wynthank15

Clarke seems to think that performance marks the bottom, I'm not so sure, some of the players don't want to be there and some are just not good enough or don't have sufficient self confidence or confidence in their team mates. We played a rigid 5 across the middle who got so deep they were almost on top of the back 4 and we still conceded 4 goals. Midfield is allegedly our strongest area of the pitch but we don't show it, we are so deep we can't get out and on the rare occasion a clearing punt finds the lone striker he can't hold it up and wait for the midfield to get up in support. Charlie Mulgrew Supposedly our most experienced defender got too tight to their big centre which puts him at a disadvantage right off the bat, the big man can rag doll him if he's touch tight plus has the advantage in the jump. I don't see any easy fix, if we're going to play with 10 men behind the ball I don't see us beating too many teams As I said above, any manager needs three weeks with the players to work on a system that suits their level, frankly, there are some modest club sides that could have put up a better showing last night.

Wafer thin margins, sorry.

Nope, it's called shrinkflation, you pay more for it and you get less of it, a bit like your cereal packet.

If I were Clarke I would announce now that if we fail to make the Euros the players will be expected to make themselves available to attend a summer camp during the finals. Anyone refusing to attend automatically rules themselves out of the squad for the future (print their names in the paper), they would be away from home for three weeks anyway if they qualified for the euros. He needs time with them to work on formations and a style of play that suits their ability, you can't do that in a couple of days before a match. I would also arrange three closed door matches against teams from outside Europe to put these ideas into practice, if we go into a world cup qualification group without this kind of preparation it will be more of the same.

Just to set you straight Alan and I speak as an ICT supporting ex pat govan weegie, the natives of Greenock and Port Glasgow are not considered weegies they are a separate tribe entirely.

Even by recent standards tonight's match against Russia takes some beating, could have been four or five, our defence and midfield were at sixes and sevens couldn't keep the ball and just what is the point of Charlie passback Mulgrew? can't pass the ball ten yards forward on the ground when a man is open and is out jumped by the opposition centre. Even Andy Robertson looked like a first division player tonight. Felt sorry for McBurnie up top as he had zero service, Christie showed some nice touches when he came on. The commentators of course described Russia as world class which they are not though we probably made them look better than they actually are. We haven't quite hit rock bottom yet but I feel sure that will come with time at which point the bankrupt SFA might finally decide we need an overhaul of how we play the game at all levels in this footballing back water. The winners tonight were the 20+ thousand who sensibly decided not to shell out for a ticket to watch that dross. I was at our last appearance in the WC finals in France and we thought the team was murder then as did the fans of the teams we played, the current squad have achieved a new level of hopeless. Maybe "project brave" will save our "national game"

Really!! just shows what a forgettable competition it is. Seems I set off some righteous indignation.

Couldn't agree more. it's almost as if anyone who can run for 90mins is athletic and can kick a ball (not very well) is considered a footballer. In the 1970's there were probably 10,000 people playing just in the west of Scotland amateur leagues, (not including the juvenile leagues) these included the Schoolboy signings at the professional clubs, the promising pre reserve professional players were farmed out to the junior leagues such as Dalgleish to Cumbernauld, these leagues are a pale shadow of what they once were and as a result the number of "footballers" is miniscule. One only has to compare the Caley side under Paterson to the team today to realise the drastic drop in ability and yet people are being asked to pay top dollar for a vastly inferior product. The market will eventually rectify that discrepancy which will mean many more part time clubs.

Why? I couldn't tell you who won the thing in the last three years. As BDU says make it regional group games and play the youngsters in it give them experience against 1st team players from league 1 and 2. All the pros in the last two generations have said what brought their game on the most was playing with and against men in the reserve league something the youngsters of today are not exposed to. If you can't play them in this make weight competition when are you going to play them. Seriously, who will remember who won this joke competition in 3 years time and more to the point who cares?.

It wasn't just up front they were terrible on numerous occasions the left CB had his hand in the air for offside whilst the right CB and/or right back was playing the man on, this happened regularly in the second half. The easiest way to defend long balls is to step up but they seemed to be at sixes and sevens.

It's a nonsense cup I will say it before we crash out and I'm far from a happy clapper.

I think I said in my previous post picking whom you consider to be the best player in each position doesn't necessarily produce the best team so can't disagree with your picks from a team perspective Mantis, I actually mentioned Warren in a sitting role in front of the back four but that's what makes it interesting (and difficult) everyone has a different view coming from a different angle.

Yes I heard that Mantis I think he might have been referring to his engine and battling qualities certainly wasn't based on his passing ability or vision, he had a foot like a threepny bit but then Black was no great passer either, no argument about Barry who I named as sub behind Watkins for that position even if it is verboten. Can't see Russeldinho being ahead of Christie Snr or Sheerin in terms of creativity or goalscoring but then everyone from fans to Managers have differing opinions.

Think I suggested that on another thread, play the youngsters in all ties we might just find another player but hey ho they're going to play for the worst team in the HL that should motivate them.

Brill Tokely... Dodds...Meekings...Shinnie Watkins...Christie...Sheerin...Robson Wyness...Stewart Subs: Calder, Mann, Ryan Christie (if I wasn't playing two wide and two up front and two overlapping full backs he would be in) Wilson, Dargo. Picking the best players in their positions doesn't necessarily produce the best unit. With so many attacking players could possibly do with someone sitting in front of the back four like Warren. PS Don't understand Duncan as meriting a place, great servant and hard worker like Black but couldn't pass accurately beyond his shadow saw too many counter attacks break down with his inability to make a simple pass.