WC Qualifying - Midweek

[crowie]

Originally Posted by MickeyPaul

I can't believe for one minute that Walter would have been looking beyond this tournament when all we had to do was win to be right back in it. No way. That just seems insane. In fact, it IS insane. I just think he's pretty crap tactically (if anoyone can track down my old posts at PL you'll see I said this when he was first linked with the job).

Miller cannot play a lone roll up front as he has the worst ball control in world football. I posted all this hours before the game but deleted it as it seemed out of place (I was rambling about tactics etc).

Belarus were exactly as most people would imagine them to be when you mention their name - complete bollocks. Basically, a shit football team who we should have been able to to put away easily. Walter Smith, imo, has to take resposibility for dropping 2 points here. Just like many managers before him, he's a fucking genius at grabbing draws and it just isn't good enough. I'm not overly optimistic either. We're better than this.

Mickey,

With all due respect, thats a load of pish

Walter Smith walked into a job where we have 2 points from 9 from 2 home games and 1 away. At that stage we would all have admitted we had no chance of qualifying. The fact that we are now only 3 points of 2nd place is down to him. In his 3 games in charge we have been to Italy and Belarus and only 2 free kicks have stopped us going unbeaten there. We have won our sole home game.

I think a lot of people, you included, think we should win games simply because we are Scotland. We shouldn't. Hell if our friends south of the border display the same sort of attitude we label them arrogant yet them have much better players than us and have more right to feel that way than we do.

Belarus had players from the Italian and German leagues. They had a player (Hleb) rated at £10m. They had players playing at a very good level in the Russian league (home of UEFA Cup winners CSKA Moscow) and the Ukrainian league.

We have players playing in Scotland and in the Championship. Ask yourself which teams players are playing at the higher level?

IMO, Walter Smith is trying to restore confidence in a side who's confidence was destroyed by Vogts. I have no doubt thats his first priority right now. Yes, he will keep on about qualification being a possible to the press as he cannot publically say its out of the window but anyone with a degree of reality will know that was a pipe dream after the opening 3 games.

I thought his tactics were spot on tonight considering the players he had available. Who else would you have played? What formation would you have played?

I agree to an extent about Kenny Miller. He is not suited to this role. But he worked his arse off tonight and I don't see who the alternatives are. The time for trying the likes of Riordan etc is in the friendly with Austria in August. Miller is the most experienced striker we have but yes, he has the first touch of an elephant.

You think Belarus are a "shit football team". Lets look at their results.

A draw in Norway - will we get that?
Ran Italy to 4-3 in Italy.
Beat the team we beat on Saturday by double the score we did.
Won in Poland this season.
Won in Turkey this season.
Top scorers in our group.
Ranked 22 places higher than we are.

People think we have some god given right to beat Belarus simply because they are Belarus, because they or their players are not household names. This is not some wee diddy country, they are a decent outfit and the fact that we restricted them to long range shooting and a few dangerous moments from the lad down the right in the second half should be seen as an achievement by us - considering the players available.

IMO, Walter Smith has to be praised for picking up a point where Vogts would have picked up none.

Its time to wake up to the reality, we are Scotland, we are not Brazil. Our god given right to beat teams like Belarus disappeared round about the same time as the Commonwealth did.

Quite simply, with the players available, no we are not better than this.

[MickeyPaul]

I couldn't help it Crowie. I was furious last night and thought Belarus looked utter bollocks. If I was playing a lone striker it would probably have been McCulloch as I remember him in a similar role for Motherwell and was always impressed with his ability to hold it up and make passes etc. He's a good footballer. I'm not a fan of lone strikers though as our midfielders just don't support in the way that's needed.

My attitude may be optimistic but that's me. If I was one of those players or the manager I would absolutely, 100% believe we could qualify and I wouldn't have been happy with a draw last night.

Belarus are mince (imo). I'm glad I finally got a chance to see that. Just goes to show how bad everyone else in the group is too.

[Parahandy]

Mickey, is it me or Walter that's insane?

[MickeyPaul]

Sorry Para. Possibly everyone except me. :yikes I can't see how we wouldn't have had a great chance had we taken 3 points though and I still reckon Belarus stink more than Scotland. :think

[crowie]

Originally Posted by MickeyPaul

I couldn't help it Crowie. I was furious last night and thought Belarus looked utter bollocks.
Belarus are mince (imo). I'm glad I finally got a chance to see that. Just goes to show how bad everyone else in the group is too.

Fair enough Mickey but I still don't think they are bollocks. I would like to think it was more a case of our tactics giving them a great deal of problems and them looking bad due to this. Just as we didn't look very clever against a Moldova side who sat in and defended on Saturday then Belarus didn't look too clever against a defensive Scotland side. There is not many sides who look good against teams who play with a defensive game plan.

I don't think the teams in our group are that bad, I just don't think that there is one team who is miles better than the rest, and I include Italy in that. But again I would say this is the case for a lot of the European groups nowadays, there is not many stand out sides - hence Greece being European Champions. I do think there has been pretty much a levelling of the abilities across Europe.

Anyway its in the past now, still a point gained IMO and while a win would have been good I still think a draw will have gave the team confidence.