Better times ahead.....no false dawns!

[SWMM82]

There is an increasing apathy towards the national team and Scottish football in from media and fans, and a general inferiority complex when it comes to playing  the “big” nations, that it’s no wonder we find ourselves in this position, it’s almost become ingrained into us. We can only watch in awe a team like Belgium (who, by the way, were much like where we are now 15-20 years ago) knock the ball about with such confidence and swagger while we chase shadows! Each and every qualifying campaign we go in with the same mentality..... we might scrape a play off place, but it’ll be an away game against a Georgia/Macedonia that’ll be our undoing!

We have made similar changes at grassroots level in the last 5-10 years and now we have very talented age groups at 19s and 17s level with players gaining first team exposure. Add to that for the first time in f**k knows how long we have a potentially world class player in Billy Gilmour coming through the ranks. We are now regularly getting results against top tier teams at youth level, so there are reasons to be positive! 

The Naismith’s and the snodgrass’s have been great servants, but they had their opportunities, and they ultimately failed to take us to a major finals. Time to phase in these talented younger players we have coming through..... Wales did it with bale, Ramsey and now Ethan ampadu, Belgium did it, it’s worked out no bad for them!

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by SWMM82

[er yir macaroon]

34 minutes ago, SWMM82 said:

There is an increasing apathy towards the national team and Scottish football in from media and fans, and a general inferiority complex when it comes to playing  the “big” nations, that it’s no wonder we find ourselves in this position, it’s almost become ingrained into us. We can only watch in awe a team like Belgium (who, by the way, were much like where we are now 15-20 years ago) knock the ball about with such confidence and swagger while we chase shadows! Each and every qualifying campaign we go in with the same mentality..... we might scrape a play off place, but it’ll be an away game against a Georgia/Macedonia that’ll be our undoing!

We have made similar changes at grassroots level in the last 5-10 years and now we have very talented age groups at 19s and 17s level with players gaining first team exposure. Add to that for the first time in f**k knows how long we have a potentially world class player in Billy Gilmour coming through the ranks. We are now regularly getting results against top tier teams at youth level, so there are reasons to be positive! 

The Naismith’s and the snodgrass’s have been great servants, but they had their opportunities, and they ultimately failed to take us to a major finals. Time to phase in these talented younger players we have coming through..... Wales did it with bale, Ramsey and now Ethan ampadu, Belgium did it, it’s worked out no bad for them!

 

This is true. It will take 4 years. Our  early 20s centre halves will have matured and Gilmour, Cochrane and the other youth players who’ve been outplaying and be beating all before them will be 21. That’s. what we need to look forward to and not lose sight of. 

[Letsdoit]

I like many others hope the future is bright, I agree about the potential in our youth however we say the same thing every year, but nothing ever comes of it, we are missing something somewhere, God knows why or what, maybe someone will find out what that is and we can transition the youth in a way where they keep improving to world class standard which transfers to the national team as well as the clubs, we miss some self belief that we're not good enough to take on the best, watching the game last night belge passed the ball about as we stood off them yet when we had the ball we had no clue as what to do when they shut us down, it's 11 talented men vs 11 but giving any team the space and respect that we gave them last nite just shows weekness and they take advantage, we may not be as skillful as other teams but shape commitment, closing down and some determination off the ball to win it would at least be better than what I seen

[Bobby Russell's Lovechild]

Feruz, Harper and even Gauld to a were also potential world class players. I won't be holding my breath until at least he's 20

[SWMM82]

3 minutes ago, Letsdoit said:

I like many others hope the future is bright, I agree about the potential in our youth however we say the same thing every year, but nothing ever comes of it, we are missing something somewhere, God knows why or what, maybe someone will find out what that is and we can transition the youth in a way where they keep improving to world class standard which transfers to the national team as well as the clubs, we miss some self belief that we're not good enough to take on the best, watching the game last night belge passed the ball about as we stood off them yet when we had the ball we had no clue as what to do when they shut us down, it's 11 talented men vs 11 but giving any team the space and respect that we gave them last nite just shows weekness and they take advantage, we may not be as skillful as other teams but shape commitment, closing down and some determination off the ball to win it would at least be better than what I seen

