Scotland Build Up... Indecisive Kenny Miller

[soupernashwan]

From BBC's exciting "who will start up top for Scotland" piece comes this excellent analysis from Kenny Miller. Speaking about Johnny Russell:


"Johnny Russell's played in the last few games as well and I think he's done excellent up there with Naismith. I think he's done okay, despite performances maybe not being quite up to scratch."


I guess our national team gets the punditry it deserves.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46202426

[bingo70]

From BBC's exciting "who will start up top for Scotland" piece comes this excellent analysis from Kenny Miller. Speaking about Johnny Russell:


"Johnny Russell's played in the last few games as well and I think he's done excellent up there with Naismith. I think he's done okay, despite performances maybe not being quite up to scratch."


I guess our national team gets the punditry it deserves.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46202426

:greengrin

I used to be indecisive but now i'm not sure.....:wink:

Loosely connected to your point regarding the build up to the game is anybody else annoyed at the way Stuart Armstrong's comments today have been portrayed as negative? There's been headlines all over twitter that Stuart Armstrong "doesn't miss Scottish Football!". Of course he doesn't, he's only just left it. IMO the tone of that story is one to make people think he doesn't miss it as he didn't enjoy it or didn't rate it but if you actually listen to what he says all he is saying is that he was ready for a new challenge which is entirely reasonable IMO.

Strange headline to make from that interview IMO.

[Waxy]

Kennys article is really good. It’s fine though it could do with a lot more work.

[The 90+2]

Russell and Paterson should start up top to answer the question. Only a fud would leave out a guy scoring st the highest level confidence must be sky high.

[Lago]

:greengrin

I used to be indecisive but now i'm not sure.....:wink:

Loosely connected to your point regarding the build up to the game is anybody else annoyed at the way Stuart Armstrong's comments today have been portrayed as negative? There's been headlines all over twitter that Stuart Armstrong "doesn't miss Scottish Football!". Of course he doesn't, he's only just left it. IMO the tone of that story is one to make people think he doesn't miss it as he didn't enjoy it or didn't rate it but if you actually listen to what he says all he is saying is that he was ready for a new challenge which is entirely reasonable IMO.

Strange headline to make from that interview IMO.

It is a strange headline, but to me it falls into the generalisation that the EPL is p**h, yes some of the games are but not all.

[Halifaxhibby]

I thought kenny Miller had been called up!....hmmm could he do a job?:dunno::dunno:

GGTTH
FTHMFC

:flag:

[Jack Hackett]

Kennys article is really good. It’s fine though it could do with a lot more work.

:tee hee:

[JeMeSouviens]

Johnny Russell's been mince, surely? The potential replacements are all honking too, mind.

[SouthsideHarp_Bhoy]

Russell and Paterson should start up top to answer the question. Only a fud would leave out a guy scoring st the highest level confidence must be sky high.

Callum Paterson playing up front for Scotland... and we wonder why we are *****!

[The 90+2]

Callum Paterson playing up front for Scotland... and we wonder why we are *****!

We are ***** mate we got horsed off Israel. The boys scoring in a league the majority of players in our league wouldn’t either.

[sauzee6_2]

Callum Paterson playing up front for Scotland... and we wonder why we are *****!

He will start up front 😉

[WellingtonHibby]

What's Jordan Rhodes up to nowadays?

[Joe6-2]

Russell and Paterson should start up top to answer the question. Only a fud would leave out a guy scoring st the highest level confidence must be sky high.

Now, do we know any fuds picking the team? 🤔

[Pretty Boy]

What's Jordan Rhodes up to nowadays?

Must be due another multi million pound move sideways any day now.

[PatHead]

What's Jordan Rhodes up to nowadays?

He came off the bench to score for someone at the weekend. Can’t remember who.

[hibsbollah]

Johnny Russell's been mince, surely? The potential replacements are all honking too, mind.

He's been doing well for Kansas City apparently.

I was listening to Sportsound in the car and some idiot was kicking the decision to pick Fletcher up front and demanding Oli Burke start instead :confused: This is the same Burke who a)plays on the wing b) got dumped by his German club for having 'nothing between his ears' and c) is not exactly setting the heather alight at West Bromwich either.

There's no easy answers. Behind Griffiths there's noone obvious to play up top.

[superfurryhibby]

He came off the bench to score for someone at the weekend. Can’t remember who.

Problem with Rhodes is he only scores goals. Dying breed.

[basehibby]

From BBC's exciting "who will start up top for Scotland" piece comes this excellent analysis from Kenny Miller. Speaking about Johnny Russell:


"Johnny Russell's played in the last few games as well and I think he's done excellent up there with Naismith. I think he's done okay, despite performances maybe not being quite up to scratch."


I guess our national team gets the punditry it deserves.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46202426

I think surely "performances maybe not being quite up to scratch." must have been referring to the team's performance in Kenny's mind - and I certainly agree with him there if that's what he meant. But stating Russell has "done excellent" is a nonsense - "done okay" is stretching it even, as he was pretty anonymous in the last couple of games and we had Naismith to thank for getting anything out of these games up top. Russell did nowt and needs dropped IMO.

[Steve-O]

It is a strange headline, but to me it falls into the generalisation that the EPL is p**h, yes some of the games are but not all.

Yeah but you wouldn't find the English media or fans saying that, would you? And that is the difference.

In Scotland, fans, media and even the buffoons that run the game are desperate to be negative about our game at any given moment.

[KazHibby]

Problem with Rhodes is he only scores goals. Dying breed.

On loan at Norwich from Sheff Wed, this season 19 apps (10 starts) 8 goals

[EH54]

John McGinn pulling out too.

[Diclonius]

And so, time for another week and a half of this farce. The third such break in three months, leaving us with an enormous backlog of December fixtures thanks to both this and the SPFL's insistence that we play the entire League Cup before December and persist with the ridiculous winter break.

I look forward to more and more players deserting the sinking ship, knowing full well that the empty threats from the manager will mean nothing when he is eventually carted off and they all get a repreive (ref: Ferguson and McGregor). Scotland will line up with a back line primarily made up of Aberdeen players and an ineffectual midfield and forward setup as we trudge toward a 1-1 draw with Albania, Scotland equalising late on after being entirely toothless for the first 70 minutes, leading to Albania taking a shock (?) lead. More questions will be asked of McLeish and Michael Stewart will write a scathing article on the BBC website which will be completely ignored.

This leaves Scotland in the position of needing a win against Israel to win the group. After 3 days of gnashing teeth and a promise that "this time we'll get it right" Scotland line up at Hampden against the 91st ranked team in the world with... A flat back five and one up front. Despite this we manage to actually take the lead in the second half via a penalty, own goal or otherwise fluke. As the game peters into injury time the pundits are all raving about how McLeish has pulled through against a wall of adversity (the majority of which was orchestrated by them), the Israel keeper lumps the ball into our penalty box and a combination of terrible defending by Aberdeen centre backs and/or McGregor leads to a "completely undeserved" (as the media and McLeish will frame it) equaliser, despite the fact that we have chance after chance over the whole qualifying campaign to make a last-minute Israel goal in the final game utterly inconsequential.

The result means that Scotland finish mid-table and are neither promoted nor relegated; McLeish tries his best to spin the result but the Tartan Army are not having it and mass fan pressure follows for his head. The SFA initially stand by their man (as we weren't relegated, right?) but further outcry ensues and before long the pressure is so great that he gets the chop a week after the result. The search begins for another manager; Ally McCoist puts forward a suggestion on his TalkSport show that we round up Walter Smith, Gordon Smith and others (requirements: ex-OF and stuck in the past) and form some sort of committee to "sort this out" - Daily Record and Sun endorse this enthusiastically.

SFA refuse to bow to fan pressure and the general passage of time toward young, forward-thinking managers and draw up a shortlist of David Moyes, Malky Mackay and Walter Smith (again). Moyes is offered the job after Mackay turns it down. Scotland fans debate over when "glorious failure" becomes just "failure". The cycle begins anew.

[hibsbollah]

And so, time for another week and a half of this farce. The third such break in three months, leaving us with an enormous backlog of December fixtures thanks to both this and the SPFL's insistence that we play the entire League Cup before December and persist with the ridiculous winter break.

I look forward to more and more players deserting the sinking ship, knowing full well that the empty threats from the manager will mean nothing when he is eventually carted off and they all get a repreive (ref: Ferguson and McGregor). Scotland will line up with a back line primarily made up of Aberdeen players and an ineffectual midfield and forward setup as we trudge toward a 1-1 draw with Albania, Scotland equalising late on after being entirely toothless for the first 70 minutes, leading to Albania taking a shock (?) lead. More questions will be asked of McLeish and Michael Stewart will write a scathing article on the BBC website which will be completely ignored.

This leaves Scotland in the position of needing a win against Israel to win the group. After 3 days of gnashing teeth and a promise that "this time we'll get it right" Scotland line up at Hampden against the 91st ranked team in the world with... A flat back five and one up front. Despite this we manage to actually take the lead in the second half via a penalty, own goal or otherwise fluke. As the game peters into injury time the pundits are all raving about how McLeish has pulled through against a wall of adversity (the majority of which was orchestrated by them), the Israel keeper lumps the ball into our penalty box and a combination of terrible defending by Aberdeen centre backs and/or McGregor leads to a "completely undeserved" (as the media and McLeish will frame it) equaliser, despite the fact that we have chance after chance over the whole qualifying campaign to make a last-minute Israel goal in the final game utterly inconsequential.

