Positives at last

[Jacques Hunt]

Great result but please, please, please, let's keep the heid. For a change, we got the lucky breaks and pleasing performances from Bannan, Snodgrass and Ritchie in particular. Burke looks raw but a prospect. 

I think that Malta , though not up to much on last night's showing will tighten up as many minnows do following a drubbing in first group game and if our luck continues to flow, may even take points at home from rivals. 

Defence still worrying for bigger games ahead but great start. 

The team that started last night will not start next game IMO and I hope that C Martin does not start.

 

 

[vanderark14]

"Great Result" is pushing it a bit

We should be expecting to win this game comfortably, this is nothing more than a professional job done against the weakest side in the group. The hard work starts now

[Jacques Hunt]

5 minutes ago, vanderark14 said:

"Great Result" is pushing it a bit

We should be expecting to win this game comfortably, this is nothing more than a professional job done against the weakest side in the group. The hard work starts now

I believe that it is a great result because I was worried about this game being tighter and at half time I was concerned. As has been stated many times, there are no mugs and 5-1 for us away is definitely a great result. Fully agree that hard work starts now and I remain very concerned about defence. This was our second easiest game in the group but we won by 4 goals with positives as stated in first post.  

[vanderark14]

1 minute ago, Jacques Hunt said:

I believe that it is a great result because I was worried about this game being tighter and at half time I was concerned. As has been stated many times, there are no mugs and 5-1 for us away is definitely a great result. Fully agree that hard work starts now and I remain very concerned about defence. This was our second easiest game in the group but we won by 4 goals with positives as stated in first post.  

the fact you were worried just shows how far we as a support feel the team has dropped. I was concerned too but we shouldn't be heaping praise on them with terms like "great result". This is what we should be doing to teams like Malta.

This isn't aimed at you but I've seen a few posts about us finally getting some good luck last night. We had plenty of that in Dublin against Ireland but this seems to be forgotten.

[ProudScot]

Overall it was a very positive evening.

Some great performances and you learn a lot about players when you're in control of a game - for example Hutton probably is still our best right back, Paterson looked a little out of his depth. That being said he's young and we should keep giving him a chance to improve.

Snodgrass was different class and once we have Leigh Griffiths uptop I think we'll be an even more dangerous outfit.

Lithuania will be no mugs but hopefully we go at them and continue the positivity from last night.

[Caledonian Craig]

Sorry but it WAS a great result by our standards against sub-standard opposition. We won 5-1 FFS against a team noted for tightness at the back. They often get beaten but hardly ever get thrashed and if you consider recent debacles that have scarred us such as Georgia then this is a great result. If it isn't what would you have called great? Something unrealistic like 10-0?

[runningtings]

The result was great, some of the performances were good, particularly Bannan, Snoddy and Robertson.

Burke could be really good, love the way he looks to take on his man most times.

Usual worry is of course centre defence, Hanley needs to learn he can't win every ball, needs to bide his time a bit more.

[Caledonian Craig]

1 minute ago, runningtings said:

The result was great, some of the performances were good, particularly Bannan, Snoddy and Robertson.

Burke could be really good, love the way he looks to take on his man most times.

Usual worry is of course centre defence, Hanley needs to learn he can't win every ball, needs to bide his time a bit more.

Nail on the head.

I really would like to see us try out untried centre-backs in friendlies. We need to look at more options.

[friendofalegend]

12 minutes ago, ProudScot said:

Overall it was a very positive evening.

Some great performances and you learn a lot about players when you're in control of a game - for example Hutton probably is still our best right back, Paterson looked a little out of his depth. That being said he's young and we should keep giving him a chance to improve.

Snodgrass was different class and once we have Leigh Griffiths uptop I think we'll be an even more dangerous outfit.

Lithuania will be no mugs but hopefully we go at them and continue the positivity from last night.

 Oh dear!

[Caledonian Craig]

To be honest I don't think Hutton would have prevented that goal yesterday. End of the day - Paterson is one for the future and Hutton is one for the past.

[Brummie Hibs]

A game of two halves, but on paper a good competent result. The history books won't show that Scotland were booed off at half time. 

We need the midfield to distribute the ball forward quicker and sort out our defense. But overall many positives if we can keep our key players injury free.  

If you'd offered me 1-5 at kick of I would have bitten your hand off. 

 

[Caledonian Craig]

17 minutes ago, Brummie Hibs said:

A game of two halves, but on paper a good competent result. The history books won't show that Scotland were booed off at half time. 

We need the midfield to distribute the ball forward quicker and sort out our defense. But overall many positives if we can keep our key players injury free.  

If you'd offered me 1-5 at kick of I would have bitten your hand off. 

 

And probably bitten our arm off for 1-5 at half-time.

[smiler82]

2 hours ago, Jacques Hunt said:

Great result but please, please, please, let's keep the heid. For a change, we got the lucky breaks and pleasing performances from Bannan, Snodgrass and Ritchie in particular. Burke looks raw but a prospect. 

I think that Malta , though not up to much on last night's showing will tighten up as many minnows do following a drubbing in first group game and if our luck continues to flow, may even take points at home from rivals. 

Defence still worrying for bigger games ahead but great start. 

The team that started last night will not start next game IMO and I hope that C Martin does not start.

 

 

The most pleasing thing is that Strachan (on the whole) played the guys who were playing well or regularly for their clubs... Bannan, Snodgrass, Burke Patterson and Robertson are all playing with some confidence and it made a difference in the 2nd half. Hopefully that continues and we don't keep faith guys who got us points earlier in the campaign - I feel that ultimately cost us in the last campaign.

