Scottish Fitba'

[User62651]

John McGinn getting talked of in glowing terms by Pat Nevin this morning - verging on World Class apparently. McGinn has gone completely under my Scottish footballer radar - Billy Gilmour I'm aware of as he has received many plaudits - pity he is out injured. Add in Robertson and we're starting to a have a small core to build upon...(must stop my hopes rising...)

He's not world class but McGinn was an absolute bargain for Villa at around £3 million, when you see Man U playing £80 million for Maguire it puts that cost in persepctive. He stood out a mile at Hibs, at Villa even though he had a bad period last season with injury that Championship playoff winning year for Villa he was great and a standout along with Grealish. This season he's looking more like himself again, the work rate is second to none, great engine. Villa look much better than last year already. Good passer, good runner, good tackler, good shooter, maybe weak with head. Not sure how he'll slot in with Barkley, play similar roles. At nearly 26 should be peaking soon.
£3 million must be worth £25 million now, good investment.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Two superb goals by Manny Duka and Craig Wighton last night in the Hearts v Raith game.
Makes you wonder why Duka is playing at this level.

 

[HowlingGale]

Holy moly. Nosebleed time. Think we used all of our luck up in that game. Would have much preferred to save it for the Serbia game. Still a win is a win.

Carry on like this and we might make the playoffs for the world cup ?.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

As @HG - jings, crivvens, help ma boab...8 in a row undefeated, and last three as clean sheets. We’ll be getting ideas above ourselves - which wouldn’t be that hard as so many of us are so wee...?

 

[Jacko_G]

Two superb goals by Manny Duka and Craig Wighton last night in the Hearts v Raith game.
Makes you wonder why Duka is playing at this level.

He's playing at that level cos you stuck by an utter fanny of a manager in Levein and Budge refused to wield the axe on him despite the obvious slapping her right in the face - hence you got relegated.

 

[Jacko_G]

I think the no fans has helped Clarke big time. The brand and style of football is horrendous. There is absolutely nothing exciting about Scotland. That said I have to credit him as his borefest is working.

Personally I'm not convinced that the Tartan Army would have been as patient and been on the players backs. However we've started to win ugly now and grind which means the fans will be patient and accept what is being served up.

Just don't expect any entertainment or free flowing football.

Last night I thought Ryan Jack was once again an unsung hero, just mops up, breaks up play and recyles the ball extremely well. Players like McGinn can and will get more plaudits but you need that water carrier in Jack to break it up. Also thought McLean was superb when he came on.

Lastly big Andy Considine - no world beater and will never be a first pick but bloody hell two absolutely solid performances and didn't put a foot wrong in 180 minutes. At 33 he deserves his Scotland caps.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

He's playing at that level cos you stuck by an utter fanny of a manager in Levein and Budge refused to wield the axe on him despite the obvious slapping her right in the face - hence you got relegated.

Calm down, calm down .....Duka was playing for Raith.

Eight in a row wow, back to the glory days of Andy Roxborough, remember him, the guy that many Scots thought was useless because he came through the SFA coaching system and never managed a league team.

 

[Jacko_G]

Calm down, calm down .....Duka was playing for Raith.

Eight in a row wow, back to the glory days of Andy Roxborough, remember him, the guy that many Scots thought was useless because he came through the SFA coaching system and never managed a league team.

???? Raith?

As you've just highlighted my knowledge of Scotland's diddy teams is non existent. 1-0 you.

Slapped back down into my box.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I can’t bring myself to watch them.

Fair play, though, 3 wins in the last week. But 2 shots on target in those 3 games.....

Stats and lies again.....I think MacBurnie has hit the woodwork three times in his last 4 games.
At least 8 'sitters' missed by the Czechs last night and about 4 for the Scots.
'Enthralling' game to watch and quite unbelievable how we ended up winning it.
Czechs had 2/3rds of the ball.

 

[williamalex1]

Stats and lies again.....I think MacBurnie has hit the woodwork three times in his last 4 games.
At least 8 'sitters' missed by the Czechs last night and about 4 for the Scots.
'Enthralling' game to watch and quite unbelievable how we ended up winning it.
Czechs had 2/3rds of the ball.

MacBurnie needs to pull his socks up he's not following the dress code . His peely wally legs look terrible

 

[Pathetic Shark]

Calm down, calm down .....Duka was playing for Raith.

Eight in a row wow, back to the glory days of Andy Roxborough, remember him, the guy that many Scots thought was useless because he came through the SFA coaching system and never managed a league team.

