Match Thread

[wanderer]

Felt we didn't really start playing until Bannan came on (yes game was won by then, but the performance was sloppy at best).

With the three at the back the midfield was far to flooded and seemed like Brown, Morrison, Maloney and Naismith were playing right on top of each other.... when Greer came on at half time it did give us some shape, as Hutton and Robertson, who both had a poor/subdued first half, started to get into the game (first half again it felt like Robertson and Anya were playing on top of each other).

Ritchie after a ok debut really blew his chance to get a future starting place (I can not see him starting a game for us any time soon, and think he may even slip out of the squad very fast was Snodgrass is back come June).

Watching Strachan on tv last night he did not look a happy man with that performance.

Fletcher at long last got on the score sheet, so hopefully can go from strength to strength now he has that monkey off his back. Wednesday he was cleanly looking like a player with his head down, yet after he got his 2nd goal yesterday his game improved (he was chasing stuff, setting stuff up for other players, was tracking back and out wide)

[Auld_Reekie]

Always amazes me how fans aren't allowed to offer critique of a game. It's a football forum ffs.

[Toepoke]

Cant remember the last time we actually properly hammered really inferior opposition so 6-1 is more than par.

First time we've scored more than 3 in a game since we beat the Faroes 6-0 in 2006...

[McToot]

I'd agree the addition of Bannan made a massive difference. He actually looked like making a penetrating pass where as prior to that we passed the ball sideways constantly. Morrison in particular struggled I felt. Dare I say it, this game would have suited Charlie Adam.

Thought Anya was also poor and he didn't link with Robertson well, who was better after Anya went off and he could run into space.

Fletcher needs to start using his right foot. Just the keeper to beat and he fresh aired it after a great ball from Hutton. In first half he hit post with a cute shot with his left when it would have been easier to use his right. He should have had two hatricks yesterday.

Missed a great chance at home to Ireland trying to back heel it in mid air.

[1ANDYP]

I can't believe the Germans only beat them 4-0. We were shocking and won 6-1. Still we are sitting pretty in a very competitive group. Massive games to come

[Dillinger]

I learned something tonight. I learned that I have been right all along to say that Maloney is not good enough to play for Scotland.

Been our biggest player over the last half dozen games, no contest

[Dillinger]

Probably the wrong choice of adjective, given that he's a midget...

[JECK]

Can't believe the comment re Maloney not being good enough. I'd love to know who he thinks would have been to able to execute that goal v Ireland better. Knee jerk exaggeration is an understatement.

[Tartan blood]

Can't believe the comment re Maloney not being good enough. I'd love to know who he thinks would have been to able to execute that goal v Ireland better. Knee jerk exaggeration is an understatement.

He also said he was a luxury player. It could be Sbragia's TAMB account

Maloney is probably the most technically gifted and creative player we have. At his best, he is the best player in the team. He does have the odd bad game and injuries have ruined any consistency he might have had. But he is still an asset and will be an important player in this campaign and the Euros (fingers crossed)

[Dalgety Bay TA]

Maloney, like a lot of the team, didn't have a great game yesterday. Bar Bannan's 20 minutes no one really stood out for us IMO. However considering Maloney's input to this campaign so far, I doubt I would class him in the "not good enough" category....and I am certainly not his biggest fan normally. He has done well for us and is a first choice for the rest of this campaign IMO.

Its strange to be "moaning" about a 6-1 win but there was just something about the win that meant it felt laboured.

Fletcher got his goals but still had 2 poorish misses (1 offside) when trying to do everything on his left once again. There seemed to be a gap between Brown/Morrison and the attacking players and you almost felt we would have been better with say Bannan sitting "in the hole" between midfield and attack. The idea of overloading the midfield and attack seemed a good one beforehand but as has been said, players looked like they were playing on top of each other especially in the first half, especially out wide. I also think if Anya gets space he is a great asset for us, he can really stretch teams with his pace, but when teams sit in so deep it almost nullifies any threat he has although he did well for Naismiths goal.

My only disappointments were that we seemed to take a breather for a good bit of the second half, until Bannan came on, and it was obvious, from first half, when we actually pressed them and got in their faces that they really struggled to play out from the back and lost the ball often. That sort of style is what we are good at but bar about 15 mins at end of both half's we didn't really put it into practice yesterday. Their keeper was also honking and we didn't seem to put him under pressure, our final ball again being a bit of a let down.

Overall a wins a win and we got 6 goals but maybe its a measure of where we are that we expected better from yesterday. Or maybe many of our support just have too high expectation levels?

[stocky]

I learned something tonight. I learned that I have been right all along to say that Maloney is not good enough to play for Scotland.

how many has he scored this campaign? If we count the Georgia Game as his.......

[wanderer]

Maloney has been around long enough now that folk know he will have a "off game" after a run of good form.

He has played under 4/5 different Scotland managers? And arguably Strachan has got the best run with him (I said when Strachan got the job that Maloney was the one player I expected to come on leaps and bounds)

Everyone is allowed a off game, but Maloney seems to be key to Strachans team, and think he will still find his name withing the starting line up in June.

[Tartan_Wolf]

Most games where Maloney has saved the day, even in the last campaign I've wanted him subbed. I really like his attitude, but I think he wastes a lot of possession and doesn't look for the forward pass enough. For a 'technically' gifted player, the only talent I've seen him perform is turn around and the goal against Ireland. Furthermore, I think you could have Marshall taking the corners and get a better service.

But I am not Strachan, and Maloney has scored some really important goals. Even if he's just a 'lucky' charm player for Strachan, then that's enough. Plus most of our midfield cannot turn around and run forwards, so Maloney is ahead of a few.

