ErsatzThistle

It was Phil Bardsley who was eligibile for us due to his father being born here whilst Bardsley's grandparents were on holiday. Matt Ritchie got sixteen caps for us.

Provan said a number of years back that he was "finished" with our national team after 1. Jock Stein allegedly promised him he'd start a big game but left him on the bench when it came (Boo funking hoo Davie, that's happened to most players at least once in their careers) 2. Claims he was "singled out for abuse" by Scotland fans at the 1982 World Cup. (Lies) He's a very bitter, twisted man.

That's a stupid post that forgets the circumstances at the time. All the other strikers except Brophy and Burke were injured and Steven Fletcher had just chucked international football. Brophy had just had a respectable season at Killie. It made sense to call him up at the time.

Annan, Clyde, Motherwell and Stirling are all majority fan owned.

I would have called up Zander Clark to the squad instead of McLaughlin (at least Clark is playing regular football and playing well) and given him 45 minutes vs. Luxembourg. Liam Kelly looks like he'll be playing regular football for Motherwell next season with a deal close to being agreed between Motherwell and QPR. We also need McCrorie and Doohan to get permanent moves away from the Old Firm. Loan moves for youngsters Mair and Slicker would be good to see too.

You're kidding yourself on if you think McPake, Middleton, Kelly and Mayo will make it. Josh McPake is 19 and turns 20 in August. Now on his fourth loan club (Morecambe in League One) and not impressed in any of his previous loans. Glenn Middleton is 20 and on his third loan club. Looks like going back to St Johnstone again. He's a decent mid-table Scottish Prem player but nowhere near good enough for Rangers first team. Lewis Mayo is 21 and hasn't broken through at Ibrox. If you can't do it by that age then it's never going to happen. Stephen Kelly is 21 and in the same boat as Mayo. And similar to Middleton looks a competent middle/lower half team player but not good enough for a team chasing titles. Steven Gerrard will not be dropping title winning players for any of these four guys. They didn't make it. McCrorie needs to move away from Ibrox if he is to fulfil his potential. McGregor is just going to go on playing into his 40s. It's no good having McCrorie stuck as a No. 2 or No. 3 keeper for the next few years.

Helmut ? I've traced my ancestry back to the 1770s but haven't found any Germans yet.

Heard that one ten years ago about John Fleck, Danny Wilson, Gregg Wylde, Jamie Ness, Darren Cole and Kyle Hutton. Look what happened to them. I remember the exact same buzz from c. 2006/07 regarding young Celtic lads Paul Caddis, Simon Ferry, Charlie Grant, Scott Cuthbert, Paul McGowan and Ryan Conroy. Be careful about building up young Scots, especially those at the Old Firm. It often ends in tears.

Read the post again It's the revolting image of "Wha's like us", kilted, bagpipe playing highlanders in misty glens by lochsides that Ramy is so in love with that I am saying was invented by the Victorians. It's time we destroyed it and started again. Ramy's whole image of Scotland was invented by the English whom he claims to hate and despise.

Aye, typos. Serves me right for copying and pasting it from an old Scotzine article

Nah, Turner was never capped. Gordon and Marshall must have been unavailable. I'm pretty sure that in the program Q&A for the 2006 game vs. France, David Weir chose Turner as his "one for the future" Darren Fletcher was injured (or ill ?) and couldn't make this game.

I'm actually a lifelong supporter of Scottish independence and live here, work here and will one day die here. How about you ? You do know that the whole kilts, clan tartan, big feather bonnet, screeching bagpipes image of Scotland that you worship was invented in English country house drawing rooms by titled aristocratic ladies and fawning Scots Tories such as Walter Scott.

What was wrong with it then ? And just what exactly is "a true Scot" ? I have no idea what on earth "a true Scot" is.

As it says... Thoughts on how far we have come in ten years. This was the squad announced by Craig Levein to play a friendly against Denmark at Hampden (which we won 2-1). A young Grant Hanley was there. Goalkeepers - Allan McGregor (Rangers), Matt Gilks (Blackpool), Iain Turner (Preston NE); Defenders- Phil Bardsley (Sunderland), Christophe Berra (Wolves), Gary Caldwell (Wigan), Stephen Crainey (Blackpool), Grant Hanley (Blackburn), Alan Hutton (Tottenham), Steven Whittaker (Rangers), Danny Wilson (Liverpool); Midfielders - Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), Scott Brown (Celtic), Kris Commons (Celtic), Graeme Dorrans (WBA), Craig Forrest (Celtic), James Morrison (WBA), Barry Robson (Middlesbrough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Charlie Adam (Liverpool), Forwards - Kenny Miller (Cardiff), Steven Naismith (Rangers), David Goodwillie (Dundee United), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton), Kenny Miller (Cardiff), Steven Naismith (Rangers). Where have we improved, regressed and where are we still just the bloody same ?

Have you ever actually stopped to consider that the whole kilts, bagpipes, bonnets, clansmen in the misty glens was all actually a Victorian invention by unionists and not a true representation of Scotland's past, present or future ? I want their football team to lose but I still love English's rich cultural heritage. I don't see why that makes me any less a Scot than you.