Can Scottish football sink any lower.

[andy steel 0]

I feel the same way, but while it's fine for we fans to think that way and say it out loud, the boss has to be more circumspect. Put it this way, it's the sort of thing Walter would only do in extremis and only because he would know, given his stature, it would be accepted.

 

Craig Levein has a long way to go before he can use the same strategy and get away with it.

[wabashcannonball 0]

Had you asked me that question before then I would have given you an answer!

 

To answer directly - my rational brain says no, but my heart says YES! We need to beat Lithuania at home, get at least 4 points off Czech and hope other results go our way i.e. Lithuania dont keep up their promising start. A wee cheeky draw/win at home Spain would go a long way as well but thats me being overly optimistic.

 

Hang on - you'll accuse me of sitting on the fence again so I'll say yes.

 

Now, back to your pish about low expectations?

 

 

No just glad that you have given an opinion, it keeps the board active friendly disagreement, I hope I am 100% wrong in my opinion nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be wrong, but this time my head is ruling my heart.

[MoodyBlue 0]

I have NEVER rated Levein. Combined with the poor players at his disposal, it's an accident waiting to happen.

 

Until people in ths country can get away from the 'physical' aspect of the game being so important even from a young age, then we will never progress.

 

The lack of composure on the ball at all levels in Scotland is absolutely terrible. a massive requirement to be a decent plauyer is to have good control and composure while the ball is at your feet. such a basic requirement, yet one which alludes us at every level.

[wabashcannonball 0]

I have NEVER rated Levein. Combined with the poor players at his disposal, it's an accident waiting to happen.

 

Until people in ths country can get away from the 'physical' aspect of the game being so important even from a young age, then we will never progress.

 

The lack of composure on the ball at all levels in Scotland is absolutely terrible. a massive requirement to be a decent plauyer is to have good control and composure while the ball is at your feet. such a basic requirement, yet one which alludes us at every level.

 

You aint wrong there, most of our pro's first touch is a shy.

[pete 2,499]

I have NEVER rated Levein. Combined with the poor players at his disposal, it's an accident waiting to happen.

 

Until people in ths country can get away from the 'physical' aspect of the game being so important even from a young age, then we will never progress.

 

The lack of composure on the ball at all levels in Scotland is absolutely terrible. a massive requirement to be a decent plauyer is to have good control and composure while the ball is at your feet. such a basic requirement, yet one which alludes us at every level.

 

After moving to Holland and playing at a reasonable amateur level,i was asked to train the top under 15 team from our club. My first training was running round the pitch, sprinting between cones and a few more stamina training methods. After my first training i was pulled aside and told that all training is done with a ball at your feet. Young players have a natural stamina. What they need to do is master ball control, body swerves and the technical side of the game. When i think of all the wasted time i spent running round pitches. All youth training in Holland is based on technical skills and that is where i feel Scotland was left behind in the 70's 80's 90's

[craig 5,199]

Kids dont physically mature until their late teens and early 20's anyway so getting them to simply become "strong" players is wasted effort. That side will come.

 

Not only ball control and body swerves Pete but there are a plethora of other things that should be taught well ahead of the physical aspects.

 

Body positioning (how to legally shield the ball - we see it on the continent all the time that the recipient of the ball gets his body between ball and opponent even before the ball arrives - so that if the opponent makes an attempt at the ball it will ikely result in a foul).

 

Awareness of space - just look at Rangers. How often in the last 5-10 years have we complained that our players pass the ball and then remain stagnant rather than looking for space to move into in order to get the return pass ?

 

Vision - even before the ball arrives you should have taken a look to see where your team-mates are

 

Movement - similar to space awareness - but your movement can result in a pass from a team-mate or, just as effectively, it pulls an opponent away such that a team-mate can break into that area.

 

Touch/Control - for obvious reasons. As wabash says, far too many Scots have a 1st touch that goes out for a throw. The standard of basic techniques in Scotland is generally appalling. Watching some of the Europeans the ball is like glue as soon as it touches their boot.

 

Passing - youths should be working on all sorts of range of passing - short passes, long passes, drilled passes, floated passes etc etc

 

All of the above are far more important than being strong in the tackle at a reasonably young age in my opinion !

