Scottish Fitba 2017-18: Hair of the Dog

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Meanwhile, the men's National Team is still alive in World Cup qualifying, 1 point out of the runner-up spot in Group F, with two teams ahead of them on the schedule in early October (Slovakia at Hampden, Slovenia on the road).
It was the first time I ever rooted for England to beat a team. It felt.....very strange. Words can't even describe the feeling.
 

mic99

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6 AM in Texas

Huns are a mess so it should be comfortable but you never know.
 

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I just set my alarm .... 4 am for me. I'll go 3:0 for tic. I' m sure there are some boozers open in Boston to watch the game via Celtic TV . I miss living in Boston. If truth be told I'm more excited by the Anderlecht game. If I did spell that wrong.., I apologize... I've had a few beers . Uhhh few doesn't do the total justice.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Rogic pots one early in the second half, 1-0

Great ball from Roberts, and the finish you'd expect from Griffiths. 2-0
 
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PedroSpecialK

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Morelos launches himself into Craig Gordon on a cross that Gordon had retrieved, doesn't look like any card issued
 

mic99

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At one time there were three supporter clubs in Boston....now would head to the Banshee if in Boston

Never got out of first gear but the Huns are garbage

Great finish from Rogic
 

mic99

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Massive result
0 3 HOOPS

PSG put their result in Paradise in some context tonight.
 

fletcherpost

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Great result. The second half seemed to go on forever. Celtic really pulled it out the bag after a shaky first half hour. The goal really lifted the team and they grew in confidence and for decent spells in the match they looked a good side front to back.

In his post match interview Brendan Rodgers said they can play better, and that at times they can be a bit afraid of the ball. Good to see him looking for improvements after such a big result.
 

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It sure was, I had to miss the first half . They really missed the backbone of Brown and Armstrong. I thought it wasn't going to be their night in typical Scottish fashion, crossbar twice and a wonder save by the Slovak keeper. Maybe the heartbreak comes on Sunday...us Scots fans are damaged goods. I just can't get my hopes up...19 years has done that.
 

Dummy Hoy

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I think with their GD they would still be at risk of being the last team out.

Which would feel rather Scottish of them.
 

InstaFace

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Harry Kane's injury time goal in June keeps Scotland from finishing 2nd in the group.
You could say this about nearly every game that Scotland failed to come away with 3 points. They tied Lithuania at home, and needed an 89th minute goal from McArthur just to salvage that draw. They were going to lose to England until the 87th minute; that they led for 2 minutes among the few that came after that kinda misses the rest of the game, and the fact that a draw wasn't a bad result.

The thing to regret about today are those missed late opportunities. The rest of the qualification process I think fairly reflected where Scotland ranks among Europe's teams; Elo has Slovakia #31, Scotland #36, Slovenia #55.

And unless Wales draws with Ireland or Croatia fails to beat Ukraine, Slovakia may well go home anyway without even a playoff as the 9th-ranked runner up.
 

fletcherpost

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ugh

Strachan needs to go
He's gone and thank fuckin God. I was watching the last couple of Scotland games and in parts they play decent stuff. But they are not an inherently confident side. Football's tough when you're not confident. Strachan often talked down the squad and players he had at his disposal. And then the stuff about height. Shut the fuck up son.
 

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Celtic playing Bayern M today. It's on ESPN 3. I've been a bit disappointed by Fox's coverage of the CL , not many games covered.

I'm not expecting much, avoiding an arse spanking would be nice, I'd be ecstatic if they stole a draw. Keeping possession is key, Celtic can barely string 4-5 passes together when playing top sides in Europe. It should not be that high an expectation, they seem to wet the bed. Simunovic is out...hence my doom and gloom. So...I'm expecting Gamboa , Lustig, Boyata, Tierney, Ntcham, Brown, Armstrong, Roberts, Sinclair , Griffiths. Gordon in goal obviously.

On the plus side, BM have not been firing on all cylinders and have some injuries. They have looked a bit shaky at the back. I'll say 4:1. just don't lose an early goal.
 

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Ref is man of the match so far for Celtic. Ignores an obvious shirt pull that could have been a penalty, chalks a goal off for Bayern, blows for HT as Bayern have a corner.

Gamboa is not a defensive right back and looks lost. Lustig is not and never will be a center half. Not having a decent back up central defender really hurts Celtic at this level. Hopefully they don't completely fall apart in second half.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

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The SFA is considering leaving Hampden for home NT matches.

The governing body is in discussions with Rangers, Celtic and Scottish Rugby about switching internationals and cup finals, and the SFA board will discuss the matter next month.

The SFA's 20-year lease expires in 2020, but there is a renewal option.

