starchief

I tried to come up with a team. It's pretty similar to Levein's though. No glaring absences (except those little traitors in McGeady and McCarthy). So, our players are sub-standard. To cope with this, we need someone inspiring. I think Levein is a decent manager from his work at Hearts and Dundee Utd. But he's not inspiring. I think this should be Dalglish's time. One last throw.

You class every Englishman as Scottish? You do realise this is the Scotland national team, not the British one? I don't understand that logic at all. I get that some people don't think the nationality of the manager is important but I don't understand how Sam Allardyce is ok as he's somehow Scottish because he's English?!?!? If it doesn't matter where someone's born (although I disagree with that whole premise) then go for a top manager regardless of nationality. Oh, and to add, I get that some people can be born in another country but be of dual nationality. I'm not aware of Big Sam having any connection to Scotland, therefore, if that's true, to me (and to him, I'm sure), he's not Scottish.

Burley and Vogts already tried that style. Ummmmm, not so successful. The trouble with attacking is we have a back four of: Hutton: can't get a game for relegation strugglers Caldwell: relegation struggle Berra: not top division player Bardsley: ill and injured or Fox: relegation struggle I know the Pele comment is a bit tongue in cheek but if it's attack and score more, then how? A punt up to Fletcher to knock it down to the has-been Miller? The can't-get-a-Premiership-club Rhodes? The slipping-down-the-divisions Goodwillie? For Levein, it was the right idea, badly executed. A cautious approach a la Smith/McLeish but you have to pick your moments. The two home games should have had an added impetus in attack at half-time. The 4-6-0 isn't necessarily a bad system if you're players are capable of passing and moving forward (Spain or Manchester United could - and have - done this) but playing that defensively against a fairly standard team that had just lost to Lithuania was too much. Strachan did well at Celtic, even at European level. I also liked what he did at Southampton and, though he eventually got relegated, he did well for most of his time at Coventry. I can see him play as Celtic did in Europe - fairly cautious but with an eye for sneaking the odd goal against better sides. Levein wasn't too bothered about sneaking that goal - a 0-0 did him.

I don't see Billy Stark has done much for the Under-21s. Maybe a few players been brought on but not successful as far as qualifying goes. For me, that's got to be the benchmark for the national team. I completely disagree with the idea of foreign managers for national teams. If the nationality doesn't matter for the most important guy, why should it matter for the players? It's either a Scottish team or it's not.

Doran booked for getting knocked over but not claiming and getting straight back up. How dare he!

Don't get me wrong, I thought losing Munro would come back to haunt us but he looks like an SFL1 player tonight. Aside from the goals, top tackle midway through by G.Shinnie that amazingly got a free-kick against him and terrific defence splitting cross-ball by Roberts, worthy of Beckham and no mistake. Shame Doran couldn't quite put it away.

Isn't Cooper injured?

If your view is: The Rangers/Sevco/Newco are nothing to do with Rangers and have no rights to their history and are only in the SFL3, not because of punishment, but because they are a new club. then The Rangers/Sevco/Newco shouldn't be punished for a completely different club and cannot be stripped of titles. My view? If a team of Rangers players, led by a Rangers manager play in Rangers strip at Ibrox, then they are the same club. Just the company has changed. Demotion to SFL3 was punishment. Stripping of titles? Couldn't care less. One for the Celtic supporters (and probably Hibs and Aberdeen) but it does seem pointless. SFL3 was the punishment.

Quite right too. Innocent until....

I'm going for ictchris's first post. Pepper and Oswell to make an impact from the bench.

Seems to me like the question is flawed. Fletcher has made the first move. He's publicly declared himself available via Twitter. He doesn't need to be humiliated. Levein should just name him in the squad. Fletch made the first move. Craig to be magnanimous and accept it. Everyone's happy. No chance of that of course.

You sure? Given the results, 3rd Division seems way above his level. Wonder if an experienced Blue-Nose like Bobby Williamson might get a call soon?

