Match Thread - Scotland vs Lithuania

[Big Col]

Strachan was never going to say anything negative. A very defensive interview.

Typical manager stuff, protect the players and deflect.

[Barney Rubble]

Haven't heard the inter

1 minute ago, Paulo2576 said:

My point is that martin was not absolutely outstanding as claimed by the manager, nor did he even play well in my opinion, but like i said he was one amongst many. I think most people would see its just another example of straitens inability to accept criticism, he knows full well how unpopular a decision it is to start him in the first place.

Sorry, haven't heard that interview, and if that was what you were referring to then I apologise.

Martin was by no means outstanding, but in my humble opinion he was decent. but nothing more. He certainly was not rubbish though.

[Clyde1998]

Just now, Return of Yermaw said:

But amazingly that was the only thing you picked up on. aye. we were not too bad.....

Okay then...

who else? feckin anyone - a SPL Championship or 1st Divsvion manager would pick a more coherent squad and play a team that wasnt baffling to the majority of fans. Why not start with Fletcher and Griffins up front together at home? why pick Martin up front on his own?

We're stuck with the players that we've got; you can't go out and sign a new striker at international level if the ones that you've got aren't good enough. Strachan wants to play 4-2-3-1 - therefore he's going to pick what he thinks is the best players to do the role that he wants done. This formation worked in Malta, without much complaint from people. Martin has managed roughly three goals every seven Championship games over the last three seasons - which is not a bad record. Martin scored 14 goals last season for Derby, Fletcher has managed that many in the last four seasons combined and I don't think Griffiths can play upfront on his own, at international level at least, - if we're playing one upfront and want goals, then Martin is one of our best options - but you have to create chances for him.

Martin did have two chances that he was inches away from scoring (and on another day he would have scored at least one) - which was about as good as anyone else on the pitch did, before the goal, and he could've conceivably had a penalty given for a foul on him in the first half. Griffiths came on a headed an effort straight at the keeper, which if he'd headed it either side of the keeper, would've gone in. Griffiths was, therefore, no better at taking his chances than Martin was today. Personally, I would've preferred for Fletcher to come on instead of Griffiths - but Griffiths is a different sort of player to Fletcher and Strachan probably wanted a quick player upfront at that time. Also, I would have, personally, had McCormack in the squad, though I wouldn't have him upfront on his own. Making Martin the scapegoat doesn't point to where the main issues in the team has been - and that's defensively and in, decent, chance creation.

Strachan has become the mad king and he seems to be now intentionally making bizarre decisions through entrenchment, you are suggesting on the back of all this there is no one better to replace him? Mental.

Suggesting that Strachan is "intentionally" making bizarre decisions is mental, IMO. Strachan is picking who he thinks is the best players. He'll know the players on a personal level, he'll know who can do the job that he wants them to do and he'll know if they're the best players we've got. That's probably why certain players, that must obviously be better than who are currently playing, aren't playing. If we turn up on Tuesday and beat Slovakia all this talk about replacing him will suddenly end. Yes. We weren't at our best today; we didn't get the result we needed today - the reaction on Tuesday will be important. And who, seriously, would to be better with the players we have available than Strachan and would want the job?

I haven't listened to Strachan's interview, but there will be things that he's not able to say for various reasons. At the end of the day, I still believe that it wasn't as disastrous performance as people are suggesting. We managed nineteen shots, we struggled to get them on target today. We had a number of efforts that would've gone in on another day, if they had, it would've massively changed the game. We have issues breaking teams down and we have issues in defence. Strachan will know this. These were issues with Burley, these were issues with Levein. Changing the manager won't necessarily solve this. It's an issue with the players and any manager that comes in would have to be able to solve those issues. If they can't, there's no point replacing the manger with someone who's going to face the exact same issues and have the same criticism from fans.

We're not one of Europe's best teams anymore. We're in a battle with Slovakia and Slovenia for second. Slovenia drew with Lithuania, Slovakia lost to Slovenia. They are, or appear to be, roughly our standard. At the end of the day, countries like Lithuania aren't sides that we're going to rollover. Yes, we should be beating them (as should Slovenia), but they're not minnows in the way people are making out. They will make it very difficult for us, and others, to break them down - and they did. They played for a draw, they got a draw. As I said "we weren't massively bad today" - meaning we weren't good, but it wasn't an apocalyptic performance, and I stand by my opinion.

[McVinceSCT]

Slovakiamust win against us. They will (easily).

[Clyde1998]

11 minutes ago, Big Col said:

Strachan was never going to say anything negative. A very defensive interview.

Typical manager stuff, protect the players and deflect.

I haven't heard it, but most managers do this. There are times that they shouldn't, but that's the way it is.

[munro7]

Bannan & Robertson, and to an extent Fletcher in the first half were the only ones to get pass marks for me.

Martin, Ritchie & Forrest in particular were utterly honking.

[Alan]

1 hour ago, Hertsscot said:

McGhee, Clark, Warburton, Neilson, Rogers, Lennon, McInnes...?  I'm not suggesting there is no one better to replace him but I just don't know who that is.

 

Sometimes I wonder if you are a real person or a fake name to wind people up from England. Look at those names.

[Langtonian]

The erses that applauded this lot in Portugal/Gibraltar are to blame

[Alan]

Players were 2nd to every ball until the end. I think they thought having wee tries here and there would work. Needed to fight more. Can't blame manager. Excluding Chris Martin the team picked can't be criticised.

