Belgium/Macedonia Squad

[Stewart]

900 tickets on sale to 7-10 pointers today at £6 each.

 

 

In/oot: in

[Jute]

In.

 

 

Edit: Helps to remember to order tickets though.

[Stewart]

Announced at 3pm.

 

 

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=12385&newsCategoryID=1

 

 

 

Kenny Miller retires from international footballFriday, 23 August 2013The Scottish FA can confirm that Kenny Miller has retired from international football.

 

The Vancouver Whitecaps striker earned 69 caps and scored 18 goals over a 12-year Scotland career.

 

His decision comes after a memorable final appearance, when the 33-year-old grabbed a

earlier this month.

 

Kenny made his Scotland debut on 25 April 2001 in a 1-1 friendly draw with Poland. His first international goal came in his second appearance almost two years later, in a 2-1 Euro qualifying win over Iceland.

 

He entered the International Roll of Honour in October 2010 after winning his 50th cap in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Czech Republic

 

Gordon Strachan said: “Kenny is a talented player who absolutely gave the best of himself when he was on Scotland duty.

 

“In my time as national coach it has been a pleasure to have a player with his ability and experience in the squad.

 

“He has come to this decision to help prolong his club career, and feels that this is the best time bow out.

 

“We understand his decision and wish him all the best for the future.”

 

Strachan will announce his squad for the FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers against Belgium and Macedonia at 3 pm this afternoon.#

 

 

Seemed pretty obvious this was coming but I'm a bit gutted to see him go.

Not the best player we've ever had but always turned up and his scoring record is pretty good considering the era he played in.[/color][/size]

[bloo_toon_red]

It is always disappointing when a player feels he can retire from international football, even Kenny Miller.  Understandable to an extent given he's playing half-way round the world but all the same if he is the best option we have, he should always remain available.

 

Fingers crossed Fletcher can get himself 100% fit and that one or two others can step up to the plate because Leigh Griffiths for all his good club form last season is a really long way off being international standard.

 

[Jute]

Squad.

Good to McCormack recalled and Anya getting a chance after some decent performances for Watford.

If Samson is one 4 best keepers Scotland has then we better pray nothing happens to other 3.

Scotland squad:

 

Goalkeepers

Matt Gilks (Blackpool)                                         

David Marshall (Cardiff City)                                                   

Allan McGregor (Hull City)*                                 

Craig Samson (Kilmarnock)

                                                                     

Defenders

Ikechi Anya (Watford)

Gordon Greer (Brighton and Hove Albion)               

Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers)                         

Alan Hutton (Aston Villa)                                     

Russell Martin (Norwich City)                               

Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic)                                     

Steven Whittaker (Norwich City)                           

 

Midfielders

Charlie Adam (Stoke City)                                                     

Barry Bannan (Aston Villa)                                   

George Boyd (Hull City)                                       

Scott Brown (Celtic)                                           

Craig Conway (Cardiff City)                                 

Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion)               

James Forrest (Celtic)                                       

James McArthur (Wigan Athletic)                         

James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion)               

Steven Naismith (Everton)                                   

Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City)                         

                                                                   

Forwards

Leigh Griffiths (Wolverhampton Wanderers)           

Jamie Mackie (Nottingham Forest)                       

Shaun Maloney (Wigan Athletic)                           

Ross McCormack (Leeds United)                           

Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers)

 

[mizer]

Match ticket obtained for Macedonia game

 

 

 

[mizer]

Belgium squad for Friday

 

Toby Alderweireld (Ajax)

Zakaria Bakkali (PSV Eindhoven)

Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)

Koen Casteels (1899 Hoffenheim)

Nacer Chadli (Tottenham Hotspur)

Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege)

Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid)

Moussa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur)

Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea)

Steven Defour (Porto)

Marouane Fellaini (Everton)

Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht)

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit St Petersburg)

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Dries Mertens (Napoli)

Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)

Kevin Mirallas (Everton)

Sébastien Pocognoli (Hannover 96)

Timmy Simons (Club Brugge)

Jelle Van Damme (Standard Liege)

Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich)

Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)

Axel Witsel (Zenit St Petersburg)

 

[BigAl]

Belgium squad for Friday

 

Toby Alderweireld (Ajax)

Zakaria Bakkali (PSV Eindhoven)

Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)

Koen Casteels (1899 Hoffenheim)

Nacer Chadli (Tottenham Hotspur)

Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege)

Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid)

Moussa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur)

Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea)

Steven Defour (Porto)

Marouane Fellaini (Everton)

Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht)

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit St Petersburg)

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Dries Mertens (Napoli)

Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)

Kevin Mirallas (Everton)

Sébastien Pocognoli (Hannover 96)

Timmy Simons (Club Brugge)

Jelle Van Damme (Standard Liege)

Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich)

Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)

Axel Witsel (Zenit St Petersburg)

 

Not much quality there 

 

P.S. Lee Wallace......seriously just fuck right off 

[Jute]

McGregor and Boyd both join Morrison and Dorrans in withdrawing from squad.

