Gribz

Lol, thats a bit nice....Love St it is!

The finanical problems has probably gave the perception its a poor team in a poor era but when you look at the names its really not a bad team at all. Its more of a bad era for Scottish football and people assume we are bad. But the SPL has still had 2 teams in UEFA finals in the last 7 years!! If I was to compare it to a team Ive watched then Id compare it to the 92/93 side which had no individual superstars but were an amazing unit. The level/standard of player from 92/93 was better but there is similarities with hunger, desire and morale. I think WS has put together a really good team and with maybe 1 or 2 additions the squad would be very strong. However sometimes less is more and in our case Id say this is true at the moment. Breaking it down without going into the younger players like Hutton: We have as good a keeper as it gets in UK IMO. Centre halfs: Bougherra on his day strolls matches and comands the first 3rd of the pitch. Can also be a good attacking option. Weir is probably the last of the fine old Scottish centre halfs (Miller, McLeish, Hansen, Gough, Hendry...). Webster as he has played about 2 games for us, he has always looked a good player for others so time will tell. Full back: They arent near as strong as its been, we have had some top notch full backs in Stevens, Munro, Robertson, Numan and Hutton. Papac is a fine player and coming on very well with some good performances. Whittaker is a frustrating player at times. He can go on mazzy runs beating 4 players then fluffs his final pass, can be very erratic at times but when his final ball comes off is great. Broadfoot has improved and a bit of an unsung hero in games yet in the past he has been embarrassing and not managed to take a simple throw-in on a few occassions. He is the sort of player you'd associate with the 92/93 team for some reason. Midfield: The midfield is going to be tested over this season. McCulloch is either very good or very bad, at the moment he is good and a complete turnaround from last year. Edu brings a bit of drive to the team and has more to offer. Davis can be the leagues best player when he wants. When Fleck gets back to fitness it will offer a different dimension with an attacking midfielder behind the front 2. Wide roles - I felt we should have kept Novo in the summer but he isnt being missed at the moment. Naismith is like a new signing but has to go most of the season to show isnt not just a flash. Weiss looks like he has the ability to destroy defences. Upfront - Dont want to harp on about it (well I do actually ) I always felt taking the non-mobile Boyd out the team would open up our play and we'd a) play much better - and right now our counter attacking play is superb and b) score as much or more goals. Miller is a player Ive always rated and he is now adding goals to his game making him the main man at the moment. Such a pity for Jelavic, he looked like he was going to the quality signing we've needed for a while and he gets crocked, but he will be back. Lafferty - On last chance saloon IMO due to a silly attitude. But i still think he has something in his locker if played upfront. Hasnt really had a run of games through the middle. Beattie - Firstly needs to get fit and then we can see what he is all about. Picking the strongest XI from that puts together a good side and when playing as a unit its not any weaker than half the Premier League teams in England. But come the end of the season we'll know how good they are!

I rate McGregor that high that I think he could walk into Old Trafford and be their No.1 Danny mentions the Bremen save which was outstanding but the one at Parkhead was the tops for me. As mentioned he has a temper but most of our legends had that also, Goram was no stranger to a slap here and there. If he does move on then I hope he goes to a top 6 club rather than a Stoke or Bolton. I felt Gordon made the wrong move going to Sunderland when Villa wanted him.

2-0 the Gers for me. Bougherra and Miller. (not necessarily in that order)

Couldnt agree more with naismith on this. He was Goram-esk at that time. Now he is found a great run of consistancy which shows his quality. Looking down the list of Premier League keepers McGregor would be up there around the top 6. As good as Arsenal are McGregor v Almunia is like Rooney v Kenny Deuchar. Easily worth 12 million IMO.

Always wondered what the difference is between Rangers and Rangers XI (or any other club). See this in lots of friendlies. Is it just a 11 from any level at the club? anyone know?

