Scotland v Italy

[ian1964 10,416]

ALEX McLEISH cranked up the pressure on Italy ahead of next week's Euro 2008 showdown by insisting the world champions just can't afford to lose at Hampden.

 

The Scotland boss believes the Italian public will go crazy if their team fail to get the point they need to send them to Austria and Switzerland next summer.

 

And McLeish is hoping that fear of failure will paralyse Roberto Donadoni's team next Saturday.

 

He said: "We've got nothing to lose whereas they have everything to lose.

 

"I'm sure if we beat them they will not be happy bunnies. There is more pressure on them because of the expectations of the Italian nation.

 

"It doesn't matter how good they are - their players are only human and will be apprehensive about coming to Glasgow.

 

"The expectation upon them is not just about qualifying but that they should be winning the tournament.

 

"On the other hand our guys will be seen as heroes no matter what happens."

 

So,for those of us are that are interested in the National team,it's a massive game for Scotland next week.To qualify all we have to do is beat the world champions,easy.No seriously how many people think we can do it ?,I believe we have a fighting chance as we are a hard team to beat at home,but it is a big ask and being Scottish we are all probably expecting another glorious failure,as I said Hampden is not an easy place to get a result for the opposition.The whole campaign has been a success and I think the players deserve to make it for the effort they have put in,but it is going to take a huge effort from the team,and with the Hampden Roar you just never know.

[Gazza_8 233]

I was planning on heading to Glasgow Green to watch it with the rest of the ticketless bams. The council are putting up a giant screen for the fans to watch it. I've just found out that they're charging �£12 for a ticket. That's shocking, they should put the day on for free, get all the fans together and have a crackin' day/night out. Now I'll be sat in the house with a few mates, drinking beer and shouting at the TV.

 

Glasgow City Council had the chance to make Saturday 17th November a day to remember but they've fucked it up.

[juffery 0]

I've got my ticket and I cannae wait!!!

[eightball 0]

Realistically how do you think they'll do? There seems to be an awful lot of hype at the moment about it, and whilst I would love Scotland to qualify by beating Italy I can't help but think it'll end up in anything other than an Italian victory.

 

Sorry to put a dampener on things.

[calscot 0]

You've got to have hope, or what's the point in watching football? If the best team on paper always won it would be a boring, uninteresting game that would not have the world following that it does.

 

I think our hopes have been dashed so often that some people have become cynical, stoic and jaded.

 

However, at worst we can enjoy a game that is as big as any that Scotland could have been involved at the finals itself. Scotland's qualifying group has been as glamorous as the finals and we are privileged to be able to watch our team play against the world champions, with a genuine chance of winning and a great chance of putting them out of the competition.

 

Don't let a myopic view of the destination blind us to the passion and enjoyment of the journey.

 

We may likely get beat, but that's because Italy are one of the best international teams around, and ironically that's who we really like to play. As a smaller nation we should have the character to be able to take defeats against nations like Italy on the chin.

 

Some people sound like they would prefer to play the Faroes and Andorra all the time as they can’t take losing. These people may prefer us to lose next week ,as that means we won't be playing other great teams in the finals, who funnily enough could also beat us.

 

Give me a game against Italy before the likes of Lithuania any day; if we get beat, so be it. There is only one team in the competition that won’t face disappointment at some stage so we all have to be able to take it.

 

Put into the mix a game at Hampden where Scotland have won all their games so far, including France, and the reward of the finals as a result of a win, then the game has to be unmissable.

 

This is what football is all about, so please don't ruin it with all the, "I'm so realistic," rubbish.

 

I'd like any one of those negative people, who seem so scared of being wrong that they can't be optimistic, to come out and prove to us how they predicted that we'd be one victory away from the finals in our last game from the group of death.

 

Your so called, “realism,” is so utterly wrong that your opinion can no longer have credibility. Stop trying to be so wizen and aloof, and get behind the team and savour our biggest chance at glory for long while.

 

Don’t being a Negative Nancy and just enjoy the game!

[ian1964 10,416]

I'd much rather be playing Iyaly than a so-called smaller team,we're a hard team to beat at home so we have everychance in this match,canny wait for it,should be an incredible atmosphere and game and then PARTY !!!!!!!

[juffery 0]

I think we have as much chance of winning as the Italians. We have homw advamtage which is a big plus, we have organisation (never thought I would say that of a Mcleish team) and we have players who can take a chance, especialy it seems when they are wearing the dark blue.

Atmosphere is going to be magic as is the party afterwards. And even if we don't, in the 'group of death' we managed to take it to the last game, stil in our own hands. I'm over the moon with that!

[calscot 0]

As it's Scotland, I think the most likely scenario is a 0-0 draw where we miss a penalty in the final minute.

 

I much prefer success to a glorious failure, but I also prefer a glorious failure to a pathetic failure.

 

Anyway, glorious failures are what legends are made of.

 

Does anyone remember Van de Veld? Does any remember many other Open runners up as clearly?

[pete 2,499]

As it's Scotland, I think the most likely scenario is a 0-0 draw where we miss a penalty in the final minute.

 

I much prefer success to a glorious failure, but I also prefer a glorious failure to a pathetic failure.

 

Anyway, glorious failures are what legends are made of.

 

Does anyone remember Van de Veld? Does any remember many other Open runners up as clearly?

 

Cal if i read this it would seem your vision for supporting Scotland is completely a mirror image on your support for Rangers. You were quite happy with a pathetic failure on Wednesday. Or maybe our visions of what is glorious and what is pathetic. Pathetic in my eyes would be defending our own 18 yard line for 90mins. Glorious would be us fighting for every ball and taking a risk now and again, hitting the post, hitting the bar and losing 2-1. No we should not play like headless chickens but if we want to get through we will need to take a chance of getting players forward at sometime. Italy have a large striker who is good in the air so it will be suicide to sit in our own 18 yard box.

Of course if we defend for 89mins and score in the last minute then that will be a pathetic win and that would be acceptable of course.

[Gazza_8 233]

I think the Scottish fans are building themselves for a major let down on against Italy. We're playing the World Champions, they're an awesome team. Georgia beat us, we're not an awesome team.

 

I hope and prey we'll win but honestly, we're up against it!