#GEOSCO | Here is the Scotland team to face @GeorgianFF in Tbilisi this evening. #WeAreScotland pic.twitter.com/JOI1NwNQYZ— Scottish FA (@ScottishFA) September 4, 2015
Not bad. I'd have preferred to see McArthur who has started the season well for Crystal Palace in central mid to offer a bit more dig and protection for the CB's. Also think with forwards you have to play the form player and that has to be Griffiths over Fletcher. Still, I reckon that team can take the 3pts.
Well what a pile of s**te that was! Making it even worse was hearing WGS after the game coming out with the comment 'we didn't do enough to win but we did enough not to lose'... WTF does that mean!!?! That kind of comment I would have expected from times gone by such as the Craig Levein years, but not now. Not with this squad and this manager at the helm. I have a lot of time for Gordon Strachan, and regardless of Friday's debacle I still think he is doing a good job on the whole and is the right man for the job but that statement above does him no favours. He's far better than that. I sincerely hope he stops picking players based on reputation and starts picking players based on form. James McArthur and Leigh Griffiths should be shoe-ins. Steven Fletcher, Shaun Maloney and a less than 100% Scott Brown should be taking a seat. Also, why not play an in form Steven Whittaker in defence next to his club mate Russell Martin instead of a player who, up until last weekend, hasn't been getting a look in for his club (Alan Hutton). Any kind of result tonight would be a huge bonus but that one lousy performance in Georgia (Germany, Poland and Ireland have all gone their and won in this group) could have cost us a chance at even a play-off place...
Someone needs to tell these Scotsmen these matches are not testimonials or friendlies. Lackadaisical attitudes and no sense of urgency from anyone going forward.
Haven't been able to keep it when they get it. No outlets and nobody going forward. Can't believe put up two on them . . . only level though.
Even if Scotland get a draw or win this game they can still piss off. This is not great for my health at all!
It all depends on you guys and how you do in Poland cause I assume Germany wont wont be nice Ireland too.
Pop Quiz: How can a team apply themselves so well against the World Champions and ultimately fail (as was always going to be the case) and yet produce a polar opposite performance three days previously against a team they should beat in a match that they had to win...? #ScotlandtheBrave
Nothing special about this. We call it "Champions League syndrom" when Buli teams have to play Mainz on a Saturday but in their heads they're already playing Barca on Wednesday.
I do agree with what you are saying only, I don't think you can compare club football to international football that easily. Yes, it's obviously the same game with the same rules but international football carries a whole different mind set to club football I reckon. The timescales are dramatically different meaning preparation for every international game should eliminate the example you provided above.
You dont think that Scotland players were going into the Georgia game thinking "well we should win this comfortably, the real important game is on Monday against the world champions and the result may influence our campaign."? Cause I considered that to be only human.
I don't know what they were thinking as such. The performance suggests that may be the case. What I'm saying is I understand how it can easily happen in club football but it should not happen in an international qualifying or finals matches if the prep work has been done correctly. If it has and players still went in with that kind of attitude then they should be out of the team until they can show the correct attitude. In club football where there are anywhere between 35-50+ games every season I can see how certain players concentration levels may drop off for the odd match here and there. When there are 8-10 international matches over the course of 12 months there shouldn't be room for complacency to set in. Furthermore, if it does, it needs to be eradicated, and quickly. When you're playing for your club and they're paying your wages the idea of dropping a player who has perceived to 'slack off' in a match has the potential to become a minefield at the club. International teams don't have that problem. Scotland may not have the quality (nor quantity) of player that a large majority of other countries have at their disposal but we still have a big enough base to drop players who aren't in the right frame of mind for important matches. This happens all too often with our national team for it to be waved off as human nature in my opinion.
Additionally the really important game was the Georgia game. Everyone knew that. Getting anything at all from the Germans was a bonus, nothing more.
I'm just pissed off that it seems like we've blown a decent chance of qualifying for a major finals yet again by losing a match we should have been busting a gut to win. We'll need Platini to approve a further expansion of the EURO's to around about 64 teams to give us a chance of getting there!
It's about our attitude. The whole backs against the wall thing brings out the best in Scottish teams. But as soon as we are favourites and dominating possession we really lack imagination. Always goes back to the same thing and we simply do not develop our youths with the correct attitude or ball work.
On behalf of the German footy crowd I apologize for the arrogant and utter disgrace that has happened today in Dublin.
Same old story. The attitude and confidence is just never there when it matters. I did see it ending like this 12 months ago.