Is Scotland's Main Problem Pyschological?

[Nobby]

and I bet Nobby you wouldn't have tipped Northern Ireland to qualify in this campaign and they finished fifth in their last qualifying campaign. what is Michael O'Neill's managerial CV like again compared to Strachan's?

Youre right I woudnt have and fair play to them. It will probably be as long again before they do it again. With the league set up Scotland has you should be qualifying on a regular basis. you havent now for 20 odd years and this time round you even fecked it up with an expanded Euros !!

[Caledonian Craig]

It negates then your forecast for the World Cup campaign as well. Small margins in the end denied us - failure to hold onto leads V Poland and draws V Germany did us. The fact we were in those positions in the first place says you are downplaying us a bit.

[Hampden View]

My tuppence worth:

Draws are not good results and will result in failure to qualify. I tried to point this out in the pub after our draw in Poland and got shot down.

Germany/Spain/Italy, etc. are not 11 superhero Gods. We can beat them and we can certainly take points from them. We currently take zero points from 6 as "Well we didn't expect anything so no harm done"

We focused on 4 games against out expected rivals when the group consisted 10 games.

We must learn to take points even when outplayed...........apparently Germany were all over Ireland but lost.

Yes it is psychological. A golfer standing over a 4 foot putt thinking "I think I'll miss" will miss. We need to start believing we can win. Currently everyone says the right things on TV but do they really, honestly believe?

[Rab The Crab]

My tuppence worth:

Draws are not good results and will result in failure to qualify. I tried to point this out in the pub after our draw in Poland and got shot down.

Germany/Spain/Italy, etc. are not 11 superhero Gods. We can beat them and we can certainly take points from them. We currently take zero points from 6 as "Well we didn't expect anything so no harm done"

We focused on 4 games against out expected rivals when the group consisted 10 games.

We must learn to take points even when outplayed...........apparently Germany were all over Ireland but lost.

Yes it is psychological. A golfer standing over a 4 foot putt thinking "I think I'll miss" will miss. We need to start believing we can win. Currently everyone says the right things on TV but do they really, honestly believe?

This has been my overriding thought since Thursday, we're a nation who were renowned for bringing through players with a touch of arrogance over the years, where has that arrogance gone?

I think we're too nice now and take defeat too easily, it's time to start being that wee nippy terrier that irritates the bigger dugs.

[COLT NY]

Maybe it's just that as a nation we're not as orientated to sport as most others.

It's always pissing it down and we haven't invested in proper indoor facilities, so there's always a reason not to play.

Coupled with that, and maybe partly because of it, the national pastime is going down that pub rather than any sport.

Coupled with that, and maybe partly because of it, many of our sportsmen like a swally, and aren't as professional as many of their counterparts.

[Ormond]

Maybe because every team we put out has a few Alan's in it. We are hardly a cohesive nation are we so why should our football team be anything other than a reflection of it.

Historically all the folk with any fight in them emigrated to the new world or were killed. What is left in Scotland is 300 years of distilled shit pantery combined with a huge fitfh column of self loathing spanner in the works bawbags. (Not you Alan obviously)

That's something I say regularly. We are a nation of pussies. Our mindset is to forever think with a glass half empty than have a set of balls.

[runningtings]

Have to agree on being willing to accept defeat to the top teams.

Surely that won't be the case against England though next time round.

I am genuinely optimistic that we can do well in th WC qualifiers, Slovakia and Slovenia are certainly beatable, and against England at Hampden we surely have a chance.

[Mazda]

Some friends of mine once wrote to Aberdeen Dandies fc when they were asking fans opinions ..

They explained what the misquoted term 'confidence' actually was ( I'll bet you dont know ) - and HOW to overcome 'the lack of it'.

They never even got a reply from the inept chairman Milne. - even though the club must have read it :

Craig Brown ( then manager I think) was during interview heard to repeat something they had wrote.

Crystal Palace then a short time later employed a hypnotherapist - coincidence !

[Charlie Endell]

Have to agree on being willing to accept defeat to the top teams.

Surely that won't be the case against England though next time round.

I am genuinely optimistic that we can do well in th WC qualifiers, Slovakia and Slovenia are certainly beatable, and against England at Hampden we surely have a chance.

I think England will comfortably win both games - they're no world beaters but there's enough of a gulf in quality.

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

Maybe it's just that as a nation we're not as orientated to sport as most others.

It's always pissing it down and we haven't invested in proper indoor facilities, so there's always a reason not to play.

Coupled with that, and maybe partly because of it, the national pastime is going down that pub rather than any sport.

Coupled with that, and maybe partly because of it, many of our sportsmen like a swally, and aren't as professional as many of their counterparts.

I can't believe we still let people play in the rain

There's not a lot of point in training in the rain; if games get cancelled when it's raining

And those grass stains are a bugger to get out the kits ; even on a heavy duty cycle