Scotland Vs Belgium/albania

[EanieMeany]

I really wish we had went for Bielsa. Imagine him in a press conference.

[TRVMP]

Completely forgot the game was today, seems like a well-deserved win over poor opposition. Onwards and upwards.

[gmfc23]

Yeah just back from hampden albania had 2 good chances all night other than that a very good game against a poor side not much else to say tbh.

[BishopBrennan]

It wasn't the perfect performance, but a win and a clean sheet is a good night's work. I thought Scotland kept the ball well and carved out a decent number of chances against a stuffy Albania side. The shape hasn't been perfected yet, but you could see in the second half especially that the players were starting to get the hang of pressing the ball, especially in midfield. I thought McGinn and O'Donnell played well. Although Naismith got the two goals, I'd still rather we started with Griffiths next time. 

[TRVMP]

Hell of a result for the U21s over in Holland. The Dutch tabloids will be beside themselves, asking why they aren't bringing through great youth players like the Scots are? Time to ditch the old dinosaur Dutch way of doing things. They need full-sized pitches, putting the big tall guys at centre-back and up front, and hoofing it up and down in the driving rain. Also: mair computer games and fish suppers.

 

That said, we've not made it easy for ourselves and are still underdogs to even finish 2nd. We're away to Ukraine, who are ahead of us by three goals, before the home game with unbeaten England. Realistically we need to win in Ukraine in a month's time, then a draw with England would be enough, but both are tall orders. (Last results against them were a 2-0 home defeat to Ukraine and a 3-1 loss in Middlesbrough.)

[TRVMP]

Also lol @ this "clearance" from the goalkeeper:

 

https://twitter.com/ScotlandNT/status/1039575271228223493

[HamCam]

Hell of a result for the U21s over in Holland. The Dutch tabloids will be beside themselves, asking why they aren't bringing through great youth players like the Scots are? Time to ditch the old dinosaur Dutch way of doing things. They need full-sized pitches, putting the big tall guys at centre-back and up front, and hoofing it up and down in the driving rain. Also: mair computer games and fish suppers.

 

That said, we've not made it easy for ourselves and are still underdogs to even finish 2nd. We're away to Ukraine, who are ahead of us by three goals, before the home game with unbeaten England. Realistically we need to win in Ukraine in a month's time, then a draw with England would be enough, but both are tall orders. (Last results against them were a 2-0 home defeat to Ukraine and a 3-1 loss in Middlesbrough.)

Major ask for the U21's to get the required results against Ukraine and England but at least there is hope we have some youngsters coming through.

[BishopBrennan]

I see Griffiths has pulled out of the Scotland squad, citing his need to get manage his fitness. 

 

I reckon that he's been pressured by Celtic into dropping out given their underwhelming start to the campaign, but someone in one of my group chats was quite certain that this was Griffith spitting the dummy out after McLeish was paraphrased as stating that Naismith was his first choice striker. It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out. 

[HamCam]

At this stage in the season it is a disgrace that Griffiths does not look fit. Sad state of affairs, as Griffiths still appears to be the 'best' striker in the Scotland squad. 

[TONofmemories]

Good discussion on the snakes actions on last night's BBC sportsound podcast.

 

Griffiths like a tweet after the last day of games which basically stuck the boot right into McLeish. It remains liked.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/p06n9z08

[BishopBrennan]

Fucking hell, you'd think even Griffiths would have more sense than that. I was defending him yesterday but it does appear like he has just spat the dummy out. I'd love to have heard the conversations that went on behind closed doors inside Hampden yesterday. 

 

For all I'd prefer us to play Griffiths over Naismith, absolutely nobody in this current Scotland crop is undropable. If he thinks he is then he needs a quick reality check. If we're going to persist with one up front then Griffiths will need to deal with it. 

[TONofmemories]

****ing hell, you'd think even Griffiths would have more sense than that. I was defending him yesterday but it does appear like he has just spat the dummy out. I'd love to have heard the conversations that went on behind closed doors inside Hampden yesterday. 

 

For all I'd prefer us to play Griffiths over Naismith, absolutely nobody in this current Scotland crop is undropable. If he thinks he is then he needs a quick reality check. If we're going to persist with one up front then Griffiths will need to deal with it. 

 

Not sure how convincing Peter Grant was either in his press conference. 

 

Surely the only way for Griffiths to get fit is to play football and he can only do that by making himself available. How many folk are actually going to be left at Lennoxtown to make training worthwhile? Games are king at this point of the season; not doing sprints with a bunch of youth ringers. 

 

Dummy well and truly spat. 

[EanieMeany]

Should tell Griffiths to sling his hook. The two free-kicks against England were his only notable contributions over 19 caps, if he's going to spit the dummy  when yet another manager loses patience with him then fuck him. He's not even close to indisposable even without having a wealth of other options.

[Toby]

I'm at pains to attach too much blame to Griffiths in all of this- I don't think he's quite in the Scott Tiffoney bracket of being as thick as f*ck, but I'd mitigate his decisions in saying that his judgement isn't always the best.

