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To stay or go?


andyD

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Ok, let's get ourselves on the record before the games kick off and we're all a bit kneejerky, one way or the other heh

Strachan's contract is up after this campaign.

So, would you want to see him stay on, or look to go in a different direction?

Reasons to keep him:
He does genuinely care about Scotland and desperately wants us to qualify.
We've shown the strength to turn the campaign around when everyone thought it was lost.
The players are clearly very much behind him.
Bought in new faces well as needed (Anya, Robertson, Paterson, Greer, Armstrong, Ritchie, Tierney).
He's involving younger players, using squads to try and give incentives to excel.
His squads generally make sense compared to previous managers. Usually the best of what's available.
Better than Levein and Burley. 2nd best results-wise since Craig Brown (#1 McLeish).

Reasons not to:
Doesn't seem to know Aberdeen exists (weird given he played for them).
Does seem to over-rely on some players who perhaps don't deserve the faith (e.g. McArthur, Forrest, Whittaker)
Prone to the same old Scottish trait of dropping points in 'should win' games.
Can be cantankerous in press conferences.
Seemed overly cautious during the 2016 campaign (formation & selections).
Ultimately failed to qualify, so far.. (Levein did royally F the first campaign tho).


For me.. he's not perfect. He needs to be a little less afraid of changing things, particularly in the personnel he uses (Bardsley. McDonald. Rhodes a few years ago. Very slow to call up the likes of Cairney and McGregor), tho he does seem to have got better at that this campaign, with new call ups and a different system being used (albeit once). At the end of the day we have a squad which does have some significant limitations, and i don't think we're a long way off doing as well as these players can realistically do. Yes, we still do the most Scottish of things in dropping points to relative minnows, but that's not new, we've been doing that for decades. It stretches beyond this manager or these players. So I think i'd stick with Strachan thru to 2020.

Sure, the next two performances will influence my view. If we crumble completely then that has to come into the reckoning, but I think it's worth looking at it now, given that our injuries have made the coming task significantly harder.

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At this moment, if i had to decide, i'd say he should go. If he gets two wins this week, then that'll probably change. 

A 3-0 pumping in Slovakia and a home draw to Lithuania is why we're in this terrible position. 

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I would keep him.

I believe he is the best option currently.  I also believe for the most part…..(the McGregor exclusion and the Oliver Burke situation in particular I’m sure there’s more to that than meets the eye) he’s picking the best available squad consistently now.

Were still odds against to qualify this time but I fancy our chances to make the play-offs and even if it all goes to pot I still fancy us to do well in the next qualifying especially with the new format and him as gaffer.

He is however a complete Rex hunt in interviews and absolutely infuriating when he refuses to say point blank games are a must win when it’s blatantly obvious.

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There already is a thread on this.  We almost lost this message board, so if its to survive and not be a financial burden on someone who then evaluates their decision in a year or two, I think we should run this forum better. And yes I did start this thread myself, I also am passionate about the board being run well to see the numbers come back with proper admin and engaging threads. 

 

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It depends on how the team fair in the next two matches, I keep hearing how he's turned the campaign around but all we've done is beat Slovenia at home (narrowly)Lithuania away and Malta at home which we should be doing. 

This is his biggest test as Scotland manager so far, win them both and he takes us to a place we haven't been for far too long...............the playoffs. If he gets us there I'd give him another campaign.

 

 

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I think he will leave at the end of our World Cup campaign, be that next week, next month of next summer.

Whenever I see him on TV now I think he carries of the look of a man who has had enough and wants to take a step back from football.

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Genuine question re cantankerous in press conferences - do you really give a flying fk? Tell me a manager who has behaved impeccably to your ideals of how a manager should conduct themselves in the media. 

The football media are cretinous wee toads who deserve everything they get from strachan. I'd keep him on if it were down to this.

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He should go, and I say that regardless of us not getting to a playoff or somehow making it to the final in Moscow next year and humping Germany 3-0 in the final.

He has went took us backwards IMO, and a good win against Lithuania and a game of boredom against Malta isnt going to change my mind.

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It's impossible to say before the next two games...if we get the play-offs (assuming we don't do a Berti when there) it'll be up to him.

If the next two are a disaster, I think it will be hard to justify him staying.

The middle point is, say, if we play well v Slovakia but are robbed due to a dodgy decision, then beat Slovenia anyway. We've seen the grass isn't always greener and with the first list of pros and cons being pretty fair, there is very, very little to suggest there's 1) an obvious better replacement, 2) the SFA are capable of a successful innovative appointment.

So all in all, unless we get horsed coming up, the fact he is - by far, it's not even close - our best manager since McLeish will keep him in the gig for another campaign if he wants it for me.

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25 minutes ago, JECK said:

Genuine question re cantankerous in press conferences - do you really give a flying fk? Tell me a manager who has behaved impeccably to your ideals of how a manager should conduct themselves in the media. 

The football media are cretinous wee toads who deserve everything they get from strachan. I'd keep him on if it were down to this.

Managers can do whatever they like when they are winning games or doing well. Strachan comes across like a complete bellend, he isnt as smart as he thinks he is, and he should remember that he has failed as a manager for us.

He should be thankful to be in a job, we shouldnt be thankful having him in charge. The morons chanting in Gordon we trust or whatever it was in Faro should be ashamed of themselves.

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25 minutes ago, kumnio said:

He should go, and I say that regardless of us not getting to a playoff or somehow making it to the final in Moscow next year and humping Germany 3-0 in the final.

He has went took us backwards IMO, and a good win against Lithuania and a game of boredom against Malta isnt going to change my mind.

Am I reading that correctly? If we get to the World Cup final and beat Germany 3-0 he should still go ?

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35 minutes ago, kumnio said:

He should go, and I say that regardless of us not getting to a playoff or somehow making it to the final in Moscow next year and humping Germany 3-0 in the final.

He has went took us backwards IMO, and a good win against Lithuania and a game of boredom against Malta isnt going to change my mind.

Still fancy De Boer in the role?

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11 minutes ago, JECK said:

Am I reading that correctly? If we get to the World Cup final and beat Germany 3-0 he should still go ?

Yea he's trolling but its bad quality trolling.  At least my trolling is either slightly amusing or there s a mooted point somewhere.   This is just hatred and stupid. 

 

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Unless we lose both games then I hope he stays. He's moved towards picking confident, form players. That demonstrates learning in the role from previous mistakes and just about justifies him staying on rather than ripping it up and starting afresh. I don't care about interviews or whether he picks Aberdeen players who are very much borderline and wouldn't make a tangible difference anyway.

If he goes then Michael O'Neill will do nicely.

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