Russia V Scotland - Match Thread

[mccaughey85]

2 minutes ago, macy37 said:

Does anyone think we’ll collect 9 points in the last 3 matches? It’s a minimum requirement or he should be emptied. We’ve gone backwards under him so far so he needs to show something over these matches.

Yeh well tbh we should be getting 9 points from the last 3 matches otherwise Clarke will be under big pressure then. 

[ErsatzThistle]

59 minutes ago, Dalgety Bay TA said:

Spot on.

 I remember Gordon Smith promising a full and thorough investigation of ALL possible candidates for the Scotland managers job after Burley was binned. About 5 days later, practically without any competition or challenge, Levein was appointed. It’s been that way ever since. The SFA still feel burned by the Vogts appointment and won’t do anything radical such as consider a European based coach. 

Good post which reminded me of how Smith was a smooth PR kind of guy which helped him hide how incompetent he was at his job.

Heard rumours he tried to interfere with Burley's squad selections as well.

1 hour ago, Bino's said:

What young lads?

Any of those that can't beat Lithuania at home

Oh so they should never be given a chance then ?

Keep going with the present squad shall we ?

I think you enjoy being miserable.

[Ak91]

Seeing people refer to rangers as the huns in this thread is unbelievable. When are people going to realise this is not a club team forum? People moan when some rangers fans support other national teams and I am now beginning to see why. 

[IainMore]

We got pumped and that is becoming too common. Oh well I enjoyed Moscow anyway. Annoyed because some of them and naming no names seemed to give up at 2nd Russky goal. Our GK left stranded by defense again. 

[IainMore]

I think we are stuck with Clarke? Look at what any manager has to work with. 

[exile]

6 hours ago, RenfrewBlue said:

That would be a bit fucking rich. They're the only twats that can change the performances. 

I've never seen a bigger bunch of heartless losers. I'm shite at football but I always gave everything I had and nobody was in any doubt about that. You cannot say the same for those players tonight. 

Don't think I'll bother with any of the other games from this group. It's pointless, a bit like our recent past. 

It seems it's like a vicious spiral,  the more we lose, the fans are pissed off, the players feel under pressure, don't enjoy playing, don't enjoy losing, or even turning up, the call offs, those that remain left to eke out a performance, etc. Yes I know they are professional footballers so should put in a shift, but we need to turn the corner. 

We need to have some reshaping, reinvention, and so on, get some momentum, so that the play-offs are seen as a great opportunity, and not a nerve-wracking ordeal.  

 

[McTeeko]

1 hour ago, Dalgety Bay TA said:

Except the hasn’t been putting in decent performances. He’s started 1 game this season, when Yaromolenko was out. He won’t start for then when Yaromolenko is fit and available. He’s not scored since Dec 2018. He’s scored 2 league goals for W Ham in the entire time he has been there, since Jan 2017.

He was on loan to Villa during that spell mind, where he hit form and scored 7 goals and multiple assists. 
 

Shite last night right enough. They all were. 

[Dalgety Bay TA]

28 minutes ago, McTeeko said:

He was on loan to Villa during that spell mind, where he hit form and scored 7 goals and multiple assists. 
 

Shite last night right enough. They all were. 

Yes, agreed, all were, I wouldn't necessarily single out Snodgrass for criticism. 

Just referring to the OP's point on him however, he's never produced for West Ham either side of his Villa spell and will be no more than a sub there going forward. And he won't make a major difference for us either.....which can also be said for practically every other eligible player too. 

[RenfrewBlue]

51 minutes ago, exile said:

It seems it's like a vicious spiral,  the more we lose, the fans are pissed off, the players feel under pressure, don't enjoy playing, don't enjoy losing, or even turning up, the call offs, those that remain left to eke out a performance, etc. Yes I know they are professional footballers so should put in a shift, but we need to turn the corner. 

We need to have some reshaping, reinvention, and so on, get some momentum, so that the play-offs are seen as a great opportunity, and not a nerve-wracking ordeal.  

