Our qualifying group specifically......

[Texas Pete]

32 minutes ago, one t in scotland said:

Only 1 second placed side gets second seed at the finals.

If we beat Georgia and Norway but finish second because Spain beat us by more than 2 clear goals we are pretty much guaranteed to be the best placed second placed team I think. Or at least tied with other teams so it would come down to goal difference and ours is pretty healthy at the moment. 

[JandC]

We just need to have the same mentality as we did last night in the 3 upcoming qualification games and we'll be fine.

Anything we get in Spain will be a huge result but the key thing is we must go into the Georgia game on the front foot and controlling the midfield like we've done recently. 
 

We just need to look at our own performances and results and if we do that then we'll be fine. 

 

[scottincarlisle]

If we do tie with Spain on points at the end is it decided on head to head or GD first?

[Caledonian Craig]

3 minutes ago, scottincarlisle said:

If we do tie with Spain on points at the end is it decided on head to head or GD first?

It goes on head-to-heads first.

[stocky]

10 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

If we beat Georgia and Norway but finish second because Spain beat us by more than 2 clear goals we are pretty much guaranteed to be the best placed second placed team I think. Or at least tied with other teams so it would come down to goal difference and ours is pretty healthy at the moment. 

My only slight complaint about last night, that we didn't go for more goals in second half.

More goals were there for the taking

However I understand the rationale behind our game plan 

[breeks_mctavish]

7 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

It goes on head-to-heads first.

Good to know. So if we win our other games and lost to Spain by one goal we’d top the group!

[one t in scotland]

6 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

It goes on head-to-heads first.

Worth pointing out that irrespective of other results a draw in Spain guarantees qualification, as even in the worst case scenario at that point ( a 3 team 16 point tie ) Scotland already have 7 points which is enough for top 2.

[Diamond Scot]

My only slight gripe and its a tiny little one in the grand scheme of things was the subs. Its been a common thing with Clarke, that even when a game is done he puts on players who are normally involved.

Ie against Georgia he made a couple of subs with a few mins to go, just to run down the clock / give the player coming off the appreciation of the fans etc. Instead of putting on somebody like Ferguson who hadnt been involved in Norway he put on 2 players who had been involved. Think it was Christie and McLean from memory.

Last night he could have stuck on Nibset instead of Dykes and Ferguson instead of Armstrong at 3 nil.

Ferguson is playing well in Italy, turns up to every squad and gets zero minutes. Had a look last night and he only has 6 caps, not even sure if he has totalled 90 mins in all of those added up. He has made pretty much every squad from memory so since his initial call up he hasnt featured at all in about 18 games. Now im not one for handing our caps for the sake of it but the guy has talent and in any other era he would probably be a starter so wheres the harm in rewarding him with a cap. Its not like guys like Christie will complain as they play at least once if not twice every camp.

[mccaughey85]

2 hours ago, Diamond Scot said:

My only slight gripe and its a tiny little one in the grand scheme of things was the subs. Its been a common thing with Clarke, that even when a game is done he puts on players who are normally involved.

Ie against Georgia he made a couple of subs with a few mins to go, just to run down the clock / give the player coming off the appreciation of the fans etc. Instead of putting on somebody like Ferguson who hadnt been involved in Norway he put on 2 players who had been involved. Think it was Christie and McLean from memory.

Last night he could have stuck on Nibset instead of Dykes and Ferguson instead of Armstrong at 3 nil.

Ferguson is playing well in Italy, turns up to every squad and gets zero minutes. Had a look last night and he only has 6 caps, not even sure if he has totalled 90 mins in all of those added up. He has made pretty much every squad from memory so since his initial call up he hasnt featured at all in about 18 games. Now im not one for handing our caps for the sake of it but the guy has talent and in any other era he would probably be a starter so wheres the harm in rewarding him with a cap. Its not like guys like Christie will complain as they play at least once if not twice every camp.

Yeh i really hope ferguson gets a chance v england and France. He deserves a shot and I just hope he doesnt get disheartened by not getting any chances.

We will probably need to rely on him in the future when armstrong retires so its best getting him involved right now.

[mccaughey85]

If norway was to win their next three games and we only manage a draw with georgia then would norway be able to qualify ahead of us if they beat us by 2 goals or more?

Or is it down to goal difference. 

We would both be on 16 points in that scenario.

[Big Ramy 1314]

19 minutes ago, mccaughey85 said:

If norway was to win their next three games and we only manage a draw with georgia then would norway be able to qualify ahead of us if they beat us by 2 goals or more?

Or is it down to goal difference. 

We would both be on 16 points in that scenario.

These scenarios are doin ma heid in !!! 🫣🙂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Texas Pete]

51 minutes ago, mccaughey85 said:

If norway was to win their next three games and we only manage a draw with georgia then would norway be able to qualify ahead of us if they beat us by 2 goals or more?

Or is it down to goal difference. 

We would both be on 16 points in that scenario.

Head to head first so if we both finish on 16 points and Norway beat us by 2 goals Norway will finish ahead of us. 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Texas Pete

[mccaughey85]

2 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

Head to head first so if we both finish on 16 points and Norway beat us by 2 goals Norway will finish ahead of us. 

Thats a shame because norway are totally fukked in terms of goal difference compared with us. They would have to really pump georgia and cyprus to have any chance of catching us. 

What happens if norway were to win 2-1. What does it come down to then?

[Orraloon]

16 minutes ago, mccaughey85 said:

Thats a shame because norway are totally fukked in terms of goal difference compared with us. They would have to really pump georgia and cyprus to have any chance of catching us. 

What happens if norway were to win 2-1. What does it come down to then?