[mizer]

McGregor shouldna even be in the squad!

[CtS]

Belgium squad for Friday

 

Toby Alderweireld (Ajax)

Zakaria Bakkali (PSV Eindhoven)

Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)

Koen Casteels (1899 Hoffenheim)

Nacer Chadli (Tottenham Hotspur)

Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege)

Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid)

Moussa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur)

Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea)

Steven Defour (Porto)

Marouane Fellaini (Everton)

Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht)

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit St Petersburg)

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Dries Mertens (Napoli)

Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)

Kevin Mirallas (Everton)

Sébastien Pocognoli (Hannover 96)

Timmy Simons (Club Brugge)

Jelle Van Damme (Standard Liege)

Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich)

Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)

Axel Witsel (Zenit St Petersburg)

 

Fuck me, this could be a bit stressful.

[Nellie The Don]

McGregor and Boyd both join Morrison and Dorrans in withdrawing from squad.

 

It's pretty depressing that this isn't even remotely surprising anymore.

 

I'm pretty sure that there was a time when players had to be genuinely injured or have a good reason to pull out of an international squad instead of picking and choosing when they played.

 

The SFA should have clamped down back when Fergushun and his blue-nose team mates were constantly at it.  Sadly now it seems to be the norm that all the players think they can get away with it and treat international call-ups as an irritating side project which they can pick up or put down as they please.

[rocket_scientist]

I'm not sure that this game and these games in a dead campaign even register on my interest scale.

 

 

Planning for the future it may be but for what future? We're nae qualifying fer nuthin with oor mob.

[rocket_scientist]

I ended up watching that game. The technical skill gulf between Scoatland and Belgium was huge, and apparent from very early in the piece. The "reaction" and comments that Strachan and the media provide will be interesting only for their accuracy. There isn't much to debate when the picture is this well defined.

 

That would lead to the wider debate of why we're so shite. That's a picture of equal clarity. We don't have enough kids playing the game. It's fucked. We as a nation are going through a period of utter inability to compete at the higher echelons of world sport. And nae cunt cares enough to do anything about it.

[RDU_64]

I ended up watching that game. The technical skill gulf between Scoatland and Belgium was huge, and apparent from very early in the piece. The "reaction" and comments that Strachan and the media provide will be interesting only for their accuracy. There isn't much to debate when the picture is this well defined.

 

That would lead to the wider debate of why we're so shite. That's a picture of equal clarity. We don't have enough kids playing the game. It's fucked. We as a nation are going through a period of utter inability to compete at the higher echelons of world sport. And nae cunt cares enough to do anything about it.

 

Except for Andy Murray!    Although he had to piss off to Spain to get proper training so.... 

[rocket_scientist]

 

Except for Andy Murray!    Although he had to piss off to Spain to get proper training so.... 

 

I would argue that we as a nation are unable to compete at the higher echelons of world sport despite your example.

 

There are exceptions to every rule, naturally, but if the debate is whether Scoatland can compete or not, the evidence is fairly clear. The fact that we have one tennis player in the word top three doesn't alter the fact that our second and third best tennis players aren't even in the world top 48.7 million, assuming that we do actually have a second and third professional tennis player.

 

Murray's success was the product of a driven mother and nothing to do with the management and administration of the sport in this country. It's the same non-management and maladministration of other sports in this country that has resulted in our nation being pish in almost everything.

[rocket_scientist]

Got to love Strachan for his entertainment factor. The answer he gave to the question was awesome. I just listed some positives. Do you want me to repeat masel?

 

 

He acknowledged that they were better than us - stronger and faster, he said. He also said that there wasn't much that we could do about it. It was a rare moment of truth and clarity. Too many managers just bullshit and spin. We are shite, the manager knows it - he even said that we couldn't have asked for any more from the majority - and there is no light at the end of the tunnel until something very drastic changes.

 

 

Personally, I would recruit only Scots to the senior jobs in this country. How the fuck are the turkeys Regan and Doncaster going to have the motivation to vote for Xmas? They're not even good at their jobs, being weak, weak men devoid of any talent whatsoever, let alone the special talent you need to assume a role of such responsibility.

 

 

The fact that they got jobs in the first place is a sad indictment of the weak, inept Scotsmen who recruited them. The folk in ultimate charge want nothing more than to remain in charge and truth and honesty and pro-activity and effective measurement processes and change are very much on their lists of not wanted. They don't even give a fuck about results, only their self-preservation.

[Andrew]

I ended up watching that game. The technical skill gulf between Scoatland and Belgium was huge, and apparent from very early in the piece. The "reaction" and comments that Strachan and the media provide will be interesting only for their accuracy. There isn't much to debate when the picture is this well defined.

 

That would lead to the wider debate of why we're so shite. That's a picture of equal clarity. We don't have enough kids playing the game. It's fucked. We as a nation are going through a period of utter inability to compete at the higher echelons of world sport. And nae cunt cares enough to do anything about it.

