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Nobberinthefridge – Member
Aye, we’re guaranteed to fall at the last hurdle, but it’ll be a glorious failure, and at least the football will be good.

Betting on a glorious draw so we miss out on goal difference?

Like I said…..

That wasn’t glorious, not up to our usual.

Glorious failure again by the Scots….. When was the last time Scotchland qualified for a major tournament?

98.

Scotland are in much the same boat as England imo, a group of unremarkable players to choose from, except with roughly 1/10th of the population the talent pool is smaller which makes things rather tougher.

Kinda have to wonder if there is something fundamentally wrong with the way football is taught in the UK though as we seem to have an entire generation of mediocre unimaginative players.

I disagree slightly, we have some good players playing in the SPL, but have a manager that favours those that play in the English lower leagues.

He’s a stubborn wee nob.

The decline in Scottish football/footballers has been stark. In the 60s, 70s and 80s every decent English club side had numerous Scots, and they were usually keen to that side’s success, domestically and in Europe. Hardly any Scots at such a level now – Strachan picks Championship players over the SPL as its a better standard.

That said, despite the talent pool Scotland as a team underachieved even more than England in that period, having never even got out the group stage at a major tournament, with many glorious failures along the way. Look at some of those Scottish teams and it’s bizarre they never achieved anything of note at a major tournament. Now even getting to one seems even more distant.

Strachan took too long to change the central defenders and give Griffith a chance, call it stubbornness or loyalty but in a qualifying campaign you don’t have time to make many mistakes. It was the results earlier in the campaign that cost us, not todays.

As an England fan can I just extend my heart felt condolences to my Scots brothers at what must be a very difficult…ah who am I kidding?….Yaaaaaarrrrrrrr yer haggis munchers, have that!

. Hardly any Scots at such a level now – Strachan picks Championship players over the SPL as its a better standard.

How many championship teams in the champions league this year?.

Another World Cup without the Tartan Army which is a shame,looking forward to another english failure in the group stages :-).

The decline in Scottish football/footballers has been stark. In the 60s, 70s and 80s every decent English club side had numerous Scots

They also had numerous English players aswell……

On a personal view, my 14 year old son has just stopped playing football this summer. He used to play for a local club but the facilities, muddy pitches littered with dog shit and the coaches, kick it as far as you can or kick the opposition, weren’t great. Despite this he was selected to do a two year programme at high school run by the SFA. He worked really hard and mostly enjoyed it but would get frustrated with other kids not working as hard and the coaches letting them get away with bad attitudes. At the end of the two years the programme finished, we got no feedback and there was no suggestions as to how he could move on with football. I wonder how many promising players are lost like this. It may have been that they know he’s committed to diving which he loves and competes at a high level but there were no attempts from the SFA coaches to change his mind. At a senior level I don’t think they train hard enough, if you’re not good enough, work harder. My son’s training 14 hours a week along with going to school, I bet that’s more than pro footballers.

England’s problem is they are most suited to counter attacking, but the reality is that most teams will sit deep against them and prevent it. The only way of unlocking the defence then is some creative midfielders, of which they haven’t really got any. Berkley or Winks are probably the only 2 and neither of them are anything like world class.

Am I the only one who thinks Rashford is over rated? Sure he has promise but is a long way from the finished article. Did little in either game when it came to a decent final ball or shot. The only one i can think of, is the free kick.

Oh and the Ox is sh*t. Arsenal mugged Liverpool with his sale.

DT – course they did. My point was that there are no Scottish players at such a level now, barring the few that play for Celtic who get 6 games a season in the Champions League.

Walk around the parks, no body is playing football. When I was a kid the parks were crowded with people having a kick about. Most of my mates’ kids would rather play computer games.

Walk around the parks, no body is playing football.

That isn’t the case around us (Harrogate). The Stray is rammed each weekend with everyone from primary-aged children to adults playing organised football matches and/or training. Our local football club (Pannal) has just secured some land and have raised enough money to build a proper club house and facilities. In our school year (yr 4) most of the boys are in one team or another and several parents are actively involved in the running of clubs/training etc. More recently my two girls have also taken an interest in it and we often play games in the garden. The only thing that is missing is any girls taking it further and getting involved in a team but I am hoping mine do as they both show a decent bit of talent.

And further to that, one of my best mates’ boys are both utterly football mad (8 & 10). Both play competitively (one for Northampton Town under 10s and is showing huge promise). If they aren’t playing it (which is about 90% of the time) they are either watching it (they would happily watch any football they could find on Eurosport, not just ‘their team’) or playing FIFA 2018 on their console.

Walk around the parks, no body is playing football.

Not true.

I hear the same cliched nonsense regularly from pundits, all the playing fields have gone etc, it’s bollocks, there are way more good football facilities than there ever was when I was at school (and due the teachers strike there was no such thing as school teams throughout my whole school years)

Kids that are on pro youth contracts now don’t go to their local secondary up here, instead going to a regional centre of excellence, the facilities at these centres is fantastic.

The issue up here is that up until around 16-17, the kids are up there with any nationality, but don’t make the step up to pro level. It’s been an issue for years.

Everyone loves a game of footie…(apart from the usual stw culprits!) kicking that bag o air into the back of the net always feels good! Its just watching England that’s the killer!

I was in Agadir a few months back (west coast of Morocco) and when the tide went out it left a perfect firm flat sandy beach which all of the locals descended on to play organised football matches. Literally you could walk a mile down the beach and it was end to end laid out pitches full of enthusiastic young lads playing football….and some girls too. The standard was really good in places. You can see why we are being left behind.

I hear the same cliched nonsense regularly from pundits, all the playing fields have gone etc, it’s bollocks, there are way more good football facilities than there ever was when I was at school

Very much this.

My 8 year old played football on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on 3 different 4G Pitches all within 10 minutes drive from the house, all of which were immaculate with full changing facilites and would have seemed like science fiction when I was at school being forced to slog round a red ash park with rusty goalpoasts, no lines and no nets.

How many championship teams in the champions league this year?.

Roughly the same number as superleague rugby teams (because the winners don’t qualify for the champions league).

@thisisnotaspoon

I think his point is that SPL teams get to play in the Champion’s League so get some good experience playing against better teams/world class players than Championship teams do.

I think his point is that SPL teams get to play in the Champion’s League so get some good experience playing against better teams/world class players than Championship teams do.

Except during the season the regular league matches are against worse opposition with one or two exceptions. At least the players in the Championship are playing decent quality week in week out.
Personally, I think dumped into the Championship, Celtic wouldn’t necessarily get promotion at the first attempt. They’ve got some good performances in them, but whether they could step up to doing it every week immediately, i’m not so sure (but that’s probably a whole other thread).

@fifeandy – I agree with you – but I was responding to the comment about Championship teams playing in the Champion’s League.

Personally, I think dumped into the Championship, Celtic wouldn’t necessarily get promotion at the first attempt.

Even as a Rangers fan, I’d completely disagree with that. Hey ho.

Fair comment, you know what it’s like to find yourself in a lower league.