 

The players had a fresh start with the appointment of the new manager. There was no change in their attitude or effort levels. 

A major overhaul of the squad is required and I for one would be fine with ditching half of the dross from last night and blooding some of the younger guys in the next 3 games. 

Why pick Mulgrew again? Or Marshall or Snodgrass? Wasted jerseys. 

[daviebee]

1st goal: Mulgrew's fault 100%

2nd: wonder strike at the absolute worst possible time, but 9 times out of 10 that ends up in the stand.

3rd: I'd make those gutless bstrds watch that on repeat for the entire duration of the flight back.

4th: well, at least Robertson looked like he was p*ssed off at the team conceding it.

Hopefully Clarke has them standing at the airport apologising personally to all the fans who spent hard-earned cash only to have that fkin swill served up to them.

I think somebody suggested elsewhere, maybe jokingly, about bringing a sports psychologist in. Sounds like not a bad idea as there's a major mentality problem in that team/squad. Of course they might not be all that bothered about representing their country in which case they should be emptied.

[infamous]

1 hour ago, IainMore said:

We got pumped and that is becoming too common. Oh well I enjoyed Moscow anyway. Annoyed because some of them and naming no names seemed to give up at 2nd Russky goal. Our GK left stranded by defense again. 

Next time you in Moscow catch the bullet train to St Petersburg too, best city I have ever visited

[TDYER63]

1 hour ago, exile said:

It seems it's like a vicious spiral,  the more we lose, the fans are pissed off, the players feel under pressure, don't enjoy playing, don't enjoy losing, or even turning up, the call offs, those that remain left to eke out a performance, etc. Yes I know they are professional footballers so should put in a shift, but we need to turn the corner. 

We need to have some reshaping, reinvention, and so on, get some momentum, so that the play-offs are seen as a great opportunity, and not a nerve-wracking ordeal.  

 

I agree. However my concern is that if we bring in younger guys now as suggested by a few people,  and nothing improves, they will also be caught up in this spiral. 
 

I thought we did ok in the first half, and by that I mean we kept a clean sheet despite a lot of pressure. We started the second half better but as soon as we lost the first goal we collapsed, the same as in the home game against Russia. I really think there is a huge psychological problem to overcome and as a fan I would have no problem with them using money to address that issue. Infact I could with some help myself this is bloody torture. 

 

[Farcity]

9 hours ago, PASTA Mick said:

Snodgrass was rubbish. Mental that people think he is a better option than Forrest. 

Mental that anyone thinks Forrest should be anywhere near a Scotland shirt. He is fucking reeking. 

[albathebrave]

11 hours ago, The_Dark_Knight said:

Definitely not Steve Clarke. It's not the players, either.

The blame for this mess lays with the SFA and all Scottish professional clubs. Gassroots have been neglected for too long. The first signs came in the early 90's when "The night a team died" against Portugal. There was no reaction from the SFA or the clubs then and we're only now seeing the results.

 

Only now seeing the results? 😂

[albathebrave]

39 minutes ago, daviebee said:

1st goal: Mulgrew's fault 100%

2nd: wonder strike at the absolute worst possible time, but 9 times out of 10 that ends up in the stand.

3rd: I'd make those gutless bstrds watch that on repeat for the entire duration of the flight back.

4th: well, at least Robertson looked like he was p*ssed off at the team conceding it.

Hopefully Clarke has them standing at the airport apologising personally to all the fans who spent hard-earned cash only to have that fkin swill served up to them.

I think somebody suggested elsewhere, maybe jokingly, about bringing a sports psychologist in. Sounds like not a bad idea as there's a major mentality problem in that team/squad. Of course they might not be all that bothered about representing their country in which case they should be emptied.

The 4th that’s like hitler blaming the concentration camps on the ss 

[SWMM82]

8 minutes ago, TDYER63 said:

I thought we did ok in the first half, and by that I mean we kept a clean sheet despite a lot of pressure. We started the second half better but as soon as we lost the first goal we collapsed, the same as in the home game against Russia. I really think there is a huge psychological problem to overcome and as a fan I would have no problem with them using money to address that issue. Infact I could with some help myself this is bloody torture. 