"We're exploring the plusses and minuses of going," Regan said.

The SFA chief executive says it would cost "many, many millions of pounds" to stay at Hampden, requiring external funding from public and private bodies.

In addition to exploring the financial pros and cons of staying at Hampden or leaving, the SFA is also canvassing opinion from clubs, managers, the players' union and supporters groups.
"The go option will involve exploring Celtic Park and Ibrox, both fantastic stadia where we've played matches in recent times against the Republic or Ireland and Georgia, and of course Murrayfield, where we've seen Hearts hosting their home matches in recent times," Regan said.
Scotland international football matches have been played at Hampden since 1906, and it has officially been the national stadium since 1925.
 

fletcherpost

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Hampden is a fuckin dump, shite for football. Not so bad for concerts, but for football it's pish. Typical Scotland. I was doing some diggin yesterday and will continue to do so, but Scottish Football needs gutted. People getting paid good money for fuckin shit up. If i ever bump into any of these cunts i'll fuckin gie them an ear bashing. Fuckin sick ay it.

It's like Scotland is a great place to be useless and get paid as long as you know some cunts.
 

Dummy Hoy

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Hampden is a fuckin dump, shite for football. Not so bad for concerts, but for football it's pish. Typical Scotland. I was doing some diggin yesterday and will continue to do so, but Scottish Football needs gutted. People getting paid good money for fuckin shit up. If i ever bump into any of these cunts i'll fuckin gie them an ear bashing. Fuckin sick ay it.

It's like Scotland is a great place to be useless and get paid as long as you know some cunts.
Why is it bad for fitba?
 

fletcherpost

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Why is it bad for fitba?
The steepness of the rake is from back in the day when 100l plus would go to Hampden. Plus the goals are too far from the crowd at the back. the atmosphere is shite. Look at most soccer modern stadia the crowd is right on top of the pitch as it should be. Why are West Ham fans unhappy? Cos they have an athletics stadium for a football ground. And the team is shite but i'm just talking about the ground.
 

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When I was a kid I was taken to Hampden for the first time in 1978. I'd never been to a night game and I had been on holiday in Glasgow. My uncle waved some tickets in my face and told me we were going to see Scotland playing Norway that night. It was a Euro qualifier. I remember climbing up the steps and finally seeing the pitch, it was the greenest pitch I had ever seen especially under the flood lights. My eyes popped out of my head, there was a pipe band playing on it at that very moment. . Scotland won 3:2 coming from behind twice, equalized late then got a very late penalty. I think Dalglish scored twice. Anyway, it's one of my fondest memories seeing Scotland play for the first time. The place was buzzing.

There are several problems with Hampden these days. As Fletch said, the stands behind the goals goals are too far back. In fact, all but one of the stands are too far back and they have a running track in front of the south stand. Hampden kind of reminds me of old Stamford Bridge back in the day or even Parkhead.

1) Do you rebuild Hampden and who pays for it?

2) Do you just rotate fixtures around Scotland and the larger fixtures you keep at club grounds in Glasgow? Honestly, for me, Scotland should have it's own ground. Fair enough if you want to play friendlies at the smaller grounds to give other regions a chance to watch the national team.

3) Much of the debate surrounds the atmosphere at Hampden, I don't think you can just blame the structure. Scottish football has been shite for 20 years. Europe has become more fragmented with teams like Latvia, Moldova, Belarus even Gibraltar playing internationally. No disrespect to them but they don't exactly get the pulses racing when Scotland play them. Prices have gone up attendances have declined ...hard to get a good atmosphere taking all that into account.

4) The political and domestic football divide. International football has not been immune to the powder keg of recent developments in politics and the demise of Rangers. One half of Glasgow believes the SFA were responsible for their team going under and being demoted ( The SFA had nothing to do with it) However, in their eyes the SFA were complicit in kicking them when they were down. The Scottish team represents a "bunch of skirt wearing trannies" who they will never go to see playing again. On politics, the Scottish team represents independence, a lot of loyalists just won't go to see Scotland play. Although I'm sure there is a huge overlap in both these cases.

5) The SFA and SPL are incompetent.

I'd like Hampden to remain the spiritual home of Scottish football. But that's the heart talking, I'm just not sure it's economically viable. In the perfect world, they could construct a purpose built stadium, stands much closer to the pitch, steeper, having two tiers- and having a large enough capacity that it could mean reducing prices. You could also close the upper tiers during less glamorous games if need be. Having a retractable roof would be be a plus but incredibly expensive. I just can't see it. I think the national team will land up being nomads moving from stadium to stadium.
 

