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Marky
Opinionated Wind Bag |
    
As we all know, not a great deal has been achieved by the far east tour, and our record under Berti has been poor (although a few subsequent results may make things not seem quite so gloomy). I don't think any of us are daft enough to hit the panic button or get on Berti's back just yet. When it comes to the qualifiers though I have one main worry, and its not Germany. On that subject, I've been really disappointed with a few folk on here conceding defeat to them already, under the guise of realism. Germany are very weak by there standards at the moment and on our day we can take them. Home or away. My worry is far more fundamental than that. I don't think we need fear DEFEAT from any of the nations in our group. The problem will be BEATING them. I have seen nothing to make me think we have in anyway come close to solving our striking problems. Look at some of our relatively recent failures which have/could have cost us qualification.
Estonia 0 Scotland 0 - Monaco
Estonia 0 Scotland 0 - Talinn
Lithuania 0 Scotland 0
Faroes 1 Scotland 1
San Marino 0 Scotland 2 (not enough goals)
And some very near things against Faroes, Estonia at home and Latvia away.
If we fail to qualify for 2004 it won't be because we've been beaten twice by Germany, won every other game and lost out on a play off. If we don't solve our striking problem then we will definitely drop more points and perhaps not even finish second.
Still, all that said I think it is a wide open group and we should enter it with the utmost confidence, even more so if we can start finding our way to the back of the net.
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BuddieScot
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Total Posts: 193 | Joined Oct. 2001 | Posted on: 9:46 pm on May 21, 2002 | IP
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Ross
GET A LIFE!!! |
Agreed Marky. On our day we can beat Germany just look at Finland drawing 0-0to send them to the playoffs last time around. The problem we face is beating Lithuania and Iceland away. Iceland away is the key game for me. Win that and we should be guaranteed a playoff and then we can turn our attention to beating the Germans and winning the group. However equally if we were to lose to Iceland away and Iceland were to get a decent result against the Germans which is again possible then we could end up in third.
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C'mon Ye Scots!
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Total Posts: 291 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 10:20 pm on May 21, 2002 | IP
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Andy Gray
GET A LIFE!!! |
1. Southern most tip of the island.
2. Cheese.
3. Ben Ledi.
I hope that outs you all out of your misery.
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CROY TARTAN ARMY
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Total Posts: 1241 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 10:45 pm on May 21, 2002 | IP
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jimbers
GET A LIFE!!! |
thats wot Scott McDobbie's going to sort out im sure he and the likes of Maloney can score in Lithuania/Faeros!!
Hutch is more dangerous in a free role behind srikers he more difficult to mark and McCann can cross the ball to him!!!!
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Total Posts: 411 | Joined Mar. 2002 | Posted on: 10:17 am on May 22, 2002 | IP
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Jaggy Bunnet
Talks too much |
If he is trying to get on the end of a McCann cross he would be better off in a free role behind the goal as that is where most of his crosses end up!
Seriously though, if everyone is fit we have a decent midfield, a young but promising defence (Ross, McNaughton, Crainey, Matteo) but we are lacking something upfront.
Without being negative, we have to make sure we finish in the top two in the group - talk about winning it is fine, but given recent poor performances we must be close to dropping into the next group of seeds. Once we do that then life gets very difficult (look at Irelands WC qualifying group). Looking at our recent results I think is we finish second we should look on it as a good achievement.
And it would mean an extra away trip!!
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Total Posts: 142 | Joined April 2002 | Posted on: 11:10 am on May 22, 2002 | IP
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Tartan Sheep
GET A LIFE!!! |
Aye, that's great if you've got loads of holidays 
Seriously, though, second in the group would be a fine achievement with a young squad and an extra game will give them more practice of playing important competitive matches. With that sort of practice, they can go on to win the qualifying group for 2006, then win the tournament itself on home soil in 2008 
Or should I start taking the medication again?
