Gribz

Everton are a really well set up team all over and are capable of holding their own against all teams, they just need to be consistent. I am not convinced with man Citys defence. I had a bet on a draw, unfortunately I also had West Ham v Palace to draw also.

Yip After the first 4 or 5 games you could see an absolute brand new proper side who could be top 4. They looked as good as anyone. I fancy them to get a draw today though. Would like to see it. Tottenham is the one that sneaks under the radar. Big game for them. They have beaten Man City comfortably but its these matches away to West brom that can define a season. Awkward opposition, if they win there then they are right in there.

Champions Leicester getting a reality check. They have came back down to earth. They were on a ride last season and that's it. I thought they might raise their game to get a draw at Chelsea plus with Chelsea not firing on all cylinders. But this could be 3 or 4 nil. Big Game for Arsenal later, they have been beaten by Swansea a couple of times at home in the last few season. Everton could get a point at Man City to make things interesting.

No way. We missed a trick not getting rid sooner.

They are huge in SE Asia, Chelsea tops everywhere but that glory hunting IMO. They were no way this big 15 years ago and beyond. Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal are in a league of their own with support here. Chelsea were a top cup team and a top 6 contender prior to RA buying them, nothing more.

Well done Kenny. Ive always been a fan of his more so his second spell and didn't think he should have been let go then. He is a top professional and very respectable. There will probably be some who cant rise above the fact he played at Celtic. Is he legend status? It will cause a debate, probably not quite due to the level of legends he would be compared with - that's not his fault, he just does his best - but he has certainly contributed masses to the club.

The other side of the coin is its 3 clean sheets in 4 games. The defence was far our most concerning area a few weeks ago but signs of improvement.

A Few clean sheets and a couple of wins on the bounce. Its all about getting a few more on the trot now to gain consistency. Miller proving he is still an asset. Kranjcar looked like he was towing Geoff Capes in his first few games but seems to be improving game by game, that's what was expected of Barton, it just shows you what getting your head down and working does.

Thats probably a load of peoples preference but even after a public survey they didn't opt for change. The changes they do make are terrible like the group stages in the league cup and panning the competition over a long period. The Tennents Sixes could be brought back during a long winter break yet they would still probably split it after the first round. There was not much money around in the 80s but teams still played the same amount of games with strong teams in such competitions in the Tennents sixes.

The best thing about Chelsea in the last 10 years has been their Adidas kits, they have been by far the best in the league.

Im guessing you don't change a winning team and the same side that beat Partick will start, but the XI know that the subs bench will be packed with players ready to take any opportunity.

It wont be long before money takes over and a European Super League replaces the CL and MLS teams will be invited. The summer ICC games are growing and money always talks so changes in Football will come with globalisation. With that in mind and the state of Scottish Football an Atlantic league would be appealing if it was set up right. Id also try to pull in the Portuguese clubs Porto, Benfica and S Lisbon although these 3 are bordering being in with the big boys especially now that Portugal won the Euros. If the SPL and SFA aren't going to make changes to the game for better and at least try summer football and a 16 or 18 team top division then these type of leagues has to be looked at. I know I would rather be travelling to Amsterdam or Copenhagen than the grounds in Scotland.

Lambert did well with Norwich. He has since had two poor clubs. Villa have been on a decline for years and no manager could have steered them up the league. Blackburns owners are just a nightmare.

This is the dilemma managers have when they play their second choice keeper in cups then all of a sudden it gets to the business end and a big tie comes up, who do they go with? Its a bit of a demotivator for the keeper who has played through the rounds then dropped due to the opponent - as if to say not good enough.

I think Lambert would be a good option actually. Aside from him there is McLeish and Malky McKay. Like you say SAF is a non-starter. Would Walter Smith return? Certainly another good option.

I think its safe to say Strachan is probably being selfish. If England away wasn't the next game he would probably have walked away but the lure of that game is probably keeping him there. He said we are only 1 point from the play off spot but that gap will grow as the games don't get easier.

I wasn't meaning our formation, I was meaning formations in general. And I was suggesting we change ours.

3-0 is a cuffing. 1 point from Lithuania and Slovenia. Total sackable results. Strachan is making Levein seem appealing and Levein makes me puke. Malta are the only team Scotland will beat again in this group. England at Wembley next, they are in their worst situation also but they should still win that easily.

I would say bring back Big Eck if Scotland don't win tonight. 7 games to go after tonight. The uplift he would give would be huge so long as he has a respected number 2 and not Andy Watson. He would get a result at Wembley IMO.

There is one thing having everyone fit and available but id like to see a change in formation I think that could be the difference in turning good football into wins. We need to go on a winning streak in the league of 5 games. 4-5-1 is what we should play IMO. Call me old school but I hate this 4-1-4-1 or 4-1-3-2. Football has 3 outfield sections defence, midfield, attack. This defensive midfield and attacking midfield numbers are garbage. Going forward 4 of the midfield 5 are assisting in attack. I think MW is still working out his best team because he hasn't had enough opportunity to play the likes of Dodoo with Waghorn etc.

Leaving the extended ban to the last minute seems to be a tactic aswell. The club could have done so earlier I would imagine but JB was obviously preparing to make his was back north as this came out.

Didn't realise he was with us for 2 and half years. Only felt like around 1 year for some reason. Perhaps a tad young to remember. Ray is a Gent and a half. Was surprising to hear recently about his alcoholism issues.

All classics listed on the OP post. All 3 of these were great in this game. The football for the second goal sublime. And Laudrup destroying the defence at the end.....

I could be here all day writing about the state of it. But you only have to look at the state of the game in general in Scotland to see its rubbing off on the leagues and the national side. Its been on a decline for 15 years now. Until absolute reform from top to bottom of the organisations is done then don't expect anything to improve. League reform to 2 divisions and summer football is the first thing needing done then having people who know a thing about the game in charge. Qualification is actually getting easier these days as N Iron, Wales, Iceland etc can all vouch for. The WC qualifying groups throw up Italy and Spain together and France with Netherlands making it difficult for some of the better sides but Scotland seem to be the only country that finds it more tricky.

Strachan has lost it. His selections were baffling. Drawing against Lithuania at home in a group where 6 points from them was needed is a disgrace. Drawing with Slovenia and Slovakia away was affordable draws but now one of them is a must win.