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Disagree entirely. To set a team up to defend is one thing but this is usually done in recognition of the strengths of both the opposition and your own squad. Starting with our opponents, the Czech Republic are the 37th ranked nation who at the beginning of a complete rebuild process after the end of a golden generation. Recent results, including a home defeat by Lithuania and a defeat at Hampden, did not fill me with fear and can in no way be used to justify playing a 4-6-0 formation. A coach who comes to this conclusion based on the information at hand must be at best completely niave or at worst tactically arrogant. Levein falls into the second tranche for me. Looking at our own strengths (not many granted) it is impossible to come to the conclusion that we are able to field enough defensively aware, intelligent players to fit the managers preferred formation. No Paul Lamberts in this squad. Instead, Levein decides to play this formation and fit square pegs into round holes. For example, show me a game where a debutant international striker is deployed as a wide midfielder? When did Stephen Naismith become capable of playing the role given to him? Bottom line is Levein chose a system of play that we are not capable of playing and ignored systems/formations that players work with week in week out. Indefensible! As for the shortbread and Irn Bru dig, lets just say that I am tired of Scottish national managers trawling the depths of English journeymen (some who are approached time after time and reject time after time) who are not capable of getting a game for their own nation. It is wrong on many levels but two in particular. Firstly, it devalues the honour (and it always should be!) of wearing a Scotland jersey as those selected have no affinity with the nation. It is not possible to turn on and off your national pride to suit the circumstances. Secondly it provides no incentive for young Scottish players in our game who watch continually as any Tom, Dick or Phil is selected ahead of them out of nowhere. Imagine the scenario where a Ross Tokley for example, playing at his peak, watched a journeyman pro with no connection with Scotland jump gthe queue for a full back place following two or three call offs? It is wrong. It woul be slightly more tolerable if they were any good but they're not! People who chose to live, make their home and contribute to the Scottish society are different. I will be delighted to see the young Somalian born kid at Celtic (good player!) finally play for his country, Scotland. He sounds Scottish, he lives in Scotland, he is Scottish. He may not eat shortbread of drink Irn Bru but there is absolutely no doubt that this is his nation. Not something Phil Bardsley can say is it.....,.

Your contrariness p1$$es me off. We were outplayed, outclassed and deservedly beaten by a bunch of Eskimos last night. We should surely be asking ourselves why countries like that have come on leaps and bounds over the past ten years, while we have gone steadily backwards. Outplayed ? Outclassed ? Deservedly beaten ? Did you watch the game ?

Many 4-goal thrashings of St Midden at their place. One time they got the panda to dance around in front of us while they played 'Combine Harvester'. At half time we were 3 up and we were chanting 'bring on the panda' :laugh: :laugh:

It's your default mode! And I meant it made me giggle in general, not just on this thread. No it's not

Whatta guy Daisy was. Kinlochbervie's finest. I remember him in the mid 90's at Telford Street ripping the absolute Michael out of the Brechin/Forfar/Albion Rovers full back.

why are you saying its all doom and gloom if anything its on the up, only 4 years ago the u19 team lost 1-0 to spain in the final of the u19 european cup and if you look at some of these u21 player like wilson macguire and bannan there is real talent there iceland had a 7 million pound player playing alan martins has always been dodgy from distance shots, just look at the howler vs azerbijan and it is usually his fault when we concede goals. watching the highlights on sky we actually were quite good pretty organised and flourishes of quality murphy hit the post early with someone elses shot getting cleared off the line if that went in it would have been different a few years these guys will be full time internationals none of them are world class at the moment and most wont become world class but with so many playing every week in the spl and the rest getting a few games in the premiership and training with so of the worlds best things are definatly on the up for scotland

It appears from this picture that the secret to the Spanish teams success is team spirit. They obviously get on very well together. I think Levein should be telling his team not to let the Spanish get to close to them.

Got to admire someone who openly admits to trying to sell a ticket they haven't been able to give away for free

We would not have won this game if we had eleven strikers the only option was to defend and it nearly worked. If he had played miller or a normal formation we would be looking at 4-1 or worse. Really impressed with the team keeping their formation like that oh and not one of those picked has complained about the tactics. Its gonna be a long time before hartley gets another game, I reckon. The same tactic will not work with spain as they are just too good therefore hopefully we will get a good showing then, but Levein has scotland playing as a team if he can get them all running in the other direction imagine what we could acheive. Oh and they should all be born on a croft, eat nothing but shortbread and drink Irn-bru.