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A "Supporting Scotland" thread: A case study in optimism and positivity


Taylor1996

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31 minutes ago, exile said:

 

 

Let's say, for arguments sake that you supported the SNP and you wanted independence.

Was Boris Johnson being appointment PM a good thing or a bad thing for the Yes campaign?

Take your time.

People have been trying for ages to score cheap points against me. It has never worked.

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46 minutes ago, McTeeko said:

Quite clearly that’s what Shaundy meant. Geppetto’s laddie blatantly trying to dig himself out of that hole is cringeworthy. 

Well, if I misread it then that's my bad.

Have I said that the playoffs were pointless? Yes. But that's when we were focussed on four at the back.

I can see that you're a moralistic guy. I assume that you're going to have a go at the guy that mocked cancer victims? I assume that you treat everyone the same.

Good boy 

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1 hour ago, Taylor1996 said:

Let's say, for arguments sake that you supported the SNP and you wanted independence.

Was Boris Johnson being appointment PM a good thing or a bad thing for the Yes campaign?

Take your time.

People have been trying for ages to score cheap points against me. It has never worked.

You criticised people on here for their negativity, questioning if they were real fans. Then you say you would wish Scotland to lose in some circumstances. But that's OK.

If you are allowed to wish Scotland to lose sometimes, because you conisder yourself having Scotland's best interests at heart, then others must be allowed to be critical too.

 

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9 minutes ago, exile said:

You criticised people on here for their negativity, questioning if they were real fans. Then you say you would wish Scotland to lose in some circumstances. But that's OK.

If you are allowed to wish Scotland to lose sometimes, because you conisder yourself having Scotland's best interests at heart, then others must be allowed to be critical too.

 

Being negative after we won is many shades of crazy, and it reeks of an agenda.

I've been banging the drum for three at the back for god knows how long. I was hit by a constant of ridicule and resistance. If the majority of people had their way, we'd play with four at the back and lose and be justified in their negativity.

We're a win away from Euro 2020 and yet some people are wanting Clarke fired. God knows what their opinion will be if he gets us to the Euro's, the mob here will want him strung up.

Edited by Taylor1996
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9 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

Being negative after we won is many shades of crazy, and it reeks of an agenda.

I've been banging the drum for three at the back for god knows how long. I was hit by a constant of ridicule and resistance. If the majority of people had their way, we'd play with four at the back and lose and be justified in their negativity.

We're a win away from Euro 2020 and yet some people are wanting Clarke fired. God knows what their opinion will be if he gets us to the Euro's, the mob here will want him strung up.

I agree with you regarding folk being negative when we win although I’m pretty sure you have been negative when we’ve won with four at the back. 

I could go through your old posts to prove my point but I don’t want to depress myself after tonight’s result. 😂

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5 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

I agree with you regarding folk being negative when we win although I’m pretty sure you have been negative when we’ve won with four at the back. 

I could go through your old posts to prove my point but I don’t want to depress myself after tonight’s result. 😂

Yeah. I have been. Many times. As I knew that it was plastering over the cracks.

People can say what they will, but I've been proven right about my three at the back stance. We are looking more solid, more compact, more organized and we look increasingly more dangerous. We could've scored 5 tonight.

Only the fair minded people here will admit that I was right all along. Hell, even if we don't beat Serbia, I'll have been proven right. We conceded zero clear cut chances in the past two matches. Can't remember the last time that happened.

Edited by Taylor1996
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6 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

Yeah. I have been. Many times. As I knew that it was plastering over the cracks.

People can say what they will, but I've been proven right about my three at the back stance. We are looking more solid, more compact, more organized and we look increasingly more dangerous. We could be scored 5 tonight.

Only the fair minded people here will admit that I was right all along. Hell, even if we don't beat Serbia, I'll have been proven right. We conceded zero clear cut chances in the past two matches. Can't remember the last time that happened.

Steady on mate. 

