Can Scottish football sink any lower.

[wabashcannonball 0]

Last night was probably one of if not the worst Scotland debacles I have ever witnessed, the result this time is not going to paper over the very wide cracks.

 

Levein is clearly devoid of any managerial ability, as are the people, who gave him the job devoid of any idea of what constitutes even a modicum of success.

 

Therein lies one of if not the major problem in Scottish football and UK football to a great extent, the reward of failure on a regular basis, obviously more so at club level.

 

There is obviously only a certain amount of trophies for a great number of teams, and the usual suspects are the usual winners of these, but that should not prevent other managers from at least making a fist of it or even a pretense of competing, rather than settling for damage limitations.

 

Last night whither we know it or not may have been a watershed in the game up here, it is the ultimate embarrassment to be winning yet still making excuses.

 

One thing that really annoys me is the levein culture of constant whinging, the opposition were harder than us again last night, something the Souness's and Bremners of the days gone by would surely never have accepted, or allowed.

 

Unless the wake up call is heeded, the total restructuring of the game up here, we will indeed end up on a par with the league of Wales.

[Gribz 743]

Levein was never the right man for me, he is limited to a 3rd place in the SPL level.

 

Those who run the game are clueless fatcats and Ive no idea what they do on a day to day basis. The state of Scottish football is a mess from those at the top, to the structure of the leagues to the media who attempt to write about the game.

 

A draw last night wouldnt have been a bad thing, it might have kicked a few butts. Yet you have Levein smiling like a cheshire cat at full time and then he had the nerve to say he was happy with the players.

 

No idea what Henry McLeish's attempt on a report on the game was all about.

[ascender 352]

Levein seems to be one of those managers who is held in high regard by the media despite not actually achieving much in the game other than mediocrity.

 

Maybe I'm just deluded, but I genuinely think we have a decent squad of players available to us at the moment compared with recent times. So is it wrong to be expecting more from them? Or that we have a manager who can motivate them to produce more?

[Frankie 8,186]

Says it all when our best player and playmaker was David Weir.

 

Everyone else was very poor and the manager has to take his fair share of criticism for some strange selections. Not sure how long he can persevere with Brown and Fletcher in midfield because they offered next to nothing creatively in a game where it was always going to be important that players found space and got into the opposition box. I don't think neither managed to do that once in this game and only Brown managed it once in Lithuania. McCulloch was again the better of the three but I think we all agree he shouldn't be required in games such as these. If he can drop McFadden, then he can drop Fletcher who last night (and as always) took minimal responsibility and hid for long periods.

 

Up front, Boyd and Miller both suffered from a lack of service because the midfield was so ineffective. However, neither really worked hard enough to get into the game and their first touch was usually dreadful when the ball was played to them. Defensively we weren't troubled apart from McManus standing off Herr Flick at the goal. In saying that Wallace and Hutton were huge disappointments while Robson did a bit better though his final ball (winning corner apart) was awful.

 

All in all much improvement needs to be made. Positives are Morrison looked lively so should replace Brown/Fletcher for the next match while Davie Weir has used his experience to settle the defence ahead of sterner tests. Also, the Lithuania win helps us no end and I actually think in some ways Spain will be an easier game for us as we can employ a tighter formation again and introduce players who can hold onto the ball.

 

Hopefully the late, late winner ala Gough in Cyprus is a good omen!

[bmck 117]

Says it all when our best player and playmaker was David Weir.

 

That's David 'Beckenbauer' Weir to you.

[stewarty 1,878]

I refuse to join in with the doom merchants this time. I was quick to get on the Burley Get Tae F*** bandwagon but I don't think Levein deserves that treatment - not yet anyway.

 

Three points is three points, and better we are a lucky team with the points in the bag, than an unlucky team with just one or none.

 

Hopefully this is a turning point but the proof is in the pudding. Levein needs to build on this and learn from the mistakes made.

[stewarty 1,878]

I should add that I have several gripes about the Scotland set-up, the selection policies, tactics and style of play - I just don't think we can expect to move instantly from the Burley era back to something akin to the performances seen under Smith and Eck.

[Frankie 8,186]

I'm just not sure how else the manager is supposed to set up his team to make it exciting.

 

Sure, last night the midfield was too defensive and not creative enough but you'd still expect more from Brown, Fletcher and McFadden; three players who've been around now and played at high levels for club and country. We also had two attacking full backs who just didn't play well.

 

I think people have to take a deep breath and accept last night for what it was - a dreadful performance where we got lucky with a win. I'd balance that with a decent performance away last Friday where we were unlucky not to win. All in all, it's not an exciting start but it is a solid one and certainly a good foundation to build upon.

 

A few changes here and there for future matches should maintain that solid look while giving us the chance to take a point away to the Czechs and hopefully at home to Spain. That would set us up nicely for a year of friendlies where the manager can find replacements for Weir, Brown and maybe Miller. However, it should be said there aren't a lot of options available to him - Webster/Caldwell are hardly dependable, Dorrans/Adam/Morrison need experience and Fletcher/O'Connor hardly prolific scorers either.

 

I understand people being pessimistic but not sure why some Scotland fans seem to delight in unreasonable negativity.

[stewarty 1,878]

I'm just not sure how else the manager is supposed to set up his team to make it exciting.

 

Sure, last night the midfield was too defensive and not creative enough but you'd still expect more from Brown, Fletcher and McFadden; three players who've been around now and played at high levels for club and country. We also had two attacking full backs who just didn't play well.

 

I think people have to take a deep breath and accept last night for what it was - a dreadful performance where we got lucky with a win. I'd balance that with a decent performance away last Friday where we were unlucky not to win. All in all, it's not an exciting start but it is a solid one and certainly a good foundation to build upon.

 

A few changes here and there for future matches should maintain that solid look while giving us the chance to take a point away to the Czechs and hopefully at home to Spain. That would set us up nicely for a year of friendlies where the manager can find replacements for Weir, Brown and maybe Miller. However, it should be said there aren't a lot of options available to him - Webster/Caldwell are hardly dependable, Dorrans/Adam/Morrison need experience and Fletcher/O'Connor hardly prolific scorers either.

 

I understand people being pessimistic but not sure why some Scotland fans seem to delight in unreasonable negativity.

 

That's the bit I mostly can't get my head around. I've seen various comments from people who normally consider themselves to be patriotic Scots, but who are getting stuck right in to the team. At the risk of repeating myself - WE WON!! Better the team that plays poorly but gets results, than the team playing silky football but never gets anywhere meaningful. Although it doesn't work as a direct comparison, there are certain parrallels with the Scottish domestic game...

[ascender 352]

I thought Fletcher had a better game last night, but was still lacking end-product. he certainly wasn't as anonymous as in the previous game, but it was strange to see the midfield three that were picked as they were far too similar. Morrison looked good when he came on.

 

The fact Levein took McFadden off impressed me, i think that's encouraging for the future if people are going to be in on merit alone. But will he apply that to all? If so, where does that leave Hutton, an out of form Boyd, McManus & Brown and will McGregor be dropped when Gordon is fit?

 

I'm optimistic at the moment, but there's worrying signs. The TA as a whole are even more fickle than club supporters though and can't seem to make their mind up about what players to support or boo and whether they want OF guys in there or not.

Edited September 8, 2010 by ascender