Nah, still a draw. Can't see us winning, but definitely capable of the former.
My Scots 'master pundit' acquaintance has predicted a 2-1 home victory. Sadly the bassa has a v.good record, though he reckons they also should have 'stuffed' Polska.
Nah, still a draw. Can't see us winning, but definitely capable of the former.
My Scots 'master pundit' acquaintance has predicted a 2-1 home victory. Sadly the bassa has a v.good record, though he reckons they also should have 'stuffed' Polska.
I've a lot of time for Strachan. Celtic fans probably didn't realise how lucky they were. He was always an outsider I feel, a throwback to the days when those feisty upstarts Aberdeen interfered with the league and cup wins Celtic felt they were entitled to.
I admire the way he realised his limitations, took time out and traveled the world to learn more about football. Easy to do when you've just been earning a million a year though!
We might have picked a good campaign to get Scotland out of the way...
Jack Harper shines for Real Madrid
Ryan Gauld scores first Sporting (B) goal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZQP5ddY07M
They are going to be looking for revenge as all of Alba was ashamed not to have a whisky in the top 5 for the first time ever. Congrats to Japan.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddr...the-world.html
no mention of Alex O'Hanlon and Dan Cleary's goals for Liverpool, or Jack Byrne scoring for Man City in the same competition?Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Or that Sporting B play in the Portuguese second division...Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
And maybe-piler Dan Crowley scoring again yesterday to add to his three in Anderlecht.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
Are ye giving out about me or The Mirror? :)
Was just some useless info.
neither really, you could rewrite the article with O'Hanlon's, Cleary's and Byrne's goals, as well as Holland and Whelan appearing for City and Liverpool respectively, and claim that Scotland might have picked a good campaign to get us out of the wayQuote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
That comment was very much tongue-in-cheek. I came across the Harper article and it got me wondering about how mini-Messi was getting on. To be honest, I thought after the large transfer fee (or large buy out clause anyway) he would be closer the first team.
Call me snobby, but I would be more excited by one of our young lads playing underage for Real Madrid than Liverpool, but it seems more circumstantial than anything else.
can't find anything recent about John Joe Finn at Real Madrid, but there's a few mentions on twitter that Zak Gilsenan is training with Man United:
from https://twitter.com/jb_8521/status/528186688498315264
and https://twitter.com/mufcstufff/statu...77447502077954Quote:
11 year old Zak Gilsenan who made headlines as the Irish Messi when he signed with Barcelona has been training with United recently
Not sure what [men] is a reference to, thought it might have been Manchester Evening News, but nothing on their site about itQuote:
Zak Gilsenan (11) has been training with Manchester United for the past few weeks, and could be offered a longer stay at United [men]
The 11-year-old is so good, he'll be training with the senior men, maybe? :p
I get the impression that Strachan is some kind of janitor/handyman with the SFA, does a bit of this does a bit of that and does the senior team as well. He has a 10 hour nixer tonight with the most obscure mainstream tv channel, discussing games of little interest outside their fan base.
You wouldn't get O'Neill on that, he'd be of World Cup finals stature.
Scotland think small and it just so happens they have a midget in charge.
Just over a week 'til kick-off now, what's Scotland's likely line-up? I was having a look through their squad and they're very much lacking in the goal-scoring department. Robbie has more than double the number of international goals their entire squad has combined.
Darren Fletcher is their top scorer with five. Next come Scott Brown and Naismith joined on four. Steven Fletcher has just the one.
I was surprised by how few Naismith has for Dvotland. His left footer last night was quality.
Marshall, Hutton, Martin, Morrison, Anya and Naismith have started all three matches so far. Hutton is out so presumably either Phil Bardsley will come straight in at right back or Whittaker will swap over from the left and Robertson will left back.Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
I preusme it's unlikely Darren Fletcher will start given his lack of game time under Louis Van Gaal. I'm not sure if Mulgrew will come back in, probbaly depends on what system they go with. If he does maybe Steven Fletcher will be sacrificed? Of course, he could also fill in at left back to release Whittaker to right back.
----------------------Marshall-------------------
Whittaker------Martin-----Hanley--------Mulgrew
-----------Brown------Morrison/McArthur-------
---------Moloney---Naismith----Anya-----------
------------------Fletcher----------------------
I'd go with
__Marshall Bardsley Martin
Hanley Robertson Brown Fletcher Morrison __Naismith
Anya __Fletcher
With a possibility of Whittaker at RB, Maloney in at RM with Morrison switching in for Fletcher. The lads in bold are almost definite injury permitting.
Bardsley is built for this kind of game, committed and aggressive. Could be some battle with McClean if it happens!
And hopefully a red card early on.
What are the possible Sco v Irl matchups this weekend in England and Scotland.
Naismith v John O'SheaQuote:
Originally Posted by BonnieShels
Steven Fletcher v Coleman (well not really a match up)
So John needs to do him in.
Both Brown and Mulgrew looked very ordinary for Celtic in the EL yesterday, outshone by the Norwegian. Meanwhile our James gave a motm performance for Everton v Lille and left the field to an appreciative ovation.