I will always have a soft spot for Roxborough from the 1990 World Cup when Scotland lost to Costa Rica - still the funniest 90 minutes of football I have ever watched.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I think the no fans has helped Clarke big time. The brand and style of football is horrendous. There is absolutely nothing exciting about Scotland. That said I have to credit him as his borefest is working.

Personally I'm not convinced that the Tartan Army would have been as patient and been on the players backs. However we've started to win ugly now and grind which means the fans will be patient and accept what is being served up.

Just don't expect any entertainment or free flowing football.

Last night I thought Ryan Jack was once again an unsung hero, just mops up, breaks up play and recyles the ball extremely well. Players like McGinn can and will get more plaudits but you need that water carrier in Jack to break it up. Also thought McLean was superb when he came on.

Lastly big Andy Considine - no world beater and will never be a first pick but bloody hell two absolutely solid performances and didn't put a foot wrong in 180 minutes. At 33 he deserves his Scotland caps.

tbh - I thought the style of the goal was brilliant. Good pressing by a wing-back, excellent skills and control by a big forward; lovely little slipped pass behind the opposition defence to a little forward who did not hesitate and slotted the ball away with consummate skill (glass half full )

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

MacBurnie needs to pull his socks up he's not following the dress code . His peely wally legs look terrible

Give him a break Billy - he'll live in the Sheffield area - hardly costa del England, in fact rather like Glasgow

 

[HowlingGale]

I think the no fans has helped Clarke big time. The brand and style of football is horrendous. There is absolutely nothing exciting about Scotland. That said I have to credit him as his borefest is working.

Personally I'm not convinced that the Tartan Army would have been as patient and been on the players backs. However we've started to win ugly now and grind which means the fans will be patient and accept what is being served up.

Just don't expect any entertainment or free flowing football.

Last night I thought Ryan Jack was once again an unsung hero, just mops up, breaks up play and recyles the ball extremely well. Players like McGinn can and will get more plaudits but you need that water carrier in Jack to break it up. Also thought McLean was superb when he came on.

Lastly big Andy Considine - no world beater and will never be a first pick but bloody hell two absolutely solid performances and didn't put a foot wrong in 180 minutes. At 33 he deserves his Scotland caps.

When was the last time Scotland played free flowing, exciting football? The only time I remember was during and just after the 2008 EC qualifying campaign but it was short lived. Even before that Craig Brown and Roxburgh before him wasn't that great to watch.
Unless the expectations of the fans change we're going to be watching this for a very long time.
Suspect Scotland fans won't accept a more continental style of football where they calmly pass the ball around. They want blood and thunder, have done for years and that's why I think we've stagnated for decades. We need to learn how to keep the ball and pass it around.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

But were not Fletcher and Faddie saying last night that it was good to see Scotland playing an aggressive 'in yer face' sort of football - and isn't that just what we standing on the earth of the Hampden terracing back in the 1970s used to call for when we bawled out 'GERRINTAETHEM'.

Anyway - this talk of Scottish fitba times current and past, has got me pulling John Fairgrieve's Away Wi' the Goalie off my bookshelf.

Published in 1977 as Argentina-mania was building to fever pitch, I recall a fun and insightful little read into the psyche of Scottish football and we for whom it is - or was - so very important

 

[Doon frae Troon]

When was the last time Scotland played free flowing, exciting football? The only time I remember was during and just after the 2008 EC qualifying campaign but it was short lived. Even before that Craig Brown and Roxburgh before him wasn't that great to watch.
Unless the expectations of the fans change we're going to be watching this for a very long time.
Suspect Scotland fans won't accept a more continental style of football where they calmly pass the ball around. They want blood and thunder, have done for years and that's why I think we've stagnated for decades. We need to learn how to keep the ball and pass it around.

'Gerrrrr intae them', one of the great Scottish crowd chants of all time.
Modern take is probably 'ooooh nice pass Alisdair'.

 

[Jacko_G]

I will always have a soft spot for Roxborough from the 1990 World Cup when Scotland lost to Costa Rica - still the funniest 90 minutes of football I have ever watched.

????

Yeah as funny as Maradona's brilliant "header".

 

[azazel]

Football is about winning. If defending solidly and taking our chances when they come is what it takes for us to win, bring it on.
“Entertainment” is for cinemas and theatres, not professional sport (outwith North America).

 

[Pathetic Shark]

????

Yeah as funny as Maradona's brilliant "header".

How would any Scottish football fan know about that? It happened in the second stage of the World Cup finals …..

 

[smange]

How would any Scottish football fan know about that? It happened in the second stage of the World Cup finals …..

How could any England fan not even know it actually happened in the quarter final so technically the 3rd stage of the finals ?

Some people just can’t let a thread go by without having to post on it even if they have no interest in the subject or anything relevant to post!!