Marty Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Just caught up with latest article on this and am raging (won't let me post the link but it's on the daily record website). Pretty much Regan downplaying it and saying 'you never know who we'll get in pot 3, it could be easier'. Also saying the priority was for a warm up game before Ireland. Firstly - how dare he trivialise our qualification for our first world cup in 20 years. It would means so much to us all and the pot we are in makes a massive massive difference, it's not rocket science and he's kidding no-one. Secondly - yes we need a warm up but why against this team instead of the one of the hundered or so others? Is there a wee chance that it could have something to do with other deals and other announcements? I'll not speculate any further as to the agenda but this is rank rotten. It's mental that a policy decision by a blazer could potentially have such a big impact on the team and fans - for the next campaign the difference between pot 2 and pot 3 is huge, especially as there are less going through the qualifying groups than the Euros. A Chief Exec should be working away quietly in the background to do all they can to help us qualify. To be actively working against it is incredible. Time to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radian_13 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Don't like his attitude and personally wouldn't him gone for a while now but technically with loads of luck theres a small chsnce he could be right but as i say odds aren't on our side. Very short sighted just to be thinking of the Eire game ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flure Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Don't like his attitude and personally wouldn't him gone for a while now but technically with loads of luck theres a small chsnce he could be right but as i say odds aren't on our side. Very short sighted just to be thinking of the Eire game ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastiebeastie Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Think folk need to calm down. We absolutely need a friendly b4 Rep game and we are better winning it than losing it. Qatar have beaten Algeria and Slovenia recently so it will be worthwhile. If we beat Qatar and Rep it's possible we will be in pot 2. Had we picked a glamour game say against France and lost that would made pot 2 almost impossible regardless of Rep game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee- Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I'm sure Mr Strachan would be privy to these decisions. You want him out also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_B81 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Would have been better picking a team a handful of places below us for this friendly but it's done now. Even if we do drop into Pot 3, it still shows progress considering we weren't far off dropping into Pot 5 for the Euros til we beat Croatia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wee-toon-red Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Getting a result against Ireland is the be all and end all. If a friendly against Qatar helps that then so be it. What would we be saying if there was no friendly, we lose to Ireland and miss out on the Euros? Can't see many fans accepting "we were just doing the best for our ranking" as an excuse surely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 There is no way it was a case of Qatar or no friendly at all! We could have had our pick of a number of teams, got the prep required for Dublin, and without harming our current or future qualification chances. We have harmed our chances because there is an agenda that it is not focused on what's best for the team and for qualification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham020 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 What other friendly offers were on the table? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kilt Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 What other friendly offers were on the table? We are so far behind other nations organising games the options are limited by the time the Sfa get their brains in gear. this has been the case for 3-4 years now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davew Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 If someone had told Strachan "we could play Qatar, but it will feck up our world cup seeding", I don't believe for a second he would have agreed to it. The SFA made a deal with Qatar a wee while back, the details of which were not made public. We can guess though that the SFA are getting paid money in exchange for doing whatever Qatar thinks will help them develop, and this game is part of that. This game is about Qatar and the SFA getting what's good for them. The sooner we get shot of Regan the better IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlyscot Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 You would have to button up backwards to think this game isn't part of the commercial tie up. It won't help us one iota for Ireland apart from obviously getting some yards into legs. Qatar play ULTRA defensive and try and nick a goal on the counter. Common sense should have seen us play a team to maximise our ranking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radian_13 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 ?? ?? What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonny78 Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 ireland will be angry they lost to us and will try their damedest to beat us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroysboy Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 ireland will be angry they lost to us and will try their damedest to beat us Confident about game in dublin, there was not much between the teams at celtic park but Strachan has a better record away from home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewisEDI Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 ireland will be angry they lost to us and will try their damedest to beat us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastiebeastie Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Of course Qatar suits us commercially and in most if not every case our choice of friendlies suits us financially ahead of the footballing side. Japan 2009 Brazil 2011 USA 2012 England 2014 However a win v Qatar and Ireland will likely get us pot 2. A more decent team such as a Romania or Austria would risk defeat given its about fitness & game time and kill any pot 2 chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Frankly, this thread is pretty pathetic. Now I am no expert here (and neither I'd say are anybody else) but would confidently say Qatar have played a big number of top quality nations in friendlies in recent times so why should we be any different. I am sure I recall them playing Brazil for starters. To me this is an A-typical thread of a football supporter who feel it is the done and natural thing to have a go at the SFA for anything and everything. Okay I have no problem if there is just cause but in this instance I don't say there is. We have more than a decent chance of beating Qatar in that friendly and putting more ranking points in the bank - sooner that than a glamour tie that fans want ie Brazil or Argentina and we get stuffed, damaging moral and lowering our ranking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Having just checked - in the last three or four years Qatar have played Russia, Japan, North and South Korea, Macedonia, Australia and Estonia in friendlies among others. A fair few of those teams have qualified for World Cups in recent times unlike us so I fail to see why the quivering petted lip reaction by some here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davew Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Have you got any idea why people are annoyed with the SFA regarding this game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Have you got any idea why people are annoyed with the SFA regarding this game? Oh come on davew, people would be annoyed with the SFA regardless. Heck there were even complaints here when we arranged a friendly with Brazil at The Emirates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davew Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 You're calling the people criticising the SFA "pathetic", but you don't seem to have any idea what it is they're annoyed about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 davew, we have a friendly lined up and then a crunch game against Ireland and if we get a favourable result in both our ranking is helped and we will look to be in a pretty strong position to qualify for our first major tournament for nearly 20 years yet we have people here venting their spleen over a friffin' trivial matter such as a choice of friendly. Now I may be naive here but the gripe being it a game for money doesn't add up as why is it not being played at Hampden? Also if a lot of money is made out of it how does anyone here know how that money is going to be spent ie ploughed back into grassroots football which is surely a good thing. Yes you may call me naive but really my only interest is in the direction we are heading on the pitch aand there can't be any complaints in that department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davew Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 CC, there are no friendlies any more. All games are worth points. But the points are averaged. The game against Qatar is not worth many points. So, even if we win, our average score drops. Normally this wouldn't matter much, but this is the last chance to gain points before the world cup draw, and Scotland are on the brink of having a really good seeding for the draw. So, a well chosen friendly against a good, but beatable, side (e.g. Greece) would have improved our chances of going to a world cup. Instead we get Qatar, which just shows the SFA are not fit for purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 CC, there are no friendlies any more. All games are worth points. But the points are averaged. The game against Qatar is not worth many points. So, even if we win, our average score drops. Normally this wouldn't matter much, but this is the last chance to gain points before the world cup draw, and Scotland are on the brink of having a really good seeding for the draw. So, a well chosen friendly against a good, but beatable, side (e.g. Greece) would have improved our chances of going to a world cup. Instead we get Qatar, which just shows the SFA are not fit for purpose. I realise about points for friendlies but as I understand it this friendly was arranged months ago was it not? Before anyone on here and probably at the SFA (to be fair) had even dreamed about reaching Pot Two. Pot Three (regardless of this friendly result) is where I think we are destined to finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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