Fantalk

Big Alex · Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 506 Location: Cotswolds

Let's face it Scotland were in a lose lose situation.

Beat Ukraine at all, never mind trouncing them, and we would have been hated all over the world (outside Russia) for inflicting even more misery on these poor folks and taking away from them any sort of emotional relief.

Lose on the park and we can see from all the stuff here and elsewhere ...........
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Keeping the Faith (and the Missionary work!)

Heilan Rover · Joined: 24 Dec 2018 Posts: 486 Location: Lorient

Absolutely spot on Big A.

We were always on an absolute Hidin Tae Nuthin!

embow · Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 7:28 pm Post subject:

Wales take on the mantle of being the most disliked team in the world as they scrape through 1-0 against Ukraine.
Mind you 64 years is a long wait to get to a World Cup Finals.
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Neil M · Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 2430 Location: Aberdeen

Stevie Clark was definitely not up for anything other than a win, but some Scotland players gave a lot less than they could have. Did some players feel that they could not be the ones to sink Ukraine? Ukraine would then sweep past Wales, go on to trounce England and the USA, on their way to the finals. Then Wales knock out the Ukraine, without hesitation, and it is back to "if only!". Will they be hated? Maybe when they scored, maybe when the final whistle went, but not now. They have the World Cup to look forward to, with England and the USA. For what it is worth, I doubt that even our best performance in Cardiff would have been enough, but still, every result that the Scotland team ground out with sweat and blood, now counts for nothing.

I am not saying any Scotland players did think / feel like that on the day, but some did underperform and make mistakes - and we did lose. The tenacity that we saw in the qualifying group - the refusal to lose - was missing. On paper, no professional sport player should ever give less than their best, but in reality, it happens. Did some Brora Rangers players give less than 100% a while back, to avoid promotion -and the travel costs? Did Ray McKinnon's Dundee United revelation stop a very in-form Raith side from progressing in the 2016 play offs? Did uncertainty about John McGlynn and player's futures affect the Rovers performances in the second half of last season? I am not saying that they did. I am saying that we will never know the psychology behind bad performances. We will never know what goes on inside an individual player's head.

Maybe a very hard part of a manager's job would be to sus out players who look like giving less than 100% in crucial games, for whatever reason, before a ball is even kicked. Easier said than done, but does that define the sides that always fall at the final hurdle and the ones that never do?

Feel free to lambast me.

embow · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 1:32 pm Post subject:

Wales were lucky to win.
The team got a huge break with the goal. Ukraine had an audacious goal disallowed because the referee wasn't ready and the Welsh keeper did a great impersonation of Craig Gordon in keeping the Ukrainian forwards at bay. Sure Wales had couple of great chances but just like Scotland they didn't take them.
Overall the poorer team got through.
Such is football. Would Scotland have beaten Wales had they beat Ukraine? We'll never know. But on the evidence and the way Wales played, I'd say that they may well have.
A huge case of " what might have been".
No change there then, regarding Scotland.🥺
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Cuparman · Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 1608 Location: Irvine

Neil M · Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 2430 Location: Aberdeen

He certainly alludes to that mindset Cuparman. The proof, as they say, will be in the puddin'!

Wolfman Jack · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 10:46 pm Post subject:

120 minutes of dire football then Australia beat Peru on penalties courtesy of a keeper brought on just for this task only to do a zumba class.

New Zealand play Costa Rica tomorrow, the game is on the BBC sport website or iPlayer, KO 7pm.
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Hope he's got plenty Rovers action to comment on tonight....

Neil M · Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 2430 Location: Aberdeen

Top marks to the Scotland Women's side - winning 4-0 away to Ukriane!