Georgia V Scotland - Match Thread

[Bobby Russell's Lovechild]

Whatshisface who plays for Napoli, saying they were the better team last night 🤣

[thesaint]

11 minutes ago, Bobby Russell's Lovechild said:

Whatshisface who plays for Napoli, saying they were the better team last night 🤣

Madder than a box of frogs. A total f.. Kwit. 😅

[Orraloon]

13 minutes ago, Bobby Russell's Lovechild said:

Whatshisface who plays for Napoli, saying they were the better team last night 🤣

I thought they were the better team for about two thirds of the game, then we totally dominated after that. A very close game that could have gone either way and a draw was probably a fair result.

 

[todd]

21 minutes ago, Bobby Russell's Lovechild said:

Whatshisface who plays for Napoli, saying they were the better team last night 🤣

Of every team in our group, only the Cyprus manager and players have been gracious towards us in defeat.  The rest are all just bitter cuntz, fuck em!

[DesiScotsman]

40 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

I thought they were the better team for about two thirds of the game, then we totally dominated after that. A very close game that could have gone either way and a draw was probably a fair result.

 

I agree a draw was the fair result in the end. 1st half, we were appalling and hardly tested their GK. Just couldn’t get going. HT came at the perfect time to give us a chance to regroup & for Steve Clarke to make some much needed changes. 2nd half was better and we got our equaliser but that didn’t last long. Why on earth we gave that Napoli fella so much time on the right hand side to cut inside and bury his shot past Zander Clark was terrible. After that, it was just one way traffic towards their goal and we deservedly got our equaliser in injury time.

Edited November 17, 2023 by DesiScotsman

[RDFH64]

2 hours ago, Bobby Russell's Lovechild said:

Whatshisface who plays for Napoli, saying they were the better team last night 🤣

Where’s the stats for diving, thigh high tackles & feigning injury 🤔

[Bobby Russell's Lovechild]

10 minutes ago, RDFH64 said:

Where’s the stats for diving, thigh high tackles & feigning injury 🤔

🤣🤣

[BryanBlessed]

Finally got the chance to watch the highlights. Scott McKenna looked poor (almost as if he's not been playing any football...) and not really impressed with Taylor. Zander Clark did OK but a better keeper might have kept out one of those goals. Patterson good going forward but he's not a great defender. I hope he improves.

I thought Shankland looked good when he came on without even mentioning his goal. I hope to see more game time for him on Sunday though I'd have thought Clarke would have put Jacob Brown on (who also looked good against France)

[JECK]

On 11/16/2023 at 8:22 PM, Diamond Scot said:

He is quite often very poor in a game but then comes up with big moments suddenly plays a blinder for the rest of the game. 

Ive lost count of the number of times ive been calling for him to be subbed and then he does a quickfire goal then assist.

Is it just me but has McGinn ever had a bad game at hampden? He’s only ever off it away from home imo.

[Toepoke]

1 hour ago, JECK said:

Is it just me but has McGinn ever had a bad game at hampden? He’s only ever off it away from home imo.

Wasn't great against England this year anyway.

 

[Diamond Scot]

1 hour ago, JECK said:

Is it just me but has McGinn ever had a bad game at hampden? He’s only ever off it away from home imo.

Forgive me if ive got the game mixed up but he has certainly started very poorly at Hampden in a few games.  In my head ive got Ukraine at home in the 3 nil game. He constantly gave the ball away, kept going down when backing in (which normally works) but ref wasnt buying it and he didnt learn. Good pressing at top end of pitch but really lazy going the other way.

Then he goes and scores the opening and crucial goal on 70 odd mins and im sure sets up one of the other goals. Pretty sure TV ended up giving him motm.

Sounds like ive got a thing for him but I really dont. He has to play and is rightfully one of our top and key players. He just frustrates me at times.

[mccaughey85]

1 hour ago, Diamond Scot said:

Forgive me if ive got the game mixed up but he has certainly started very poorly at Hampden in a few games.  In my head ive got Ukraine at home in the 3 nil game. He constantly gave the ball away, kept going down when backing in (which normally works) but ref wasnt buying it and he didnt learn. Good pressing at top end of pitch but really lazy going the other way.

Then he goes and scores the opening and crucial goal on 70 odd mins and im sure sets up one of the other goals. Pretty sure TV ended up giving him motm.

Sounds like ive got a thing for him but I really dont. He has to play and is rightfully one of our top and key players. He just frustrates me at times.