We haven’t achieved anything yet with this formation. We had one shot on target in 210 minutes against very mediocre opposition and could very easily have lost to Israel and drawn tonight. 

Let’s see what happens over the next 6 weeks before you hurt yourself trying to suck your own boaby. 

Edited by Texas Pete
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27 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

Steady on mate. 

We haven’t achieved anything yet with this formation. We had one shot on target in 210 minutes against very mediocre opposition and could very easily have lost to Israel and drawn tonight. 

Let’s see what happens over the next 6 weeks before you hurt yourself trying to suck your own boaby. 

It's a process. People were happy to continue with a system that has failed for 18 years. Remember our defeat against Israel the first time we played a three? All this "We look a shambles, three doesn't work". The lack of football knowledge is kinda.. Cute.

Forget about 6 weeks. This system should have at least 4 years, before judging it.

There's a reason why our previous three managers have tried a three. It's because they knew that we can't defend with a four. Strachan and McLeish tried it too late in their reign, Clarke has timed it perfectly.

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35 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

We had one shot on target in 210 minutes against very mediocre opposition

Stats aren't everything.

Over two matches McTominay missed a sitter, Gallacher hit the bar, McBurnie hit the bar. Gallagher missed a sitter.

On a better day, it could've been 5-0 tonight.

It could've been 2-0 on Friday.

Edited by Taylor1996
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2 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

It's a process. People were happy to continue with a system that has failed for 18 years. Remember our defeat against Israel the first time we played a three? All this "We look a shambles, three doesn't work". The lack of football knowledge is kinda.. Cute.

Forget about 6 weeks. This system should have at least 4 years, before judging it.

There's a reason why our previous three managers have tried a three. It's because they knew that we can't defend with a four. Strachan and McLeish tried it too late in their reign, Clarke has timed it perfectly.

As I have said countless times, I have no problem with the position you are obsessed with if you have the players to use it.

We have seriously weakened our midfield by playing McTominay in a back 3 which is the main reason we are seriously lacking an attacking threat. 

God knows what we’ll do if McTominay is injured for the playoff final. Who will play his position? 

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12 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

As I have said countless times, I have no problem with the position you are obsessed with if you have the players to use it.

We have seriously weakened our midfield by playing McTominay in a back 3 which is the main reason we are seriously lacking an attacking threat. 

God knows what we’ll do if McTominay is injured for the playoff final. Who will play his position? 

We have weakened our midfield? Not really. When we played with a double-pivot, they have given the defence no protection. Our 10 was pulled back into midfield, constantly, and he was always outnumbered. Leaving a large gulf of space between the 10 and the long striker.

We never created anything with the 4-2-3-1, and our defence was like pudding. There was a block of 4 matches last year where we conceded 13 goals in 4 matches. I think that was when Clarke began the process of ditching the 4.

We have Gallacher, Cooper, Tierney, McTominay, McKenna. I think it'll be fine.

As for creating chances, if we took them all, it would've been an aggregate of 7-0 over two matches .

Edited by Taylor1996
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10 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

Stats aren't everything.

Over two matches McTominay missed a sitter, Gallacher hit the bar, McBurnie hit the bar. Gallagher missed a sitter.

On a better day, it could've been 5-0 tonight.

It could've been 2-0 on Friday.

Don’t let @ceudmilefailtehear you say that. 

Seriously though, it could also have been 1-0 to Israel on Thursday (the Israel game was genuinely on Thursday) and could easily have been 0-0 tonight. Thankfully neither game turned out that way. 

I’ll be happy as Larry if we stick with this formation and beat Serbia but we will likely need to score at least 2 goals over there to stand a chance and I’m not convinced we’ll do that with this formation. I’ll be delighted if I’m wrong though. 

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30 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

Don’t let @ceudmilefailtehear you say that. 

Seriously though, it could also have been 1-0 to Israel on Thursday (the Israel game was genuinely on Thursday) and could easily have been 0-0 tonight. Thankfully neither game turned out that way. 