I back both sides of the argument. On one hand it was a relevant question as quite clearly the change of tactics between 2 games had a difference. But on the other the media were having a dig even though the fans may have wanted this question asked, its like fuel to a fire and media would have been rubbing their hands. The media can be poison and Ive no problem if a manager wants to walk away from an interviewer - it actually makes for better viewing and at least there is no babbling small talk. But the national manager should be able to handle this types of situations....Im sure if he was asked a few days later when the dust settled then he would have given a different response. Alex Ferguson is a classic example for ignoring questions and he doesnt even talk to the BBC yet how successful is he?!! Levein couldnt lace SAF shoes so shouldnt have thrown the toys out the pram. It was just another example how Levein is out of his depth in this job.

Never say never. Considering we need 3 wins v Czech, Lithuania and Liechtenstein and maybe even a point in Spain then there would be no better man that WS to get us over the final hurdles. A master class away to Spain aka what we did at Old trafford! The biggest pressure is to get Scotland to a tournament again. Personally Im not sure WS would go for it, although he may feel he has a wee bit of unfinished business with the national team. But Id actually prefer him to sign on at Ibrox for another year.

I thought it was a soft pen due to him having his arms up, it was ball to arm but when they are high like that it is a pen. Although we've all seen John Terry pulling off saves of the season with no pens given so Refs are not consistant. McGregor was by far the best player in both games. As I said earlier, he kept both scorelines from being hidings. As for the next game being 11 months away this is a joke and why i think they should have 4 games in a 2 or 3 week period. But we do have the Celtic Nations Cup next summer which might be quite competitive.

Gav, ask your mate if his family are Scottish and if someone who goes to all Scottish Rugby matches more Scottish than his family.

Spain outclassed us until the 2nd goal and then they switched off. When it was 2-2 they turned it on big time and showed us how to keep a football. McGregor was the difference between two heavy defeats in the last week. We got a few half chances in the first half but you'd expect that with an attacking 4-5-1. Granted we played better than in Prague and as Buzz says Levein will have learned his lesson. The 2 goals were good moves and Miller's ball was brilliant for Naismith who took it well. If Pique never touched the 2nd then Miller would have had a tap in. I think it was a bit more of ball to hand / arm for the penalty but his arm was still high. Whittaker was also lucky not to get sent off against Czech. I still find him erratic at times. McManus was at fault for the 3rd. Fletcher again wasnt at the races. Miller work very hard. McGregor was superb again. Levein has to take the flack for 0 points out of 6. The result in the Czech Rep is the costly one as we were never expected to get anything against Spain. A sprited performance against Spain doesnt hide the fact we were awful against Liechtenstein and the formation against Czech Rep was embarrasing.

Ive never heard of him until yesterday. I scored that exact same goal in a pupils v teachers match when I was in 6th year, its a bit of luck.

He is better than anything else we could have at the moment but always seemed a better / more team player for Scotland and now Birmingham. I think that was one of his faults in his second spell with us that he was 'Mr Everything" and it ruined him a bit. Certainly the best in the last 5 - 7 years but the era in the 90s to early 00s produced a host of good midfielders we took for granted. Im thinking Collins, Lambert, Burley, McAllister, Ferguson, McCann...put anyone of them in that squad now and it would add a good bit of quality. Even Don Hutchinson is probably missed from the current squad.

I cant think where to begin what his team will be. Not sure if we have 5 fit midfielders. Bardsley will come in for Hutton. not sure who will be LB if Whittaker doesnt play....Berra?? But I guess it could look something like this (although far too attacking for Levein). ____________________McGregor________________ Bardsley_______Weir__________McManus______Berra ___________________McCulloch________________ Naismith_____Fletcher________Morrison______Maloney/Dorrans _____________________Miller____________________

Just read the team news and there will likely be a lot of changes. Hutton (our best attacker) is a major doubt. Caldwell hasnt recovered from his first match in months - not bad news. Whittaker has a calf knock. Dorrans has a hamstring problem. Fletcher has a knock. Robson suspended. McCulloch returns which is a boost the way he has been playing. Pity Ferguson didnt come back for this game.

