I don't think we need to have great players. Decent players can be moulded into a good team.

I know NI had an easier group than Scotland but their manager had absolutely no problems choosing Aberdeen, Killie, Hamilton Accies or Dundee United players in his squads and often starting 11. That's an alien concept to Scotland's management team.

Wasn't that the case under Walter smith and MacLeish. A side mounded into a team which was hard to beat and guess what still failed to qualify.

Were we ever a distant 4th under those managers?

Yet still failed though. Surely it's about being more than hard to beat and trying to sneak 1-0 wins.

Greece won the Euros doing that. Something England or us would dine out for the next 50 years on. Looking about the Scottish managers mentioned they all have either been proven failures or aren't good enough. Time to look further afield.

A Scotland side under Smith or McLeish would've qualified for a major tournament had either of them stuck around rather than turn their backs on their country.

Btw Germany still aren't in 1st place with 15 minutes left of qualification.

So in the end, Thursday's equaliser was academic.

Losing to Georgia is what cost us and we knew that.

Or failing to hold on twice against Poland.

In fact, if we had held on twice against Poland (and still lost to Georgia) we'd be through automatically in second place (both us and Poland would have 19 points, with us on top on head-to-head).

Waldo, & Sally, Captain Blood, Big Alec, ..... the mind starts too boggle ?

BTW, I hate - Quoting, - internet-trolls

Poland were giving us a good going over in Poland. We were probably lucky to get a 2-2 there and they were lucky to get a 2-2 here. If we beat Georgia away like everyone else managed, bar Gibraltar, then we'd be on 18 points and a better head to head than Ireland.

This is what the manager was saying at the time:


If he can't spot that is a must win then why are we persisting with him? Get rid of this clown.

What are you on about? if that was written in hieroglyphics it would be easier to understand.

Scotland didn't make it because unlike Ireland and Poland, Scotland failed to pick up unexpected points from Germany.

The way to qualify is to pick up points when you least expect them, hence Wales and Northern Ireland making it.

If you had to beat Germany or Georgia to go to the Euros no team in Europe would choose playing Germany. Not beating Georgia sunk the whole campaign.

All your EX heroes, aswell you know .....


Iggy for you fella

Scotland failing to qualify for a 24 team tournament is a colossal, monumental failure. Add disgraceful to that as well.

Your rancid duds and ex-dud manager helped put us out. We'd have been better off with Forrest Gump than James Forrest. Charlie Mulgrew at centre back? And we are wondering why we lost?

you & that other trumpet , Crofter, ................ will have your 50/50 scarves on next summer, ( Engerland/ Northern Ireland so dont try & kid a kidder fella!

It's your lot wishing Ireland luck who were our direct rivals.

It would also be a "colossal monumental failure" for Germany, Ireland or Poland so someone was always bound to fail. We blew it in Georgia. That is it. One bad game.
Nothing monumental, colossal or disgraceful, just one bad game.

Ah....the old glorious failure one. Glad you're okay with that.

We took 2 points from a possible 12 in the last 4 games that mattered. We haven't put in a good performance in about a year. Strachan is moaning about deflected goals or offsides or other glorious failure crap. His team in Georgia destroyed the entire campaign when it couldn't even muster a shot on goal and all our rivals beat Georgia.

Time should be up for Strachan. It won't be though. This is Scotland where the bigger the glorious failure or the closer you got with your hard luck story the more you are revered like a god when the fact is you failed like all the rest.

to be fair, we were always going to be struggling to finish third in that group, as i predicted.

simply put, being BETTER than republic ireland should have been enough, but one loss by georgia killed it DEAD!

I am almost finished knitting your Republic Of Ireland bunnet and scarf - it will break my heart if they don't make it as they are a super footballing team the Irish, played the world champions off the pitch twice this campaign to be sure.

So another summit to find out what went wrong with the previous summit as summit went wrong,

Yet no talk of summits from Northern Ireland who imo aren't a better side than Scotland.