I’ll be happy as Larry if we stick with this formation and beat Serbia but we will likely need to score at least 2 goals over there to stand a chance and I’m not convinced we’ll do that with this formation. I’ll be delighted if I’m wrong though. 

:P

Ok. You're right. It was Thursday. Someone said something about Friday, and I suppose it messed with my memory.

Match by match we're performing better. If we beat the Czech's I'm confident that we have a chance against Serbia. Even if we don't beat Serbia, Clarke and the players now have a foundation and an identity.

If we played with a three, when we had players like McFadden, Fletcher, Ferguson, Brown, etc, we would've qualified for one of the 8 tournaments that we missed. I'm sure of it.

Serbia will open up and if we keep it tight and we pounce, there's every chance that we'll score a couple over there. 

 

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If I had my way, we would've been playing this system for more than a decade. Imagine how far along on our development we would've been if we had. McFadden, Ferguson, Fletcher, etc, were robbed of playing in a major international tournament because of Scotand's obsession with a back four.

Now, after 4 matches, we're flying in our group. We're one match away from the Euro's and game-by-game we're looking more cohesive, defensively more sturdy and we are not allowing teams to cut through us. We're keeping our shape.

Win or lose against Serbia, I feel 100% vindicated. We are getting somewhere, we are improving and we are rediscovering the formula that Craig Brown moulded. The formula that I've been championing.

I bet people regret not agreeing with me, or at least actually taking on board what I was saying. But I suppose it's easier to destroy than it is to create.

I was met with wall to wall mockery for my "crazy" suggestion to scrap a flat back four and go with a three.

After all this time of being at the end if scorn and ridicule, I'm completely within my right to feel smug. 

I was right. Change to a three and we'd be more solid, harder to break down, harder to play against and harder to score against.

Lo and behold.

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So, right now is our most positive place following Scotland in years in terms of form and chances of actually accomplishing something.  I remember in the EURO 2018 campaign, after we beat Slovakia and up to the 52nd minute against Slovenia I thought we were going to make a playoff, but now here we are 3 years later with one play off out the way and one more to go - the pain after that draw was excruciating. However, for some reason and its probably Covid, I know we are the closet we have been to a tournament since the 19th of November 2003, yet I am not as worked up as I have been, enjoying it but not blinding optimistic.  Is anyone else in this strange emotional state? 

The Nations League is our best path of clinching a play off spot, even right now until we play the Czech's - our nearest rival of topping this nations league we are in a positive place, yet as I say I not "all in my emotional chips", its a strange and likely more real place to be.  

 

Edited by romanticscot
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5 hours ago, romanticscot said:

So, right now is our most positive place following Scotland in years in terms of form and chances of actually accomplishing something.  I remember in the EURO 2018 campaign, after we beat Slovakia and up to the 52nd minute against Slovenia I thought we were going to make a playoff, but now here we are 3 years later with one play off out the way and one more to go - the pain after that draw was excruciating. However, for some reason and its probably Covid, I know we are the closet we have been to a tournament since the 19th of November 2003, yet I am not as worked up as I have been, enjoying it but not blinding optimistic.  Is anyone else in this strange emotional state? 

The Nations League is our best path of clinching a play off spot, even right now until we play the Czech's - our nearest rival of topping this nations league we are in a positive place, yet as I say I not "all in my emotional chips", its a strange and likely more real place to be.  

 

I think we will all feel the same. 2003 was only 5 years after our last tournament, there was still an optimism and edpectation in our support. 

Nowdays are confidence is shot to pieces, we dont even have any near misses to shout about but as we can see on the park, the players are becoming more confident as are some of us on this forum, not pver confident but there are reasons to be positive. 

One feeling i havent felt for a while without forcing it is anticipation and excitment for the next match. I cant wait for wednesday.