I don't see how this squad is better than the 1998 World Cup squad: 1 GK Jim Leighton 24 Jul 1958 Aberdeen 2 MD Jackie McNamara 24 Oct 1973 Glasgow Celtic 3 DF Tom Boyd 24 Nov 1965 Glasgow Celtic 4 DF Colin Calderwood 20 Jan 1965 Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) 5 DF Colin Hendry 07 Dec 1965 Blackburn Rovers (ENG) 6 DF Tosh McKinlay 03 Dec 1964 Glasgow Celtic 7 FW Kevin Gallacher 23 Nov 1966 Blackburn Rovers (ENG) 8 MD Craig Burley 24 Sep 1971 Glasgow Celtic 9 FW Gordon Durie 06 Dec 1965 Glasgow Rangers 1990 10 FW Darren Jackson 25 Jul 1966 Glasgow Celtic 11 MD John Collins 31 Jan 1968 AS Monaco (FRA) 1990 12 GK Neil Sullivan 24 Feb 1970 Wimbledon (ENG) 13 FW Simon Donnelly 01 Dec 1974 Glasgow Celtic 14 MD Paul Lambert 07 Aug 1969 Glasgow Celtic 15 MD Scott Gemmill 02 Jan 1971 Nottingham Forest (ENG) 16 DF David Weir 10 May 1970 Hearts of Midlothian 17 MD Billy McKinlay 22 Apr 1969 Blackburn Rovers (ENG) 18 DF Matthew Elliott 01 Nov 1968 Leicester City (ENG) 19 DF Derek Whyte 31 Aug 1968 Aberdeen 20 FW Scott Booth 16 Dec 1971 FC Utrecht (NED) 21 GK Jonathan Gould 18 Jul 1968 Glasgow Celtic 22 DF Christian Dailly 23 Oct 1973 Derby County (ENG) Is Berra, Webster and Caldwell better than Boyd, Calderwood, Weir and Hendry? Our strikers are between the aging Miller, the Championship reserve Goodwillie and the never-played-in-the-top-division Rhodes. Give me the top level performers of Durie, Gallacher and Jackson any day. Lambert, Collins and Burley would all be first choices in our current line-up. It goes back to the SPL. When the likes of Celtic and formerly Rangers were bidding millions and paying their players tens of thousands a week, whilst Aberdeen and Dundee United were losing the likes of McGuire and Allen to reserve squads and lower status teams as they could barely keep a squad together, it means any youngster with a hint of promise will go to a team that doesn't care about developing 'one of their own'. I'd like Strachan myself but don't see any prospect of him, or even Sir Alex, getting us to the World Cup on a very mediocre squad.

Not sure what the personnel mean as regards line-up. Surprised Snodgrass has been dropped, would have thought Adam needed a game to get fit, so again a surprise. Naismith's probably our best attacker too. No Rhodes of course. Think it might be an ICT 4-2-3-1. McGregor Hutton - Berra - Webster - Dixon Caldwell - Morrisson Maloney - Forrest - Mackie Miller I'd have taken two out of three of that attacking midfield but just think we lack a bit of passing ability.

Aberdeen will more play to the wings if they can therefore: Esson Meekings - Warren - King - G.Shinnie Draper - Jones - A.Shinnie - Doran Foran - Sutherland Draper to take care of Hayes, switching with Doran if need be (probably will). Probably a bit of long ball but not aimlessley as we have a target man in Sutherland, Foran not too bad there but mainly for knock-downs and A.Shinnie following close behind. It's a good old-fashioned line-up.

I went to bed when Murray was certain to lose the 4th set. There's no way back when he looked so tired. I take it nothing special happened and yet another glorious failure?

