless clogger. Why is Hutton still playing for Scotland (or anyone)? Ditto Miller. Bring back Berti.

Aye, it was totally fucking embarrassing. 45 minutes of that was against a Wales that didn't have a Gareth Bale. Wales. ffs. Strachan out.

I believe Scotland are now the only team in Europe who cannot qualify for the World Cup :(

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/665/2014worldcupqualificati.png

Orange = games left to play, can't qualify

I thought England holding on last night had put San Marino out; but no, there could still be a three-way tie there that'd put San Marino through.

Brave new dawn. Lots of positives from that, not least that we had a nominally better XI not playing.

Griffiths is a man short with so little support. If we're going to isolate a forward so much I'd rather go with a Big or a Nippy rather than a Deek.

Shame it was treated as a dead rubber. I know we can't qualify for 2014 but every result is important to our chances of ever quantifying for anything. Are we above Burkina Faso yet?

This England match hasn't exactly captured the imagination yet. Still, gives everyone a chance to talk about getting pished and breaking goalposts.

I think we'd be better using international breaks to rack up ranking points against teams worse than ours in the hope of clawing our way up a seeding pot at some point.

My Dad broke his back trying to climb a drainpipe to break into his own house to watch a Scotland vs England game. True story.

Is it on the telly? Don't fancy trying to watch it in a pub tbh.

Yay, 's on ITV

I am instead amusing myself by watching the endless stream of invective being sent their way on twitter.

http://firstrows.biz/soccer/poland-scotland-frsd1782#

yay

So Scotland are actually a bit good now

They're better than they were but I think they still struggle with the notion that they're allowed to try to keep the ball. It's odd to see otherwise proficient passers of the ball struggle to do so when they're wearing a Scotland strip.

Cracking strike from Brown. I keep hoping, despite years of evidence, that there's a goalscoring midfielder in there.

Mulgrew-Berra-Hanley-Whittaker should do just fine compared to Maicon-Luiz-Gustavo-Marcelo. A gulf in quality.

How many more international caps would Kirk Broadfoot have won if he'd been Brazilian?

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jul/14/england-scotland-friendly-celtic-park

SURELY we can beat them this time?

quarter to eight, on a sunday, on sky sports bloody 5

ach

Well that was better than I expected

I missed it :(

That chance that Naismith hit the outside of the upright with...!

That chance that Naismith blootered into row Z...!

Pretty decent and massively heartened by the way we kept going for it right until the end, no pluckiness or settling for Strachan's Scotland. Though *surely* there's a better right back somewhere in Scotland than Alan Hutton.

I saw Hutton look averagely capable for Villa the other week, I think.

Lovely goal from Anya.

Horrorshow defending to allow Germany's second.

Much better in the second half from scotland though, a decent showing.

Can't help but think someone will take points off Germany.

Ireland will! Perhaps. Scotland really gave Germany a game. They were unlucky really and Howedes should have sent off too. Is there no European qualifiers thread btw?

Not pretty in parts, but a decent victory. There's probably a point to be made about the respective Celtic tenures of Strachan and O'Neill, but I can't be arsed making it.

hanley shouldve been sent off in the first half but in the interests of fairness, scotland played something approaching football and ireland didnt

Best goal.

Predictions for tomorrow anyone?

I'm just going to go ahead and say that I think Scotland will win it

Hard to call. Maloney's goal aside, we barely got a shot on target on Friday. I expect a quick start but once it settles down I think we'll end up defending deep and struggling to get out.

1-1 or 1-2

England 2-0

I reckon a draw or a sneaky 1-0 win for someone. Yes, my arse *is* full of splinters from this fence I am perched upon.

I also predict giant amounts of trouble and considerably less fuss made in parliament than the "shame game" generated.

