I do wonder if some people got a bit carried away with our momentous qualification after playing Serbia and imagined we were suddenly a decent side.
I'm glad we qualified, and also appreciate the long unbeaten run, but we've hardly been setting the heather alight. Under Clarke, Scotland have scored 20 goals in 17 games... 6 of those were against San Marino and 3 against Kazahkstan.
TBH, Israel is about our level.
Results 151 to 177 of 177
Thread: Israel v Scotland
-
19-11-2020 11:43 AM #151
-
19-11-2020 12:02 PM #152
I thought we looked decent enough for much of the 3 games but the thing that blew me away last night was how abysmal our attacking set pieces were.
We’ve got lots of left footers in the squad, and the out swinging corners from the left were just pitiful. We had enough of them, and we’re not exactly short of players with physical presence.
The way we play, games are tight and likely to be decided on fine margins. We need to find a way to make better use of situations like that when they come along.
-
19-11-2020 12:36 PM #153This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
19-11-2020 12:48 PM #154
I thought we played better last night than in the play off game we won - swings and roundabouts, i'm sure Israel felt they were "due" a win against us.
IMO people were getting carried away after qualifying thinking we'd turn everybody over. I dont think its unreasonable to be hoping to beat Israel, but its also been an incredible 7 days that hs taken a lot out of the players physically and mentally.
For 2.5 games this week we played some excellent football IMO and don't think we got the rewards for it (some would say Euro qualification is more than just)
I like the direction we're going in. We press the opposition, we play nice football (or did vs Serbia and Slovakia, both of whom are deemed "Above" us in international football terms these days)
Frustrating way to end the campaign as it was in our hands but on reflection of the group as a whole we've probably finished where we'd hoped to at the start, a reserve Czech side in the away tie gave us hope of promotion.
I think it has given the whole country a boost, the league should be even more competitive this year with places up for grabs next summer
Onwards and upwards
-
19-11-2020 01:07 PM #155
- Join Date
- Jun 2012
- Posts
- 10,649
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
the hand/arm is above/beyond their shoulder level (unless the player deliberately plays the ball which then touches their hand/arm)
-
19-11-2020 02:23 PM #156
- Join Date
- Apr 2019
- Posts
- 2,584
Scotland are in the right Nations League group. Any higher and we'd be well out of our depth. That's been proven now.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
-
19-11-2020 04:42 PM #157This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Sorry to say I have to agree
-
19-11-2020 04:56 PM #158
- Join Date
- Feb 2019
- Posts
- 20,920
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
19-11-2020 05:14 PM #159
- Join Date
- Mar 2019
- Posts
- 877
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
19-11-2020 05:39 PM #160
- Join Date
- Mar 2016
- Posts
- 5,644
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I'd suggest that losing the last two games (while making allowances for tiredness/comedown after last week) underlines that beating Serbia was not necessarily the incredible achievement many seemed to think it was and the manner in which we qualified for the play-off was far from demanding.
It's a pretty miserable take on things I know, but for all it's given our game a boost by ensuring we'll be at a major tournament for the first time in 23 years I remain unconvinced we're suddenly 'back' as a football nation.
-
19-11-2020 05:45 PM #161This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
19-11-2020 05:53 PM #162This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
19-11-2020 05:58 PM #163This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
19-11-2020 06:28 PM #164
How times change.
Just over a year ago, we were ticking along in Division 3. Now, we have just qualified for Euro21, and almost had a second successive promotion.
Beating Serbia (not just beating them, but outplaying them for most of the game) was no mean feat. Serbia battered Russia last night .
I agree that we have found our level just now; we weren't ready for Division 1. But we can look forward to being competitive in Division 2, and challenging for play-off spots in our WC group. The trend is upwards for now.
We couldn't have envisaged that a year ago.
-
19-11-2020 06:38 PM #165This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Huge missed opportunity and I think it is very unprofessional the way we approached it.
-
19-11-2020 07:17 PM #166This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
19-11-2020 07:49 PM #167This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
McLeish got some very good results and in many ways built the foundations of this impressive qualification. His legacy should now be viewed a bit more positively. Yes, Clarke was the man who nudged it over the line but McLeish played a part.
For the first time in a while Scotland look quite hard to beat again. They don't lose cheap goals, and Clarke has found a way to make a solid defence out of some pretty average (as well as some very good) defenders. Over-achieving Scotland sides of the past had this characteristic, so when we see this return I think we have the right to feel optimistic.
I don't fall for the hyperbole, but I do think there are reasons to be optimistic about our national side at long last.
-
19-11-2020 08:16 PM #168
- Join Date
- Apr 2018
- Posts
- 1,963
The goal against Serbia was very cheap. The scorer was left unmarked seven yards out from goal at a corner with 89 minutes and 33 seconds played.
-
19-11-2020 08:37 PM #169This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
The Slovakia game was treated like a friendly. No need to change the entire defence and goalkeeper, it screams 2nd priority. As does the various comments about the main job being done last Thursday. Great that we qualified for the euros but it was a poor attitude imo.
-
19-11-2020 08:45 PM #170This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
The defeat to Israel two years ago was far from billed as the worst result ever, we had ten men. There was apathy around the appointment of Mcleish, and that result was early in a huge campaign, but it was far from our worst result ever.
We get that you think the nations league is ****, and that we had a walkover into the Euro’s, even when it’s clear that the team we beat in the final was a team that we would’ve probably played if it was the old route.
-
19-11-2020 08:46 PM #171This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
But over the piece, against a team who beat Russia 4-0 a week later, we didn't do badly at restricting opportunities - and that one was to a 60 million Euro Real Madrid player.
Over the 3 games, 3 away games of varying toughness, I thought we looked a lot more solid defensively than we have.
I was more concerned about the lack of a cutting edge in the final third and the poor threat from set pieces. That was what ultimately cost us imo.
-
19-11-2020 08:50 PM #172This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
20-11-2020 08:07 AM #173This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
If that was another play off final there's no way we all make those changes. Likewise if it was a group stage of a tournament itself. It was given a lower priority - make a few changes, fine but when you start doing things like changing the keeper it's not because he needs a rest. It's because you see it as 2nd fiddle and you want to give folk a run out and a chance to prove themselves.
-
20-11-2020 10:25 AM #174This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
All three keepers are more than good enough, changing it made no difference to the outcome. If you don’t think Marshall’s mental fatigue would have been taken into account then fair enough. It’s very hard to go again a few days after a gruelling 120+ minutes and the elation that you felt after the game. Any side in the world would’ve made most of the changes we made, especially when at least 3 of them were enforced, and clubs will also have had an input into how many minutes players play.
Folk were wanting Armstrong etc to play, then when they do play the following game it’s disrespectful and amateurish.
-
20-11-2020 10:52 AM #175
- Join Date
- Aug 2018
- Posts
- 457
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
-
20-11-2020 11:13 AM #176This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
The game should have been treated as if it was the difference between qualifying for the world cup or not. I don't think it was taken seriously enough but others may have a different view.
-
20-11-2020 11:44 AM #177This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
He did get some good results. As it happens, his poor results (including the Kazakhstan one) ended up being of little consequence as his good ones helped pave the way for our qualification.
My point was just that it was bit more nuanced than Strachan = good, McLeish = bad, Clarke = brilliant, in my opinion. All have very mixed records with high and low points.
The emergence of a few pretty good players has probably been of greater significance than the manager in the dugout.
Log in to remove the advert |
Bookmarks