Who has often punched above his weight!Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Great player, good manager IMO.
Strachan's playing ability doesn't count for much now. He might have had some decent manager credentials before he returned to the English league, post Celtic, now he can only get a job with a tight fisted SFA and has to do regular nixers to keep afloat. The SFA think small but are fortunate that there's a truckload of decent Scottish managers available and willing to do the international team. We'll see how Strachan does against us.
That tackle on Mulgrew at the end was vicious! I think you're right to draw attention to the fact that we have better players than them. To be fair, they are currently performing far better than the sum of their parts though. We should go into the game with confidence and a strong mental attitude. I do hope MON emphasises to our players that we are better than them, and that if we match them for effort, controlled aggression and use our heads, there's no reason that we won't win the match.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Looking at the club status of Scotland's likely back four, I think Robbie Keane should start this one. At least three out of the four will be Championship defenders so I'd expect Keane to get a couple of chances. Long is a good backup if it's not happening for him, but we will need to be clinical in this one to manifest our superiority.
Thescore.ie says that Stoke will let the FAI decide on whether Whelan is fit, so he is obviously close enough to being ready. Also, Martinez said Coleman was injured last night and is a doubt for Saturday with a "cut achilles", although he also said it's not much of an injury. Anyway, some cause for concern there. Coleman's pre-Germany injury wasn't supposed to be all that either.
http://www.thescore.ie/glenn-whelan-...68365-Nov2014/
So, two major worries. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
As if he isn't immobile and static enough as it is, we want to play him unfit and lacking in match practice/sharpness. I think Hendrick and/or Gibson have done enough to come into the team for this game after their cameo against Germany; even Quinn or Meyler.
Cannot for the life of me understand why he's still one of the first name on the teamsheet after all these years.
Keane is due a good performance in this game. Gibraltar and the summer 2013 games against Faroe Islands & Georgia aside, you would be hard pressed to find a game where he was effective - and the Scottish defenders are of a substantially better caliber than those teams as their (relative) solidity in the WC Qualifiers, Poland & Germany would bear out. They could also physically dominate Keane so a more physical forward might be a better option. In an ideal world (for me), Keane would come off the bench after Long and/or Walters have run them ragged for 70 minutes - as he cannot last any more than an hour anymore.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Barry was injured in Europe so hopefully comes into the Everton side this weekend.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
A cut achilles? What's that exactly? Surely no more than a minor or superficial gash on his heel rather than a tear or anything serious? I hope!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
If it was anything to the achilles tendon he'd be more than just a doubt for Saturday. A cut on your achilles is just something you need to bandage and wait for it to heal. If it's not healed enough for Saturday, it could re-open and possibly get infected, which would be the worry. I believe Seamus had a rather serious (potentially career-threatening) blister on his toe that got infected when he first joined Everton.
Damien Delaney was lucky not to have a limb amputated.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/s...en-155970.html
Scary how seemingly innocuous things can threaten your career, and even life.
Coincidentally, as you were posting this, I was posting about a similar situation that faced Coleman a few years back: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport...meback-3441207Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Is this the kit we'll be wearing next Friday?:
http://www.faishop.com/x/HomepageBan...11-AwayKit.jpg
I hadn't even known we had a new white away kit out.
Aye. Why I don't know.
Is the all-black one "out-of-date" now then?
Just the usual churning out kits for no good reason...
Squad Watch 8/11
Keiren Westwood Sheffield Wednesday Started
Clean Sheet Darren Randolph Birmingham City Started Clean Sheet David Forde Millwall Started Shay Given Aston Villa Substitute Unused Rob Elliot Newcastle United Substitute Unused Séamus Coleman Everton Started
Assist
Richard Keogh Derby County Started
Clean Sheet Stephen Ward Burnley Started Clean Sheet John O'Shea Sunderland Started
Paul McShane Hull City Started
Damien Delaney Crystal Palace Started Alex Pearce Reading Started Shane Duffy Blackburn Rovers Started Brian Lenihan Blackpool Started Stephen Kelly Reading Started Out 79 Marc Wilson Stoke City Started Out 26 Ciaran Clark Aston Villa Substitute In 90 Jeff Hendrick Derby County Started
2 Goals James McCarthy Everton Started Aiden McGeady Everton Started Paul Green Rotherham United Started Robbie Brady Hull City Started Anthony Pilkington Cardiff City Started James McClean Wigan Athletic Substitute In 58 Assist Darron Gibson Everton Substitute In 13 Stephen Quinn Hull City Substitute In 51 David Meyler Hull City Substitute Unused Glenn Whelan Stoke City Not in Squad Injured Jonathan Walters Stoke City Started
Goal
Daryl Murphy Ipswich Town Started
Simon Cox Reading Started Out 77 Anthony Stokes Celtic Started
Out 72 Assist Shane Long Southampton Substitute In 68 2 Goals Kevin Doyle Crystal Palace Substitute In 90 Connor Sammon Ipswich Town Substitute In 90 Robbie Keane (Captain) LA Galaxy 10-Nov 0:30