F me the atmosphere, songs and North Stand were disappointing. 35k?!?. Terrible crowd.

[Langtonian]

The crowd is more than they deserved,the booing by the majority says it all

[Rossy]

30 minutes ago, Alan said:

Sometimes I wonder if you are a real person or a fake name to wind people up from England. Look at those names.

Michael O'Neil had Northern Ireland qualifying out of the group stage of Euro 2016.

What sort of names would you like ?

[daviebee]

Chris Martin was outstanding??? Aye - out standing around on the park. He certainly wasn't running about on it. The guy is utterly fkin turgid. He wasn't the worst tonight though. That was Ritchie - about as slow as a week in the jail. A truly fkin disgraceful performance. £37 for a ticket to watch that p1sh?

[SMcoolJ]

2 hours ago, munro7 said:

Bannan & Robertson, and to an extent Fletcher in the first half were the only ones to get pass marks for me.

Martin, Ritchie & Forrest in particular were utterly honking.

Agree. 

Ritchie is just an expensive Kenny McLean - certainly equally ineffective.  Forrest is terrible.

 

Edited October 9, 2016 by SMcoolJ

[McTeeko]

Anya for Ritchie and Griffiths for Martin MUST be the changes for Tuesday. Badly need to inject pace and movement up front. 

As for Forrest, never again please. Utter rank. 

[COLT NY]

We couldn't even get the formation right in the team photo....

[Mcfadden11]

First change needs to be at full back. GS must have at least attempted a left footed right back in training.

[jock strap]

7 hours ago, slasher said:

I agree with all of that m8 but folk booing at 0-0 at half time tonight was ridiculous. ?

Aye, it's hardly gonna motivate the boys but is there any other way to display your un-happiness at that time ?

 

[EddardStark]

Its not often you can lay a terrible performance purely due to a managers team selection. Players need to take their share of blame. In this instance I think Strachan is 100% culpable.

[Hertsscot]

8 hours ago, Alan said:

Sometimes I wonder if you are a real person or a fake name to wind people up from England. Look at those names.

Eh? I was replying to a post that said something along the lines of any SPL, Championship or Division 1 manager would have done better than Strachan. I just listed some names of the top of my head of people who are actually managing in those divisions, quite why you think that is a wind up is completely beyond me.  The question remains if Strachan goes then who actually is out there and is available to move us forward?  

[Toepoke]

23 minutes ago, EddardStark said:

Its not often you can lay a terrible performance purely due to a managers team selection. Players need to take their share of blame. In this instance I think Strachan is 100% culpable.

Agreed. Playing Chris Martin up front on his own at home to Lithuania was Levein-esque...

 

[RenfrewBlue]

The basic issue is the manager. He has a system he likes and is trying to pick the players to fit it. The big problem is we don't have the right players for his system. 

Strachan should be able to adapt the team to the game to get the right result and he just can't. His inflexibility has kept Fletcher and Martin in the squads when they are not goalscorers. 

By changing the system he could use other strikers who actually score goals. 

He is however a total shitebag and prefers to muddle by in the continuous "glorious failure" category.

Glad I didn't go tonight. The ticket price and inevitable pish performance have proven me right.

The SFA can F Off as they'll get no more of my cash until the manager either learns to do his job properly or is sacked.

[stevenmcn]

1 hour ago, Toepoke said:

Agreed. Playing Chris Martin up front on his own at home to Lithuania was Levein-esque...

Can't disagree, however, the fact that our main tactic is to hit a target man and hope for the best is a disgrace. It clearly doesn't work and is about 20 yrs out of date.

[Regenmann]

12 minutes ago, RenfrewBlue said:

The basic issue is the manager. He has a system he likes and is trying to pick the players to fit it. The big problem is we don't have the right players for his system. 

Strachan should be able to adapt the team to the game to get the right result and he just can't. His inflexibility has kept Fletcher and Martin in the squads when they are not goalscorers. 

By changing the system he could use other strikers who actually score goals. 

He is however a total shitebag and prefers to muddle by in the continuous "glorious failure" category.

Glad I didn't go tonight. The ticket price and inevitable pish performance have proven me right.

The SFA can F Off as they'll get no more of my cash until the manager either learns to do his job properly or is sacked.

^^^

 

Well said 

[killiefaetheferry]

17 minutes ago, stevenmcn said:

Can't disagree, however, the fact that our main tactic is to hit a target man and hope for the best is a disgrace. It clearly doesn't work and is about 20 yrs out of date.

I think there is an argument for playing more directly against a week drilled, fit and athletic team with good technical players. My issue would be that if we are going to bypass the possession game in midfield, then playing 442 with 2 strikers is the better formation. Martin AND Fletcher would have been the shout if the intended tactic was high balls forward to be fought for.

[Angusfifer]

I thought the draw was about right. It has to be said that Lithuania played to their strengths, defended well and were dangerous on the break, whereas we switched off for their goal, which was totally avoidable. We struggled to create many clear goalscoring opportunities - Leigh Griffiths had the best chance with the header. When we lifted the tempo we did look more threatening and did well out wide but a combination of poor deliveries and compact defending denied us. I don't think it was a terrible performance, I've seen many poorer ones over the years and I also think we under estimated the opposition, who are probably just as good as Slovakia and Slovenia. Points are going to be won and lost between these three countries and second place is still very much up for grabs. We need to raise our game up a notch and remain focused in defence for the whole game though. Something, I think, we should be capable of...