Uilleam

Hi! Ho! Silver.....ware!!

I don't think that a fresh start, clean slates etc. are much to be worried about. A Day Zero does mean that he is not prejudging players, but, critically, that he, and his coaching/training/ fitness staff will be judging them, over the next few weeks/months, and the responsibility to work, to fit in, to impress -to display aptitude, application, and attitude, and to pass muster- lies with the players. The last thing that a new man should do is walk into a changing room of men he does not know, has only seen on TV, and where is he is unsure of the relationships and dynamics, and wield a filleting knife. He has to get to know these men, and what they can offer; they have to get to know him, and what he requires. Finance, and the window system, dictates that personnel change can not be implemented, immediately. What can change is formation, tactics, setup, etc, and thus, in some cases, positions on the pitch. This, all, means that he has leeway, not unlimited, granted, to assess the players individually, and collectively, pinpoint weaknesses, and identify strengths. I am pretty convinced that he and his coaches will spot the duds, the deadbeats, and the dildos, pretty quickly: if we can identify them, a professional coaching team, whose jobs, and reputations, depend on success, surely can. What does worry me is this talk of 'four pillars'; we all know that there are Seven Pillars of Wisdom..... .

Merci. Tres useful. I might not use it the next time I am checking in at Paris Orly.

Maybe re-runs of Sportscene, God help him. Mind you, I wouldn't mind that to be his first, important, impression of Scottish media. Mon Dieu.... what's French for une portmanteau of dickheads?

Butland may well be unhappy - after all, he has been watching the same dross and duddery as we have been, and we are significantly less than ecstatic. An early task for M. Clement may -will- be to ensure that Butland, having bought a ticket, stays for the ride. New driver, new destination.....

Is he learning Arabic? If you're going to leave home, make it worthwhile...

Grass, ahem, doesn't grow on a busy street.

He looks like John Malkovich. Is this a good, or a bad, thing?

The bastards! The utter bastards and tormenting shits!! The decision is made, but they are not going to make it public until Hallowe'en. Clearly.

"Scottish FA writes to Uefa seeking answers on VAR ruling in loss to Spain" Could a replay be the answer? Scottish FA writes to Uefa seeking answers on VAR ruling in loss to Spain By Chris McLaughlinBBC Scotland sports news correspondent Last updated on21 minutes ago21 minutes ago. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67103483 The Scottish FA is writing to Uefa seeking clarification on Scotland's disallowed goal in a 2-0 loss to Spain. Scott McTominay thought he had given the visitors the lead with a stunning free-kick in Seville. However, it was ruled out by Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk after a video assistant referee (VAR) check. The on-screen verdict inside the stadium was for a foul on goalkeeper Unai Simon but it was then attributed to offside against Jack Hendry. The Scotland defender was deemed to be interfering with play due to his proximity to Simon. In the aftermath of Scotland's first dropped points in Euro 2024 qualifying, head coach Steve Clarke insisted he wanted to move on from the incident, but the SFA want answers on how the decision was reached. Midfielder John McGinn claimed Gozubuyuk had initially indicated his ruling was for a foul. Talking to BBC Scotland, the Aston Villa player said: "The referee decides it's a foul. During the game, he changes his mind to say it's an offside. Not sure how clear that is. That's the thing that stings really. "We get the big moment, we score. Jack's right leg is offside, but it's very, very harsh."

The Scottish guy was offside, and he was so close to the goalkeeper that he could touch him, which he did. He wasn't much offside, and it wasn't a huge touch, but he gave the officials a decision to make, and, on viewing replays, they came to the only decision that they could reasonably make. McTominey must still be gutted.

Somebody told him that the 'Ayes' have it.

He has got to be named today: 1. It's Friday 13th. 2. The appointment is, evidentially, nothing to do with the Football Board, and all to do with the ouija board. The logic is inescapable.

I don't want these people behind me.

Only one thing is certain (beyond death, taxes, and Indyref 2): the Board will have to come to a decision, and, whatever that decision is, we may rest assured that it will be the wrong one.

Not just young sportsmen ...

I suppose that, if you consider two players of substantially similar ability, and one becomes a top pro, and one drifts down through the leagues (or disappears from the game entirely), it is ALL in the head, the mind, the psyche.

Sorry, Doc, I have no idea about his tastes in centre backs. I hope technical, tactically astute and flexible, fast, and, em.....oh, yes... robust.

who display intestinal fortitude

There is; but it's just someone burning Beale's scouting reports

Jacques Brel on repeat for those in the pound seats

What they say in Belgium about Clement. With Genk, he was fighting for the title but lost a key player. The team was built around that key player (Alejandro Pozuelo). He transfered to a USA team about 10 weeks before the conclusion of the belgian competition. Everyone was convinced this would be the blow that would have Genk lose the title... However, Clement managed in a very short window to implement a new strategy in the team to cover for the loss of their key player... and won the title. Totally not a bruges fan, but his team played the best football in the last years (for Bruges then, Genk also played well with Van den Brom and Vrancken) and really dominated the competition at that time. He is an offensive coach and likes to create chances via the wingers and have midfielders who infiltrate. He started out at Beveren and despite being here for only half a season, I still miss those days. Best football we played in over a decade. This + the CL games against teams like Madrid prove he can get good results against bigger teams. He won the title multiple times which proves he can keep his team focused for the 'smaller' games against the other teams in the league. I really thought he was gonna do a good job at Monaco but it was a bit of a mixed bag in France, I can't really provide any insight there as I don't follow the Ligue 1. I wish you and your team the best of luck

M. Clement is heavily odds-on with bookies, across the board. Billy Hills's has 1/6, the rest 1/3, and 1/4. Bet UK holds out at 3/4.

It's that attitude that got us where we are today.