Would You Take A Draw In Georgia Right Now?

[Orraloon]

It's no surprise that this type of question is still being asked. For years we've been told by managers that drawing away wasn't a bad thing and its cost us.

A draw would be a disaster

For years now we have been not winning homes games, which has been a bigger disaster. We used to qualify regularly because we had a good home record Our home record has been pish in recent years.

I agree that we need to win this one though.

[Orraloon]

A draw could've been perceived as a decent result if Poland and Ireland slipped up there - they didn't. Also, the fact Poland beat Germany has made this even more of a must-win game. If we are serious about the top two, we have to win this game and keep ourselves within three points of Poland (presuming we both lose to Germany and they beat Gibraltar) ahead of the big game in October. Win that and we go above them going into the last game.

Quite simply, we need to win, a draw is no good.

You see, to me that is far, far more defeatist than than thinking that a draw away to Ireland or Georgia isn't a disaster.

Win the home games you qualify. There is no reason why we shouldn't be hoping to beat Germany at Hampden.

Strachan has started to improve our away form and so there is more room for optimism. We should be hoping to win in Georgia but it won't be easy. Maybe Strachan will be the manager who turns us into away game specialists? As a player for Scotland, I always used to think Strachan was much more effective away from home. To the extent that for away games he would have been the first name on my team sheet and for home games I would have started with him on the bench.

[Dalgety Bay TA]

There is 3 big games left in terms of our chances of qualifying IMO.

1. We win in Georgia

2. Germany beat Poland

3. We beat Poland at Hampden

Those 3 results go our way and we qualify automatically unless Ireland beat both Germany and Poland in the last 2 games - which is a big ask. A point against Germany at Hampden in addition to those 3 results and it doesn't matter what Ireland do in the last two games.

[the_walls]

There is 3 big games left in terms of our chances of qualifying IMO.

1. We win in Georgia

2. Germany beat Poland

3. We beat Poland at Hampden

Those 3 results go our way and we qualify automatically unless Ireland beat both Germany and Poland in the last 2 games - which is a big ask. A point against Germany at Hampden in addition to those 3 results and it doesn't matter what Ireland do in the last two games.

You can rest easy, no chance of that happening

[Kiltedsteamer147]

Drawing away from home is normally a good thing in international football if you are playing a half decent team.

For instance, our draws against Poland and Ireland are decent results. The fact that there have been no away victories in our group (apart from in Georgia and Portugal) speaks for itself.

Georgia are not a half decent team though. In fact, they are rank rotten.

We must go for the throat in Tblisi. If we play well and take our chances we will win and win comfortably.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Kiltedsteamer147

[ParisInAKilt]

Lot of IF's in this thread.

Let's be clear, Ireland are still involved regardless of our result in Georgia and will likely be going into the last 2 games ahead of us on points.

[tartanpar]

First of all let me say we need to go for a win in Georgia and anything less is a disaster in regards to qualifying.

I dont agree with the statement that Georgia are rank rotten. They may be way way down the rankings and are going to be pot 6 in the WC draw but they were unfortunate to draw the only pot 6 team where they cant get any ranking points. So in this campaign they have not picked up any points at all.

Poland beat them 4-0 the other night. It was 0-0 after an hour and only 1-0 after 89 mins.

Ireland needed an injury time winner to win there in September last year.

We only beat them 1-0 at home and although were comfortable 1-0 is never a comfortable scoreline.

In the last WC qualifiers they got a 0-0 draw at home v France in 2013, they only lost 1-0 at home to Spain and got a 1-1 away draw in FInland. They beat Croatia 2-1 at home in the 2012 qualifiers. They are not a great team and they are a team we need to beat if we want to qualify but they are certainly not rank rotten.

[Wolfgang Overthebar]

Lot of IF's in this thread.

Let's be clear, Ireland are still involved regardless of our result in Georgia and will likely be going into the last 2 games ahead of us on points.

