Texas Pete

Maguire isn’t out yet. You seem to think that because England aren’t as strong as they used to be that we should get at least a draw against them. Doesn’t work like that as they are still stronger than us. England beat Belgium 8 months ago. Kane didn’t even start that game. They also beat a good Wales team 3-0 without Kane and Maguire, albeit in a friendly. They have won 23 out of their last 25 competitive games at Wembley. The only two teams to beat them in that time were Spain and a very good Denmark side. Don’t let these facts get in the way of your fantasy that we should get at least a draw and if we have a go at them we should win though. It’s obviously much more fun for you to be controversial on here rather than realistic.

Incidentally you got the San Marino score spot on. Maybe you are on to something with the England game.

Pretty sure but only because I searched for it. 😂 Referees have been missing shit like that for years. That’s one of the reasons VAR was brought in. If VAR was in use in that game he’d have been off but it was a friendly so it wasn’t (although bizarrely it was in use in the France v Wales game).

If I remember correctly you predicted we’d draw 1-1 in Kazakhstan so I won’t be putting my life savings on your tip. 😂

Yeah I thought the original back 3 were pretty solid. A couple of hairy moments but they kept out a decent team and very good striker for most of the match. Will be interesting to see who plays on Sunday. I would guess Hanley or Gallagher might get a start. Tierney should be rested (or protected would probably be a better word) in my opinion. We know what he can do and need him fit and fresh for the start of the tournament. Would be good to see Patterson get a run out as well.

I was more talking about their chances of beating us than their strength in depth. Their second or third choice centre forward would walk into our team. They may not be as good (or have as many good players as Italy or France) but they are heavy favourites to beat us and rightly so. Does that mean we can’t win? Of course not but it will be very tough, even to get a draw. I think our best chance of progressing is by taking 4 points from the other 2 games although I would love to take something at Wembley.

Calvert-Lewin is streets ahead of any of our strikers. I would kill for a striker if his quality in our squad. You're going to look like an idiot if we get pumped 4-0. Obviously I don’t want that to happen but it’s a possibility.

Even though he’s largely untried against that standard of striker? I don’t think Cooper has faced Kane this season but the best Gallagher has faced is Morelos and Edouard. It’s a tough one but I think Gallagher would’ve started the Netherlands if he was going to play against England. Cooper was decent the other night as well so won’t have done his chances any harm.

Awarded free kicks don’t go to VAR but if a penalty is given for something similar and it isn’t reversed I would be surprised. I do agree that Hendry was daft to touch Depay but that doesn’t make it a foul.

That doesn’t make it a foul. It makes it a dive. In what way is that a “legit free kick”? Why did you bring it up then?

Ffs mate anyone who knows the rules of football knows that wasn’t a foul. The ref was conned though so he obviously thought Hendry impeded Depay. I am not claiming to be more qualified than the ref but I have watched the incident several times in slow motion and from different angles which the ref wasn’t able to do. I seriously doubt the ref would stand by that decision now.

Referees can’t make mistakes?

What planet do you live on at all? Do you know football is a contact sport? Putting your hands on a player is not a foul. If Hendry pulled Depay to the ground then you have a point but is certainly didn’t look that way to me. You appear to be seriously underestimating England. They are certainly no France or Belgium but they are a hell of a lot better than you are making out.

Yeah it was more an observation of how some of our supporters love to give players stick, often for no real reason. It is good to see Hanley playing well and getting back into the EPL. He’s still only 29 I think so could be a good player for us for another 3 or 4 years anyway.

Fair point but home advantage with a quarter full house must count for something surely? We’ll find out I guess.

England are always a fairly short price with British bookies to win tournaments because a lot of English people bet on them and it drives the odds down. England could probably drop Kane and 3-4 others and still comfortably get out the group. I doubt the Czechs would take anything at Wembley regardless of who England field and while I admire your optimism I think we’ll do well to get a draw there. You’ve got to remember that England very rarely lose at Wembley. They beat Belgium there last year and yes they did lose to Denmark but Denmark are a damn sight better than anything they’ll face in the group stage. Make no mistake, England could win the tournament. If they weren’t playing more or less every game at home I wouldn’t give them a chance but it will take a good team to beat them at Wembley.

Big difference this time is we have 2 games at Hampden. We’ll probably never have a better chance of getting out of a group.

Maybe but they were only in those playoffs because of their earlier good form. They were outclassed and relegated in the Nations League. Put it this way if we played them now I would expect to beat them fairly comfortably. We would have lost to them 5 years ago or maybe even 2 or 3. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went back to being a pot 5 or 6 team on the next couple of years.

I don’t have any strong thoughts on who is the better team but 1 win in 12 is terrible form and not qualifying for a tournament you qualified for and did very well in the last time it was held would suggest a decline.

It’s hard to tell as they are playing a very good team and they weren’t at full strength in either of our last 2 matches but the Czechs definitely look beatable. If we have a right go at them I think we can do some serious damage.

2-0. Wild deflection.

I was thinking that earlier. People with entry times 30 mins before kick off will be expecting to turn up and get in with no hassle but instead they’ll probably turn up to long queues of pished people who were meant to be inside at least an hour earlier. Fair enough if you’ve got a genuine reason like traveling from up north or England or whatever but I think the rest of us should just bite the bullet and turn up when we’re meant to.

Don’t think it’s just UEFA. I doubt the Scottish government or Glasgow city council want packed trains and buses an hour before kick off.

NI have 1 point more than ROI in WCQ and have just won their first game in 12 attempts.

I think most guys in our squad (except the newer guys obviously) have had a lot of stick over the last few years. Cooper, Tierney, Robertson, McGregor, Fraser, O’Donnell all spring to mind but there will be others.