 

Yeah we can debate the ability, or lack of ability, of the players..... but for me, the two main issues we have to address are 1) the weak mentality either of the group as a whole or individuals, and 2) lack of leadership.
 

Against Russia in the first game, for the first half hour, we were excellent and could’ve been 2 or 3 goals to the good, our tails were up.....they score and we completely crumble! They stuck to their game plan, had faith in their ability..... turned the game. The difference in mentality is astounding!

Give the kids a chance and who knows, there may be a leader in there who can whip some arses or take games by the scruff of the neck i.e  a certain Billy Gilmour. 

 

[albathebrave]

11 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

Sorry but that's bullshit, Clarke was a decent option given the fact not many ppl want the job and Clarke had done a decent job with west brom and killie. It had nothing to with him having no connection to the Huns either.

He wasn’t a decent option he was the best option out of mince

[WCTA]

3 hours ago, Ak91 said:

Seeing people refer to rangers as the huns in this thread is unbelievable. When are people going to realise this is not a club team forum? People moan when some rangers fans support other national teams and I am now beginning to see why. 

You’re beginning to see why someone would follow another country who is born in Scotland into a family full of Scottish heritage who has zero connection to any other country? Don’t talk pish. 🤦‍♂️

[WCTA]

1 hour ago, daviebee said:

1st goal: Mulgrew's fault 100%

2nd: wonder strike at the absolute worst possible time, but 9 times out of 10 that ends up in the stand.

3rd: I'd make those gutless bstrds watch that on repeat for the entire duration of the flight back.

4th: well, at least Robertson looked like he was p*ssed off at the team conceding it.

Hopefully Clarke has them standing at the airport apologising personally to all the fans who spent hard-earned cash only to have that fkin swill served up to them.

I think somebody suggested elsewhere, maybe jokingly, about bringing a sports psychologist in. Sounds like not a bad idea as there's a major mentality problem in that team/squad. Of course they might not be all that bothered about representing their country in which case they should be emptied.

The second was Mulgrew’s fault also. Yes, it was a screamer of a hit but when that ball cane into the box initially Mulgrew did what every laddie and his dug was drilled into not doing from a very young age, head an incoming ball right into the centre.

[vanderark14]

4 hours ago, Ak91 said:

Seeing people refer to rangers as the huns in this thread is unbelievable. When are people going to realise this is not a club team forum? People moan when some rangers fans support other national teams and I am now beginning to see why. 

If any Rangers fan stopped supporting Scotland because they were referred to as huns on the TAMB, they were never scotland supporters in the first place. They were looking for a reason to be offended and not to support scotland. 

 

[andyD]

2 hours ago, daviebee said:

1st goal: Mulgrew's fault 100%

2nd: wonder strike at the absolute worst possible time, but 9 times out of 10 that ends up in the stand.

3rd: I'd make those gutless bstrds watch that on repeat for the entire duration of the flight back.

4th: well, at least Robertson looked like he was p*ssed off at the team conceding it.

Hopefully Clarke has them standing at the airport apologising personally to all the fans who spent hard-earned cash only to have that fkin swill served up to them.

I think somebody suggested elsewhere, maybe jokingly, about bringing a sports psychologist in. Sounds like not a bad idea as there's a major mentality problem in that team/squad. Of course they might not be all that bothered about representing their country in which case they should be emptied.

1st: I don't really blame Mulgrew. 180 minutes of being told to man mark Dzyuba with zero help. Dzyuba is bigger and stronger than Mulgrew, and Mulgrew gets beaten once. Fair enough. For me Mulgrew shouldn't have been put in that position. Sure get him to mark Dzyuba, but get Burke to come back and stand between Dzyuba and the delivery too. If we'd done that, Burke heads that ball clear as Dzyuba and Mulgrew tangle. Dzyuba's their biggest weapon at set pieces and we just told one guy to handle it. Naive management at best imo.