The result means that Scotland finish mid-table and are neither promoted nor relegated; McLeish tries his best to spin the result but the Tartan Army are not having it and mass fan pressure follows for his head. The SFA initially stand by their man (as we weren't relegated, right?) but further outcry ensues and before long the pressure is so great that he gets the chop a week after the result. The search begins for another manager; Ally McCoist puts forward a suggestion on his TalkSport show that we round up Walter Smith, Gordon Smith and others (requirements: ex-OF and stuck in the past) and form some sort of committee to "sort this out" - Daily Record and Sun endorse this enthusiastically.

SFA refuse to bow to fan pressure and the general passage of time toward young, forward-thinking managers and draw up a shortlist of David Moyes, Malky Mackay and Walter Smith (again). Moyes is offered the job after Mackay turns it down. Scotland fans debate over when "glorious failure" becomes just "failure". The cycle begins anew.

You've obviously been paying attention:top marks

[Diclonius]

Tierney latest to withdraw. Wonder how many will miraculously recover in time for their next club game?

[HibbyAndy]

What's Jordan Rhodes up to nowadays?

Scoring goals for top of the league Norwich :greengrin

[Sammy7nil]

Tierney latest to withdraw. Wonder how many will miraculously recover in time for their next club game?

I wonder how many will recover in time for the next manager :wink:

[silverhibee]

Tierney latest to withdraw. Wonder how many will miraculously recover in time for their next club game?

All of them no doubt, something not right with all these supposed injuries and players pulling out, do we have enough players to field a team.

[Ryan69]

All of them no doubt, something not right with all these supposed injuries and players pulling out, do we have enough players to field a team.

Albania are a 9/4 banker for the weekend.

[Lendo]

Still time for Lewis to be called up to play at left back now Tierney is out.

[Diclonius]

Still time for Lewis to be called up to play at left back now Tierney is out.

They're not replacing him.

[Here’s Lucy!]

Russell and Paterson should start up top to answer the question. Only a fud would leave out a guy scoring st the highest level confidence must be sky high.

And there is the answer right there.

[silverhibee]

John Fleck called up. :rolleyes:

[greenlex]

I think surely "performances maybe not being quite up to scratch." must have been referring to the team's performance in Kenny's mind - and I certainly agree with him there if that's what he meant. But stating Russell has "done excellent" is a nonsense - "done okay" is stretching it even, as he was pretty anonymous in the last couple of games and we had Naismith to thank for getting anything out of these games up top. Russell did nowt and needs dropped IMO.
My thoughts on the matter. You saved me writing.

I expect a win tomorrow and midweek.

[Jim44]

9 withdrawals now, according to the BBC news. Says everything you need to know about the amateur, slipshod set up and attitude of players and their clubs. Thank God, International football is not important to the Scottish game and takes a back seat, ‘cos we are the pits. I can’t see us qualifying in any significant competitions in the foreseeable future.

[Saturday Boy]

9 withdrawals now, according to the BBC news. Says everything you need to know about the amateur, slipshod set up and attitude of players and their clubs. Thank God, International football is not important to the Scottish game and takes a back seat, ‘cos we are the pits. I can’t see us qualifying in any significant competitions in the foreseeable future.

And all of this in contrast to the Scottish Women’s National Team. Now rated 9th in Europe and will be a top seed in their qualifying group for the next European Championships.

How is the men’s game getting things so wrong. Baffling .

[Ronniekirk]

John Fleck called up. :rolleyes:

But not Travelling to Albania

[Billy Whizz]

But not Travelling to Albania

Sheffield Utd have a game tomorrow

[Ronniekirk]

Sheffield Utd have a game tomorrow

Ah Didn't know that

[Lancs Harp]

Ah Didn't know that

Who are SheffU playing tomorrow? I didnt think there were any English Championship matches this weekend?

[Ronniekirk]

Who are SheffU playing tomorrow? I didnt think there were any English Championship matches this weekend?

Billy Whizz will need to answer that

[silverhibee]

Sheffield Utd have a game tomorrow

No game for them tomorrow Billy.

[Billy Whizz]

No game for them tomorrow Billy.

Oh well, thought there was a full championship programme tomorrow

[B.H.F.C]

Fleck is only joining the squad for the second game because it was too late for the SFA to make the travel arrangements for the Albania game. Honestly.

[Ryan69]

9 withdrawals now, according to the BBC news. Says everything you need to know about the amateur, slipshod set up and attitude of players and their clubs. Thank God, International football is not important to the Scottish game and takes a back seat, ‘cos we are the pits. I can’t see us qualifying in any significant competitions in the foreseeable future.

Imagine Souness or Ferguson was manager...and that happened!

They would NEVER play again!