He was shite in that game up until his goal. I was cursing his performance up until that point. He does have that ying and Yang side sometimes where he will be utter shite but then crops up with a goal or assist and it's a case of all is forgiven lol.

Overall he's brilliant for us and it cannot be underestimated how much we rely on his input. I reckon he's up there with the best ever Scotland players performance wise. 

Just surprised he's not been picked up by a top 6 team. Saying that I don't think Villa have caused any problems with letting him go on Scotland duty so I am happy for him to stay there.

[mccaughey85]

4 hours ago, BryanBlessed said:

Finally got the chance to watch the highlights. Scott McKenna looked poor (almost as if he's not been playing any football...) and not really impressed with Taylor. Zander Clark did OK but a better keeper might have kept out one of those goals. Patterson good going forward but he's not a great defender. I hope he improves.

I thought Shankland looked good when he came on without even mentioning his goal. I hope to see more game time for him on Sunday though I'd have thought Clarke would have put Jacob Brown on (who also looked good against France)

I think Clark was poor with the second goal. Saying that the defending was bad as well for that goal.

Shankland definitely earned himself more gametime. He needs to get more chances in the friendly games before the euros as well. 

[Caledonian Craig]

McGinn is a Scotland legend.......end of. First name on our team sheet and is a midfielder who has a strike rate comparable to Ally McCoist for us. Dropping/resting him is not an option. Scores goals, makes goals, wins free-kicks in key positions and hold up play is great.

[Texas Pete]

22 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

McGinn is a Scotland legend.......end of. First name on our team sheet and is a midfielder who has a strike rate comparable to Ally McCoist for us. Dropping/resting him is not an option. Scores goals, makes goals, wins free-kicks in key positions and hold up play is great.

I don’t think anyone should be considered undroppable but I certainly don’t think McGinn should be dropped any time soon. He would need to be seriously shite for a few games in a row for his position as a guaranteed starter to be in danger and his good performances for Scotland far outnumber his poor ones for that to happen.

 

 

[BryanBlessed]

6 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

I think Clark was poor with the second goal. Saying that the defending was bad as well for that goal.

Shankland definitely earned himself more gametime. He needs to get more chances in the friendly games before the euros as well. 

I wouldn't say poor but peak Gordon/McGregor/Marshall probably would have saved one of them.

[Tartan blood]

5 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

I don’t think anyone should be considered undroppable but I certainly don’t think McGinn should be dropped any time soon. He would need to be seriously shite for a few games in a row for his position as a guaranteed starter to be in danger and his good performances for Scotland far outnumber his poor ones for that to happen.

 

 

No one is undroppable, but McGinn, McTominay, Robertson and Tierney are about as close to that as you can get. Hickey is close to being in the same category. 

The position that bothers me is striker. Although we mix and match with Dykes and Adams, no one else is ever even remotely considered to start. I love Dykes, and by the looks of it he'll be our main man at the Euros, but I desperately want to unearth a legitimate 3rd option. Not just a squad filler. That means starting someone different for a couple of games. If we play, say, Shankland or Stewart for a couple of games in a row, and they fail, so be it. We know Dykes will be a fine spearhead. But we won't know if anyone else is capable if we don't give them a proper chance.

Honestly, we are that good at the moment, all we really need is a competent finisher and they'll start racking up goals. 

[Caledonian Craig]

7 minutes ago, Tartan blood said:

No one is undroppable, but McGinn, McTominay, Robertson and Tierney are about as close to that as you can get. Hickey is close to being in the same category. 

The position that bothers me is striker. Although we mix and match with Dykes and Adams, no one else is ever even remotely considered to start. I love Dykes, and by the looks of it he'll be our main man at the Euros, but I desperately want to unearth a legitimate 3rd option. Not just a squad filler. That means starting someone different for a couple of games. If we play, say, Shankland or Stewart for a couple of games in a row, and they fail, so be it. We know Dykes will be a fine spearhead. But we won't know if anyone else is capable if we don't give them a proper chance.

Honestly, we are that good at the moment, all we really need is a competent finisher and they'll start racking up goals. 

Yes I'd agree with that. And in any case on club form Shankland is in form too whilst Dykes is not so that too should weigh in the Hearts' man's favour. 

Clarke has done very well to get results without having a prolific striker but it is a problem (one of them) that needs addressing if we are to reach the next level. Lets check out options like Stewart, Brown and maybe even Conway in the knowledge that we have Dykes to fall back on.

[Tartan blood]

3 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Yes I'd agree with that. And in any case on club form Shankland is in form too whilst Dykes is not so that too should weigh in the Hearts' man's favour. 

