Apologies for posting this in the main forum ...

Ryan Christie, Ryan Christie, Ryan Christie ... there we go, now its ICT related 😄

Do users want a separate sub forum for the World Cup (and by extension the Euros in a couple of years time hopefully) or should we simply stick with the "Other Football" category? A separate forum would allow us to keep it all in place and not get lost with other stuff, keeping it in the general football category could also be done if we just prefix every world cup thread with a tag of "world cup".

I am not bothered either way as neither is a huge task.

With the domestic season over and the World Cup (with Scotland in it!) only a week and a bit away, I am surprised there has not been more discussion already on the forum. There seems to be a hiatus before Haiti. Perhaps a separate subforum will help get things going.

Edited Tuesday at 08:08 AM4 days by DoofersDad

Sorry, its just me.

I have no intention of watching Scotland games therefore can’t possibly chat about them.( might have a look in now and again see what you are all saying though 😀)

This sums up Scotland for me from the 2024 euros

“Scotland failed to register a shot on goal in the opening period but Che Adams soon had an effort just after half-time which soared over the bar”

Ps……. Was speaking to a mate a few weeks ago who told me he was going to the World Cup. How did you get the tickets I asked. Oh I don’t have any tickets, just going.

Scotland eh, wha’s like us.

The phrase "Wha's like us?" is a famous Scottish toast. It translates to "Who is like us?", which is immediately answered by the punchline: "Damn few, and they're a' deid"

Edited Tuesday at 06:59 AM4 days by bishbashbosh

I've lived in Scotland for over 50 years now, but I'm English and will be supporting England whilst also wanting to see Scotland do well. As an Englishman I am really surprised at the lack of enthusiasm and even negativity of so many Scots. What scenes there were after that astonishing game against Denmark in November when Scotland booked their place in the finals for the first time in 28 years! But things have gone a bit flat. It's as though just qualifying was the goal.

I would be interested in how Scots are feeling about the coming competition. With the tournament expanded to 48 teams, there has never been a better chance for Scotland to progress beyond the group stages. To reach the last 32 Scotland will need to either be in the top 2 of the group or be one of the best 8 of the 12 3rd placed teams. Being in the top 2 would be a terrific performance as both Brazil and Morocco are in the top 10 in the FIFA rankings. Haiti, however are ranked 40 places below Scotland at 83 with only NewZealand of the 42 teams ranked lower. Scotland should be 3rd in their group and beating Haiti would probably be enough to book a 2nd round place.

Win or lose against Haiti, Scotland then have games against 2 of the best and most attractive footballing sides in the world. An upset against one of them and Scotland could find themselves with a very winnable game in the round of 32. What's not to be excited about! I'm excited for Scotland's prospects - and I'm English!

I would leave it on here. World Cup is June 16th to July 19th.

Will give us all something to moan about during the off season.

How am I feeling about the World Cup? Having watched the event since 1966, I don't believe we can do much better than we already have. We don't even have the same quality as previous squads that flopped badly.

However, if I am awake, I will probably watch the Scotland games live without much optimism. Watching Scotland has become a chore to be honest but the Denmark game has raised a few eyebrows.

Other games I will take in if they fall within my awake time.

6 hours ago, bishbashbosh said:

Ps……. Was speaking to a mate a few weeks ago who told me he was going to the World Cup. How did you get the tickets I asked. Oh I don’t have any tickets, just going.

I know a bunch of folks doing just that, even considered it myself at one stage until my son's team entered a tournament in Niagara Falls on June 13th and 14th - Just taking the Scotland top and Kilt with me to the tournament and one of the other dads in the team is Haitian so it might be a sloppy night!

One of the guys who is a couple of rows behind me at TFC (a Killie fan) is driving a few folk from Toronto to Boston and meeting up with his brothers who are flying in from Scotland. Tickets and accommodation details are 'fluid' according to him! Its 'only' a 10–12-hour drive to Boston but with the ticket prices, transportation companies charging 10X the normal for trains to the stadium, and everything else set to gouge fans I calculated it would cost us about USD$4000 - US$5000 to attend just one game so we decided against it.

Tickets likely not going to be a problem to get, if you are willing to pay. There are no games yet sold out (as of last week), not even the Brazil game as costs are so high.

4 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

As an Englishman I am really surprised at the lack of enthusiasm and even negativity of so many Scots.

It's a defence mechanism. I was optimistic about Scotland in my teens and twenties, but they soon grind you down. That's why I only ever book 2 weeks of holiday time for any competition we qualify for :)

4 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

I would be interested in how Scots are feeling about the coming competition. With the tournament expanded to 48 teams, there has never been a better chance for Scotland to progress beyond the group stages.

