These pages have seen Gordon Strachan written off many times since those four days in August 2005 when Celtic conceded nine goals to Artmedia and Motherwell. Last night, as Scotland manager, he got the breaks. First, at the most ridiculous dive for a penalty ever perpetrated by a player on a yellow card (and I have seen Steven Naismith), then, when tired defensive limbs contrived to concede a late winner for Scotland.
If he gets a result away to Slovenia on Sunday, he will have earned whatever grudging appreciation goes his way. A generation of adults have never seen Scotland at an international tournament. They don’t know the joys of losing 3-0 to Morocco, watching a defensive wall shirk at a free kick, or celebrating as an Iranian scored an own goal to deliver a point. It’s time they learned.
Little about Scotland’s success is good news for Celtic. Should we win the league, our first qualification round will start two weeks after the tournament kicks off. Although that round is unlikely to provide a particularly stiff challenge, consider what happened to Newco when they arrived unprepared against Luxembourg semi-professionals.
Even if Scotland don’t reach the finals in Russia, a second place finish in the group for Scotland would see the players face two play-off games in the middle of our Champions League group games, and the possibility of a League Cup final.
Brendan Rodgers will wish his players every success, but he would surely not be too distressed to share hard luck stories with them when they return to training next week. The club-v-country debate has kicked around for decades, but I doubt if any club/country combo has seen it as acute as it is for Celtic and Scotland right now.
Catch up with this CQN Podcast from last month when we interviewed Celtic star from the Centenary season, full back Chris Morris. It’s a great listen…
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How did we win the Big Cup in 67 or have the genetics changed for the worst in the past 50 years.
Honestly I have great regard for WGS since his time with Celtic but he has been a silly bhoy today.
TEUCHTERARLA
Three Thanksgiving dinners? Blinkin’ flip,I barely managed one back in the day. And even at that,I felt as though I was being fattened up for some grisly fate.
TAL
Fair play but Gordon with Celtic is a million miles away from Gordon with Scotland…. great Celtic manager, Scotland manager ? Maybe he isn’t big enough for the job, he has made loads of mistakes mainly featuring Celtic players….
Anyhow Gordon is big enough to stand up too whatever comes his way
Genetically inferiorer ?
Wee mhan syndrome
CORKCELT
IIRC,Adam Virgo,WGS first signing for Celtic,was about 6’4″
Didn’t make him a superstar.
Have just read strachans “generics” comment. I would say they are bizarre. But this is from an absolute joke of a man who looks don his nose at those less fortunate than himself. A pathetic excuse from a snob of a man.
Scotland were pathetic tonight, griffithas and tiernan apart. He took of tiernan. What a joke.
Bye bye Gordon and then hopefully bye bye much of the sfa.
Neg2
Am definitely away to ma kip that’s about your lasts 4 posts I have agreed with, one of them was every other posters as agreeing and you flung in a wee positive post… definitely made me smile
Anyhow good night n God bless the real fitba will soon back
I could not believe half of the Scotland team and how they played tactically today. Makes me appreciate Brendan Rodgers and our players more.
Bobby, I didn’t hear the interview but I’m only assuming from CQN that Gordon lamented that as a race Scottish people were height disadvantaged.
In the first instance I doubt if it’s true, perhaps compared to the Scandinavians yes, but compared to Irish, English, French, Spanish & Italian, not to mention the various Asian Countries I can’t agree.
As I said I do like the guy but I think that was a very strange thing to say.
Neg
Just heard McCoist criticising WGS’s stupid genetic comment. Ally said that height didn’t stop the greats like the Spanish or Argentians like Messi, or Jimmy Johnstone. :)
CORKCELT
It was an absolutely stupid thing to say,mate. I’m genuinely struggling to get my head round it. For sure,I can’t remember a more ridiculous excuse for a bad result.
Though I’m sure someone will recall one!
WrongtypeofsnowCSC
McCoist giving comment on football management or tactics, or formations, or defending or honesty
or faithfulness
or feeding his dugs.
Corkcelt
WGS was more lamenting our lack of height today compared to the Slovenian team, and used it as an excuse for our two conceded goals. He never mentioned 6 fit 4 Craig Gordon. :)
That Scotland performance was dire. I feared the worse when I saw the team sheet.
Why were they sitting so deep inviting the Slovenians on?
Slovenia is a much smaller country than Scotland be lucky if they have half the population
Its not even a soccer country most Slovenians don’t care about football.
What an embarrassment !
OK, DD, That makes a little more sense but not much more.
Anyway I’m done for the night, Good Night & God Bless All.
slovenia has a population of 2 million,
of which there are 14,000, between the ages of 16 – 23 who play football and all are over 2 metres tall.,
STSTIVS
A tall story(!)
Scots are wee. The opposition teams are alway bigger taller more athletic. Same in rugby where apart from Japan we are smallest. Theres a few players that get above 6′ but on average it were small. Gordon is right on this but very wrong on his choice of players for tonights game
Like MON, GS is a football dinosaur.
They don’t trust proper football players.
He refused to replicate the understanding his team had with Brown , Armstrong, Forrest and Griff.
As a result, The Celtic boys were disjointed units in the team, with no natural link between , Kieran and Leigh.
Hence, a cohesive advantage was lost.
Forrest and Callum should have started, thereby providing that understanding from back to front.
Inexcusable management, in which I am delighted.
As for MON, he has misused Houlihan in a similar fashion as he did Lubo.
