After being cuffed away to Kazakhstan and Belgium, and humbled at home by Russia, the four Celtic players in tonight’s Scotland squad to face Belgium at Hampden would be forgiven for wanting the European Championship 2020 campaign over as soon as possible.
More to the point, you and I really don’t want to see Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Ryan Christie or new boy Greg Taylor playing competitive football into June and July, a whole year after Celtic’s season started and days before next season is due to begin.
A defeat tonight would allow Steve Clarke to play out the remainder of the campaign by experimenting with his squad, unburdened by the pressure of qualification. Callum McGregor, in particular, could do with some down time during the October and November international breaks. Celtic players will have two games a week outside of international breaks until the middle of December. The season is not viable for them to constantly be under this level of playing pressure.
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BGFC
I believe it’s BMCUW ex of this parish and now on sentinel Celts who is doing it.i will drop hi. A text and get back to you.
Park rd
Aiksa Craig looking splendid tonight as I head up rd to Glasgow
Internationals- just get all our players back fit and ready to go.
HH
Playing a Reserve team in the cups is problematic as a weakened team will result in SFA and SPFL fines.
We can tinker with the team and have done in the past. A different Goalkeeper is acceptable but we need to be careful to mix it up. 11 changes will not be possible.
Our colts teams don’t fare well in the Challenge Cup.
BGFC: I don’t have any details on the hoot but I just hope it spills well over into Sunday.
BIGBHOY
Including Internationals, our top players play too much football. Top athletes can not perform at peak performance ad infinitum. Bodies need to be cyclically rested and de-tuned. With Internationals and CL Qualifiers our top players have competitive games in every Calendar month.
We have a good case for resting players for the required period. To do so, we will have to either play “weakened” teams at some point, or withdraw players from SFA duties.
The Scottish Football Authorities would acquiesce, as the FA did when Man U et al started playing weakened teams in the English Cup Comps. They would have to.
🍀⚽️
Just logged on for a quick read before dinner and pretty disappointed with the tone of this article. I’m pretty simple when it comes to international football – I’m Scottish, I always want Scotland to do as well as possible, so play our best players whether they play for Celtic or not. When that old club that died had good Scottish players I even wanted them to play well! I wont see the game tonight and if truth be told I fear a drubbing. But I’d be ecstatic were Scotland to pull off a memorable win.
Aff oot!
SantaEulaliaCSC/SSC ;-)
Jobo, I want the same as you but it won’t happen under the current executive regime in Scotland.
Ireland, Albania, Northern Ireland, Iceland and Wales have succeeded with far fewer resources but much better strategies.
Maxwell muses “Strategies, strategies, strategies …”
🗣️ “Rod, your (sic) the cleverest man in the room, wears (sic) the thesaurus?”
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSIONon 9TH SEPTEMBER 2019 2:47 PM
Dont agree
Tournaments arecbased around ‘big leagues’ kicking off August & they dont need to play qualifiers.
McGregor and Christie to start
Andy, Andy whats yer thoughts ?
!!
Mcginn 50m 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Cyprus 1-0 up!
So ur Belgium!
1- 0 Belgium, lukaku
:-((
HH
AN TEARMANN 6-41PM
I could’ve given you a wave on your way through Girvan you would’ve passed by my house HH !
2- 0 to Belgium
HH
http://www.hesgoal.com/news/51851/Scotland_vs_Belgium.html
Park rd
Next time mate :-)) to busy takin in that view,Arran etc.usually can’t see past the first waves,was special tonight
Hopmate e yir good mate
Hh
Oh dear
Hh
I’ve watched Scotland for a game and half and i have to say Steve Clarke looks absolutely clueless. His tactics are beyond baffling. De Bruyne absolutely mauling Scotland.
!!BADA BING!! on 9TH SEPTEMBER 2019 8:15 PM
I’D rather watch the cricket.
Bring on the England….
Hope we dont get JF on to make it look like a fightback.
Big Job SC but not ur fault IMO
Turned on to see 4 players turn back to Belgium corner….then Robertson stand back to let Di Browne cross for goal…shocking
One free kick to Scotland resulting in Belgian goal. 2 corners to Belgium resulting in two goals.
Can Scots not get even the basics right?
Like watching Celtic. Psg. Give them too much respect..
Hopefully the ‘i’m Just here for the beer’ Tartan Army take some kind of stance after this and boycott away tickets.
Hopefully us fair weather fans boycott home games
Multiple managers, multiple players and still gutless. There is something wrong
Would love an ex player to spell out what causes this lethargy
Cyprus 2-0 up.
Makes Scotland 5th in the section.
Blog title should be “Scotland not viable for internationals.” Kazakhs holding Russia, Northern Ireland holding Germany, and we are getting thrashed, because we do not have basic football intelligence or skills. Utterly embarrassing.
I thought we played very well and had the better of a lot of that half.
BUT.
Goals 2 and 3 are shocking defending.
At the second goal Cooper should have stayed where he was and they would have been offside. Instead he goes back and puts them onside.
3rd goal, its ok to get beat in a jump for the ball, but to try and get ahead of your man and fail to get the ball is schoolboy error.
First goal is just class.
Robertson is a terrible defender and got lucky being the mortar in a wall of bricks at Liverpool
Should be dropped like a stone when Tierney is back
O’Donnell is equally awful but I like his forward play. Who else can take his cap!
CHs are OK
All midfielders are slow ; they need to close as a group
We have no forward line
Only way forward is to pick Clarke’s favourite 11 and stop chopping and changing
Although individually pish; the team might work out how to defend and attack as a group
Belgium team top of Europe ratings so no dummies! Having said that having so few,not exactly speed merchants,at the back when we have a Corner is suicide.Also unlike Belgium we don’t bring the breaking man down unlike Tielmann who has done twice and Vertoengen once .Are you trying to win a game or a prize for sportsmanship or Mr Nice guy.
We are still shit anyway.
I’m with Jobo… I support Celtic though not necessarily the suits ,copyright TET,and Scotland though definitely not the suits.
May be an age thing but loved being at Wembley in 1957 even though England won.
Duncan Edwards was some player.
Optimists hoping that Scotland will beat the likes of Finland, Serbia or Armenia in the last chance saloon to qualify for the Finals are dreaming.
Maradominic
I know this is a celtic blog but can we stick to slagging Scotland right now? Thanks
Big eddy scores again 👌 HH
Embdy at Sevco .F.A found big Henry McLeish’s action plan for Scoddish fitba yet???? Must be in a drawer somewhere!
Provan doesn’t even mention Christie’s brilliant pass there
Odsonne
Please calm down son
Fav Uncle- VG