Where from here....?

[Gwhizz]

Its about time the SFA (yes, that shower of spineless s**t's) get real about where Scottish football is headed and how we can turnaround a product that is frankly failing to produce time and time again! How many fans have spent a lot of hard earned money to commit to following the national team during these campaigns only for it to be over before its even started. Im not trying to proclaim that we deserve to be in a better position than what we are but the way things have been for too long now dont seem to be showing any signs of changing.

The SFA need to develop a long term strategy (that the fans can buy into) on how we can improve the game at all levels, domestically and internationally. We hear of grassroots development but its simply not producing, they need to get the fans back and provide a product that is value for money and change the matchday experience that we are currently getting. Only this will encourage investment that can be put back in to game for developing potential future stars.

Team selection criteria needs to be addressed

- Too many players getting picked to play for the wrong reasons

- Not enough homegrown players in the squad

- When we do have youngsters that show signs of potential we always seem to have reservations to get them into squad (Rhodes, McCarthey and now looking likely Burke). Its these sort of        players we should be building a squad around at that time of their careers. There wasnt a single Scottish player (i use the term loosely) that started tonight that you could see as having the potential to still be playing for the national team in the next few years. 

Look at Belgium, prime example on how change's to your game and having a long term plan can make the difference. Cant always be the managers that are responsible for the failings. I've spent over the last ten years buying into the national team, been to many home and away games and the last few campaigns have been dreadfully poor. Something needs done! 

 

[JECK]

Just another Groundhog Day post to add the countless others fella. Truth is nobody knows what to do.

[Bobby Russell's Lovechild]

The SFA will do jack sh*t whilst profit is coming through the turnstiles, they are pure money men

[DaveyDenoon]

As long as the SFA report a profit then it's been a successful year. What happens on the pitch during that year is no longer relevant.

[KennyMiller]

Get a foreign manager who has no bias or allegiance to any player or any club and has not a clue about our game.

He can simply go "He's no bad - playing. He's pish - no playing".

Simple.

[KirkieRobRoy]

Some interesting insight here into the reality of the SFA's Yooff Strategy in this blog from the Queen's Park website:

http://www.queensparkfc.co.uk/?p=1823

Interesting reminder about Barry Douglas - league winner in Poland and now playing in the Europa League for a Turkish club - has Strachan even bothered watching him?

[thplinth]

I think we have to go for the Samson Option here and bring the whole temple down on our heads, force resignations at the top and rebuild from the head down with people who are not incompetent. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Barry Hearn said it - they should all be sacked for gross incompetence. It is not just the national game but also at club level. The game has rotted from the head down in Scotland. Time for a surgical decapitation. Otherwise it is just the same boring story that repeats itself over and over, all these threads on here it is like I have read them 10 times before... It never changes because when it comes time to do something you get legions of twats screaming how you need to 'back the team no matter what'... and then later after another crushing disappointment 'but why are we so shit all the time'? Gee who knows eh.

[stevenmcn]

19 minutes ago, thplinth said:

I think we have to go for the Samson Option here and bring the whole temple down on our heads, force resignations at the top and rebuild from the head down with people who are not incompetent. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Barry Hearn said it - they should all be sacked for gross incompetence. It is not just the national game but also at club level. The game has rotted from the head down in Scotland. Time for a surgical decapitation. Otherwise it is just the same boring story that repeats itself over and over, all these threads on here it is like I have read them 10 times before... It never changes because when it comes time to do something you get legions of twats screaming how you need to 'back the team no matter what'... and then later after another crushing disappointment 'but why are we so shit all the time'? Gee who knows eh.

You talking about voting with our feet? Basically nobody turn up for the next match, or at least threatening it?

[thplinth]

Yeah. Scotland fans are arguably the most loyal fans in the world. Top 5 for sure. If they chose to they could bring the SFA to its knees in one season. But they won't, They are like abused wives or something. They just keep going back for more. It is sickening. 

[KirkieRobRoy]

You now what he means - trouble is it won't and can't happen. It means Regan looking at our impossible qualification position, the fact that our under-21s got walloped on Wednesday, and saying , 'Haway, man, I'm really rubbish at my job and so are all my staff. We'll close down the SFA, give up our jobs and salaries, and let someone else build it up on proper lines. Oh, and I'll tell Mr Doncaster to do the same with the Spiffle. Poor bloke thinks four Old Squirm derbies a year is all Scottish football needs. Mind you, so do I.'

 

It is what Scottish football needs, but turkeys don't for Christmas (well, except, apparently, in the USA).

[Ormond]

6 minutes ago, thplinth said:

Yeah. Scotland fans are arguably the most loyal fans in the world. Top 5 for sure. If they chose to they could bring the SFA to its knees in one season. But they won't, They are like abused wives or something. They just keep going back for more. It is sickening. 

Very, very true. 

[exile]

2 minutes ago, thplinth said:

Yeah. Scotland fans are arguably the most loyal fans in the world. Top 5 for sure. If they chose to they could bring the SFA to its knees in one season. But they won't, They are like abused wives or something. They just keep going back for more. It is sickening. 

But surely people won't keep coming back, they will drift away, take up tennis or something.

From an entertainment perspective, what's the deal? Watch your team struggle to beat teams below them, face defeat to those above them, and be more or less knocked out a competition after 2 or 3 games, wait nearly 2 years for the next competitive match?