[Dalgety Bay TA]

Most games where Maloney has saved the day, even in the last campaign I've wanted him subbed. I really like his attitude, but I think he wastes a lot of possession and doesn't look for the forward pass enough. For a 'technically' gifted player, the only talent I've seen him perform is turn around and the goal against Ireland. Furthermore, I think you could have Marshall taking the corners and get a better service.

But I am not Strachan, and Maloney has scored some really important goals. Even if he's just a 'lucky' charm player for Strachan, then that's enough. Plus most of our midfield cannot turn around and run forwards, so Maloney is ahead of a few.

We haven't had one since McFadden, another player who divided opinion, had some poor games but could produce that something different which the rest of the team couldn't.

[Tartan blood]

We haven't had one since McFadden, another player who divided opinion, had some poor games but could produce that something different which the rest of the team couldn't.

Eh? I'd have said McFadden was the one player that didn't divide opinion. Not until he started getting horrible injuries did anyone want him out the team.

I wish Maloney had shown this campaigns form a bit earlier, but better late than never. And he'll certainly do until a few of our promising youngsters make the break through

[runningtings]

I thought Bannan injected some much needed directness when he came on.

What I don't understand is our supposedly technically gifted players cannae beat a man and get a cross or through ball in.

If you watched that boy McLean when he came on for Ireland, that's all he did.

We didn't get the ball into the box nearly enough, when we did they were all over the shop.

Overall, thought Morrison, Greer, Anya, Bannan and Fletcher got pass marks, the rest were pretty pish, but 3 points is 3 points.

[Dalgety Bay TA]

Eh? I'd have said McFadden was the one player that didn't divide opinion. Not until he started getting horrible injuries did anyone want him out the team.

I wish Maloney had shown this campaigns form a bit earlier, but better late than never. And he'll certainly do until a few of our promising youngsters make the break through

You must have airbrushed some of McFaddens honkers from memory and replaced them with pinging one from 40 yards in the PDP! I will give you Lichtenstein at home for starters, even with the Levein factor, he had an absolute mare for the 45 mins he was on the park. And if you had been on here then or even before you would realise there was always times when people were saying he should be dropped. Faddy had moments of genius for us but he was also pretty inconsistent.

[Boynze]

what happened to mulgrew? was he inured or dropped? his delivery would have helped at corners.

in retrospect bannan might have started, he is the type of player that would have given more against a team like that.

[Tartan blood]

You must have airbrushed some of McFaddens honkers from memory and replaced them with pinging one from 40 yards in the PDP! I will give you Lichtenstein at home for starters, even with the Levein factor, he had an absolute mare for the 45 mins he was on the park. And if you had been on here then or even before you would realise there was always times when people were saying he should be dropped. Faddy had moments of genius for us but he was also pretty inconsistent.

I know he had the odd bad game. And, sorry, the Levein factor is not something you can ignore.

But he was the class of player that could be pants for 89mins but then produce a moment of magic. I think most wanted him playing in all the big games because of that. He could win games by himself. Not many others could.

So if he did have a bad game, just like Maloney, he'd bought himself that allowance from past performances.

[Dalgety Bay TA]

what happened to mulgrew? was he inured or dropped? his delivery would have helped at corners.

in retrospect bannan might have started, he is the type of player that would have given more against a team like that.

He has been injured for the last 3 months, not long back into training.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/celtics-charlie-mulgrew-gutted-miss-5372389

[Dalgety Bay TA]

I know he had the odd bad game. And, sorry, the Levein factor is not something you can ignore.

But he was the class of player that could be pants for 89mins but then produce a moment of magic. I think most wanted him playing in all the big games because of that. He could win games by himself. Not many others could.

So if he did have a bad game, just like Maloney, he'd bought himself that allowance from past performances.

I agree with you but you said he didn't divide opinion, like Maloney, but there was plenty of threads and posts on here which suggested otherwise.

[2DarkBlues]

what happened to mulgrew? was he inured or dropped? his delivery would have helped at corners.

in retrospect bannan might have started, he is the type of player that would have given more against a team like that.

I was calling for Russell to come on in place of Maloney as the final change of the game as I was getting frustrated with him losing possession but I have to admit that Bannan had a great 15 minutes. I think he deserves a lot of credit.

[Tartan blood]

I agree with you but you said he didn't divide opinion, like Maloney, but there was plenty of threads and posts on here which suggested otherwise.

Fair enough, I wasn't on here during the McFadden era. I'm just going by the conversations I had.

But, being on here for a while now, I think I believe you

[Rossy]

I'd just like to go back to the point about Ritchie walking straight into the first XI.

Why ? Is he honestly better than GMS, or Armstrong, or Jack (different positions I know, but the principle remains) ?

I trust Strachan's selections, but I do hope we're not back to the days of Scotland managers getting a hard-on for every lower league English player out there, and of every Scot playing in Scotland having to prove themselves 4 times over before they get near to the squad.

[wanderer]

I trust Strachan's selections, but I do hope we're not back to the days of Scotland managers getting a hard-on for every lower league English player out there, and of every Scot playing in Scotland having to prove themselves 4 times over before they get near to the squad.

We were talking about this yesterday that so far he has only added 2 players, Chris Martin (Russell Martin had been in squads for ages beforehand) and now Ritchie..... both came with high praise from Strachan as adding something to the squad/team, yet both (granted very early days in Ritchies case) have really failed to live up to that hype...........

Edited March 30, 2015 by wanderer