[MoodyBlue 0]

Kids dont physically mature until their late teens and early 20's anyway so getting them to simply become "strong" players is wasted effort. That side will come.

 

Not only ball control and body swerves Pete but there are a plethora of other things that should be taught well ahead of the physical aspects.

 

Body positioning (how to legally shield the ball - we see it on the continent all the time that the recipient of the ball gets his body between ball and opponent even before the ball arrives - so that if the opponent makes an attempt at the ball it will ikely result in a foul).

 

Awareness of space - just look at Rangers. How often in the last 5-10 years have we complained that our players pass the ball and then remain stagnant rather than looking for space to move into in order to get the return pass ?

 

Vision - even before the ball arrives you should have taken a look to see where your team-mates are

 

Movement - similar to space awareness - but your movement can result in a pass from a team-mate or, just as effectively, it pulls an opponent away such that a team-mate can break into that area.

 

Touch/Control - for obvious reasons. As wabash says, far too many Scots have a 1st touch that goes out for a throw. The standard of basic techniques in Scotland is generally appalling. Watching some of the Europeans the ball is like glue as soon as it touches their boot.

 

Passing - youths should be working on all sorts of range of passing - short passes, long passes, drilled passes, floated passes etc etc

 

All of the above are far more important than being strong in the tackle at a reasonably young age in my opinion !

 

totally agree with this mate. we've got our priorities all wrong in this country - and have had for decades.

 

even back at school 20 odd years ago , I played left or right wing normally. Not wanting to boast, but i was pretty decent with my feet and was a bit more 'cultured' than many of the school team sqaud. However sometimes the teacher would opt top play a bigger, stronger, more physical lad instead of me. So even back then it was obvious that in Scotland, if you have good touch, control and composure on the ball, it was often overlooked if favour of someone who could give a bit of 'dig'. It's why our standard is so low and is a laughing stock in Europe and at international level.

[Tannochsidebear 2,322]

Not been on since the game, and while I admit to not being that interested in International Football, major tournaments aside, I really cant believe the amount of dispair and anguish being written about the two games played this last week.

 

Although I want Scotland to win when they play, it doesnt ruin my day if they dont win, but I thought they did just about all they could do the other night at a half empty stadium and lacked any creativity to produce chances for the strikers.

 

This was mainly due to one or two individual poor performances, coupled with the selection of players who are not creative to start with. To be fair to Levien he wasnt slow to hook Faddy at half time who had a bad night, and made a tactical chance to take off Boyd for Naisy to give the opposition something different to look at, and didnt just go to the long ball to Boyd as I was half expecting, but kept it down and played it and probed away at an organised and swamped defence.

 

With Brown and McCulloch in the team, you are not going to create much, so if any criticism is due it is for picking both these similarly negative players.

 

I was actually less happy with the draw in Lithuania, and the team selection of Miller as the lone striker, than I was at the home game. Has he not watched any of Rangers Euro games this last 2 seasons. Miller as a lone striker DOES NOT WORK. Yes, he can run channels. Yes, he can chase down defenders as they pass the ball forward. But no, he cannot create chances or worry defenders at that level working alone. Cousin could do it, hence our successful run in 2008, but neither Darcheville or Miller are menacing enough to carry it off at that level.

 

Anyway, for someone not really that interested i've had enough to say, so i'll just go back to proper football, and focus on our game at Accies tomorrow, and pretend that Tuesday's game in Scumchester is still a million miles away, and that Walter wont play Miller up front alone, when I know both to be equally unlikely.

[rbr 1,247]

TB there was just under 40,000 there the other night

[wabashcannonball 0]

I remember the euphoria of our departure for Argentina and Ally's magic carpets in 78, I also remember the dissappointment of our performance there, but nothing can take away the country being on fire before we left, punters turning up at Hamdump to see the players off. There is nothing to breed hope like hope itself, as despair breeds despair.

 

Hope and belief are powerful allies, which we often used like Wembley 67, without belief and hope there is nothing, will someone come to the fore and give us that hope and belief ?