scotland national team news, build-ups etc..

[frasermc]

barry ferguson is a doubt for the match in toftir..

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/preview/0,16374,1873_2167323,00.html


could this be divine intervention?

barry ferguson and gary caldwell are both one yellow card away from missing a match. our next match after the faroes is lithuania at home and it's another must win. i think we have adequate cover for caldwell but missing ferguson for the lithuania game would be a blow.

am i getting over confident when i say that i think we can dispose of the faroes without the risk of ferguson playing and collecting another yellow or having to play with a slight injury?

i know italy struggled towards the end of their match but in all truth they should have been coasting before then anyway.

[TCNJFan]

am i getting over confident when i say that i think we can dispose of the faroes without the risk of ferguson playing and collecting another yellow or having to play with a slight injury?

i know italy struggled towards the end of their match but in all truth they should have been coasting before then anyway.

This isn't going to be a repeat of the 6-0 result at Celtic Park. I expect the Faroes to emboldened by their match against Italy. Let's hope that we can get 3 points and put pressure on Italy and France (who will know our result before they kickoff).

I don't expect France to stumble at home to Georgia, but a shaky Italian squad going to Lithuania could be very interesting if they are forced to get 3 points against a squad that managed a draw in Italy. Anything but a win in Lithuania could end Italy's chances of qualifying (they're home to France and away to the Ukraine in September).

[frasermc]

This isn't going to be a repeat of the 6-0 result at Celtic Park. I expect the Faroes to emboldened by their match against Italy. Let's hope that we can get 3 points and put pressure on Italy and France (who will know our result before they kickoff).

I don't expect France to stumble at home to Georgia, but a shaky Italian squad going to Lithuania could be very interesting if they are forced to get 3 points against a squad that managed a draw in Italy. Anything but a win in Lithuania could end Italy's chances of qualifying (they're home to France and away to the Ukraine in September).

i agree. i don't think for a minute we're going to knock 6 past them but i do believe we will win. our away form recently has been exceptional, aside from a poor performance in bari where we never recovered from losing such a soft opening goal.

at the very least, by the law of averages we're due a result in toftir..:D

[justboy]

barry ferguson is a doubt for the match in toftir..


i know italy struggled towards the end of their match but in all truth they should have been coasting before then anyway.

To be fair though, it wasn't the strongest attacking team from Italy. The only attacking player that started against us and the Faroes was Pirlo.

at the very least, by the law of averages we're due a result in toftir..:D

Surely they Faroes are too though? :)

[nach0king]

Everyone's getting moist over the Faroes' performance against Italy, but does anyone really think Italy took it as anything other than a training match?

We'll win comfortably.

[YankHibee]

I'm not worried at all about the Faroes match, everybody still has bad memories of the Faroes and then Faroes-Italy gave some creedence to the people who tend to worry too much. I say 4-1 Scotland.

[Parkhead_Faithful]

Typical McLeish performance, one decent half one pap one. Team looks to have turned off since the half and the faroes are stepping it up a gear, should really have pulled one back. Third goal will kill it but we are getting nothing going forward.

[Scottish_Morton]

Perfect first half, ridiculously awful second half.

[colgate13]

Does anyone know who the august friendly is against?

[frasermc]

Does anyone know who the august friendly is against?

at this moment in time it's still to be decided...

SCOTLAND A INTERNATIONAL TEAM
Tennent’s A International Friendly Match
Scotland v (to be confirmed), Wednesday, 22 August 2007

that's from the SFA's website.

[jonny63]

Scotland will play against South Africa on 22 August.

[frasermc]

scotland squad for the match against south africa at pittodrie.

Scotland squad:

Goalkeepers: Neil Alexander (Ipswich Town), Craig Gordon (Sunderland), David Marshall (Norwich City), Allan McGregor (Rangers)

Defenders: Graham Alexander (Preston North End), Russell Anderson (Sunderland) Gary Caldwell (Celtic), Alan Hutton (Rangers), Jay McEveley (Derby County), Stephen McManus (Celtic), Steven Pressley (Celtic)

Midfielders: Scott Brown (Celtic), Darren Fletcher (Manchester United), Stephen Pearson (Derby County), Barry Robson (Dundee United) Gary Teale (Derby County)

Forwards: Craig Beattie (West Bromwich Albion), Kris Boyd (Rangers), James McFadden (Everton), Shaun Maloney (Aston Villa) Kenny Miller (Celtic), Garry O'Connor (Birmingham City)



also james morrison has received clearance and looks set for a debut.

The Scottish FA has finally received clearance from FIFA to play midfielder James Morrison.

The West Bromwich Albion player qualifies for Scotland through his grandparents, but had previously played for England at youth international level. Under FIFA regulations a player can switch to a different nationality before his 21st birthday, and the player did so before he turned 21, in May.

However, completing the paperwork has taken longer than expected, and after verbal assurances from FIFA that everything was in order, Alex McLeish finally received a welcome fax from the world governing body that Morrison is clear to play for Scotland.

Morrison is set to make his Scotland debut on Wednesday at Pittodrie against South Africa, and is one of several new players in the squad alongside Barry Robson of Dundee United, Jay McEveley of Derby County and Hearts captain Christophe Berra.


glad to see barry robson getting a shout as he's a player i've always liked. also, chrostophe berra is in the squad as well but not in the list at the top from the BBC's website.

[st mirren till i die]

Good to see Pearson back in the set up, always liked him as a player, seemed to get frozen out under Strachan. Strange however that Naismith has been left out, obviously McLeish doesn't want to raise his transfer value any further ;)

They should have all Scotland games at Pittodrie, better atmosphere and it's sheepshaggers that seem to make up the bulk of the Tartan Army.