It then goes to GD in all matches in the group.

[mccaughey85]

2 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

It then goes to GD in all matches in the group.

Ok cool, cheers for the info. 

Really isnt that much chance of us not qualifying now. 

Probably a 1 in 500 chance. 

[Caledonian Craig]

2 minutes ago, mccaughey85 said:

Ok cool, cheers for the info. 

Really isnt that much chance of us not qualifying now. 

Probably a 1 in 500 chance. 

Indeed and not worth stressing/fretting/worrying about.

[Big Ramy 1314]

I don't drink, but reading this thread I started is making me want to drink with all these scenarios 😳🧐😂

[Big Ramy 1314]

To be fair, if you said to me when this group started " worst case scenario we will finish 2nd and qualify for Germany", I would have send you for a brain scan....🤣

[Caledonian Craig]

If we look back through pre-match posts this Scotland side has exorcised a few ghosts that have terrorised Scotland supporters.

Cyprus are no mugs and just give us any win against them at Hampden. We won 3-0.

Spain were lauded and talk was a draw would have been a good result for this - we won 2-0.

Norway away it was all about Haaland would score at will and Odegaard too would prove too much for us. We won 2-1.

Next it was talk of Georgia and past matches against them pkus how they had a superstar playing in Italy to terrorise us. We won 2-0.

Cyprus away still showed our fans can't shed the fear. But we had the match won after half an hour.

But still we have posts with people forseeing some kind of miracle not seen since the resurrection with Norway or Georgia from nowhere stringing together a winning run beating Spain and us on the way whilst we suddenly lose three on the bounce despite being on an eleven match winning run.

[exile]

It would have to be the most unprecedented collapse by Scotland and the most dramatic improvement in form by at least one other team to become the nightmare scenario. While the first of these is certainly within our capability, the second seems unlikely but still, I think it more likely Norway would suddenly hit a rich seam of form, and a resurgent Norway most in danger of giving us (and/or Spain) the heebee geebees in the closing stages. Therefore, I'd rather Georgia beat them, if I had to choose between the two.  

[Orraloon]

35 minutes ago, exile said:

It would have to be the most unprecedented collapse by Scotland and the most dramatic improvement in form by at least one other team to become the nightmare scenario. While the first of these is certainly within our capability, the second seems unlikely but still, I think it more likely Norway would suddenly hit a rich seam of form, and a resurgent Norway most in danger of giving us (and/or Spain) the heebee geebees in the closing stages. Therefore, I'd rather Georgia beat them, if I had to choose between the two.  

The Scotland part of that scenario wouldn't be unprecedented. Losing away to Spain and Georgia have happened more than once before. That could (just could) leave us needing a point at home in the last match. And it wouldn't be the first time we have struggled to take a point off Norway at Hampden, and against much weaker Norway teams than this one.

The good thing this time round is that it would also take a mighty turnaround from Norway. Not impossible, but unlikely. Scotland are also now better than the Scotland teams that have struggled against Norway in the past. I'm not getting carried away though, the job is not done yet.

[exile]

52 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

The Scotland part of that scenario wouldn't be unprecedented. Losing away to Spain and Georgia have happened more than once before. That could (just could) leave us needing a point at home in the last match. And it wouldn't be the first time we have struggled to take a point off Norway at Hampden, and against much weaker Norway teams than this one.

The good thing this time round is that it would also take a mighty turnaround from Norway. Not impossible, but unlikely. Scotland are also now better than the Scotland teams that have struggled against Norway in the past. I'm not getting carried away though, the job is not done yet.

I did acknowledge the losses on our side were within our capability.  😉

The collapse would be unprecedented in terms of going from a perfect five wins in a row to three losses in a row.

I think we're agreed that Scotland losing three games is more likely than Norway winning four.

 

[Caledonian Craig]

12 minutes ago, exile said:

I did acknowledge the losses on our side were within our capability.  😉

The collapse would be unprecedented in terms of going from a perfect five wins in a row to three losses in a row.

I think we're agreed that Scotland losing three games is more likely than Norway winning four.

 

We should not make the mistake of applying past Scotland standards to this set of players. They clearly have something more and different about their mindset. This is not Berti's Boys, the shambolic teams of Levein's eraeither or the downtrodden teams of the Burley age. This is a side on a winning run that is tearing up record books and a team determind to put right a few wrongs such as not doing themselves justice at the last Euros and a miserable exit in the World Cup play-offs.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Caledonian Craig

[Diamond Scot]

As others have said, its not stretching the imagination that we will lose to Spain away, Georgia away and Norway at home.

Its also not stretching the imagination that a team with possibly the worlds best striker and a real top level attacking mid would beat Spain at home.

However given the fact Spain have already lost in the group and its now looking like 2 teams from 3 then that would normally mean they will really turn up. Big nations with big players tend to win when they really need to.

Added in that Scotland are playing the best football that they have in decades, with the best squad of players in decades then I really cant see us not at least getting a draw in Georgia who by that time will be out of the running.

[Malcolm]

24 minutes ago, Diamond Scot said:

As others have said, its not stretching the imagination that we will lose to Spain away, Georgia away and Norway at home.

Its also not stretching the imagination that a team with possibly the worlds best striker and a real top level attacking mid would beat Spain at home.

However given the fact Spain have already lost in the group and its now looking like 2 teams from 3 then that would normally mean they will really turn up. Big nations with big players tend to win when they really need to.

Added in that Scotland are playing the best football that they have in decades, with the best squad of players in decades then I really cant see us not at least getting a draw in Georgia who by that time will be out of the running.

if we can’t get at least a point at home to Norway we don’t deserve to be at the tournament