 

[g@un]

We regroup for next March, and go again.

We didn't play that badly last night. Forrest and Hanley are a no from me. Forrest, no end product, and Hanley makes Mertesacker look like Usain Bolt!

It goes against a lot of people's stance on eligibility, but I would go all out to convince Caulker to come in. What other options have we got at CB?

[Mee]

1 hour ago, exile said:

But surely people won't keep coming back, they will drift away, take up tennis or something.

From an entertainment perspective, what's the deal? Watch your team struggle to beat teams below them, face defeat to those above them, and be more or less knocked out a competition after 2 or 3 games, wait nearly 2 years for the next competitive match?

 

Isn't that just football generally?

[exile]

23 minutes ago, Mee said:

Isn't that just football generally?

To an extent but in a club league you play teams of roughly the same standard. With the national team in qualifiers you are in a smaller group where you more regularly play a top seed you can only rarely hope to beat, and a bottom seed that there is limited joy in beating.

Also, in a league depending on who you support, you may be happy for a realistic target like a top 6 finish, which you can be roughly satisfied with, but in international football, you're naturally tempted to aim for qualification, not mid table respectability, so every campaign can be seen as a failure.

In a weekly league, you can lose a couple of games at the start of a season and bounce back. This is almost impossible in qualifying tournaments. 

And for a club, the point at which you realise your campaign is over may be several months into a campaign, meaning next season is only a few months away, but for international tournaments, you could be effectively out after a couple of games (as little as a week) and then wait nearly two years.

Your club team could be relegated and re-promoted before Scotland next has a meaningful competitive match with prospect of tournament qualification.

[vanderark14]

Regan and Strachan should both be shown the door.

regan has overseen the most depressing period in Scottish football history. He had the cheek to say it's us who are negative. He's overseen a period where it's become a chore to go and watch Scotland play. 

Strachan should go for different reasons, he has to go because he's an arrogant and incompetent . He can take that glum negative twat McGhee with him.

Edited November 12, 2016 by vanderark14

[g@un]

We're all fed up at the minute, that tends to be the way after recent Scotland games. Bear in mind though that if (big if, but possible) we beat Slovenia and England in our next two games we are right back in the mix for 2nd place.

Totally agree that things need to improve, whether a new manager is the answer I don't know. A look at our defence, potential for some players to develop / get game time over the next few months amongst other factors could change this campaign for us. We started well last campaign but finished poorly and that cost us, we need to do the opposite this time around and I think we can.

 

[girvanTA]

2 minutes ago, g@un said:

We're all fed up at the minute, that tends to be the way after recent Scotland games. Bear in mind though that if (big if, but possible) we beat Slovenia and England in our next two games we are right back in the mix for 2nd place.

Totally agree that things need to improve, whether a new manager is the answer I don't know. A look at our defence, potential for some players to develop / get game time over the next few months amongst other factors could change this campaign for us. We started well last campaign but finished poorly and that cost us, we need to do the opposite this time around and I think we can.

 

Hope your right

[g@un]

So do I!

[Bino's]

9 minutes ago, g@un said:

We're all fed up at the minute, that tends to be the way after recent Scotland games. Bear in mind though that if (big if, but possible) we beat Slovenia and England in our next two games we are right back in the mix for 2nd place.

Totally agree that things need to improve, whether a new manager is the answer I don't know. A look at our defence, potential for some players to develop / get game time over the next few months amongst other factors could change this campaign for us. We started well last campaign but finished poorly and that cost us, we need to do the opposite this time around and I think we can.

 

Jesus h christ

[tartanhamish]

Another autopsy, it's the manager, it's the SFA, it's the clubs. Is it our fault for cheering the boys after a failed campaign allowing Mr Strachan to escape scott free from the Georgia away game? We are all in it together. The media, radio Scotland blandly covering fitba with ex pros unwilling to have a real go at the failed coaches who produce failed players. Whilst the SFA are not entirely to blame just ask yourselves; we are paying far too much money to watch a 4th rated team, my £35 ticket was a lot cheaper  than the Hampden england game. I just don't have an answer, none of us do. However perhaps it is for us, the fans to instigate change, another Scotland manager will be facing the sack in 2 years.

 

[scoobydoo]

Nothing will happen until there is a full boycott of home games.

 

And that won't happen because we are all thick as f uck.

[slasher]

That's it, I quit.

I'm hanging up my sporran for a while, maybe for good. There is so much wrong, on and off the pitch it's difficult to know where to start. The real problem is, like a few others, I don't really care anymore.

Have a nice life everyone?

[wheres the pies]

Now in my 40th year of surporting Scotland and its over canny handle it anymore where just going backwards there's no light at the end of the tunnel 

[kumnio]

2 hours ago, g@un said:

We're all fed up at the minute, that tends to be the way after recent Scotland games. Bear in mind though that if (big if, but possible) we beat Slovenia and England in our next two games we are right back in the mix for 2nd place.

Totally agree that things need to improve, whether a new manager is the answer I don't know. A look at our defence, potential for some players to develop / get game time over the next few months amongst other factors could change this campaign for us. We started well last campaign but finished poorly and that cost us, we need to do the opposite this time around and I think we can.

 

Fck me, some of our fans are delusional beyond belief.