I think Levein is absolutely right to play it tight the majority of the time. "Forrest, Morrison, Maloney, even Hutton" are all not playing for the Man Utds, Chelski's etc for a reason (maybe we could forgive Forrest). Having an attacking team with sub-standard players spells doom. That's what Burley and Vogts tried - disaster! McLeish and Smith played defensive and but for a bit of luck.... But he is too stubborn. Sometimes you have to throw off the shackles. A 0-0 at home doesn't bode well. At least a last 20 mins with some in-form attackers has to to be tried. In fact, having Miller run them ragged for an hour, then getting on a genuine goalscorer may be the ideal scenario. We need to take that risk at home with time left. If not then, when? In Serbia??? (oh, by the way bdu, I think that's probably what you mean, so I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you)

There's probably a good few ex-Rangers fans that didn't support the line. Although you could say the same thing about Aberdeen or Hibs, the Rangers of the North, plus the Highland League team and the Scottish League team scenario probably makes for a larger amount of former Rangers supporters for ICT than perhaps any other club.

Which team selection, which tactics would see Scotland through? I just don't see any. S.Fletcher would have been a start but he decided not to play, so I couldn't count him. Berra and Webster would never get in the top half of the Premiership. Hutton can't get a game for Villa or Spurs before them. Goodwillie and Rhodes are playing in the Championship for a reason - well, Goodwillie, not even that. Both Burley and Vogts tried the attacking approach. It worked as well as Motherwell did in Europe. We're best when we're boring unfortunately. Trouble is, that's still not very good. I can't see another manager doing any better.

What mess? A very low wage bill, plus finishing above Dunfermline and Hibs, nowhere near relegation. If we finish above a bigger spending team like Hibs this year, then job done. If the bigger spenders like St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Hibs can play excrutianitingly (spelling!) dull football, what makes ICT exempt? No? Then what do you want? Who says a job for life? If we're marooned by Xmas, get shot of him. But we're not. And we weren't last year either. Or the year before. It's not happy clapping but simple realism. Shouting for Terry to go, year-upon-year, no matter what - that's close-minded. Nothing changes their beliefs.

Absolutely fine. It's my opinion too. It's calling for his head after a single defeat in the SPL to the current and future champions that's the problem. If he doesn't perform, then it will perhaps be time for a change. Perhaps not, depending. Despite attempts to make a number of people 'happy clappers' - it's not. Butcher has been reasonably successful so far I'd say. If that stops, then is the time to ask the question. Motherwell was a poor scoreline. Celtic? Well, you just have to know that sometimes your team will get thrashed. And I include Aberdeen, Dundee United and Hearts - they often lose heavily to the OF too. Judging Terry on a reasonable set of results against our main rivals is neither happy clapping or being a neggy. It's realism. And it's how Butcher would like to be judged too. It's still too early to judge if we'll have a successful season or not. So, yeah, let's see.

Brew left us as soon as he could. Was well on the way to getting Dundee United relegated. Failed there. Came back here when he wasn't wanted. Was pretty certain to get us relegated too. Butcher was the choice of CTO. Some might blame him for getting us relegated. I thought he gave us hope. Brought us up at the first opportunity. Has been nowhere near relegation since we came back up. Just started a new season with only one defeat and that's to the champions of last year and almost certainly this. The criticism is just way over the top this early in the season. But then, it's not about this season is it? It's about wanting someone to fail, so they can say "I'm right at last! We should never have hired him, no matter how well we've done these past few seasons!" It's just simply tedious. Shout for his head if he fails but one defeat to Celtic???? It's ridiculous.

Too long not playing. Tough for any player but especially a goalie.

I agree. While I have stated points above relating to Butcher, most of them could be classed as above him. I think we should be thinking about the club as a whole and its future. I agree too. And I don't mean the Board. They have a tough job. It's the whole Scottish system. The finances are too diluted at the bottom and too concentrated at the top. Rangers shouldn't be the reason for reorganisation but it seems to have shifted to be the reason for not reorganising now. That's a step too far. As old Edwyn once sang, we need to rip it up and start again. But this is probably off-topic (but on conversation).