Our qualifying group specifically......

[Gala Tartan Army (Borders)]

4 hours ago, Orraloon said:

The thing that gives me a wee chuckle is that nothing changed because of last night's game. Yet a lot of people's attitude seems to have changed massively. 

We could still qualify comfortably. We could still even win the group. We could still be going into the last game needing a point off Norway. We could get papped oot on our arses if results don't go our way. We weren't world beaters after the result against Cyprus and we haven't turned into a team of diddys because of last night's game. It was a friendly and totally irrelevant to our chances.

When the draw was made and the fixtures came out, I would have been happy to be going into the last game needing a win against Norway to qualify. We have got ourselves into a position where the absolute worst that can happen is we go into that last game needing a point. I'm not getting too carried away and not being too pessimistic either. We are still in a great position and I couldn't really give a monkeys about losing a friendly to England. It changes nothing.

Spot on. Though i am not sure my ticker would take Scotland still needing a point in final game!

[Orraloon]

12 minutes ago, Gala Tartan Army (Borders) said:

Spot on. Though i am not sure my ticker would take Scotland still needing a point in final game!

I can remember the last one like it was yesterday. We huffed and puffed for most of the first half then McCoist lobbed the keeper just before half time. "Job done" we thought but this is Scotland we are talking about. Norway equalised with a couple of minutes to go, when Leighton headed the ball into his own net after a long range effort. We only had to hold out for a couple of minutes, but it seemed like twenty. 

[Toepoke]

6 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

I can remember the last one like it was yesterday. We huffed and puffed for most of the first half then McCoist lobbed the keeper just before half time. "Job done" we thought but this is Scotland we are talking about. Norway equalised with a couple of minutes to go, when Leighton headed the ball into his own net after a long range effort. We only had to hold out for a couple of minutes, but it seemed like twenty. 

Norway were clean through on goal after they equalised as well! Fortunately Leighton made amends.

The whole crowd was going "Oooooooooooo" in anticipation for the final whistle during this mayhem too.

 

[exile]

Ha ha, I just checked that Norway game before coming on here, only to find it already dissected 😅

I remember at the time thinking it was good to have a one goal cushion 'just in case' Norway got a goal, and of course Norway equalised in injury time.  Report on the game and context here https://italia1990.com/uefa/group-5/scotland-norway/

I also cast my mind back to 84-85, when we beat Spain 3-1 at Hampden but lost the return fixture in Seville (70,000 attendance) I seem to remember Charlie Nicholas had been promising but was only thrown on in the 84th minute.  https://italia1990.com/uefa/group-5/scotland-norway/

The upshot of this is, I would not be suprised if we lost to Spain, and draw with Norway. The Spain game could be a case of keeping it tight and minimisng loss of goal difference. But I wouldn't want to rely on a point in the last game.

Edited September 13, 2023 by exile

[Orraloon]

I would mind a Walter Smith style park the bus performance in Seville. 

[scotlad]

5 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

I don’t agree that they specifically raised their game because they were playing us. I doubt they have anything against us. 

They may have had good games against us (but in all honesty I would say that was because we were shite and no other reason) but that doesn’t mean they are going to play well in November.

We have improved since 2007 and 2015 and on all available evidence Georgia have not.

If we control the game and do not allow them to play well we should win. Easier said than done of course but our last 2 visits there should have zero bearing on our next game there. In our current squad only Andy Robertson played in 2015 and obviously nobody played in 2007. Nobody should have a fear of going there and if we beat them we can finally put the hoodoo to bed. 

I didn't say they raised their game specifically because they were playing us.  It's most probably circumstantial that they played better against us at home, because on both occasions they were out of the qualifying equation by the time we played.

We are a lot better than when we last played them, I agree, and if we approach it the right way we should win. I wouldn't say I fear playing them, then again, I didn't expect us to get beat 3-1 by England last night. 

[Texas Pete]

20 minutes ago, scotlad said:

I didn't say they raised their game specifically because they were playing us.  It's most probably circumstantial that they played better against us at home, because on both occasions they were out of the qualifying equation by the time we played.

We are a lot better than when we last played them, I agree, and if we approach it the right way we should win. I wouldn't say I fear playing them, then again, I didn't expect us to get beat 3-1 by England last night. 

Fair enough. I think a lot of supporters are wary of going there because of what has happened in the past but the players and Clarke won’t be. It’s just another match in the group. 

[Caledonian Craig]

This bogey team talk and terror of Georgia really is annoying. What next? Do Scotland fans believe in witches, goblins and such-like too?

What happened in fixtures between the two teams in the past is irrelevant. This Georgia team does not have stars they once had. And what happened at Hampden? Pre-match the fear was culpable about the laddie who plays for Napoli and what he would do to us. What did he do? He missed a penalty.

Their defence is piss- poor and they are certainly no goal machine. In the past year or two there has been the similar fear and promises of banana skins away to Moldova, Faroe Islands and Cyprus yet we have won all of those games.

We must be the only sets of supporters in the world on such a winning streak in qualifiers who live in mortal terror of a game in Georgia against a team lowly-ranked and already out of the qualification running.

[duncan II]

11 hours ago, Toepoke said:

Norway were clean through on goal after they equalised as well! Fortunately Leighton made amends.

The whole crowd was going "Oooooooooooo" in anticipation for the final whistle during this mayhem too.

 

I still remember the "Oooooooooo" as if it was yesterday. So eerie.