I wonder what magic plans Levein has in store tonight.....3-7-0 formation perhaps?! If Spain are up for it then it could be a bit of a hiding. But Scotland seem to perform better at home to the big teams. In the last few campaigns we've done ok at home to Holland (1-0), Germany (1-1), France (1-0) and we're cheated against Italy, but this Spanish side are miles better than any of those teams were at the time. I cant see anything other than an away win because I see us getting torn apart in midfield.

The lad is promising and has mass ability already. We are lucky to have him. He Wont be a Ginola or a Cantona in the EPL but he has everything in his locker to be a fine player. Walter should let him loose in every game especially in the upcoming OF game....let him run riot IMO

Welcome mate. Come back in a couple of years when Man Utd win a few more titles and Ryan Giggs knocks that out.

Biggest middle finger up to the Sfa or SPL or whoever....unprofessional tosspots. Nothing to do with the incident itself but the are about as consistant as a hot day in Glasgow.

I like his comment TBH, it shows he thinks money is mental and went to their head. However Im sure he could knock a few heads together and make them wake up a bit. Strange...I was actually thinking on Friday about the Liverpool situation and how it could affect the players, Souness is one who think it shouldnt effect them and he is spot on...Id love to take them here and hop a short ferry ride for 40 mins into Indonesia where kids lay in the street naked and live in what we would call bashed up garden sheds....then lets see how earing 70k / week effects them under Yank owners. Footballers need a reality check!

Personally Id bring back Scotland the Brave for the anthem before International matches.

Id have Souness in an instant, that roberts incident was 20+ years ago. I cant see Strachan lasting at Boro unless they start to get results and he'd be an improvement. But i dont see why it has to be a Scot, the top Scots of Sir Awex, Davie Moyes wont take it, George Graham has been out of management too long and Dalglish hasnt done anything since 1995 with Blackburn. Paul Lambert is the most recent up and coming Scot but the Scotland job could ruin him. Id be looking out of Scotland but not to far - Id go for a Englishman. Keegan appeals to me for some reason and Steve McLarens stock has risen. Hoddle is a good tactition.

That score and Serbia 1-3 Estonia were shockers.

Easily Scotland's best player. The save in the 2nd half where he tipped it round the post while almost smacking himself into the post was top class. If there was ever a player who has won me over from having doubts as an average player to become someone I highly rate its McGregor. Alan Hutton would be high on that list but some of McGregors performances for club and country over the last 2 and half years have been consistantly excellent....(ok he has had the off field blip but so did Goram and Gascoigne).

My doubts about Levein are proved right. I blame the SFA though for appointing an average SPL manager for the national job. Levein is just becoming more of an arrogant tosser with every interview I listen to. McGregor - 3 top drawer saves and easily merited No.1 jersey. Hutton - Most dangerous attacker. Whittaker - Was running a close line after 2nd booking. Weir - Some quality tackles and interceptions, would have been at least 3-0 if he wasnt playing. McManus - played ok. Caldwell - Baffling Fletcher - Mr "I play for Man Utd" was an Imposter again. Its ok fitting into fast attack minded play when you have world class, quality and skill around you every week. Dorrans - few nice touches. Morrison - Not much to comment about. Naismith - Playing the form of his life in a 4-3-3 was pulled to a left midfielder and didnt make an impact. Mackie - Nothing to comment about. Have to say that game was screaming out for Barry ferguson to be out there and put his foot on the ball in the centre of midfield. It was far too scrappy. Dorrans and hutton were the only 2 who wanted to play the ball on the deck. I dont mind losing to a better team when we have a go but to play nobody upfront is probably the worst decision Ive ever seen from a Scotland manager. Even Vogts and Burley would have had someone upfront...ok it might have been Dobie or Kevin Kyle which wouldnt trouble Elgin City's defence but at least they would have had the imagination to play someone upfront. The worst thing about it is: a) the media seem to think everything was rosey before this match and that we had a chance as we had 4 pts from Lithuania (hardly world beaters) and Liechenstein (part timers from a village) and yet the win was in the 97th minute.... and b) Levein will be there until at least the end of this campaign as the SFA dont have balls, guts or the idea to bite the bullet and go find a proper manager. Someone like Keegan with a bit of ambition in his play should have been approached.