I’ve touched on this on a previous thread, but the difference between our youth then and now, is the technical improvements, dominating possession against teams like Spain, which we have never done in the past. Add to that, Cochrane, Anthony McDonald, mickey Johnston etc are getting first team exposure rather than just standing out at development level. Levein has already been quoted saying Cochrane is the “best midfielder at the club”, and he’s only 16/17 years old. 

The future is much brighter, just will take time to get the tartan army believing again.

[er yir macaroon]

Just now, SWMM82 said:

I’ve touched on this on a previous thread, but the difference between our youth then and now, is the technical improvements, dominating possession against teams like Spain, which we have never done in the past. Add to that, Cochrane, Anthony McDonald, mickey Johnston etc are getting first team exposure rather than just standing out at development level. Levein has already been quoted saying Cochrane is the “best midfielder at the club”, and he’s only 16/17 years old. 

The future is much brighter, just will take time to get the tartan army believing again.

Agree, again. Those who say we’ve been here before are wrong. Our youth teams of the past were based on being able to get up and down the park. We’ve never played possession football against the big nations and beaten them until now, and we now do it nearly every game with smaller players than the opposition. 

[Letsdoit]

Well I hope your right I do, but hard to believe it till I see it. 

[SWMM82]

18 minutes ago, Bobby Russell's Lovechild said:

Feruz, Harper and even Gauld to a were also potential world class players. I won't be holding my breath until at least he's 20

For me, harper and feruz are two that the media have bummed up too much before actually achieving anything! Couple of YouTube highlight reels and they are the next big thing! Feruz’s attitude and general application has proven to be absolutely shocking!

Would never have said Gauld had “world class” potential despite the “mini-messi” tag! Very good player none-the-less who could still make a significant impact.

Edited September 8, 2018 by SWMM82

[Third Lanark]

12 minutes ago, SWMM82 said:

I’ve touched on this on a previous thread, but the difference between our youth then and now, is the technical improvements, dominating possession against teams like Spain, which we have never done in the past. Add to that, Cochrane, Anthony McDonald, mickey Johnston etc are getting first team exposure rather than just standing out at development level. Levein has already been quoted saying Cochrane is the “best midfielder at the club”, and he’s only 16/17 years old. 

The future is much brighter, just will take time to get the tartan army believing again.

Then proceeds not to play him.  Re Gilmour maybe he still needs to fill out more. The boy Ampadu is big and strong, like Rooney at 16. Sorry but Strachan's genetics has a point. If you listen to McLaughlin's U17 podcast he claims that nobody is better technically at 16-18 but we lag behind physically.

[SWMM82]

1 minute ago, Third Lanark said:

Then proceeds not to play him.  Re Gilmour maybe he still needs to fill out more. The boy Ampadu is big and strong, like Rooney at 16. Sorry but Strachan's genetics has a point. If you listen to McLaughlin's U17 podcast he claims that nobody is better technically at 16-18 but we lag behind physically.

I did question this myself, but apparently Cochrane had a few injury setbacks during preseason, might not be fully fit yet.

Gilmour strikes me as the type of player who doesn’t necesarily need to be a unit, Iniesta was never a big physical player, just used his agility, touch and vision to find space and go past players as if they weren’t there. Gilmour is very much in his mould.

[er yir macaroon]

11 minutes ago, SWMM82 said:

I did question this myself, but apparently Cochrane had a few injury setbacks during preseason, might not be fully fit yet.

Gilmour strikes me as the type of player who doesn’t necesarily need to be a unit, Iniesta was never a big physical player, just used his agility, touch and vision to find space and go past players as if they weren’t there. Gilmour is very much in his mould.

Cochrane is injured. Levein loves him.