Scotland play Slovenia on Sunday night in what has been dubbed a must win game. The current group position makes for very grim reading that I actually don’t think it matters either way.
While there may well be six games remaining failure to win on Sunday will result in Scotland being out of the World Cup in all sense and purposes. It might, and possibly should, result in the end of the Gordon Strachan era.
Like the previous Euro and World Cup Campaigns of recent times we have not been good enough. Selections, not just from Gordon Strachan, have been baffling at times and tactically we appear to be behind the curve more often than not.
The policy of picking players who do not either start for their clubs or even get a place on the bench has not been successful and has to be demoralising for the players, who may not be as good, but are playing week in and week out for their clubs, mostly in Scotland.
The league set up doesn’t work and the pandering to the top clubs has done nothing to enhance our game. Attendances remain low so an idea fans have been putting forward like increasing the size of the league and only playing each other twice a season in the league would allow younger players the chance to play and may even bring back some anticipation of only playing a team once at home in the league per season. Maybe you would be more likely to attend if you know you will only play Hibs etc once at home.
But the sad reality is I have no faith in the current Scotland team to qualify for any finals, or faith in Gordon Strachan or the SFA to bring about meaningful change. The Republic of Ireland, Wales and Northern Ireland do more with less but we appear to not be able to match that in any way so change is required at the top and the bottom to bring about any hope of positive change.
I will watch the Scotland game this weekend on the pay channels, another disgrace, STV shows England matches but not Scotland matches, says it all really. However, I don’t think we will win, a draw probably the best we will achieve, but in the event of defeat then Gordon Strachan has to go. The SFA, in that event happening, should resist rushing into another appointment and should not look to the past of Smith or McLeish, their days are past. Serious thought needs to go into the next appointment and it does need to be someone new. Either way though, this campaign like so many will fizzle out in not even glorious failure, just failure, so any chance to seriously re build has to be taken. I would say that needs to start with the SFA who have presided over the slow deterioration of football in Scotland and our failure to succeed in recent times.
Update
0-0 with 10 minutes to go. We have hit the bar and the post, had a lot of possession and done little with it. This result might keep Gordon Strachan in his job but this abject rubbish, I even dozed off at one point for 5 mins. Gordon Strachan needs to go and serious consideration into a root and branch change at the SFA.
Well we got a 1-0 win and well done Scotland. It doesn’t make the problems go away and with England next it only pauses the end but that’s Scotland for you.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
Sorry Bruce, I know I’m setting myself up for pelters here but I would rather we didn’t qualify because of the embarrassment getting stuffed in the early stages at the finals would bring. I just can’t summon the enthusiasm any more, I’ve lived in hope, my hopes have been dashed and I purposefully don’t follow the national team because I find it too painfull. I used to go to Scotland games all the time but that was back in the days when you stood up at hampden. None of this namby pamby sitting nonsense. We used to win back then.
I heard somewhere that it cost over 5 million quid for every Olympic gold. Maybe we need to get these money grabbing lottery c**ts to help Scottish football a bit more.
Anyway, brolly up, bring on the pelters.
Dave
I haven’t been to a match in a long time and have always been more a Dundee FC fan. The current Scotland team though are pretty dire when they come together and I really have never agreed with selecting players not playing for their clubs or players who no one has ever heard of who has a Scottish Granny getting a cap. I would much rather lose with a team of players who at least play for their clubs weeks in and week and who have Scottish Parents, the grandparent rule makes a mockery of international football.
But I also think the league set up doesn’t help, its boring and doesn’t make you want to get excited about Scottish Football. I don’t get to many DFC games and the sad reality is it doesn’t bother me all that much. I’ll watch it tonight on rip off tv and not expect anything by way of a result. If or when we lose I would like to see Strachan step down, give him thanks and move on. Hopefully some at the SFA also and have a rethink about our game.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce