A wee rant about tonight...

[MountcastleHibs]

I'm more of a club over country guy but I just wanting to stick my tuppence worth in about Scotland tonight and indeed the World Cup Qualifying campaign as a whole.

Firstly, Scottish football needs to change... and that's from top to bottom. Get rid of the SFA hierarchy and start again. There should be less clubs and leagues in Scotland.. we just can't afford 4 leagues, we're not a big nation like England.. make it two leagues.

Charlie Nicholas had a point tonight.. it's not George Burley or the teams' fault.. it's the SFA. They're doing nothing to rectify all that is wrong with Scottish football. We have two, maybe three players, in the current Scotland set up which would be classified as "world class". If we expect to qualify for major tournaments we need 5 or 6 "world class" players in our squad.

Holland has a 2 league system.. perhaps this is where they are going right. To sum up, Scottish football has to change for our national team to get better. This includes Celtic and Rangers as well as all other Scottish clubs investing in youth and giving Scottish lads a chance.. after all they are the biggest clubs in Scotland....

Secondly, I would quite like Burley to stay on for one more campaign anyway. I believe the problem lies at the door of the SFA not Mr Burley, and we can see what he has done over the last two games. Having said that, if Burley goes, and if the right foreign manager came along I would take him without any qualms.. look at England for instance. I'm not saying we can attract someone of Capello's stature but it shouldn't be ruled out if the right name applies. The SFA simply have to take their time with this one, Souness, Strachan, Levein... whoever it may be, but we can't expect wonders. It comes back to point 1 really.

Thirdly, Kenny Miller, Graeme Alexander, Calum Davidson and David Weir should never be selected again. OK old Davie had a good game against Macedonia, but for a guy playing at the best club in Scotland (they won the league and cup double last season so that's why I say it) that is to be expected. His perfomance tonight was awful. Burley should be giving youth a chance.. nothing to lose.

This would be my preferred Scotland lineup going into 2012 Euro Championships qualifying:

Gordon

Hutton
Caldwell
McManus
Whittaker

Thomson
Brown
Fletcher

McFadden
Fletcher
Riordan

Coming off the bench you can have lads like Wallace, Wotherspoon (who will be a quality player), Maloney, Commons, Fox, Barr, Arfield etc.

If we can convince Kris Boyd to come back into the scene then great, the man is a born goal scorer, something Scotland need. If not, I would like to think we could cope.

My team I believe mixes experience and youth reasonably well, introducing some new guys into the mix and giving them a chance.

Anyway, rant over, sorry to bore you all but I just wanted to get that out of the system...

GGTTH

[iwasthere1972]

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Charlie Nicholas had a point tonight.. it's not George Burley or the teams' fault.. it's the SFA. They're doing nothing to rectify all that is wrong with Scottish football. Compared to a team like the Netherlands (which incidently is a country of same population as Scotland) we have 2 "superstars" compared to their 11+.

GGTTH

Holland has a population three times as many as Scotland. 16.5 million compared to our 5 million so probably not the best country to do comparisons with. Norway is about the same population as ours and they aren't doing too well either.

Get rid of Peat and Smith first. At least that would be a good start.

[MountcastleHibs]

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Holland has a population three times as many as Scotland. 16.5 million compared to our 5 million so probably not the best country to do comparisons with. Norway is about the same population as ours and they aren't doing too well either.

Get rid of Peat and Smith first. At least that would be a good start.

Sorry about that, I meant size as in land size etc. Edited now.

I agree 100% about Peat and Smith.. but they're only a small part of a bigger problem.

[iwasthere1972]

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Sorry about that, I meant size as in land size etc. Edited now.

I agree 100% about Peat and Smith.. but they're only a small part of a bigger problem.

78772 km2 Scotland land size
41526 km2 Holland land size

[MountcastleHibs]

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78772 km2 Scotland land size
41526 km2 Holland land size

Populated land size then...

I'll just take that whole bit out ha.

[iwasthere1972]

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Populated land size then...

I'll just take that whole bit out ha.

They do have as many bikes as we have people if that helps.

[MountcastleHibs]

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They do have as many bikes as we have people if that helps.

Haha edited it.... again

Back to the point though, rather than tearing my post to shreds. No good points in it?

[iwasthere1972]

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Haha edited it.... again

Back to the point though, rather than tearing my post to shreads. No good points in it?

Shreds

I agree that we have too many leagues and it should be reduced to maybe 2 or 3. Whether that would make us a better football nation is questionable. We need to see more homegrown players playing in Scotland and reduce the number of average "foreigners" that are flooding our shores.

Wotherspoon is one for the future but I would retire Gary Caldwell.

Over and out.

[ScottB]

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Shreds

I agree that we have too many leagues and it should be reduced to maybe 2 or 3. Whether that would make us a better football nation is questionable. We need to see more homegrown players playing in Scotland and reduce the number of average "foreigners" that are flooding our shores.

Wotherspoon is one for the future but I would retire Gary Caldwell.

Over and out.

I disagree, we need more players playing at the top level, so England, Spain etc. There's plenty Scots in the SPL and I'd say the days of all foreign teams are long gone outwith Tynecastle. But in international terms the SPL is rubbish. As an example, do the Irish even cap any domestic players? I'd imagine you'd find the top sides outwith England, Spain and Italy all have many, if not a majority of their squads playing in those 3 leagues. That's the way forward and that's how we get better players, going up against the best or going up against Motherwell and Hamilton... Easy answer really!

[Mixu62]

I think we need to forget about qualification for a while and build from the ground up. That means improving the quality of youth team coaching. The Dutch started doing that 30 years ago and now it's part of their culture. Forget about how many medals your boys team has won and get back to teaching basic skills. Then maybe, just maybe we'll have players who can compete against Europe's best instead of billy-big-boots who think they've made it when they sign for rantic. But an approach like this would need a concerted effort from all corners of Scottish football so it will never happen.

[iwasthere1972]

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I disagree, we need more players playing at the top level, so England, Spain etc. There's plenty Scots in the SPL and I'd say the days of all foreign teams are long gone outwith Tynecastle. But in international terms the SPL is rubbish. As an example, do the Irish even cap any domestic players? I'd imagine you'd find the top sides outwith England, Spain and Italy all have many, if not a majority of their squads playing in those 3 leagues. That's the way forward and that's how we get better players, going up against the best or going up against Motherwell and Hamilton... Easy answer really!

Rangers Number of players: 27, Foreign players: 10 (37,0 %)

Celtic Number of players: 30, Foreign players: 20 (66,7 %)

Hearts Number of players: 25, Foreign players: 18 (72,0 %)

Hibs Number of players: 22, Foreign players: 11 (50,0 %)

Aberdeen Number of players: 26, Foreign players: 8 (30,8 %)

Dundee United Number of players: 27, Foreign players: 12 (44,4 %)

157 players of which 79 are not Scottish. 50% Foreign. Even that surprises me.

[truehibernian]

The SFA has been a gravy train since 1970 so what makes folk think they will suddenly change now. Gordon Smith (as far as I know) is still allowed to carry on as an agent which surely makes his position "advantageous" to his clients........you have to have a top to bottom overhall of football and that means getting rid of the "suits" that haven't played the game, don't know the game, and have no passion for the game........if that means paying the salaries we pay, to get foreign coaches in, and foreign (Dutch, German, French) systems and techniques in place, then so be it.........does George Peat look like a man who can revamp Scottish football ??????

[Lucius Apuleius]

Not sure what cutting the number of leagues will do. Surely the teams that are cut will just form junior leagues or semi professional leagues or something so we will still have the same number of teams? It is more teams we need. More people playing organized football. It would be interesting to see the number of youth teams now compared to 30 years ago when we had a decent national team. Bigger, more competitive SPL. 16 teams at least. Lots of meaningless games? Course there will be. There is in any league that has that number of teams, come the end of the season. Scrap SFA, SPL, SFL and every other stupid organization we have and replace it with one all empowered authority with a football figure managing it, not a businessman. get kids off their fat nyashes and outside playing. We never had loads of football parks but we always found someplace to play. Local authorities need to rip down all these No Ball Games signs. Police need to be more lenient on kids playing outside. Adults need to remember when they were kids and played on the street and stop complaining and phoning the cops every time a bairn shouts in the street. etc etc etc. Not just a football problem. It is now a society problem.