 

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9 hours ago, Taylor1996 said:

Being negative after we won is many shades of crazy, and it reeks of an agenda.

I've been banging the drum for three at the back for god knows how long. I was hit by a constant of ridicule and resistance. If the majority of people had their way, we'd play with four at the back and lose and be justified in their negativity.

We're a win away from Euro 2020 and yet some people are wanting Clarke fired. God knows what their opinion will be if he gets us to the Euro's, the mob here will want him strung up.

So, being negative if we win reeks of an agenda, but being happy to lose is OK because, reasons.

Seems to me this thread isn't so much about "Supporting Scotland" as "I Was Right All Along".

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2 hours ago, exile said:

Seems to me this thread isn't so much about "Supporting Scotland" as "I Was Right All Along".

The shit that I received, for x amount of time, I have every right.

Funny. I don't see anyone mocking my obsession over a three at the back system now. Turns out, yes, "I WAS right all along".

Whether we beat Serbia or not is immaterial. As I said, all along, it's about the big picture and it's about the process.

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8 hours ago, romanticscot said:

So, right now is our most positive place following Scotland in years in terms of form and chances of actually accomplishing something.  I remember in the EURO 2018 campaign, after we beat Slovakia and up to the 52nd minute against Slovenia I thought we were going to make a playoff, but now here we are 3 years later with one play off out the way and one more to go - the pain after that draw was excruciating. However, for some reason and its probably Covid, I know we are the closet we have been to a tournament since the 19th of November 2003, yet I am not as worked up as I have been, enjoying it but not blinding optimistic.  Is anyone else in this strange emotional state? 

The Nations League is our best path of clinching a play off spot, even right now until we play the Czech's - our nearest rival of topping this nations league we are in a positive place, yet as I say I not "all in my emotional chips", its a strange and likely more real place to be.  

 

Good comment.

Emotionally, I'm in an entirely different place to pretty much everyone here.

I KNEW that if we changed systems, things would eventually take an upward turn and things would improve. I knew that we would be hard to break down, as a match is won and lost in the middle. If you have top drawer players, you can get away with playing two center backs and two central midfielders and one striker. We don't, so we can't. 

Keeping the double-pivot, but adding an extra central defender and an extra striker is culminating in this upturn in fortunes. Football isn't complicated. I've been trying to explain this, time, and time, and tine and time again. Very few listened. Yeah well, thankfully Steve Clarke was on the same wavelength.

I'm optimistic. Very optimistic. Do I think we can beat Serbia? If we have a good day. If we defend in numbers, keep our shape and break on them fast and in numbers. Plus we're a threat at set-pieces now.

I'm optimistic for the future. If we keep this template for years, the players will begin to get more comfortable with it. We will get more balanced and we will play better. Plus with the raft of talented kids coming along, things are looking up.

 

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To be fair, I don’t think that our recent improvement in results is necessarily entirely down to a 3 in the back formation.  I’m not sure you will be able to prove causality here!

Yes, we won.  Yes our second half performance was decent.  on the downside it was often fairly turgid footbal.  We managed one shot on target in two games.
 

I’m happy to go with the plan which seems to be make us tough to beat and take it from there. Let’s see what happens going forward.

 

 

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You have to play with the hand you are dealt.  Souness, Dalglish, Jordan won feck all either for Scotland.  Heartbreak hotel with the odd win.  But certainly I trust Clarke in setting up a team formation.  Even if we get beat I would still keep him for at least he decides to pack in.  And get Strachan back to help.  Should have kept with him IMO.  But things are what they are.  Both guys are football and Scotland men through and through.  Positivity 👍

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18 hours ago, Taylor1996 said:

Let's say, for arguments sake that you supported the SNP and you wanted independence.

Was Boris Johnson being appointment PM a good thing or a bad thing for the Yes campaign?

Take your time.

People have been trying for ages to score cheap points against me. It has never worked.

Keep digging 😂😂😂

Hilarious outcome 

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