Can we break the hoodoo?

[roverboy]

48 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

Why stop there?

We'll win the entire thing.

 

Possible 

[Taylor1996]

56 minutes ago, roverboy said:

Possible 

Hey, if Greece can do it...

Was going to use Denmark as an example but we don't have a Brian Laudrup (wish we did).

[gkm_vancouver]

I remember being at Villa Park in 1996 when Coisty missed a couple of sitters in the first 10mins then getting that screamer before half time. Then the sound of the crowd when Netherlands went 4-0 down and for 10-15mins we were through. What a feeling that was, even for a short time.

All we needed was to get an extra goal just to make sure... so Craig brings on Scott Booth and the rest is history. l also remember 1990 when resigned to going out sitting in a bar with some English mates watching a game when the channel switched to the last 5 mins of South Korea v Uruguay game which was 0-0 and meant we were through as one of best 3rd place teams. In the space of 60 seconds, we were through then a free-kick. goal and we were out. I remember the English mates just looking and thinking how can football be so cruel - that's what supporting Scotland was like. I just about managed to stop throwing my pint at the screen.

It didn't seem to matter the opposition or format of tournament we always found a way to just lose out.

With this squad we do have a few different attacking options to get that second goal - McGinn, McTominay, Fraser. There's no doubt the best way to get through will be to win our first game and give us the confidence into the England and Croatia games with a Turnbull or Patterson impact sub to steal a winner or draw to get us through. To me that's our best chance to break the hoodoo.

[Orraloon]

11 hours ago, gkm_vancouver said:

 

 l also remember 1990 when resigned to going out sitting in a bar with some English mates watching a game when the channel switched to the last 5 mins of South Korea v Uruguay game which was 0-0 and meant we were through as one of best 3rd place teams. In the space of 60 seconds, we were through then a free-kick. goal and we were out. I remember the English mates just looking and thinking how can football be so cruel - that's what supporting Scotland was like. I just about managed to stop throwing my pint at the screen.

It didn't seem to matter the opposition or format of tournament we always found a way to just lose out.

 

I'm sure it was about 96 minutes too. That's how I remember it anyway. 

[ThistleWhistle]

14 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

I'm sure it was about 96 minutes too. That's how I remember it anyway. 

91st minute according to Wiki - I was only 10 at  the time and remember wondering why my old man was raging when Uruguay scored!  

At Euro 96 we were down south so only got the England game and my old man was working back shift when we were playing the Swiss at the same time.  Took a shift because he was convinced we were out but didn't want us to phone his office with the score either way.  His mate told him they were 4-0 up so Scotland were getting through via a favour - my old man wasn't giving a fuck though and rang me at home to double check his mate wasn't on the wind up.  Unfortunately he picked the build-up to the Netherlands goal to phone and when told him they'd just scored could hear his mate pissing himself in the background.  Jonah jinxing bastard!! 

 

[Orraloon]

2 hours ago, ThistleWhistle said:

91st minute according to Wiki - I was only 10 at  the time and remember wondering why my old man was raging when Uruguay scored!  

At Euro 96 we were down south so only got the England game and my old man was working back shift when we were playing the Swiss at the same time.  Took a shift because he was convinced we were out but didn't want us to phone his office with the score either way.  His mate told him they were 4-0 up so Scotland were getting through via a favour - my old man wasn't giving a fuck though and rang me at home to double check his mate wasn't on the wind up.  Unfortunately he picked the build-up to the Netherlands goal to phone and when told him they'd just scored could hear his mate pissing himself in the background.  Jonah jinxing bastard!! 

 

Whit the fuk does Wiki know about it? Wiki wisnae even born at the time. It was at least 98 minutes, I tell you. That's how unlucky we are. 

[sjd1972]

If the Uruguay v South Korea had finished as a draw then we would have had to draw lots with Austria for the last place in the last 16, another heartbreaking way to go out probably.

[ThistleWhistle]

47 minutes ago, sjd1972 said:

If the Uruguay v South Korea had finished as a draw then we would have had to draw lots with Austria for the last place in the last 16, another heartbreaking way to go out probably.

Don't know why but I got visions of Roy Aitken steely eyed entering into a winner takes all game of Rock Paper Scissors vs a clearly rattled Toni Polster.  

[Toepoke]

1 hour ago, sjd1972 said:

If the Uruguay v South Korea had finished as a draw then we would have had to draw lots with Austria for the last place in the last 16, another heartbreaking way to go out probably.

I'm pretty sure we were through if Uruguay drew. We then needed the Dutch to beat Ireland that night to put us into a lot draw, big Niall Quinn equalised to put an end to our hopes.

 

 

[gkm_vancouver]

Not that I'm a glutton for punishment but looking at it again, Fonseca was actually offside 

[ceudmilefailte]

4 hours ago, Orraloon said:

Whit the fuk does Wiki know about it? Wiki wisnae even born at the time. It was at least 98 minutes, I tell you. That's how unlucky we are. 

Best line ever.

[gkm_vancouver]

Must admit I was so pleased just to be in a tourney again my head told me that our chances of breaking the hoodoo was less than 50%.

Now two games in with one point and no goals I now think our chances are slightly better than 50-50.