Dummy Hoy

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This is one of my favorite goals ever:


And it did always bother me that there weren't fans right behind the goal.
 

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This is one of my favorite goals ever:


And it did always bother me that there weren't fans right behind the goal.
The Radio Clyde commentary of that goal still makes me laugh to this day. Of course, the keeper should have at least managed to push the ball over the bar but it's still a classic goal. It's a pity it wasn't scored at Hampden, it would have been a sell out. Of course who knows how many people would claim to have been there the night McFadden scored when they weren't. A bit like how many people claim to have seen Clemens strike out 20 at Tiger stadium.

 

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That's right. Fuck...I forgot that was in France. Paris, no? I was remembering it in Scotland.
Yep it was Paris. I wasn't sure if you were saying it was at Hampden or just pointing out one of the few highlights of the Scottish national team over the past 20 years. There have not been many, that's for sure. I think it was the first time France had been beaten on home soil for 13 years or so...a totally unexpected result. Interestingly, the crowd is quite far back behind the goal but it doesn't look like it's due to an athletic track. I can't make it out. Anyway, I hate football stadiums with tracks around them, but of course they serve a dual purpose. Not as bad as baseball teams sharing A.Football stadiums which is the pits.

One of the best goals I seem to remember being scored at Hampden was against Spain, Dalglish I believe. Throw in at right corner flag, Dalglish gets the ball just inside the box , fades inside drags defenders with him , pegs his shot top left corner. I'm not sure but I think it was a WC qualifier. These were the days Scotland at Hampden was a fixture opponents would actually fear. Changed days....
 

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McLeish probably will not pick him, but that's another story.
I've thought about this, and i wonder, can we get Tierney and Robertson in the same side? I prefer Robertson, but i really like Tierney and I'd think if there's a way to get them both playing - on the same side of the field - i would like McLeish to try it out. Could Robertson play left-mid?

#40 fletcherpost, 50 minutes ago

Thought is best to discuss in this thread. It's kind of ironic that the best two promising Scottish footballers play the same position, in a team bereft of talent it could only happen to us. McLeish is on record as saying he doesn't want Tierney playing at right back unless it was an emergency. He's not against using him as a center half. I've actually thought about him playing left midfield before, he sort of plays that position when Celtic play 3 at the back. I'll be honest, I've not watched much EPL this season for one reason or another so I can't really comment on Robertson's flexibility. But for once...at least for the national team, they have a talent dilemma.

Getting back to the SPL, I am so impressed what Clark has done at Kilmarnock. If BR was to say, "this is my last season" ( not very likely) , I'd be on the Clark bandwagon as a replacement. I was also pretty excited about Coyle taking over Ross County, I thought he would have been good for the game up here. I guess Inverness was not to his liking and packed his bags after just a few months.
 

fletcherpost

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McLeish probably will not pick him, but that's another story.
I've thought about this, and i wonder, can we get Tierney and Robertson in the same side? I prefer Robertson, but i really like Tierney and I'd think if there's a way to get them both playing - on the same side of the field - i would like McLeish to try it out. Could Robertson play left-mid?

#40 fletcherpost, 50 minutes ago

Thought is best to discuss in this thread. It's kind of ironic that the best two promising Scottish footballers play the same position, in a team bereft of talent it could only happen to us. McLeish is on record as saying he doesn't want Tierney playing at right back unless it was an emergency. He's not against using him as a center half. I've actually thought about him playing left midfield before, he sort of plays that position when Celtic play 3 at the back. I'll be honest, I've not watched much EPL this season for one reason or another so I can't really comment on Robertson's flexibility. But for once...at least for the national team, they have a talent dilemma.

Getting back to the SPL, I am so impressed what Clark has done at Kilmarnock. If BR was to say, "this is my last season" ( not very likely) , I'd be on the Clark bandwagon as a replacement. I was also pretty excited about Coyle taking over Ross County, I thought he would have been good for the game up here. I guess Inverness was not to his liking and packed his bags after just a few months.
Robertson has made the Left Back position his own after getting the nod when Moreno got injured. Robertson is the real deal. Great engine, he can cross the ball, great going forward and although he still has room for improvement regarding his defensive duties, he's much better than Moreno in that regard. He can pass it forwards when the move dictates, but he's no mug, and he can play a possession game, which as you know, has never been Scotland's strong suit.

So...I dunno what he'd be like playing left mid, but i do think he's the better left back. Celtic get away with a lot being by far the best team in Scotland, and i think Tierney suffers from not having to be so possession focused. But, that said i think we need both in the starting 11 for Scotland.

