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cyprusjag
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Wales also have Bale and to a lesser extent, Ramsey, two players of genuine quality. Scotland haven't produced anything like them for a long time. In days gone by we would always have had one or two players with real class. So I agree entirely just that I'd extend criticism to two areas. Firstly our inability to produce a team that can play as a creditable unit and move the ball about like Wales. Secondly we seem incapable of nurturing talent. The latter could be passed off as sheer bad luck but considering the long line of class players we previously always managed to produce that imo would be too much of a coincidence.

 

And would it be accurate to say that the Scottish decline in talent appears to have paralleled the increase in "academies"? If so, could it be that whatever talent is there to start with is somehow getting coached out of young players, as they are drilled to play mind-numbing games by numbers?

 

A friend of mine told me about a youngster who was drafted into the first team several years ago, either Raith Rovers or Hibs. He was playing as a full-back, and while in possession of the ball and being closed down by an opponent, his bench screamed "Man on!" and ordered him to get rid of the ball. But the youngster turned, flicked the ball over his head and right over the opponent and turned around and ran on to it, making up another good 10 yards before releasing a great pass. As the teams went off at half time, an incandescent coach was heard f'ing and blinding at the youngster, screaming that if he ever tried something like that again he'd be out the door the next day.

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I occasionally go for a run on Glasgow Green of a Sunday morning and you hear the "coaches" of the schoolboys teams rating and raving at the wee guys.

 

Kevin Bridges wasn't that far off the mark talking about coaches up trees telling players that their maw's an alki.

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ouch for one side of the draw !!! with some not so outrageous outcomes

ITALY 1:1 REP.IRELAND

SWEDEN 2:1 BELGIUM

ICELAND 1:2 AUSTRIA

HUNGARY 1:3 PORTUGAL

 

bracket A side ( dont need to see one of the top six until the final)

Switzerland

Poland

 

Croatia

Iceland/Austria

 

Wales

Northern Ireland

 

Portugal

Sweden

 

Knockout stage

 

bracket B side (only one survives of the big six)

 

Italy

Spain

 

Germany

Slovakia

 

England

Hungary

 

France

Belgium

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Wales also have Bale and to a lesser extent, Ramsey, two players of genuine quality. Scotland haven't produced anything like them for a long time. In days gone by we would always have had one or two players with real class. So I agree entirely just that I'd extend criticism to two areas. Firstly our inability to produce a team that can play as a creditable unit and move the ball about like Wales. Secondly we seem incapable of nurturing talent. The latter could be passed off as sheer bad luck but considering the long line of class players we previously always managed to produce that imo would be too much of a coincidence.

 

I think Ramsey is the better player. There, I've said it.

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An interesting historical footnote has just occurred to me (I think I am changing into TJR). Northern Ireland's record in qualifying through their group, 0-1 loss, 2-0 win and 0-1 loss is almost identical to Scotland's record at Italia 90 in exactly the same context of 24 teams in 6 groups of 4, with the best 4 third place finishers to qualify.

 

Scotland 0 Costa Rica 1

Scotland 2 Sweden 1

Scotland 0 Brazil 1

 

The only difference was Sweden nicking a late goal. Translating our record to the current Euros we would still have qualified as our -1 goal difference would have trumped Turkey's -2.

 

Michael McGovern has enjoyed an amazing transformation to celebrity status after the ignominy of being the only goalkeeper in Scotland to lose a goal to Matthias Pogba (and he did it twice!). Our Matthias has outdone Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski. I think that there is still a possibility that Northern Ireland may play France in which case Mikey could achieve what must be a unique feat if he lost a goal to Paul Pogba (goals against you by 2 brothers in the same season in a league fixture and an international tournament-surely even TJR's crazy computer could not find another example).

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An interesting historical footnote has just occurred to me (I think I am changing into TJR). Northern Ireland's record in qualifying through their group, 0-1 loss, 2-0 win and 0-1 loss is almost identical to Scotland's record at Italia 90 in exactly the same context of 24 teams in 6 groups of 4, with the best 4 third place finishers to qualify.

 

Scotland 0 Costa Rica 1

Scotland 2 Sweden 1

Scotland 0 Brazil 1

 

 

 

Oddly enough, I was thinking about 1990 WC too. Uruguay scored an injury time winner over South Korea to nick the last qualification spot as 4th best of third place teams. Otherwise, Scotland & Austria were in a dead heat for that and suspect it would have meant drawing lots.

 

I have a very vivid memory of one game finishing and the TV station flipping to the Uruguay game at 0-0 in injury time. I had just finished telling everyone that if it remained the same Scotland weren't out, and 10 seconds later they scored and we were out! On the same day, RoI & Netherlands played out a draw and they both went through. Had there been a winner, Scotland were also back in the hunt and there could even have been a 3 way dead heat for the last spot.

 

In 1986 WC, Bulgaria & Uruguay got through in third with 2 points (2 draws), edging out Hungary on goal difference (they had one win but was only worth 2 points back then).

 

As the SPL can tell you, convoluted tournament structures can lead to farcical issues sometimes.

Edited by mgow
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I am not a fan of this format. 36 games to eliminate 8 out of 24 teams is excessive. It also puts the emphasis on defence as it is far more important not to lose than it is to win. 3 0-0 draws would have been enough to progress. It also gives more chance of the arranged draw to help both sides (Switzerland v France). If they want to continue with the 24 team format,why not make it top 6 progress with best 2 second placed sides straight to quarter-finals. It makes winning far more important.

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I am not a fan of this format. 36 games to eliminate 8 out of 24 teams is excessive. It also puts the emphasis on defence as it is far more important not to lose than it is to win. 3 0-0 draws would have been enough to progress. It also gives more chance of the arranged draw to help both sides (Switzerland v France). If they want to continue with the 24 team format,why not make it top 6 progress with best 2 second placed sides straight to quarter-finals. It makes winning far more important.

Or give Scotland a chance, increase the numbers to 32, then top 2 from the 8 groups progress.

Edited by G13 jag
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silly Icelandics , should have left it at 1-1 and Portugal would get England on the other side of the bracket . Now they have put themselves on that side facing England , and with Italy , Spain . Germany , France and possibly Belgium ion that side of the bracket.

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silly Icelandics , should have left it at 1-1 and Portugal would get England on the other side of the bracket . Now they have put themselves on that side facing England , and with Italy , Spain . Germany , France and possibly Belgium ion that side of the bracket.

Portugal look very iffy. I suspect that Iceland have a better chance of beating England than Portugal do.

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