That is bang on. Whilst very few - if any - of us would swap places with Ireland at the moment the likeliest situation is that they will be ahead of us with two games to go.

The way the fixtures have come out has benefitted Ireland in the sense that they will probably have something to play for in their last game - a difficult game but would rather play a difficult game with a chance of qualifying than an easy game with no chance of qualifying.

[Kiltedsteamer147]

First of all let me say we need to go for a win in Georgia and anything less is a disaster in regards to qualifying.

I dont agree with the statement that Georgia are rank rotten. They may be way way down the rankings and are going to be pot 6 in the WC draw but they were unfortunate to draw the only pot 6 team where they cant get any ranking points. So in this campaign they have not picked up any points at all.

Poland beat them 4-0 the other night. It was 0-0 after an hour and only 1-0 after 89 mins.

Ireland needed an injury time winner to win there in September last year.

We only beat them 1-0 at home and although were comfortable 1-0 is never a comfortable scoreline.

In the last WC qualifiers they got a 0-0 draw at home v France in 2013, they only lost 1-0 at home to Spain and got a 1-1 away draw in FInland. They beat Croatia 2-1 at home in the 2012 qualifiers. They are not a great team and they are a team we need to beat if we want to qualify but they are certainly not rank rotten.

Rank rotten might be a bit harsh but they are a very weak side. They have picked up zero points in this campaign (except against Gibraltar).

Three of their five defeats have come at home. One of those defeats was against a very average Irish side.

Even if they had beaten Luxembourg or a similar team instead of Gibraltar, they would more than likely still be pot 6.

As long as we play well I think we will win the game fairly comfortably.

[ParisInAKilt]

Rank rotten might be a bit harsh but they are a very weak side. They have picked up zero points in this campaign (except against Gibraltar).

Three of their five defeats have come at home. One of those defeats was against a very average Irish side.

Even if they had beaten Luxembourg or a similar team instead of Gibraltar, they would more than likely still be pot 6.

As long as we play well I think we will win the game fairly comfortably.

A very average Ireland side that we had to fight hard to win 4 points off of and could easily have been less.

Georgia have been unlucky, they can't win ranking points against the Pot 6 team and have lost by the odd goal in several games against the higher ranked teams.

It's a massive game and we need to treat it as such to get the win.

[Eastiebeastie]

We need to win but it's gonna be a tough game. Would take 1 0 right now.

[Kiltedsteamer147]

Lot of IF's in this thread.

Let's be clear, Ireland are still involved regardless of our result in Georgia and will likely be going into the last 2 games ahead of us on points.

Of course there are a lot of ifs. We are discussing what might happen as the group unfolds.

Ireland won't be ahead of us if we win in Tblisi and take a point off the Germans.

Qualification is still in our own hands which is all we can ask for at this stage.

If Ireland win enough points in their next four games to finish ahead of us then good luck to them. They've got harder games than us though (or at least as hard) so it's unlikely. Particularly since we are a slightly better team, if our results against them this campaign are anything to go by.

[ParisInAKilt]

Of course there are a lot of ifs. We are discussing what might happen as the group unfolds.

Ireland won't be ahead of us if we win in Tblisi and take a point off the Germans.

Qualification is still in our own hands which is all we can ask for at this stage.

If Ireland win enough points in their next four games to finish ahead of us then good luck to them. They've got harder games than us though (or at least as hard) so it's unlikely. Particularly since we are a slightly better team, if our results against them this campaign are anything to go by.

Absolutely but there's been several posts that indicate they believe Ireland are practically out of it.

[Kiltedsteamer147]

A very average Ireland side that we had to fight hard to win 4 points off of and could easily have been less.

Georgia have been unlucky, they can't win ranking points against the Pot 6 team and have lost by the odd goal in several games against the higher ranked teams.

It's a massive game and we need to treat it as such to get the win.

It is a massive game but if we can't beat them away when all of our other rivals have done so, we don't deserve to qualify.