England 4-0

somehow between all of the little forrests and gaulds and feruzes (do they still not want to play for you?) i had a sense that scotland was getting a bit more interesting but looking at that team and it's still pretty real, seemingly more champo players than ever before

Not long now: The teams line up in the tunnel, with England being led out by Wayne Rooney and Scott Brown doing the honours for Scotland. Both have their game faces on and there’s little or no interaction between the players of either side.

this couldnt be less appealing a a setup for a fitba match but if anyone wants to go one better than that useless oaf glendenning id be interested to know what that sort of formation that strange looking england team is playing

Draw written all over it.

Scott Brown catches James Milner with a late challenge.

http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-1430/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/11/18/1416340351592/34bc5b24-a9e6-4a3c-b340-b93a3e823a15-2060x1236.jpeg

I'm just going to go ahead and say that I think Scotland will win it

― paolo, Monday, 17 November 2014 19:19 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

:(

Has Forster even had to make a save yet?

No.

Two shit blocked shots from Whittaker the sum of our "chances" so far iirc.

really well worked goal from Robinson just now. Scotland have been shit all second half tbh tho

I hate friendlies. This has taught me little other than that Johnny Russell has abysmal tattoos and I *still* don't know what James Morrison looks like.

Bloke next to me in pub when Stevie May came on "have we run out of players and are just dragging punters out the crowd now?"

Delighted that May got his first cap, though I have my obvious (blue and white tinted) reasons to wish it had been in the Nigeria game.

Lovely goal from Robertson, great game from him all round. Some rise for the boy.

Only watched the first half and last ten, was out on my back and back just in time for the Scotland goal. Too easy for the third, but well taken.

so so bad :(

I'm predicting a comfortable win for England here :(

Almost as bad, we're having to endure Kevin Gallagher's excruciating Anglo-Scottish vowel sounds.

Still hanging on in there....

Strachan out. Thread ends*.

*until we appoint someone even worse

Talk on Radio Scotland of Malky Mackay as possible interim manager for an upcoming friendly and “if he does well...”.

One bookie has stopped taking bets on Moyes.

Oh joy!

Talk on Radio Scotland of Malky Mackay as possible interim manager for an upcoming friendly and “if he does well...”.

One bookie has stopped taking bets on Moyes.

Oh joy!

― michaellambert, Thursday, October 12, 2017 12:20 PM (five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

jesus christ.

big sam for scotland imo

Big Sam would be fascinating but I'm not sure I'd be that excited about it.

I was at a charity do tonight where Roddy Forsyth was co-hosting and he advised the entire audience to lob money on Michael O'Neill at 14-1. I'd take that. Or Big Sam.

It'll be fucking Lambert or Moyes or someone. I'll fucking chuck it if they appoint Malky MacKay. Though apparently sexist and racist and homophobic bantz is no barrier to a top gig.

This makes for depressing reading:

https://www.oddschecker.com/football/football-specials/scotland/next-permanent-manager

Would Ian Cathro be a terrible idea? Derek McInnes? Tommy Wright? I get the feeling these guys are better than the clubs they manage(d). I'd genuinely die laughing if Neil Lennon got it.

Cathro: Can’t see him being trusted regardless of ability.
Wright: Hands off! Though if the NI job came up I think he’d want it.
McInnis: I think he sees his immediate future in club management, so unlikely to take the national team while still in a club job.

Malky Mackay is taking over as 'interim manager'. I can see where that might lead.

Brexit?

of course they've picked malky mckay interim - and will make him permanent if he does well.

sfa wanks.

meanwhile big sam remains the only choice for me. I've only just found out both his parents were from the scottish borders. bring him home!

quite pleased strachan's gone tbh. good run etc but he just doesn't seem like a very nice person.

I would have thought O'Neill would be impossible but so many journos have hinted at it for the last year that I think he's been touting himself. Would be thrilled with him.

Would be keen on O’Neill.

But I get that sinking feeling about the job being Mackay’s to lose.

Aye, already resigned to Mackay being the latest off the conveyor belt of mediocrity. It's almost like the SFA aren't fit for purpose or something.