Comments on: Country on a downer?

By: BD Condell

BD Condell — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:44:24 +0000

Fair point Alan, I probably should have said 20 years not 10. It just seems to me that Scotland and the other ‘home’ countries have no longer any star players playing at the top clubs like they used to.

By: Ahmed Bilal

Ahmed Bilal — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:14:49 +0000

Alan,

Best case scenario would be to join forces with England – regardless of what happened at the Euros, you’d still have a better chance of winning something

By: Alan Worrall

Alan Worrall — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:35:58 +0000

And to add, I really only got into football some ten years ago (not from a football family) and I can clearly see the decline. I watched Scotland at World Cup 98 and that was the only time I’ve seen them on the competitive international stage. That being said, I think our team overall is just as good as that team was. Man for man, the 98 World Cup squad probably wasn’t any better technically than the current squad, right?

By: Alan Worrall

Alan Worrall — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:32:42 +0000

BD, I agree with what you’re saying, and yes I’m no doubt younger, this was more in response to my own article a few months back about Scottish football being on the up. Comparing and contrasting I saw a clear difference and thought this was worth pointing out.

If we’re essentially looking for a ‘theory’, I think the main issue is that we’re a country of just 5 million, and cannot compete with the larger countries with far greater infrastructure. Nor can we with countries of similar size but with greater infrastructure (i.e. Holland, Portugal, etc.) Looking at youth, grass roots, etc, in essence what England need to be doing, is what Scotland started doing a few years ago and it will bear fruit, so long as the country on the whole remains confident in our future.

Or at least that’s the theory.

By: BD Condell

BD Condell — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:09:36 +0000

Alan, you’re a lot younger than me and it shows! For me it’s not about this season v last season but the total decline over a decade or more. I grew up watching classic encounters between England and Scotland at a time when Scotland were full of top class players. In the 70′s and 80′s the Scotland squad was full of players playing at the top English clubs and Celtic/Rangers/Aberdeen(in their hay day).
The names are too many to mention: Macari, Hansen, Dalglish, Durie, McCoist, McLeish, McAllister, Strachan, Ferguson, McClair, Masson, Jordan, McQueen and that still leaves out a host of top names.

Scotland used to be a strong favourite to qualify for every major competition and I supported them through many, being a fellow Celt.

What’s gone wrong I don’t know but they are not alone. If you look at Wales and the 2 Irelands also, I have never seen a period where there is such a lack of quality or star players. All the talk is of England and the lack of youngsters coming thru but, in truth, the problem is worse in the smaller ‘home’ countries.

I don’t believe that it has anything to do with foreign players or coaching, the common theories, but then again, I don’t have my own theory.

By: Liverpool United

Liverpool United — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:21:50 +0000

I dont think England and Scotland has alot of differences between them when comparing their national teams. In a way Scotland as a more stable and united look in them compared to the multi personalties of the English players and its team as a whole. Scotland has always been unlucky with its qualifiers opponents. France and Italy last time round LOL!!! It took alot out of them and many of the games the players gave the performance of their lives. France.. Home and Away for Gods sake. Firstly they need to rank higher next qualifying pick secondly Celtic and Rangers and maybe Hearts need to get out of SPL and enter EPL to toughen up and finacially grow. Then only Scotland and her teams can make a name as a football power and plant their own flag in Europe. Lets face it, the SPL sucks and the Scots have to swallow their pride and seek English FA help or else their biggest teams and the majority of the national players are always going to suffer because of the gulf in league standards.