DaveyDenoon

Not as frozen as the pitch if it is in Belgrade!

There is not a snowball in hell’s chance that the SFA will put tickets on sale prior to the SSC renewal period. Not a chance.

Obviously I can’t prove it and nobody can. If I could then others better than me could and do something about it. All I can say is that it’s highly suspicious that it turned out the way it did when this is exactly what UEFA wanted to do but couldn’t. Coincidence? Maybe but there’s a 77% chance it wasn’t....and I really don’t like coincidences! We know FIFA is corrupt - why wouldn’t UEFA be? It’s really not past them to arrange a seeded draw on the sly if they wanted one (which they did). Not with the sole intention of stopping Scotland of course, but just because they’d prefer the big teams through. They’d have done it whether we were one of the wee teams or not. I’m not suggesting for a second by the way that the only reason we haven’t qualified for 22 years and counting is because UEFA is corrupt - it’s because largely we’ve not been good enough and, arguably bar 2012 (Czechs at home) and maybe 2008 (great campaign and so nearly made it), we haven’t deserved to. That’s a fact. I can’t think of any reason why UEFA would wage a consistent 22 year corruption driven vendetta against Scotland to be honest. As for this draw, we needed a bit of luck and a 50/50 to go our way. It didn’t so I think we can forget about euro 2020 as winning in Norway/Serbia will be very very difficult indeed for many teams, and for me I think it is beyond us.

Yes, it did happen. And chuck in the events leading up to the draw - what are the chances of the very thing that they wanted to do, then under pressure relented and decided not to do, actually coming true and happening? There is no doubt in my mind that the draw that was eventually made WAS seeded, despite that not being in the rules to start with and there being an outcry when they announced their intention to do so (before relenting). Its nothing to do with paranoia and everything to do with examining what happened at the time. I am not a great believer in coincidences especially when authorities desperately want something to happen and then hey presto it happens. Coincidence? Don't think so.

Exactly. Let's assume for a second the final is played at the winner of our semi - there is merit in selling tickets for the final prior to the semi, indeed it is probably pretty much essential from a logistics viewpoint. But being a prospective final they won't be cheap (£30 minimum at a guess) and I'd be pretty pissed off at forking out £30 minimum for a game that turns out to be a friendly off the back of a semi final defeat especially when the friendly would be played under such a cloud and on a real downer that hardly anybody would want to go (players, fans and probably management too). Such a friendly would attract a crowd of less than 5,000 frankly on a March Tuesday night (unless it was v Brazil or Argentina or someone of that ilk, maybe we'd get Hampden half full for that? And yes I am being extremely optimistic even at that). If we lose the semi then void and refund any tickets sold and forget any stupid nonsense about friendlies unless we are forced to. If we are then we'd be better off making sure we are playing an away one somewhere where both countries agree to play 'B' (or maybe 'C' or 'D'?) teams.

I think they meant the 'H' of 'Hampden' that's spelled out by the different coloured seats in the North Stand tbf

I'd rather be in our shoes than theirs. Although they are performing better than us right now, their playoff will be against sides quite a bit more difficult that ours. Ours won't be easy but if we had the teams NI are likely to face we'd have very little chance indeed, especially if playing the semi away as NI are likely to be doing, depending on the draw of course.

Now that's funny!

You never dreamt it. This was the way it was going to be until the "UEFA reserve the right to change anything they like whenever they like to suit" clause was invoked. The idea was to fill the playoffs from D to A using the NL rankings (adjusted to allow for our 3-team group) which of course we were ranked 1st. By the time they got to C if any C teams qualified directly then it would be a case of filling up the spaces from League C teams ranked below 4th as they come up and the same then for B and A but in order of NL ranking - and if there weren't enough A teams not qualified then B sides would step up, and similarly if there were not enough B teams left who had not qualified then C teams in theory could step up into the B or even A path. The only other rule being that a NL group winner could never play a team from a higher path ie they could not be moved up and a higher path team could not be moved down unless all group winners qualified direct. This is why I can't figure out why Israel/Bulgaria would be drawn to see who went into A or C, as Bulgaria finished ranked higher than Israel they should be given the "easier" path C and Israel put into the "harder" path which is what was originally supposed to happen. I am not saying there is anything untoward going on, I just don't think UEFA thought it through very well.

I am thinking specifically about the campaign where we played the Netherlands in the playoffs. The playoffs were meant to be an open draw, but UEFA then announced they were going to seed them. Upon this announcement there was a lot of push back and cries of foul play (rightly so - if the draw was to be seed that should've been made clear form the outset, like it is nowadays) following which UEFA announced the draw would be open rather than seeded after all. Cue the draw and miraculously (some may suggest almost mathematically impossibly, but certainly highly unlikely) the four teams which would have been seeded ended up playing the four teams which would not. That kind of form is what I am referring to.

