ErsatzThistle Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Looks like we're getting a friendly in before Slovenia at home. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38564701 Quote Scotland boss Gordon Strachan hopes to play a friendly before their "must-win" World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in March to give some players game-time. The Scots are four points adrift of their second-placed opponents, with four of their next five games at home. "We have to start winning games at home. And we have to win the next one, that's for sure," Strachan said. "We'll probably play a friendly before it, because at the moment we have a lot of players not getting a regular game." Scotland started their campaign with an encouraging 5-1 win in Malta, but after a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Lithuania, damaging 3-0 away defeats by Slovakia in October and group leaders England in November have left their qualifying hopes hanging by a thread. "Two or three weeks after the England game, we have six strikers who we usually call on and only one played for their team that weekend," Strachan added. "So that's why we'll have a friendly, so guys like that can have games. "It's been a disappointing year but we have to put that aside now and look forward to this year. Whatever happens the players will give as much as they can." Strachan succeeded Craig Levein in January 2013 and signed a two-year extension last summer after failing to lead the national side to Euro 2016. Speculation over his future intensified after the defeats by Slovakia and England, before the Scottish FA gave the 59-year-old their "unanimous" backing to remain in the role. Strachan has won eight of his 20 competitive matches in charge, but only three - against Gibraltar, twice, and Malta - of the past 10. "There's a huge bit of disappointment, that's for sure," he told Sky Sports. "You have to deal with that. "I think that maybe a year previous, I thought we were so close to being a good team. "I think we were playing like a team, we moved like a team together and that was a disappointment because I thought we were going to take it from there to become a right good side. "Circumstances are against you sometimes, but we can't blame anyone else apart from ourselves." Two questions then: Ideally, who should we be playing ? Realistically, who will we end up playing ? Luxembourg or Cyprus at Easter Road is my guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan cake Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 somewhere sunny iv not been would be nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debian Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Andorra at Forthbank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazziessc Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Surly odds on to be a home game. What date are we looking at... the Wednesday before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86glebestreet Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Play Brazil and Scott Brown might decide to play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudScot Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Estonia Pittodrie Squad exactly the same as always Football terrible 0-0 draw Attendance 8,716 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 53 minutes ago, Mazziessc said: Surly odds on to be a home game. What date are we looking at... the Wednesday before? Given the over kill of away games last year, you would assume so, but home friendlies cost the SFA money and you would amuse that they would probably want a away game ahead of a home game. Given the time of year and way Strachan is talking about playing someone more beatable or round about our level, I really doubt he would want to take the team into Eastern Europe or Scandinavia to play in poor conditions just a few days before a make or break qualifier. My gut feeling is a home match at Easter Road against the likes of Norway, Finland or Latvia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reevesy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Latvia at Rugby park will do fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudScot Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 20 minutes ago, wanderer said: Given the over kill of away games last year, you would assume so, but home friendlies cost the SFA money and you would amuse that they would probably want a away game ahead of a home game. Given the time of year and way Strachan is talking about playing someone more beatable or round about our level, I really doubt he would want to take the team into Eastern Europe or Scandinavia to play in poor conditions just a few days before a make or break qualifier. My gut feeling is a home match at Easter Road against the likes of Norway, Finland or Latvia. Can't see us beating any of those teams to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 19 minutes ago, Reevesy said: Latvia at Rugby park will do fine Think the plastic pitch at Rugby park would stop it being a option, and with construction work at Tynecastle, really only Aberdeen or Easter Road. 1 minute ago, ProudScot said: Can't see us beating any of those teams to be honest. Finland did not win a single game in 2016 (granted their league select squad beat Morocco 1-0 the other day in a friendly)...... SFA are not going to go all out and invite San Marino or Andorra in hope of a 6-0 win to boost morale (I doubt they would even go as far as entertaining the Luxembourg proposal, unless they offered a good deal to come across and play them), but more middle of the road teams like ones I suggested (basically give us a tough game, but ultimately are winnable games) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reevesy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 29 minutes ago, wanderer said: Think the plastic pitch at Rugby park would stop it being a option, and with construction work at Tynecastle, really only Aberdeen or Easter Road. Good point about the plastic pitch. Think Qatar was the last time we played away from Hampden? Must be the Dandies turn then. Having said that, Tannadice would be big enough for all the interest there's going to be in