They will have nothing to play for except pride and although they have been beaten by the odd goal in two games this campaign, they have been pumped a couple of times as well.

We need to treat them with respect, of course we do, but we need to go there and treat the game as one we should be winning.

[ParisInAKilt]

It is a massive game but if we can't beat them away when all of our other rivals have done so, we don't deserve to qualify.

They will have nothing to play for except pride and although they have been beaten by the odd goal in two games this campaign, they have been pumped a couple of times as well.

We need to treat them with respect, of course we do, but we need to go there and treat the game as one we should be winning.

They competed with Poland in both games for at least a half so we need to make sure we score first and then they might become deflated.

[Kiltedsteamer147]

Absolutely but there's been several posts that indicate they believe Ireland are practically out of it.

I see. Nah, nobody is out of it. I can't see Ireland qualifying automatically but they still have a decent shout at a playoff.

Unfortunately for us, it will probably be Scotland that misses out if they get it.

I hope we both go through though. I put a pound on at 100-1 ages ago that all four home nations plus the republic would qualify.

[Kiltedsteamer147]

They competed with Poland in both games for at least a half so we need to make sure we score first and then they might become deflated.

I don't think Poland were ever in any real danger although the result on Saturday did flatter them.

I have been following Scotland for too long to believe we are going to turn up and win 0-4 but we should have enough for a victory.

If it turns out to be a really difficult match and we struggle to score and end up not winning then so be it. We'll need to regroup and hope we can scrape enough points together in the rest of the group to finish at least third. I think automatic qualification will be very difficult if we don't win in Tblisi (although not impossible).

[The Laud]

I dont agree kilty.if we dont win in georgia third place is all we can hope for.While im confident i just dont know where the goals are going to come from.

[Caledonian Craig]

I dont agree kilty.if we dont win in georgia third place is all we can hope for.

Yes I'd agree with that.

[Jagtag]

i just dont know where the goals are going to come from.

The same place they have come from in the last 12 games in a row where we have scored. F19 A11.

[Kiltedsteamer147]

I dont agree kilty.if we dont win in georgia third place is all we can hope for.While im confident i just dont know where the goals are going to come from.

We could still come second if we draw in Tblisi. Highly unlikely though. We'd probably need to win our last three games which would be very difficult to say the least.

I would say we need to win against Georgia to have any realistic hopes of automatic qualification.

[1ANDYP]

We have been poor 4 games in a row now. I would like us to go out and show we are a good team instead of going through the motions at times. I think they are starting to think they are better than they are.

[lossiejock 2]

Win only

[Jagtag]

We have been poor 4 games in a row now.

I really can't understand this attitude. We beat N Ireland in a friendly that was never going to get out of first gear. They are also a form team so a good result anyway.

We then Beat Gibraltar 6-1 in the next game a few days later. A team who defended for their lives and we still scored 6 ( anyone remember Liechtenstein at Hampden?)

Qatar was another one paced nothing game to warm up for the big one. we never got out of first gear and we were still very comfortable. A training exercise.

As for Ireland in Dublin, history shows that we rarely win big qualifiers away from home so to get a draw is still a good result against a team who really had to win and were going all out to get it.

The Levein and Burley years are not so far away that we can now expect to just turn up and roll over everyone we play.

Under Levein we would have drawn the N Ireland and Qatar games, beat Gibraltar 3-2 with a last gasp goal and lost 3-0 in Dublin.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Jagtag

[Slide tackle]

I don't think Poland were ever in any real danger although the result on Saturday did flatter them.

I have been following Scotland for too long to believe we are going to turn up and win 0-4 but we should have enough for a victory.

If it turns out to be a really difficult match and we struggle to score and end up not winning then so be it. We'll need to regroup and hope we can scrape enough points together in the rest of the group to finish at least third. I think automatic qualification will be very difficult if we don't win in Tblisi (although not impossible).

Georgia hit the bar at 0-0