GaryWood34 Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 (edited) Mornin' The negativity on here saddens me, it really does. We had a tough group in the Euro's and I firmly believe we would have qualified comfortably if we had been given the group of any other home nation. This time around we have one of the best groups we could have been given. The top seed are the weakest top seed available in none other than England. Also you have the passion in that match that can be an equaliser (see our last competitive match against the great unwashed). In the second seed I see a team in Slovakia that are not better than Poland or ROI, we played 4 matches combined against these teams in our european qualification group and tasted defeat zero times. Slovenia, Lithuania were about as good as it gets from those pots with both countries being close by. Malta could have been easier as the last seeded team. Overall it was a fantastic result. Before the draw was made I was very sad indeed and drew up a list of best and worst scenario's for all of the pots - This draw was around 80% the best would could have been given. For the Euro's I performed the same very sad task and we were given a group at 10%. In the past we have had some horrible groups. Drawing the world cup finalists in our European Championship Group. Getting Spain when they were unbeatable and then Germany hot off of a world cup win. The draw gods haven't smiled on as often and we have always been up against it. This time though - they've given us a real real chance. 2 months eh. Cannot wait. Edited July 6, 2016 by GaryWood34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairbairn Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 I admire your optimism however I think it's unfounded. Â I'd be surprised if we take anything more than a point from England. Â I think you're doing Slovakia a disservice by saying they are no better than ROI. Â They have some cracking players such as Skrtel, Kucka, Pekarik and a real star in Hamsik. Â They've got players playing for the likes of Roma, Sampdoria and AC Milan. Â Our first pick striker plays for Sheffield Wednesday. Â Being honest I'd be surprised if we take more than 2 points from them. Â Slovenia I don't know much about and Lithuania have improved from team we played a few years back and won't be pushovers, especially away from home. As much as I'd love to see us qualify, I think finishing 3rd in this group would be an "achievement". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brassrubber Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Cheers Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairbairn Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 39 minutes ago, Brassrubber said: Cheers Gordon To be fair, given his recent comments, Strachan's post would be similar to mine!!  "We're no good enough, our players are pish"!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 23 minutes ago, Fairbairn said: "We're no good enough, our players are pish"!! Cheers Gordon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairbairn Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 33 minutes ago, deecie said: Cheers Gordon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkieRobRoy Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 If everyone was of the 'WHY ALL THE NEGATIVITY? GET BEHIND THE TEAM AND BELEEEEEEEEIVE!!!!!' disposition there would be no need for a talkboard. When I'm at the games and the whistle goes I'll be right behind the team, but until then my 'negativity' - actually, just a tendency to analyse things and question them  - will be given full rein. England have better players than us and by then will be trying to impress a new manager who will have got rid of timewasters. Slovenia and Slovakia are at least our equals. Lithuania and Malta are just the sort of banana skins that go all banana-ey and skin-ey when we encounter them. GS will pick some of the right players, bafflingly ignore some others (eg Shinnie) and keep looking for diamonds in the dross of English League 1 players whose Grandads had an Andy Stewart single. National teams from small countries who 'just haven't got the players' CAN make an impact as we have seen recently, and may see again tonight - but they have to go about things the right way, like we don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radian Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 (edited) Even to finish 2nd, aren't the playoffs seeded?  Which means either France/Netherlands/Sweden from their group or Italy/Spain from their group which we'd get as we'd prob be the worst ranked.  It will be along time before we play in a WC again, that's just being realistic.  This campaign is about keeping a high ranking so we get a good draw for the Euro qualifiers with trying to blood youngsters in. Euro 2020 is the main goal in my eyes anyway. Edited July 6, 2016 by Radian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bossman4 Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 45 minutes ago, KirkieRobRoy said: If everyone was of the 'WHY ALL THE NEGATIVITY? GET BEHIND THE TEAM AND BELEEEEEEEEIVE!!!!!' disposition there would be no need for a talkboard. When I'm at the games and the whistle goes I'll be right behind the team, but until then my 'negativity' - actually, just a tendency to analyse things and question them  - will be given full rein. England have better players than us and by then will be trying to impress a new manager who will have got rid of timewasters. Slovenia and Slovakia are at least our equals. Lithuania and Malta are just the sort of banana skins that go all banana-ey and skin-ey when we encounter them. GS will pick some of the right players, bafflingly ignore some others (eg Shinnie) and keep looking for diamonds in the dross of English League 1 players whose Grandads had an Andy Stewart single. National teams from small countries who 'just haven't got the players' CAN make an impact as we have seen recently, and may see again tonight - but they have to go about things the right way, like we don't. Can you name the last English League 1 player to play for us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudScot Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 11 minutes ago, bossman4 said: Can you name the last English League 1 player to play for us? Craig Mackail-Smith? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bossman4 Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 2 hours ago, ProudScot said: Craig Mackail-Smith? Actually think you might be correct, played against Brazil in March 2011 when Peterborough were in League One. He moved to Brighton that summer. What my original point was meant to be was when has Strachan ever picked a player from League One? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceudmilefailte Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 It is as good a group as we could get, but to suggest we would have qualified from the other home nations groups for euros is pure fantasy .As for Poland and the ROI  they both beat Georgia  twice? and the Germans once each. The unlucky us story is wearing thin, truth is we were awful in the last campaign. However if everything falls our way we can win the group that's the nature of the game, just ask Leicester. If some of our young players progress enough we can win the world cup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkieRobRoy Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 5 hours ago, bossman4 said: Actually think you might be correct, played against Brazil in March 2011 when Peterborough were in League One. He moved to Brighton that summer. What my original point was meant to be was when has Strachan ever picked a player from League One? It's exaggeration, old sport. I wasn't entirely serious about the Andy Stewart single thing either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COLT NY Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 8 hours ago, ceudmilefailte said: truth is we were awful in the last campaign It's really not though... We were awful in Tblisi, but that's it. Our rivals were better than us though, so fair play to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceudmilefailte Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Apart from Gibraltar we Won two games out of 8 both by a single goal,, pretty awful in my books. I haven't said get rid of Strachan but we were till very poor.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
er yir macaroon Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Anyone who settles for less than second in this group needs to forget about football. It's the negative "we can never do that" attitude that holds Scotland back, including in non-football matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 6 minutes ago, er yir macaroon said: Anyone who settles for less than second in this group needs to forget about football. It's the negative "we can never do that" attitude that holds Scotland back, including in non-football matters. Couldn't agree more here. We have a losers mentality in Scotland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macy37 Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 The chances of us qualifying out of this group is zero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 20 hours ago, ProudScot said: Craig Mackail-Smith? *Shudders* I'd almost forgotten about that utter embarrassment of a player representing us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 8 hours ago, COLT NY said: It's really not though... We were awful in Tblisi, but that's it. Our rivals were better than us though, so fair play to them. We were awful at home to Georgia too. Strachan's comments after the match were Leveinesque, claiming we were brilliant.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairbairn Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 6 minutes ago, Parklife said: We were awful at home to Georgia too. Strachan's comments after the match were Leveinesque, claiming we were brilliant.  And a very good goal glossed over a relatively average performance against Ireland at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 9 minutes ago, Fairbairn said: And a very good goal glossed over a relatively average performance against Ireland at home. Yup. If Hanley had got the red card he deserved, that may have turned out very differently (without mentioning them hitting the bar in the closing stages). Yet folk still claim we were "unlucky" in the last campaign.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitch Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 27 minutes ago, Parklife said: We were awful at home to Georgia too. Strachan's comments after the match were Leveinesque, claiming we were brilliant.  LOVE TO KNOW WHAT GAME YOU WATCHED. we controlled the Georgia game had all the play and had a few chances to score. They had 1 chance near the end of the game and sat back. parked the bus. if that is a bad way to win a game then i guess most of the top teams need to change what they do. ROI did the same they sat back and wanted the draw. The only chance they had was again near the end of the game and that was an OG. Even Poland got very lucky to get a draw  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 33 minutes ago, stitch said: LOVE TO KNOW WHAT GAME YOU WATCHED. we controlled the Georgia game had all the play and had a few chances to score. They had 1 chance near the end of the game and sat back. parked the bus. if that is a bad way to win a game then i guess most of the top teams need to change what they do. ROI did the same they sat back and wanted the draw. The only chance they had was again near the end of the game and that was an OG. Even Poland got very lucky to get a draw   There's so much wrong there that i can't even be bothered getting in to a discussion on it. I do love when folk type in block capitals, it totally reinforces their point and in no way makes them look like a zoomer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudScot Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 52 minutes ago, stitch said: LOVE TO KNOW WHAT GAME YOU WATCHED. we controlled the Georgia game had all the play and had a few chances to score. They had 1 chance near the end of the game and sat back. parked the bus. if that is a bad way to win a game then i guess most of the top teams need to change what they do. ROI did the same they sat back and wanted the draw. The only chance they had was again near the end of the game and that was an OG. Even Poland got very lucky to get a draw  I would almost say the complete opposite to what you have said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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