2nd: Yep, great hit. Some things you can't do much about. I feel like Marshall moves incredibly late as he has a clear view of it, but oh well.. not going to berate him for not stopping it. Great hit.

3rd: McGinn absent, lets Fernandez run off him and in behind to cut it back. Once it's cut back we're in serious trouble. Standing jumps almost always lose vs running jumps, tho Dzyuba gets a little lucky with the bounce. If McGinn actually bothers to mark his man then we're fine. This is a very very common theme in just about every match. Our center mids not doing their defensive work well enough and leaving our defense in a hole. For me center mid is actually the key to our failure.

4th: Robertson was pissed because he dived in. That pulled Mulgrew off his man to cover and made the goal possible. To be fair it's a laundry list of errors.
Snoddy doesn't track Fernandez, leaving him to run into the area unmarked, distracting our defense.
McGregor just watches Fernandez run past his nose and doesn't bother trying to help.
Mulgrew has to leave Dzyuba as McGinn can't be bothered to get back goalside and mark his man. If McGinn marks, Mulgrew stays on Dzyuba and Russia has to play back to halfway.
McGinn was goalside of Dzyuba but sprints forward to block.. nothing, letting Dzyuba turn.
Robertson then dives in on Dzyuba with no hope of winning it, naive defending tbh.
Mulgrew left 2v1 and has to close Dzyuba and hope someone picks up Golovin.
Devlin has to get closer to Golovin regardless of now being 2v1 because no on tracked Fernandez's run.

So the first should be stopped by a sensible defensive set up at set pieces, that comes from the manager as he's clearly said for them to man mark. The 3rd and 4th are both down to midfielders not doing their defensive work, which is a long time problem for the last 10 years or so.

It's worth noting we also picked an incredibly short side.. against a pretty tall Russian side. McGregor and McGinn are 5'10", Fleck I think is 5'6"-5'7". We didn't compete in midfield, not physically, not technically, nor in terms of workrate.

Plus points:
Thought Palmer did ok. Blocked a lot of crosses and wasn't responsible for any of the goals, while the rest of the back line and center midfield were.
Marshall was alright. One bizarre kick straight into touch, i think, but given how wayward his distribution can be that's a good night for him.
Christie and Armstrong looked bright.
Shankland didn't look out of his depth and worked hard. Didn't get a shot on goal, but that was down to our midfield being pretty abysmal for most of the game and creating nothing.

[daviebee]

4 minutes ago, andyD said:

1st: I don't really blame Mulgrew. 180 minutes of being told to man mark Dzyuba with zero help. Dzyuba is bigger and stronger than Mulgrew, and Mulgrew gets beaten once. Fair enough. For me Mulgrew shouldn't have been put in that position. Sure get him to mark Dzyuba, but get Burke to come back and stand between Dzyuba and the delivery too. If we'd done that, Burke heads that ball clear as Dzyuba and Mulgrew tangle. Dzyuba's their biggest weapon at set pieces and we just told one guy to handle it. Naive management at best imo.

Good analysis. Are you sure about that bit though?   

[RenfrewBlue]

2 hours ago, vanderark14 said:

If any Rangers fan stopped supporting Scotland because they were referred to as huns on the TAMB, they were never scotland supporters in the first place. They were looking for a reason to be offended and not to support scotland. 

 

Exactly. They should do what is intended by the overuse of the word Hun on here and stop posting or using the TAMB. 

🙄

[The_Dark_Knight]

4 hours ago, albathebrave said:

Only now seeing the results? 😂

Yes.

Before now we've produced players like Craig Gordon, Barry Ferguson, Scott Brown, Darren Fletcher, Hutton, McFadden Boyd, etc.

The "results" being the players, if you didnt understand that.

[Jim Beem]

7 hours ago, Ak91 said:

Seeing people refer to rangers as the huns in this thread is unbelievable. When are people going to realise this is not a club team forum? People moan when some rangers fans support other national teams and I am now beginning to see why. 

😂😂😂😂

A piss-take. Surely.