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Alba Gu Brath
Tartan Sheep
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Total Posts: 375 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 11:24 am on May 22, 2002 | IP
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Jam
GET A LIFE!!! |
We should do but we have one of the easiest groups imagineable. If we don't finish second in this group we'll go down to third seeds and not climb out of the third seed group for at least a generation.
The reality of our desperate plight and the teams in this group is that we could finish anywhere between 1st and fourth. Yes fourth. Lithuania are the same standard as Latvia who should have twice turned us over in the WC2002 qualifiers. Iceland turned over the Danes and the Czechs (I think) on their own patch. They're no mugs. Germany speaks for itself.
On the positive side none of these teams is anything special and with a good pair of strikers we could do them all.
Who are our strikers going to be?
Jimbers said Dobbie and Maloney. I haven't been following the squad in Far East (coz we've played pants) but did they get a game. Dobbie scored?? Has Maloney had a run? Anyone else of note?
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Yer haverin pash!
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Total Posts: 501 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 11:31 am on May 22, 2002 | IP
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Ross
GET A LIFE!!! |
Maloney isn't even in the far east squad.
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C'mon Ye Scots!
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Total Posts: 291 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 11:41 am on May 22, 2002 | IP
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sonny
GET A LIFE!!! |
I don't know what "our day" looks like. With the new squad, Nigeria was probably "our day".
As for the way the squad is going - there are absolutely no shortage of emerging competition up front; Dobie, Maloney, Lynch, Hutch, Miller, Burchill, O'Conner, Kyle, Thompson (and a couple of even younger uns). Problem is Vogts insistance on physical power up front.
(Edited by sonny at 12:06 pm on May 22, 2002)
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When up they gat, and shook their lugs, Rejoiced they were nae men but dogs; An' each took aff his several way, Resolved to meet some ither day.
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Total Posts: 2234 | Joined Jan. 2002 | Posted on: 11:51 am on May 22, 2002 | IP
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jimbers
GET A LIFE!!! |
Im aware Maloneys NOT in the squad but then again our u21's havnt played for nearly a year!!!
Maloneys the next Hutch (and Maloney's half English too) SO IT WOULD OF BEEN GOOD IF HE SCORED AGAINST THEM IN THE EURO 2004 PLAY OFFS!!
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Total Posts: 411 | Joined Mar. 2002 | Posted on: 12:07 pm on May 22, 2002 | IP
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Rowie
Fresh ideas |
For all of those fearing Iceland, don't panic!
Remember that Northern Ireland turned them over 3-0 at Windsor Park last year in the WC qualifiers and N.I. are extremly pish.
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'Who would have thought it? A 2-1 win over Belgium, we're going tae the World............s@#t!'
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Total Posts: 16 | Joined Jan. 2002 | Posted on: 4:44 pm on May 22, 2002 | IP
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Mick North Croy
GET A LIFE!!! |
Quote: from Jam on 11:31 am on May 22, 2002
We should do but we have one of the easiest groups imagineable. If we don't finish second in this group we'll go down to third seeds and not climb out of the third seed group for at least a generation.
I know what you are saying about dropping down to the next group of seeds, but it needn`t be for a generation
remember, we were No 1. seeds in our Euro 2000 qualifying group
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Mick. Support the TAMB Kiddies Sunshine Appeal
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Total Posts: 648 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 11:29 pm on May 22, 2002 | IP
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jimbers
GET A LIFE!!! |
2nd seeds this time around!!!
3rd is inevitable if we fail to Qualify again!
When I watch Scotland I bite all my nails!!!
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Total Posts: 411 | Joined Mar. 2002 | Posted on: 9:39 am on May 23, 2002 | IP
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Marky
Opinionated Wind Bag |
Surely the Czechs were No.1 seeds in the Euro 2000 qualifiers?????
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BuddieScot
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Total Posts: 193 | Joined Oct. 2001 | Posted on: 9:48 pm on May 23, 2002 | IP
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Ross
GET A LIFE!!! |
Definately us Marky I remember ah couldn't believe it cos we were actually seeded above France!!
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C'mon Ye Scots!
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Total Posts: 291 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 9:52 pm on May 23, 2002 | IP
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