Clarke has done very well to get results without having a prolific striker but it is a problem (one of them) that needs addressing if we are to reach the next level. Lets check out options like Stewart, Brown and maybe even Conway in the knowledge that we have Dykes to fall back on.

I've said many times that football is a psychological battle. It's not just talent. For example, we were heartened to see Spain make lots of changes against us and it boosted our confidence. Or when Haaland was subbed off, we knew we could maraud forward a bit more.

So, when our opposition defence see that we are starting a striker that is bottom of the 2nd tier of English football, or another Championship striker that isn't even a regular starter for his club, it'll give them confidence. 

Sometimes that can work in your favour, in that they will underestimate the man. But, as you say, an on form striker does make defenders more nervous.

[Caledonian Craig]

3 minutes ago, Tartan blood said:

I've said many times that football is a psychological battle. It's not just talent. For example, we were heartened to see Spain make lots of changes against us and it boosted our confidence. Or when Haaland was subbed off, we knew we could maraud forward a bit more.

So, when our opposition defence see that we are starting a striker that is bottom of the 2nd tier of English football, or another Championship striker that isn't even a regular starter for his club, it'll give them confidence. 

Sometimes that can work in your favour, in that they will underestimate the man. But, as you say, an on form striker does make defenders more nervous.

Well not just that but a confident striker is better placed mentally to take chances than one who is struggling for form. In recent games anyway it has been our midfield who have weighed in with the goals so there is a fair chance that happens tomorrow but lets do it looking at options up front and Shankland merits a shot. I am sure including Shankland or Brown in place of Dykes is not going to harm our chances of scoring in and winning the match.

[Tartan blood]

2 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Well not just that but a confident striker is better placed mentally to take chances than one who is struggling for form. In recent games anyway it has been our midfield who have weighed in with the goals so there is a fair chance that happens tomorrow but lets do it looking at options up front and Shankland merits a shot. I am sure including Shankland or Brown in place of Dykes is not going to harm our chances of scoring in and winning the match.

You're right. A sharp striker is going to put away half chances. That one header that Dykes puts wide probably would have been a goal if he'd been on form lately.

I kind of feel that it sends the wrong message to some of our squad as well. That a serious lack of form is still rewarded. Dykes deserves his place in our squad, absolutely, but the likes of Brown and Shankland are probably thinking there isn't anything they can do to get a game ahead of him.

[Caledonian Craig]

2 minutes ago, Tartan blood said:

 

I kind of feel that it sends the wrong message to some of our squad as well. That a serious lack of form is still rewarded. Dykes deserves his place in our squad, absolutely, but the likes of Brown and Shankland are probably thinking there isn't anything they can do to get a game ahead of him.

Absolutely.

We keep saying how we have a strong squad now with plenty of options. That being the case it should be a case of good form only keeps you in the side. Players on poor form keeping their place in the side sends out the wrong messages. Dropping out of form players for someone who has just netted for us serves to kick players up the backside and make them work harder to keep their place plus tells squad players that if they come in and do a job they will be rewarded with more gametime.

[ger intae them]

Shankland yes, but Brown could maybe start scoring goals if he wants to get ahead of Dykes.
Yes, he’s playing for a team at a higher level and definitely getting less decent chances…… but still needs to bag a few to get up the pecking order. Until then Dykes stays because of what he’s done recently.

[vanderark14]

2 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Absolutely.

We keep saying how we have a strong squad now with plenty of options. That being the case it should be a case of good form only keeps you in the side. Players on poor form keeping their place in the side sends out the wrong messages. Dropping out of form players for someone who has just netted for us serves to kick players up the backside and make them work harder to keep their place plus tells squad players that if they come in and do a job they will be rewarded with more gametime.

We don't keep saying this, we have plenty of options in certain areas of the team like Midfield and Full back. Centre Back is better than it was but upfront our options are limited in terms of talent. 

Clarke plays a system that requires the forward to bring the midfield into play, hold up the ball and bag the odd goal. Is Shankland suited to that system? I am not convinced

[vanderark14]

16 hours ago, todd said:

Of every team in our group, only the Cyprus manager and players have been gracious towards us in defeat.  The rest are all just bitter cuntz, fuck em!

Agree with this, fuck Spain and Fuck Georgia especially. The Georgians would have a much better chance of winning if they weren't focused on cheating. I hope they get absolutely battered if they make it to a playoff and if they make it through I hope we get them again and we fucking batter them