If we get through to the next round it will be an achievement for us, even though it should be easier. However, history tells us Scotland have a habit of finding new and innovative ways to not get beyond the group stage. Think I am right in saying we were the first team ever (back in '74) to go out of the tournament without losing a game! All the teams in our group (Brazil, Yugoslavia and Scotland) beat Zaire but the rest of the games were draws so it all came down to who scored how many against Zaire. Yugoslavia put 9 past them, Brazil had 3 and we only scored 2 so out we went ... and its been the Scotland way ever since!

1 hour ago, tm4tj said:

I would leave it on here. World Cup is June 16th to July 19th.

Will give us all something to moan about during the off season.

OK Boss. Leave it in the general football we will - let's just prefix it with a world cup tag.

5 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

As an Englishman I am really surprised at the lack of enthusiasm and even negativity of so many Scots.

DD,

I was the mini bus driver on many occasions to Glasgow throughout the years.

I was at Hampden 1973 the night we drew with the mighty West Germany when Billy Bremner had a penalty saved at 1-1 and joined in the chant “We sank the Bismark”.

Again the night of the Maurice Johnston game when we beat France 2-0.

The Dalgleish game when we beat Spain 3-1 with the wonder goal.

At Wembley for a drubbing when the chant was “ Keegan lost his daddy”. Sounds so crude nowadays. It was also the day the London tube went on strike and we had to walk in after the game to Pimlico where we were staying. Stood in the queue for a burger on that walk and was behind a Scottish fan who asked the burger seller how much his burgers were. When he heard the price he toppled the van and put it on its side with the seller still in it. Legged it quick.

Witnessed while walking a fan in a supermarket trolley holding the rear entrance hand bar of a double decker London bus pulling him to the city centre. Often wondered if he made it past the first corner.

More recently took some grandkids to the mctominay Spain game where we won 2-0. The Portugal game so they could see CR7 live.

Witnessed the Craig Levein era and the 10/0 formation.

This old guy has been there, done it, seen it all and needs his beauty sleep.

Oops forgot the T shirt

Edited Tuesday at 03:05 PM4 days by bishbashbosh

With both the aforementioned Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan recently revealing their cancer diagnoses, maybe both nations will have a wee bit of an incentive to raise the bar a little bit for one of their respective icons.

FCUK Cancer - wishing both Kenny and Kevin success in their individual battles.

Haiti put four past New Zealand last night. Be prepared for them to do the same to Scotland in about eleven days time.

I truly believe the adage " the triumph of hope over experience" was coined to describe what it feels like to support most Scottish sporting teams but especially our national football team.

I suppose there is always the enjoyment of watching England go out on penalties to look forward to.

France or Spain to be the eventual winners I reckon.

Crickey, I hope Haiti wont be the new Peru!

Or Costa Rica.

The public holiday for the day after the game could easily become a day of national mourning.

I see they have brought in Wilson Isidor after finding out his ancestry made him eligible. He was Sunderland’s top scorer in 24/25 and is very fast.

5 hours ago, Yngwie said:

I see they have brought in Wilson Isidor after finding out his ancestry made him eligible. He was Sunderland’s top scorer in 24/25 and is very fast.

We have Ross Stewart who was Sunderland’s top scorer season 21/22 who probably isn’t fast.

He now plays for Southampton so will be well versed on how to hide behind a tree and film opposition training sessions.

Fly old fox Steve Clarke.

7 hours ago, culduthel said:

France or Spain to be the eventual winners I reckon.

I agree with that.

I can't see Argentina repeating and my Brazilian colleague tells me that they are not good right now, although in Brazilian terms that likely translates to only being good enough for the quarters or semis! No other country springs to mind as an eventual winner other than France or Spain although Spain also have a bit of controversy going on after naming no Real Madrid players to the squad.

Don't know what to make of Haiti. That's a pretty good result but looking at the squad list there are only a handful of players at recognisable clubs. One of them - Derrick Etienne Jr - plays for Toronto so I see him every week. A pacy winger, who will be familiar with the stadium in Boston, but someone who flatters to deceive most weeks. Scored something like 8 in 46 games for Haiti and only 5 in 60 for Toronto but popped up just a couple of weeks ago to score an absolute banger against Charlotte. Hopefully that is him done scoring for the season - internationally at least!

Not that I put much faith in the rankings, but it does have to be noted that Haiti are 83rd and New Zealand are 85th. The two lowest ranked teams in the tournament. Even Cape Verde (69) and Curacao (82) are ahead of them. Scotland are at #43. What surprised me - in the rankings - is that Ghana, who I thought were higher ranked, are listed at 74th spot so round of the 'worst five' according to the rankings.

4-0 at HT, seems like we might win this WC after all.