With two groups still to play their second game there is a chance that Turkey, Switzerland, Denmark, North Macedonia, Poland and Hungary could all finish on 0pts or 1 pt unless they can pull off a result against the likes of France, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

As long as we cab get some kind of result on Tuesday, that's got to give us a major chance of getting through shhhuuurely????🥴

 

[Caledonian Craig]

45 minutes ago, gkm_vancouver said:

Must admit I was so pleased just to be in a tourney again my head told me that our chances of breaking the hoodoo was less than 50%.

Now two games in with one point and no goals I now think our chances are slightly better than 50-50.

With two groups still to play their second game there is a chance that Turkey, Switzerland, Denmark, North Macedonia, Poland and Hungary could all finish on 0pts or 1 pt unless they can pull off a result against the likes of France, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

As long as we cab get some kind of result on Tuesday, that's got to give us a major chance of getting through shhhuuurely????🥴

 

It has to be a win. A draw and we are out as we finish bottom of the group with a draw.

[gkm_vancouver]

16 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

It has to be a win. A draw and we are out as we finish bottom of the group with a draw.

Of course, stark reality check again - getting blinded by our last performance. No matter how good last night was it will just add to our nearly years if we don't get that win on Tuesday.

[scotlad]

It's in our own hands - more or less - but it'll be tough.  Croatia have some excellent players and they showed in the World Cup they can deliver when they need to.  They were poor against England but much more like their old selves against England.

Where we are now kind of reminds me of the situation after the Norway game in France '98.  We had played well and achieved a well-deserverd draw, believing a victory in the next game would put us through.  When the final game came though we folded (and as it turned out, a win would have been no good anyway).  I just hope the same thing doesn't happen this time.

[Caledonian Craig]

21 minutes ago, scotlad said:

It's in our own hands - more or less - but it'll be tough.  Croatia have some excellent players and they showed in the World Cup they can deliver when they need to.  They were poor against England but much more like their old selves against England.

Where we are now kind of reminds me of the situation after the Norway game in France '98.  We had played well and achieved a well-deserverd draw, believing a victory in the next game would put us through.  When the final game came though we folded (and as it turned out, a win would have been no good anyway).  I just hope the same thing doesn't happen this time.

Hmmm no I have been very disappointed with Croatia. They set their stall out for a draw against England and as Shearer said were'toothless' in attack. Against the Czechs there wasn't much urgency in their play until they went behind and once they equalised they still refused to really push the boat out. I mean come these are the World Cup runners-up I come to expect much much more. The clues are there that they are on the decline with their best players in their 30s an opposite from us who are improving and best players are in their early to mid-20s.

If we approach this with the same guile, mindset and standard we showed last night and can take chances when they come we are in with a great chance. However, we must do a similar job on Modric as England did. lso we have to be wary of Petkovic, Kovacic and Perisic.

[ceudmilefailte]

2 hours ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Hmmm no I have been very disappointed with Croatia. They set their stall out for a draw against England and as Shearer said were'toothless' in attack. Against the Czechs there wasn't much urgency in their play until they went behind and once they equalised they still refused to really push the boat out. I mean come these are the World Cup runners-up I come to expect much much more. The clues are there that they are on the decline with their best players in their 30s an opposite from us who are improving and best players are in their early to mid-20s.

 

You could argue that Croatia were trying to avoid defeat yesterday in the expectation of beating us quite easily based on what they had seen so far.

Doubt if they expected anything other than an easy England win last night.

[Caledonian Craig]

12 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:

You could argue that Croatia were trying to avoid defeat yesterday in the expectation of beating us quite easily based on what they had seen so far.

Doubt if they expected anything other than an easy England win last night.

Yes that is the impression I got and said that in another post elsewhere.

[ceudmilefailte]

1 minute ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Yes that is the impression I got and said that in another post elsewhere.

Hard to keep track on who's saying what and were these day, I do know that's the first time I said it though😉

[Caledonian Craig]

I can and I am. Tierney is one of our best players who'd get into any of the Euro squads here and start in a lot of the sides. You take away a player of that stature away from Scotland and it affects you massively.

I'd love for us to do one on Croatia. Watching their game yesterday in the last quarter and I got the distinct impression that Croatia sat back and settled for the point thinking it will be an easy three point pickings against us in their final game. Lets give them a shock.

Scotland have created the more chances than their opponents in both their matches so far. Croatia have created far less and their attitude has stank the place out so its no surprise their press have been slating them.

[Caledonian Craig]

That was my post above in Scotland V England Match Thread Page 9.

[gkm_vancouver]

Well despite the understandable optimism for the Euros  it all ended up as before with a poor start,  one great performance and leaving too much to do for the last match  to deny us getting past the group stage. 

However now we have the prospect of consecutive tournaments,  again since 1996/98. 

We've got a big game  with a hoodoo side to get through but if we can keep getting results and the squad keep improving as a team another tourney next year is getting more achievable. 

Team selection against Israel is key if all available. Can we man mark Zahavi,  change formation,  keep two forwards?

[gkm_vancouver]

Well despite the understandable optimism for the Euros  it all ended up as before with a poor start,  one great performance and leaving too much to do for the last match  to deny us getting past the group stage. 

However now we have the prospect of consecutive tournaments,  again since 1996/98. 

We've got a big game  with a hoodoo side to get through but if we can keep getting results and the squad keep improving as a team another tourney next year is getting more achievable. 

Team selection against Israel is key if all available. Can we man mark Zahavi,  change formation,  keep two forwards?