Caledonian Craig

We do not go from being a good team that qualified to a shite team in a few months thst much I am sure. Clarke's job is to sort out what has gone wrong and rectify it. I think there are a few factors in.play here. For some time we had a very settled line-up and we became a well-drilled compact side getting good results and confidence built up. But over the last few months we have missed key players through injuries and that knocked us out of our stride and we never worked out a fix. We have also resorted to a dangerous trait. Still selecting players out of form or not getting games for their club and it has cost us. I look at Patterson, Dykes and Cooper (but to be fair to him he did fine last night). Too many players have got comfortable with the idea they are going to the Euros and have let their standards slip. Clarke should call-up some fresh faces in the next squad even if just to worry some players into raising their standards again. We have had a run of games where, as we qualified with a couple of games to spare then had friendlies the competitive edge has been lackibg too. That needs to change also. At present our chances of getting out of the group stages have diminished a lot given these issues we have and a severe lack of confidence that we must have now diminishes our chances even more.

Yes and That analogy sums them up as Celtic and Rangers are renowned for the poison they bring to matches with bigotted and confrontational chants in a bid to solely aggravate people. That sums up their support perfectly. They were more interested in aggravating. Their interest on the pitch was and is minimal given how much hope there is to be excited about on the pitch. What chants were aggravating:- Everywhere they go Scotland get battered....confrontational John McGinn what a w***er what a w***er....confrontational Something along lines of Euros your having a laugh.....confrontational Lots more today before we even get into the Rule Brittania and Dambusters pish. Wtf that has to do with Northern Ireland god knows. They done a lot of singing but right now I cannot thing of one chant about their players or team even after they scored. Detestable tossers. Worst bunch of nobody and no-hoper supporters to grace Hampden.

Horse shit. They are the only supporters I know (even England do not plunge to their depth) that were chants based around aggravating confrontations. I was right next to them and they were constantly glaring over with arms out wide in a confrontational manner. Their chants were only confrontational. I could count in one hand the songs they sung about their team or their players. Poisonous bunch of tossers. If they float your boat then it just sums you up.

What did we learn from this double header? Shankland is our best option up front. Patterson cannot start in the Euros if he is not playing for Everton. His confidence and self-belief which was low must now be rock bottom. If Hickey is not fit then, at present, has to be Ralston. When forced into playing four at the back after Robertson's injury we did look marginally better so that should be our default formation going forward should Robertson or Tierney be unavailable. Safe to say Taylor won't be on the plane or else it would have been a like-for-like substitution with Robertson and let Clarke have a look at him as everyone else (barring keepers) got some gametime in this double header.

I can only put this down to lack of intensity in.our play since we qualified which has made us complacent in games which in turns has led to poor results which in turn knocks confidence. It is like being a home nation thats gets automatic qualification and has many months of matches with nothing on them. Poor finishing against top quality opposition last Friday cost us. Our attacking play was very encouraging but never took our many chances. Last night was down to not having the attacking guile or clinical passing in the final third. We appeared clueless (as we have in the past) when a side scores then parks the bus. The goal we conceded though was shocking - a schoolboy error which has no place in international football. We passed the ball fine in non-threatening areas but not in areas where it matters where crosses were too long or too near the keeper. Our midfield (normally our strength) was awful - only Christie did alright and perhaps Gilmour. Dykes was awful but in fairness to him he had no service.

Sorry that won't wash away the fact the vast majority were Rangers fans. The clues were glaringly obvious:- 1. The 'Fuck thhe SFA ' chant. Only Rangers fans sing it. 2. The flags with Scottish place names on them. 3. The added boos to any Celtic or ex-Celtic players when teams were read out. 4. Even witnessed odd hand clapping when our players with Rangers connections were named ie Patterson, Gilmour and oddly enough even Shankland who Rangers are thought to be hot favourites to sign him. 5. Their songbook right out of Ibrox Park. The evidence is irrefutable.

I think a lot of our fans went to the game a little concerned after Friday night.When its like that the team needs to get the fans going but they offered very little to get excited about so the atmosphere remained flat.

Yes a total embarrassment. My slaves to the English comment is based on their ripping off English songs and having no patriotism for their own country, Northern Ireland. It must be a miserable existence to have no national identity.

Yes I go with that. I think Clarke played him in the hope of chance of building confidence but it did not work.

Yup. They showed their colours with their 'Fuck the SFA' chant. And when teams were named noted higher boos for Celtic players and mild cheers for ex Rangers players. Plus a number actually wearing blue tops.

We were far too pedestrian in.our build up play. On odd moments we broke with pace is when we looked mildly threatening but even when we got into good posotions pur final ball was rank.

Their supporters. Giving it all this shit with their arms out baiting home supporters. Fucking cave-dwellers.

Worryingly poor. We look like a different team than one of six months ago. Plenty of possession but no creativity. They scored from a Patterson howler and parked the bus. Game over. What loathsome, confrontional slaves to the English wankers they are. Odious tossers.

Yes Armstrong is a very handy squad member. He can and has made useful contributions when we have needed it. He has also been in good form for Southampton this season and has a lot of experience now at international level.

I echo all of those sentiments.

I am based in Berlin and yesterday booked return tickets for around £70 and that is first class. Booked through this:- https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/event-guide/ticket-holders/

Yes mines showing up too.

Agreed. It is also not out of the question he may play two strikers up front tonight in Dykes and Shankland.

I have no issue Ferguson starting tonight but lets not raise expectations of him on the strength of where he plays. Jury is still out until I see him make an impression for us which I have yet to see unfortunately. No doubting his rich club form though.

The side I'd start with would be:- Gunn Porteous Hendry Tierney Patterson Robertson Gilmour McTominay McGinn Ferguson Shankland

A bit of a myth that. Ferguson also started against France.

I'd sat bitterness because we refuse t massage their egos by selecting their sub-standard striker.

That would be some feat considering we are playing Northern Ireland.🤣

Cooper is NOT that much more experienced at international level than Souttar. He has about 8 more caps. Souttar has the advantaged too of getting regular first team football at present unlike Cooper.

Fair enough. There are enough examples out there that says do not judge a player's capabilities at international level by the league level they play at. We do not know until players are tried.