 

That bellend of a manager he has at his club I'd suggest has a pretty influential role in this, given his previous in encouraging Scott Brown to chuck it before he came back with his tail between his legs.

 

Also, this has been going on as long as I can remember watching Scotland with strikers- Maurice Johnston, Duncan Ferguson, Kris Boyd, Steven Fletcher and now Leigh Griffiths. Obviously just about every one of them have been under different managers, but there's far too much of a pattern her to solely blame the players when this has been happening for a generation.

 

Griffiths isn't blameless at all, but there are far too many other factors at play here.

[TONofmemories]

I'm at pains to attach too much blame to Griffiths in all of this- I don't think he's quite in the Scott Tiffoney bracket of being as thick as f*ck, but I'd mitigate his decisions in saying that his judgement isn't always the best.

 

That bellend of a manager he has at his club I'd suggest has a pretty influential role in this, given his previous in encouraging Scott Brown to chuck it before he came back with his tail between his legs.

 

Also, this has been going on as long as I can remember watching Scotland with strikers- Maurice Johnston, Duncan Ferguson, Kris Boyd, Steven Fletcher and now Leigh Griffiths. Obviously just about every one of them have been under different managers, but there's far too much of a pattern her to solely blame the players when this has been happening for a generation.

 

Griffiths isn't blameless at all, but there are far too many other factors at play here.

I think he is thick as fuck, tbh. 

 

Liking a tweet sticking the boot into a new manager because he didn't play you (after an injury it must be said) smacks of being a tick cunt to me. 

 

Rodgers no doubt has an influence, but i definitely think that this is more a case of him taking the absolute huff. He's taken the huff with Rodgers himself before. 

[Toby]

I think he is thick as ****, tbh. 

 

Liking a tweet sticking the boot into a new manager because he didn't play you (after an injury it must be said) smacks of being a tick **** to me. 

 

Rodgers no doubt has an influence, but i definitely think that this is more a case of him taking the absolute huff. He's taken the huff with Rodgers himself before. 

 

I don't doubt that he's not the sharpest tool in the box- there's little doubt that's the case. My point is that he's not that stupid- Tiffoney's the benchmark for a knuckle scraping, thick, professional footballer. However, Griffiths I'd argue is very easily influenced by not only that chopper Rodgers, but also by the Celtic support, many of whom, let's be honest would be more than happy for their players not to be playing for Scotland if it was to benefit their club.

 

We're not disagreeing on a great deal, here.

[EanieMeany]

In fairness, Rodgers was fairly scathing about Griffiths following his wee tantrum after the Albania game, pretty much saying he could have no complaints about his managers not playing him if he's not going to do as he's told. I don't doubt that it suits Rodgers (who is undeniably a massive bawbag) for his players not to turn up for internationals, but nonetheless it was interesting to hear a manager speaking like that about his own player. 

[TONofmemories]

He's just a wee wank that has thus far got his own way. This excuse just isn't very well thought out and tbh i don't buy it. 

 

Surely an admittance that he's not being very professional if he's  that out of shape that he wants to stay at home and do some sort of fat burning sessions. 

[BishopBrennan]

In fairness, Rodgers was fairly scathing about Griffiths following his wee tantrum after the Albania game, pretty much saying he could have no complaints about his managers not playing him if he's not going to do as he's told. I don't doubt that it suits Rodgers (who is undeniably a massive bawbag) for his players not to turn up for internationals, but nonetheless it was interesting to hear a manager speaking like that about his own player. 

 

Aye, Rodgers was scathing of Griffiths in public, however I think it'll be a different case behind closed doors. It would not surprise me at all if Rodgers has been stirring the pot here in trying to exacerbate any ill-feeling between Griffiths and McLeish in the hope that Griffiths would say/do something he'd later come to regret. 

 

Call me cynical, but I think Rodgers has had a hand in this to some degree. 

[TONofmemories]

I don't doubt that he's not the sharpest tool in the box- there's little doubt that's the case. My point is that he's not that stupid- Tiffoney's the benchmark for a knuckle scraping, thick, professional footballer. However, Griffiths I'd argue is very easily influenced by not only that chopper Rodgers, but also by the Celtic support, many of whom, let's be honest would be more than happy for their players not to be playing for Scotland if it was to benefit their club.

 

We're not disagreeing on a great deal, here.

 

Uploader doesn't seem to want to work but im sure this link will. 

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=griffiths+ireland+flag&rlz=1C1NHXL_enGB746GB746&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=QbZ_R1_8GPV4-M%253A%252CWZmD3fQ57MHDvM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kTj04mTETgOxEhkHB9W1J2AdIrDEQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjc_MyCkvndAhXDy6QKHZ0wCcwQ9QEwAXoECAYQBg#imgrc=QbZ_R1_8GPV4-M:

 

Whether he's the sharpest or not (he's a thick cunt) he should be hounded out of the national team in any case.