Didn’t trust a footballer.
William Wallace was 7 ft tall.. Consumed the English, Slovak’s and Slovenians wae fireball’s fae his ..
Night!
SFA meeting on Monday morning.
2 items on the agenda.
1 WGS contract
2 Naturalization of Sevco “stars.”
The Celtic players are being tested at the highest level.
Gordon, I know, Loves Scotland.
This SFA has to be weeded out before any real Progres can happen.
The lad McGinn and/or Callum should have started.
Regan – You have no shame, you are the problem. No doubt the expected golden Handshake will be coming. Absolutely sickening.
I’d love to see Jail terms for the guilty.
PETEC
Regan and those other ponies in blazers are definitely the main problem.
But the biggest culprit in this campaign was wee fearty Strachan.
Obstinate and blind to the facts is a hallmark of his.
Fans of every team in Scotland complained about tactics and personnel from the start of qualifying.
People gave him the benefit of Euro debacle as he was brought in to steady a sinking ship.
But then to start World cup with same balloons was baffling.
After a dismal start he picked players most expected to see in beginning.
But last two games reverted to his fearty coaching persona.
The game left him behind years ago.
He was a dinosaur employed by dinosaurs.
I’m not unhappy.
I’m indifferent re Scotland sides for all the reasons mentioned previously.
Saw 2 Sxotland games back in the 60s.
As a youthful, (those were the days my friends..) and naive Celtic fan I was bemused at the reception given to Celtic players at Hampden.
The Kosher produce in my local supermarket is manned by a Slovakian and I was commiserating with him on Friday, and assured him we wouldn’t beat Slovenia.
Defeat from the jaws of victory was freely bandied about.
I have previously filled him in re the success of Lubo and the esteem in which he is held at CP.
He will be a happy man when I see him tomorrow.
And of course the USA qualification, again, will ensure maximin coverage over here.
fan-a-tic,
Gordon has his own style and yesterday, when it really mattered, he failed badly.
I’d fill the Scotland team with Celtic players.
Oh No you can’t do that.
This SFA are cursed. :))
As Celtic is Scottish Football now.
Anyway, Onwards and Upwards for the Mighty Celtic.
Dundee are gonnae get a blast from the Mighty Mighty Moussa Dembeleeeee.
The Griffalinho has earned a well deserved wee breather.
Leigh has been outrageously good. :))
INVINCIBLE ‘GG on 9th October 2017 2:00 am
Noone is unhappy GG, Most Celtic Supporters are aware of the consequences of Scotland not qualifying.
I’d rather we made it to the Finals howevaaaaah.
I thought Darren played an incredible game, Callum running off his precise passes would have done it.
Stubborn as stubborn goes.
The English Leagues are so vastly over rated.
Petec
I didn’t see the game.
It coincided with noon mass here, followed by a long conversation with a friend and a lunch date with my long suffering better half.
Had I been interested at all I could have easily attended last night’s vigil mass or the 10:30 one today.
Had it been Celtic, it would have been a different story.
Fortunately my wife understands. (Well maybe she just pities me.)
Hunstanton
A place my parents took me 2.
Great Yarmouth for a reason.
INVINCIBLE ‘GG on 9th October 2017 2:53 am
We are now close to the 2000s crew, making their way into the CELTIC First team.
Deelighted.
Make hay.
I listened to dude
Hard as Nails.
Every Celt,
Will be
as Hard
as
NAILS.
STFU
My better half watched a Canadian movie set in Cape Breton the other night and brought my attention to this simple and beautiful end credits song.
Marion Bridge. Song for the Mira
And with that its a good night from me.
Go with God
50 years gone,but the legend lives on-my Che McGrain t-shirt is proof!
R I P,Che.
So we Scots are 2 wee are we????
Just as well he’s not in charge of Ireland ain’t it, cause Their Soldiers are We.
Wee Gordy talks some guff.
H.H
Morning, GFTB 8october 2017 10:56 pm
Gerry your posts don’t annoy generally.just sometimes when you argue most of the night with someone then a next night you are on saying no hatred in this household I find it a bit contradicting. Anyway as you say life’s to short so hope you and the family are good
Good morning CQN from a grey and damp East Devon.
I’m 6ft 2ins by the way.
Hail! Hail!
WGS is correct.
He should lose his job for being Wee.
Not forgetting his pish poor tactics and player selections which just made him Wee-er.
Sad thing is that now that the Wee GS is likely to go Walter orvMcleish will now get the call.
MWD glad to get back to Celtic
Word of The Day
equiponderate /ˌiːkwɪˈpɒndəˌreɪt/
verb
1. (transitive) to equal or balance in weight, power, force, etc; offset; counterbalance
Derived Forms
equiponderance, equiponderancy, noun equiponderant, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Medieval Latin aequiponderāre, from Latin equi- + ponderāre to weigh
KTF
IANBHOY929 @ 7:01 AM,
Morning from the mild, fresh Chilterns…
I’m 6ft 2″ Also, that makes the blog average height….
No wee so far.
BTW: Barry Bannan is 5ft 6″ is a neat little Footballer who doesn’t score goals
Callum McGregor is 5ft 10″ is a great Footballer who does score goals
Though size isn’t everything.
Hail Hail
WGS gave one of his throw away comments some years ago suggesting that if they had Olympic Games for 5’5″ and under Scotland would walk it.
It was funny then , haven’t heard the context about last nights comment but on the face of it , it seems ridiculous