Definitely guaranteed a home semi. The final is reliant on the luck of the draw so straight 50/50. If there does happen to be any jiggery pokery surrounding the draw for this (it’s not as if UEFA doesn’t have form for ensuring a “preferred outcome” when it comes to “random” draws....) then let’s hope it is that they would prefer as many hosts as possible to qualify....

If Broon had anything to do with it, I’ll assume he must’ve kept his good eye shut. Worst Scotland shirt ever.

In all seriousness, I think he could do a good job in a role within the grass roots and structure of the game. Academies and such like. Project Brave or whatever it is called. But nowhere near the A Squad coaching team please!

The SFA have to take the blame for the shambles we’ve become squarely on the shoulders. Without reopening the whole should Strachan have been sacked debate, what can’t be argued is that to sack him without a cohesive plan of action that they’d already checked out was feasible was dreadful decision making. To then compound that by appointing an outdated out of work has been who we could all see was never going to be a success simply because his boozy buddies wanted to get him a gig was nothing short of criminal. The Strachan side was hardly our finest vintage, yet if is still pretty accurate to say we’re not a shadow of even that. You never saw them cave like tonight, never saw the confidence visibly draining out of them before your very eyes like that under WGS. We are paying the price of SFA incompetence at the time Strachan was sacked (in fact long before if we’re honest here) and we will be for a long time to come. The damage to the lads’ confidence that was done during McLeish’s time in charge is going to take years to put right. Im not suggesting Clarke should go for one second, but if I were him I’d be out of there before my reputation got trashed. I don’t doubt he knew it was a big task he was taking on. I doubt he knew quite how big though nor quite how dreadful and fragile we have become.

Thus keeping the “Assassination Pool” flourishing 😁

Sorry but if you have the opportunity to assassinate Trump and don’t take it then I’m gonna get fucking humpty. OK?!

Cannot believe nobody has mentioned Trump. Presumably because that’s just a given and it would be more appropriate to mention it if you didn’t want to empty him to the big fire? And as much an annoying snivelling wee cunt as Piers Morgan is, do more people really want to see the back of him than Boris Fucking Johnson? What a strange lot we are...

You’ve hit the nail on the head. If we get 9 it’ll be despite Lennon not because of him. We won’t get 10.

Some of their banners make me cringe tbh. That particular one was pretty accurate.

I just don’t think he’s a very good manager and without suggesting Rodgers was some kind of Guardiola figure, Lennon is without doubt a step down the way. He’s tactically naive and his man management is less than stellar. It was clear back in May that when Celtic won the Cup and the bar I was in (when the local CSC meet) was bouncing then when the news came through it took seconds for the place to become as flat as a witch’s tit. Something which, as I understand it, was repeated in Celtic bars up and down the country. In addition most Rangers fans I am friendly with were pretty happy and immediately feeling confident about the forthcoming season. There must be a reason for that and for me the appointment was made in the same vein as that of Solskjaer at Man Utd - knee jerk and made with emotion rather than with the head. The board made a massive mistake appointing Lennon and the GB banner about gambling 10IAR to save a few quid was spot on.

It is becoming increasingly obvious why Celtic fans felt like the wind had been taken right out of their sails on the day the treble treble was secured and why Rangers fans were boosted on the same day. On a day in which Celtic fans should’ve been over the moon and Rangers fans hiding from the world, only the Celtic board could’ve created the opposite feeling for both. I said it then and I will repeat it now - Celtic will not win ten in a row with Lennon at the helm. Whether it is it’s season (very possibly and looking increasingly more likely each week in my opinion) or next, Rangers will win the title. And it won’t be genius management from Gerrard or wondrous decision making by King that will be the chief cause. That will be the reserve of the Celtic board. Its plain for all to see.

Such a terrible awful disease. To see a man who was so fit, healthy and strong become such a shadow of his former self and succumbing to this is heartbreaking. RIP Fernando, whilst your physical strength left you your strength in character never did. An inspiration to many, your suffering is now over.

Since we’re on the Northern Ireland theme... Michael O’Neill’s last job was Brechin City manager. Let that sink in. Who Clarke previously managed is immaterial (but he did a bloody good job at Killie)

Correct But don’t forget O’Neills first ten or so games as their manager were on a par with what we’re churning out this weekend. We have to believe in Clarke to get it right. We can’t keep sacking or changing managers. That’s part of the problem lot the solution. I think he’ll get there but it won’t be a particularly comfortable journey. Perhaps we have to suffer this to get to where we need to get to. Strap yourselves in boys, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

He’ll have to go some to overtake Kenny Dalgleish