Malta v Scotland

[ian1964 10,723]

Malta: Hogg, Agius, Caruana, Borg, Zerafa, Scicluna, Fenech, Sciberras, Gambin, Schembri, Effiong.

 

Subs: Bonello, Baldacchino, Failla, Mifsud, Briffa, Farrugia, Camilleri, Kristensen, Muscat.

 

 

 

Scotland: Marshall, Russell Martin, Robertson, Paterson, Hanley, Darren Fletcher, Bannan, Ritchie, Snodgrass, Chris Martin, Burke.

 

Subs: Gordon, Forrest, Morrison, Greer, Hutton, Anya, Steven Fletcher, McKay, Berra, McGinn, Naismith, Hamilton.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

The Scotland team out there tonight looks like nothing more than a middling English Championship side. There's only three Premiership players, all of whom come from Hull who are just newly promoted. At least in the 90's we had a side featuring plenty decent old firm and English Premiership players. Now we're just really poor.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

The Scotland team out there tonight looks like nothing more than a middling English Championship side. There's only three Premiership players, all of whom come from Hull who are just newly promoted. At least in the 90's we had a side featuring plenty decent old firm and English Premiership players. Now we're just really poor.

I'm not arguing with you but it's worth noting Strachan has more to work with than any Scotland manager in 20 years.

[JFK-1 1,693]

Early days but couldn't be a better start could it. Yes it's Malta but it looks like a good goal difference will be accumulated, it's 5-1 as I type this and we're going to be be sitting top of the group tonight. And how many times have we messed it up against such minnows in the past.

 

In your face Hearts.

[JFK-1 1,693]

That penalty for the second goal was daylight robbery. The guy never even touched him and got red carded as well as losing a penalty.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

I'm not arguing with you but it's worth noting Strachan has more to work with than any Scotland manager in 20 years.

I'm not sure if that's true. Looking at the side that beat England in the second leg play-off for Euro 2000, there were 8 Premiership players and three of ours. It seems we have gone down a division in quality since then.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

If you judge things entirely on what league they play in.

 

But your certainly going back to the last time it was close. Over 16 years ago.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

If you judge things entirely on what league they play in.

 

But your certainly going back to the last time it was close. Over 16 years ago.

I think the likes of Hendry, Weir, Ferguson, McCann, Collins, Lambert etc were substantially better than what we have now. I don't particularly rate Strachan, but I'm not really sure who the alternative would be, or if they could do much better. We could have Guardiola in charge, but there's only so much he could do if the quality isn't there in the first place.

 

And while Wales showed in the Euros that you don't need to have the best team in the world to do well, they have a much better team than us. We don't really have any genuine quality in our team; there's no leaders or anything.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

The centre halves are better certainly. We're better now up front.

 

Truth is the epl has moved on lots since then. Almost all our current crop would play easily in the epl of 2000.

 

But let's say he's got the most to work with in 12 years. We can probably both agree on that.

Edited September 4, 2016 by the gunslinger

[Gribz 850]

Russell Martin, Robertson, Paterson, Hanley, Bannan, Ritchie, Chris Martin, Burke

 

If any of these players from the starting line up was sitting at my table I would have no idea who they are. I might recognise Bannan but that's about it.

 

Its scary to think these are the players who will be at Wembley in two months, 17 years after our last proper team who won there 1-0 from Don Hutch goal.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Gribz