Secondly, want a better national team? As someone said earlier, find out where all the oldies went a couple of generations ago, whether it be engerland, Australia, NZ, anywhere in the world and start using the Grandparent rule. Would be really interesting to see statistics ( by the way did you know that 6 out 7 dwarves are not happy?) on Holland and France especially on how many of their squads were actually born within their European borders.

[magnificent_seven]

Just out of interest, what Scottish players would you describe as world class?

IMO we haven't had a 'world class' player since John Collins, and even thats pushing it.

[Kaff]

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Not sure what cutting the number of leagues will do. Surely the teams that are cut will just form junior leagues or semi professional leagues or something so we will still have the same number of teams? It is more teams we need. More people playing organized football. It would be interesting to see the number of youth teams now compared to 30 years ago when we had a decent national team. Bigger, more competitive SPL. 16 teams at least. Lots of meaningless games? Course there will be. There is in any league that has that number of teams, come the end of the season. Scrap SFA, SPL, SFL and every other stupid organization we have and replace it with one all empowered authority with a football figure managing it, not a businessman. get kids off their fat nyashes and outside playing. We never had loads of football parks but we always found someplace to play. Local authorities need to rip down all these No Ball Games signs. Police need to be more lenient on kids playing outside. Adults need to remember when they were kids and played on the street and stop complaining and phoning the cops every time a bairn shouts in the street. etc etc etc. Not just a football problem. It is now a society problem.

Secondly, want a better national team? As someone said earlier, find out where all the oldies went a couple of generations ago, whether it be engerland, Australia, NZ, anywhere in the world and start using the Grandparent rule. Would be really interesting to see statistics ( by the way did you know that 6 out 7 dwarves are not happy?) on Holland and France especially on how many of their squads were actually born within their European borders.

I agree with a lot of your points but something that i think stops some kids from playing outside during the week is the amount of homework they get nowadays. i don't have kids at homework age yet but would anybody who has agree?

[H18sry]

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I agree with a lot of your points but something that i think stops some kids from playing outside during the week is the amount of homework they get nowadays. i don't have kids at homework age yet but would anybody who has agree?

Add to that X-Boxes, PC's and all the other stay at home technology, that has been introduced in the last decade or so

[TheBall'sRound]

Incidentally - how would one replace the SFA if they are self governing? Does this fall under the Scottish Parliament's remit of devolved powers?

We're stuck with the runt of the litter - the poorly evolved, top-heavy, slow-moving, beuracratic nightmare that can't be killed.

The only way I can see a real change at Hampden is to somehow get a reform-friendly ex-player in the top job who has dealt with the seedier sides of the game (like agents), is familiar to the fans, perhaps from a role on the television and... oh, hold on...

The only way to boost Smith's credentials is to add managerial experience - so next in line to the throne must be Ian McCall

[Lucius Apuleius]

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I agree with a lot of your points but something that i think stops some kids from playing outside during the week is the amount of homework they get nowadays. i don't have kids at homework age yet but would anybody who has agree?

Dunno mate. My kids are too old for homework now Can't imagine it is any more than we used to get theough.

[SlickShoes]

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Add to that X-Boxes, PC's and all the other stay at home technology, that has been introduced in the last decade or so

They have these in other countries aswell and those countries are producing some great footballers. Scotland is in general a strange place to live and work, its full of nearly men, people just doing enough to get by and with no ambition. This does not apply to just football, there are people at my work that just avoid work all day, they want to come in sit, do nothing, go home, do nothing and then i assume just die one day.

In sport in particular i dont think glorifying valiant failure is good, a loser is a loser. Yes we played well in these valiant defeats but we still lost, so instead of celebrating trying hard but not making it why not see it the way it is and make us realise we are losers.

[Kaiser1962]

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Holland has a population three times as many as Scotland. 16.5 million compared to our 5 million so probably not the best country to do comparisons with. Norway is about the same population as ours and they aren't doing too well either.

Denmark anybody?