 

 

In sport no one ever seams to mention the natural variance that happens. This is one of the worst Scotland teams and one of the best Belgium teams in history. Why can this not be a natural unlucky and lucky cycle when it comes to international football? Why does everything have to have some deeper meaning and not caused by the most likely factor, especially in sport, which is luck?

[rocket_scientist]

 

In sport no one ever seams to mention the natural variance that happens. This is one of the worst Scotland teams and one of the best Belgium teams in history. Why can this not be a natural unlucky and lucky cycle when it comes to international football? Why does everything have to have some deeper meaning and not caused by the most likely factor, especially in sport, which is luck?

 

 

It could be luck, as you say. That is clearly a possibility. But when you say that luck is the most likely factor, then we have grounds for debate.

 

 

Given the mismanagement and maladministration of most other sports in Scotland, I would say that luck is not the most likely factor.

 

 

Given the fact that we have less facilities per capita for most sports than most other European countries, I would say that the lack of investment might have a bigger influence than the luck you claim.

 

 

Given the fact that we have shocking participation levels in sport in Scotland, I would say this is more influential than luck.

 

 

Given your post, I would guess that you're a fucking idiot.

[Andrew]

 

It could be luck, as you say. That is clearly a possibility. But when you say that luck is the most likely factor, then we have grounds for debate.

 

 

Given the mismanagement and maladministration of most other sports in Scotland, I would say that luck is not the most likely factor.

 

 

Given the fact that we have less facilities per capita for most sports than most other European countries, I would say that the lack of investment might have a bigger influence than the luck you claim.

 

 

Given the fact that we have shocking participation levels in sport in Scotland, I would say this is more influential than luck.

 

 

Given your post, I would guess that you're a fucking idiot.

 

 

It's always nice to include an insult at the end of a post.

 

Senile old cunt.

[tom_widdows]

I do wonder if anyone at SFA HQ is looking at what Belgium has become since their epic failure at Euro 2000 (first host team not to make it past the group stages of a tournament)

 

Scraped through the group stages of World cup 2002 with an aging squad then got done by Brazil with ease

 

Failed to Qualify for Euro 2004, 2008 & 2012

Failed to qualify for World cup 2006, 2010

 

Now after more than a decade of development they have a squad with an average age of 26 filled with players being sought after by all the top leagues for massive transfer fees.

 

Wonder if Scotland could ever hope to achieve the same thing but I doubt it. The SFA will most likely revert back to the 'well they have a population of 11 million to choose from.......we only have the 70 english clubs

 

 

[rocket_scientist]

My insult was open, direct and in response to your whingey, snidey indirect insult and yet it sounds like you are offended?

 

By what? I can't possibly fathom what could have got your goat?

 

You even imply now that insults are bad, like they're offensive and shouldn't be allowed.

 

When you totally rubbish what another posts and imply foolishness and paranoia within the poster who posted it, at the same time claiming to know what the most likely cause is, you being the paragon of wisdom, you should expect a response.

 

It's a shame that you didn't even know that you were doing it. Not only are your tenets on reality less than fragile, your ability to think and to communicate has been compromised by your adherence to the modern nanny state, the antithesis of independent critical thinking.

[Andrew]

My insult was open, direct and in response to your whingey, snidey indirect insult and yet it sounds like you are offended?

 

By what? I can't possibly fathom what could have got your goat?

 

You even imply now that insults are bad, like they're offensive and shouldn't be allowed.

 

When you totally rubbish what another posts and imply foolishness and paranoia within the poster who posted it, at the same time claiming to know what the most likely cause is, you being the paragon of wisdom, you should expect a response.

 

It's a shame that you didn't even know that you were doing it. Not only are your tenets on reality less than fragile, your ability to think and to communicate has been compromised by your adherence to the modern nanny state, the antithesis of independent critical thinking.

 

 

You're just full of such pseudointellectual fucking bollocks.

 

 

I am not "offended" in any way I just think it's both childish and cuntish to include insults in posts.

[rocket_scientist]

You fucking started it, you whack job.

 

 

I'm guessing you're just young and ignorant rather than a real fucking idiot.

[manc_don]

I do wonder if anyone at SFA HQ is looking at what Belgium has become since their epic failure at Euro 2000 (first host team not to make it past the group stages of a tournament)

 

Scraped through the group stages of World cup 2002 with an aging squad then got done by Brazil with ease

 

Failed to Qualify for Euro 2004, 2008 & 2012

Failed to qualify for World cup 2006, 2010

 

Now after more than a decade of development they have a squad with an average age of 26 filled with players being sought after by all the top leagues for massive transfer fees.

 

Wonder if Scotland could ever hope to achieve the same thing but I doubt it. The SFA will most likely revert back to the 'well they have a population of 11 million to choose from.......we only have the 70 english clubs

 

You've got to wonder what they did, probably something similar to what Germany did to be honest. I have zero faith in the SFA's ability to critically analyse anything, just look for excuses.