Scott McTominay has decided he wants to play for Scotland. This is great news. He's holding down a place at Man U as a defensive midfielder in the centre of the park. I have watched Utd's last few games and he's been playing well. I haven't watched him closely enough to see what his game is like in terms of box to box, it's not his remit at Man U, they have more forward thinking players. Be nice if he had some of the Ince/Keane box to box attributes. But, Scott Brown hangs up his international boots and another Scott decided he wants to suffer in the blue.

Not been watching Kilie but I do like Clark. I think he's more of a modern manager than Big Eck.
 

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Rangers supporters need not click... this was a great use of 9 minutes


Good lord, that's pure comedy. I thought Celtic TV was biased, but that's ridiculous. There's a few classics there. I especially liked when they lost two goals to these heavyweights Progres from Luxembourg. "We're in Tam!" Naw....

Speaking of "Rangers" , there was a rumour doing the rounds amongst ther fans that Roberto Martinez was lined up to manage them. No giggling at the back...I'm sure Roberto can't wait to work with the likes of Candeias, Cummins, Windass, Morelos instead of scrubs like Hazard, De Bruyne, Benteke Lukaku etc. "Give me a real squad to work with!!! you can hear him cry.
 

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So, Rangers v Celtic this Sunday in the Scottish Cup semi. I don't think it's on TV over here but if it is, give me a shout ( there will be some YouTube HD stream available, I'm sure) . Apparently, when the draw was made Ranger's players cheered....let's see how that pans out. In the other semi...Motherwell play Aberdeen tomorrow.
 

fletcherpost

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So, Rangers v Celtic this Sunday in the Scottish Cup semi. I don't think it's on TV over here but if it is, give me a shout ( there will be some YouTube HD stream available, I'm sure) . Apparently, when the draw was made Ranger's players cheered....let's see how that pans out. In the other semi...Motherwell play Aberdeen tomorrow.
First Row Sports usually has a stream. There are various versions of First Row, (what I mean is the.tv or .eu) cos some computers block it cos of the pop ups.

I think (I heard) there's talk of moving the Old Firm league match to another (later) date cos it might be Celtic's SPL clinching match and that would mibbe spark chaos here in Glasgow. (I live in Govan.)

A part of me thinks we need to get this shite out in the open. And really address it. We don't. We let Scotand be Ulsterised. And i keep saying to cunts (guid, bad, every) over here - what if the anthropomorphic God doesn't exist...and it's all for nothing? Never mind you sing a song about saving a woman who clearly needs no saving and if asked what she thought of Rangers fans would probably give a disparaging answer brimming with royal contempt.
 

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First Row Sports usually has a stream. There are various versions of First Row, (what I mean is the.tv or .eu) cos some computers block it cos of the pop ups.

I think (I heard) there's talk of moving the Old Firm league match to another (later) date cos it might be Celtic's SPL clinching match and that would mibbe spark chaos here in Glasgow. (I live in Govan.)

A part of me thinks we need to get this shite out in the open. And really address it. We don't. We let Scotand be Ulsterised. And i keep saying to cunts (guid, bad, every) over here - what if the anthropomorphic God doesn't exist...and it's all for nothing? Never mind you sing a song about saving a woman who clearly needs no saving and if asked what she thought of Rangers fans would probably give a disparaging answer brimming with royal contempt.
The press don't like talking about it. They are warned to keep well away, you don't hear anyone on Radio Clyde or Sportsound bringing up sectarianism. It only sheds bad light on one team and we all know what team that is. When I was growing up on Lewis, it was hard supporting Celtic, the only thing that could have been worse was if I had been a Catholic. But, having said that, at least that would have been understandable...but why would a Protestant support Celtic? You would not believe how many times I was asked why I was a Celtic supporter given my Protestant upbringing. I see that they are planning on building a mosque on Lewis...that's going over well. They are not too happy.

As far as good links, I google "reddit and soccer streams". There are plenty of streams but what I like about it is that if Celtic are playing away there is always a Youtube stream of the game which is usually HD and very stable. That was one reason I didn't bother paying for Fox Soccer Plus this season.

Motherwell hammered Aberdeen today...so they are in the final. Theye are a very physical side and are pretty tough to beat. Hibs have been having record crowds and overall football in Scotand seems to be bouncing back to some degree. I just wish there was more of a challenge to Celtic...

I stumbled upon this recently....pretty funny:Good old Rikki Fulton

'
 

fletcherpost

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Celtic are 2-0 up against Rangers in the Semi Finals of the Scottish Cup. Winner gets to play Motherwell. It's a training session for Celtic to be honest. Not great, but more than good enough. I expect Rangers to get more into the match for a wee spell at some point, cos they have to go for it. But at the moment half-time, Celtic haven't broke sweat. Govan is quiet.