[ParisInAKilt]

5 hours ago, Caledonian Craig said:

This bogey team talk and terror of Georgia really is annoying. What next? Do Scotland fans believe in witches, goblins and such-like too?

What happened in fixtures between the two teams in the past is irrelevant. This Georgia team does not have stars they once had. And what happened at Hampden? Pre-match the fear was culpable about the laddie who plays for Napoli and what he would do to us. What did he do? He missed a penalty.

Their defence is piss- poor and they are certainly no goal machine. In the past year or two there has been the similar fear and promises of banana skins away to Moldova, Faroe Islands and Cyprus yet we have won all of those games.

We must be the only sets of supporters in the world on such a winning streak in qualifiers who live in mortal terror of a game in Georgia against a team lowly-ranked and already out of the qualification running.

Hopefully Spain have beaten or even better drawn with Norway in October before that game or even better still, we’ve got a result in Spain.

[Orraloon]

42 minutes ago, ParisInAKilt said:

Hopefully Spain have beaten or even better drawn with Norway in October before that game or even better still, we’ve got a result in Spain.

Aye, two draws in those games would be the perfect. 

[Caledonian Craig]

Lets just qualify and the seedings take came of themselves. I think, if we qualify, even stumbling over the line from here our results already will ensure the lowest pot we end up in will be Pot 3. Our recent form in competitive matches leaves me less worried about the group we draw too. As I said in another post there are a number of teams that will be at the Euros who we have shown we can win or draw against in the last year or two.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Caledonian Craig

[Scots_Wha_Hae]

I just don't see it as credible, based on their performances so far, that Norway manage to go on a three match winning run where they beat both us and Spain. Equally, given our form over the last 12+ months I don't see it as credible that we go on a three match losing run where we lost to both Norway and Georgia. 

It could happen but I really don't think it will.

[ceudmilefailte]

29 minutes ago, Scots_Wha_Hae said:

I just don't see it as credible, based on their performances so far, that Norway manage to go on a three match winning run where they beat both us and Spain. Equally, given our form over the last 12+ months I don't see it as credible that we go on a three match losing run where we lost to both Norway and Georgia. 

It could happen but I really don't think it will.

And if it does has anyone been keeping an eye on who we would get in the play offs? 

[Toepoke]

2 hours ago, ParisInAKilt said:

Hopefully Spain have beaten or even better drawn with Norway in October before that game or even better still, we’ve got a result in Spain.

If we draw in Spain we'll be wanting Norway to beat them which would guarantee us winning the group.

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Toepoke

[Marky]

16 hours ago, Orraloon said:

I would mind a Walter Smith style park the bus performance in Seville. 

A performance akin to the recent away game against Ukraine would do me fine. 👍

[Toepoke]

1 hour ago, Toepoke said:

If we draw in Spain we'll be wanting Norway to beat them which would guarantee us winning the group.

 

* Assuming Spain go on to beat Cyprus & Georgia.

 

[Orraloon]

32 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

* Assuming Spain go on to beat Cyprus & Georgia.

 

Would those two results even matter? They might matter to Spain but not to us, I think?

[Toepoke]

18 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

Would those two results even matter? They might matter to Spain but not to us, I think?

If Scotland, Spain and Norway all end up on 16 points we would win the mini league. Norway could put 10 past us at Hampden and it wouldn't matter.

However if the Spanish dropped more points we could potentially end up in a head to head with Norway which they could overturn.

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Toepoke

[Orraloon]

40 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

If Scotland, Spain and Norway all end up on 16 points we would win the mini league. Norway could put 10 past us at Hampden and it wouldn't matter.

However if the Spanish dropped more points we could potentially end up in a head to head with Norway which they could overturn.

 

What if Norway beat Spain 4-0 ?

[Toepoke]

18 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

What if Norway beat Spain 4-0 ?

Scoreline would be irrelevant in this instance. In the games between the three of us we would have 7 points, Norway 6 and Spain 4.

 

[Orraloon]

15 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

Scoreline would be irrelevant in this instance. In the games between the three of us we would have 7 points, Norway 6 and Spain 4.

 

OK cheers, that make sense. 👍

[Texas Pete]

We now have 5 bites at the cherry to qualify:

1) We avoid defeat in Spain

2) Norway fail to be beat Spain

3) We win in Georgia 

4) Norway fail to beat Cyprus 

5) We avoid defeat to Norway 

Surely at least one of these things will happen? Ok so number 4 is very unlikely and number 1 will be difficult but the other 3 are very realistic. You could even argue they are probable.

[Orraloon]

50 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

We now have 5 bites at the cherry to qualify:

1) We avoid defeat in Spain

2) Norway fail to be beat Spain

3) We win in Georgia 

4) Norway fail to beat Cyprus 

5) We avoid defeat to Norway 

Surely at least one of these things will happen? Ok so number 4 is very unlikely and number 1 will be difficult but the other 3 are very realistic. You could even argue they are probable.

I don't think number 1 would guarantee qualification? Norway could still catch us if we draw in Spain. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Orraloon

[Texas Pete]

3 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

I don't think number 1 would guarantee qualification? Norway could still catch us if we draw in Spain. 

They can but they would need to beat Spain which would mean Spain could not catch us. 

If we all ended up on 16 points (with us having drawn with Spain) we would go through along with Norway. 

If we draw with Spain only one team can finish above us.