Hanley and Martin are the two exceptions who are not playing regularly and it certainly showed... If they can get themselves in the team then we have the makings of a reasonably solid team. Given our limited options defensively then it may force Strachan to go and attack sides away from home.

Burke and Ritchie could play a big part for us there is potential that they could strike up a good partnership on each flank with Robertson and Patterson... could make a difference this campaign

[bonny78]

On 05/09/2016 at 9:50 AM, vanderark14 said:

the fact you were worried just shows how far we as a support feel the team has dropped. I was concerned too but we shouldn't be heaping praise on them with terms like "great result". This is what we should be doing to teams like Malta.

This isn't aimed at you but I've seen a few posts about us finally getting some good luck last night. We had plenty of that in Dublin against Ireland but this seems to be forgotten.

We were always going to beat them vander

[scottincarlisle]

On 9/5/2016 at 10:37 AM, Caledonian Craig said:

And probably bitten our arm off for 1-5 at half-time.

Have to say standing in that ground at HT no one saw a 5-1 score at FT.

[bonny78]

1 minute ago, scottincarlisle said:

Have to say standing in that ground at HT no one saw a 5-1 score at FT.

Red card put us on easy street

[Jagtag]

On 05/09/2016 at 9:37 AM, vanderark14 said:

"Great Result" is pushing it a bit

We should be expecting to win this game comfortably, this is nothing more than a professional job done against the weakest side in the group. The hard work starts now

This is a team who in their last qualifying group only lost 1-0 at home to Italy and Croatia, only lost 2-0 away to Croatia and 1-0 in Italy and also took a point in Bulgaria. They are a very tough team to break down so to score 5 is a great result. Snoddy should have put us ahead at half time so we really could have scored more. In years gone by how often have we gone to San Marino,  Faroes, Liechtenstein etc and scored even just 3 let alone 5?

[vanderark14]

6 hours ago, Jagtag said:

This is a team who in their last qualifying group only lost 1-0 at home to Italy and Croatia, only lost 2-0 away to Croatia and 1-0 in Italy and also took a point in Bulgaria. They are a very tough team to break down so to score 5 is a great result. Snoddy should have put us ahead at half time so we really could have scored more. In years gone by how often have we gone to San Marino,  Faroes, Liechtenstein etc and scored even just 3 let alone 5?

They were also down to ten men for a chunk of the game and the penalty should never have been given. bulgaria also thrashed them 6-0 as did Denmark.

if we beat Slovakia away and or England, that's a great result not beating a team ranked 157 in the world.

[Third Lanark]

On 05/09/2016 at 10:13 AM, Caledonian Craig said:

Nail on the head.

I really would like to see us try out untried centre-backs in friendlies. We need to look at more options.

Agree with you but who is untried? Soutar and McGhee have just got done 4-0 and they are the prospects. 

[Willie Miller's tache]

On 5 September 2016 at 10:50 AM, vanderark14 said:

This isn't aimed at you but I've seen a few posts about us finally getting some good luck last night. We had plenty of that in Dublin against Ireland but this seems to be forgotten.

Not sure we were overly lucky scoring a deflected equaliser in Dublin - Ireland's goal was offside

[Jagtag]

2 hours ago, vanderark14 said:

They were also down to ten men for a chunk of the game and the penalty should never have been given. bulgaria also thrashed them 6-0 as did Denmark.

if we beat Slovakia away and or England, that's a great result not beating a team ranked 157 in the world.

They were down to 10 men v Italy for over an hour and italy still only got a 1-0. They may have lost 6 to Denmark and Bulgaria but both were away from home and were 3 years ago for wc 14 qualifiers. Both only won 2-1 in Malta and since then Bulgaria  have drawn them again and won 1-0 in Malta and drew at home. You may look for all the negativity you like. 99% of us will look at the positives.

[vanderark14]

On 9/5/2016 at 10:02 AM, Caledonian Craig said:

 

[vanderark14]

5 minutes ago, Jagtag said:

They were down to 10 men v Italy for over an hour and italy still only got a 1-0. They may have lost 6 to Denmark and Bulgaria but both were away from home and were 3 years ago for wc 14 qualifiers. Both only won 2-1 in Malta and since then Bulgaria  have drawn them again and won 1-0 in Malta and drew at home. You may look for all the negativity you like. 99% of us will look at the positives.

I'm not looking at the negatives, I know there are positives to this result. I'm just not agreeing with this being a great result. It was a potential banana skin for us based on recent years but lets not get carried away. Its a case of job done, let the hard work begin.

If we start labeling results against these lower ranked teams as "great" the standards slip and they have slipped far enough. We've beaten a team we should be beating nothing more. 

[Jagtag]

19 minutes ago, vanderark14 said:

 

If we start labeling results against these lower ranked teams as "great" the standards slip and they have slipped far enough. We've beaten a team we should be beating nothing more. 

I don't think anyone is getting carried away. It is a huge sigh of relief though to come through so easily. If someone had offered us a 1-0 win before hand very few wouldn't have taken it therefore to come away having scored 5 makes it a great result. 

[vanderark14]

8 minutes ago, Jagtag said:

I don't think anyone is getting carried away. It is a huge sigh of relief though to come through so easily. If someone had offered us a 1-0 win before hand very few wouldn't have taken it therefore to come away having scored 5 makes it a great result. 

I would have taken any win but our standards need to be set a lot higher if we are going to qualify for a tournament.

we will have to agree to disagree here, I don't think this was "great" but you do. I am certainly not looking at this outcome as a negative but it is only one game after a shite Euro campaign.

Tougher games ahead, I'll start shouting about great results when we beat teams around us and don't shit our pants when we have to play in eastern Europe