this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudScot Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 3 minutes ago, Reevesy said: Good point about the plastic pitch. Think Qatar was the last time we played away from Hampden? Must be the Dandies turn then. Having said that, Tannadice would be big enough for all the interest there's going to be in this one. So would Harmsworth Park, Wick Academys ground. It can seat a couple of hundred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reevesy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Just now, ProudScot said: So would Harmsworth Park, Wick Academys ground. It can seat a couple of hundred. I'd be ok with that if the central belters get an away point for attending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reevesy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Why are Slovenia playing two matches this week btw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Any game should be played at Hampden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 34 minutes ago, Reevesy said: Why are Slovenia playing two matches this week btw? Teams can play a friendly match almost any day of the year, so do not need to stick to the designated FIFA slots. Pretty common at this time of year for the likes of the Eastern European and Scandinavian teams to head out to the middle east for warm weather camps and matches. IIRC Finland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Latvia are all out in the sunshine just now playing matches, granted these will not be full strength squads and mainly players from their own league making up the majority of the squads (Estonia actually went to play a series of games in the Caribbean just before Christmas). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazziessc Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 7 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said: Any game should be played at Hampden. Hopefully! As it should be. Depends on who they can get in terms of quality. Estonia, Faroes, Australia and Qatar were all played away from Hampden. 2x Pitordrie/2x Easter road. Similar quality will prob mean Pitordrie with it being easter road last time. Sfa seem to have started a trend of brining the national side closer to others for whatever reason. Half decent quality who hasn't already scheduled a game?? We will be lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
er yir macaroon Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 isn't the idea to play at Hampden to prepare the players? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 1 minute ago, Mazziessc said: Half decent quality who hasn't already scheduled a game?? We will be lucky. There is actually not all that many games announced for March yet....a lot of nations seem to be playing friendlies the night we play Slovenia, but there is only 6 or 7 games announced for the free week set aside before that (Russia v Belgium, Germany v England, Czech Republic v Lithuania and San Marino v Moldova etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazziessc Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Looking at teams who don't have a fixture scheduled and are of "similar" opposition to us. Sweden,Bulgaria,Switzerland,Portugal,Hungary,Serbia,Norway,Montenegro,Israel*,Greece,Ukraine and Russia. Although there is some lesser "teams" like Kazakhstan , Armenia or Lichtenstein. Assuming the game Would be the Wednesday before Slovenia, Israel and Ukraine would clash with that date and be unavailable. Probably not Hungary or Greece since they already have away ties too. Sweden,Bulgaria,Switzerland,Portugal,Serbia,Norway,Montenegro or Russia. Norway in Aberdeen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 3 minutes ago, Mazziessc said: Looking at teams who don't have a fixture scheduled and are of "similar" opposition to us. Sweden,Bulgaria,Switzerland,Portugal,Hungary,Serbia,Norway,Montenegro,Israel*,Greece,Ukraine and Russia. Although there is some lesser "teams" like Kazakhstan , Armenia or Lichtenstein. Assuming the game Would be the Wednesday before Slovenia, Israel and Ukraine would clash with that date and be unavailable. Probably not Hungary or Greece since they already have away ties too. Sweden,Bulgaria,Switzerland,Portugal,Serbia,Norway,Montenegro or Russia. Norway in Aberdeen? Russia have two games for March I am sure..... Belgium in Sochi and (need to check, but something tells me) Ivory Coast or something like that as well. I really doubt Strachan would want to take us into the Balkans in March after Serbia a few years back..... Norway are looking to appoint Bob Bradley as their new manager and are playing a game in Belfast when we play Slovenia, so do seem to tick a few boxes (plus we will probably owe them a game for the friendly a few years back, as the SFA do have a habit of sticking a return game clause in when arranging a match) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceudmilefailte Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Just now, ErsatzThistle said: Scotland boss Gordon Strachan hopes to play a friendly before their "must-win" World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in March to give some players game-time. That's the worst thing about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 1 hour ago, er yir macaroon said: isn't the idea to play at Hampden to prepare the players? Yes. We should play all our games at Hampden for t his reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDange Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 " Strachan has won eight of his 20 competitive matches in charge, but only three - against Gibraltar, twice, and Malta - of the past 10." That makes some pretty grim reading. Any game should be at Hampden to get the players ready, both physically and used to the environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewisEDI Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said: Yes. We should play all our games at Hampden for t his reason. exactly, nothing to gain from playing away from home, has to be hampden. wouldnt be suprised if its norway or finland Edited January 10, 2017 by LewisEDI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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