dennyc

I think this is so true. Very telling on Ref Watch today that the studio ex referee defended the red card, but the two ex players felt it was very harsh. Referees and players are so far apart in their understanding of the game. For that reason I expect Collum to support the red card and our appeal chances to be 50/50 at best. Saturday also highlighted another issue with VAR. Having looked at the replay of the Thompson red, Dallas thankfully intervened. But he is not allowed to recommend a yellow for Armstrong. Not saying VAR should intervene for yellow cards, but where a review is already taking place because of a red card, surely the actions of all involved in an incident should be open to some sort of punishment. That's twice red cards for Motherwell players this season following a clash with Armstrong have been ruled incorrect. Coincidence?

Certainly seems like they are a major part of the problem. Looking at the options each week is depressing. Maybe Wimmer feels likewise. I just wonder how realistic is to hope for Ox, Slattery and 9 new faces in a starting eleven come the League Cup next season. Maybe I should just settle for avoiding the play off this season. Looking at the likely bottom six opponents should we fall short on Saturday, current form and recent meetings suggests they all have our number. Killie and St J at Fir Park could be a shit fest but decisive. A win come Saturday would ease so much pressure. Hearts will set about bullying us just like Aberdeen and Killie. Devlin will already be practicing his dark arts. Let's hope we come up with an approach to counter him and the rest..

A lot of merit in what you say. But I wonder if Maswanhise is getting better every game he doesn't feature. A bit like Kaleta, until reality set in. Maswanhise has scored some important and clever goals for us and probably merits a start given how toothless we have been of late. Armstrong certainly needs support up front. Might as well try Maswanhise. Although for some reason Watt appears to be ahead of him in our Manager's eyes. But, and admittedly in limited spells, Maswanhise has been as rotten as the rest when he has been brought on. How someone can score the skilful goals has he has, but cannot control a simple pass first time is beyond me. Potential but a long ways to go in my opinion. Interesting discussion regards Wimmer. I like him and want him to succeed. But having endured that showing at Aberdeen, and having listened to him afterwards, I expected a different approach and set up at Kilmarnock. Maybe not a win, but a reaction on and off the field. Sadly nothing changed and if anything the performance was worse. That concerns me. Far too early to judge Wimmer of course, particularly given what he inherited and his lack of opportunity to bring in fresh faces or take the squad through pre season build up. But that, and some questionable officiating, does not exempt him from scrutiny and comment. Let's see if we see anything different against Hearts.

I don't think there is any need for yellow cards to be reviewed in game by VAR. Otherwise games would last for four hours. So let's continue as is on that front. But where two yellows add up to a red, if retrospectively it is accepted that one of the yellows was a joke (as in the case Robinson is bumping his gums about), then it is an even bigger farce that the player involved then misses a further full game. In addition to whatever minutes he missed in the initial game. We would be saying much the same as Robinson if it was Miller, Slattery, Armstrong etc that had to sit out a match unfairly. Unless the rule is changed we will suffer at some stage as will other teams. It is simple enough to ensure similar situations do not occur.

A bit of a cheek given how his team plays. They could easily have lost a player before the clash with Casey. But although Robinson is a bit deluded I think he raises a valid point. I don't really think it is the 20 minutes with 10 men that is his main gripe. Let's be honest here. The second yellow card was a joke. So the sending of was an error. As was admitted by Collum and his team Having been punished unfairly at the time and having to play with a man short it does seem unjust that the player wrongly dismissed now has to sit out another game. Funny but unjust. Surely in a case like that, the acknowledgement of the error should cancel the ban. Like it would if it had been a straight red. The system is broken. We would be equally upset if it was our player.

Likely he will not be sacked but I sensed a different Clarke after the game. A bit like Kettlewell after the games at Perth. I would not be surprised if Clarke also walked. I also think the media were a lot less accepting/supportive after the Greece letdown. That might play into Clarke's mindset as well. Fingers crossed the next two friendlies leave us in a better place. With or without Steve Clarke.

Since we qualified for the Euros in November 2023. Scotland have won 4 of 15 games, including a 2-0 victory over Gibraltar in a friendly on neutral ground. If my maths is correct? Our win in Greece counted for nothing given the result on Sunday. We have won only one match at home since we beat Georgia in June 2023. Clarke did earn the right to take us to the Euros but the signs of decline were pretty evident long before a ball was kicked in that tournament. And the build up to Germany did not suggest Clarke had any answers. He should have gone as soon as the final whistle was blown against Hungary. The fans who travel all over Europe to support the team have been sold short for a good while. Good fun though those trips may be. You said earlier that it was a myth that Clarke did not give youth a chance. Since 2021 (Gilmour, Patterson, Hickey) I can only think of Doak that has been introduced and given meaningful game time. Sure he may have included Conway, Johnston, Doig, Wilson, Miller in recent squads but how many minutes have those youngsters actually spent on the pitch? Conway did not get one minute on the pitch at the Euros, even when we were minus our first choice striker and desperate for goals. Exactly the same as happened to Turnbull in the Euros hosted by England. Clarke has history. Even more senior in form players were ignored by Clarke. How long did it take for him to select Ferguson, Gauld, Shankland despite how well they were performing at club level. Not all of them performed well I accept, but they were long overdue their chance. Instead Clarke consistently selected players who were not first choice at their clubs. In fairness he did say his strategy was to build a squad of senior players and stick with them. That said, Clarke's record looks magnificent in comparison to that of Gemmill with the U21s. Since being appointed in 2016 he has failed to qualify for a tournament. 5 attempts. 17 wins in 48 competitive games. Most recent friendly. Scotland 1 Iceland 6. And today he threw his players under the bus. How on earth is he still regarded by the powers that be as the man for the job? Prior to the U21s, He had charge of the U17s for 2 years. A job for life?. In my opinion Wellfan is spot on. It is well beyond time for change.....at both levels. Hopefully we can look beyond the UK as a fresh approach is required from top to bottom. I honestly believe we have the best pool of players we have had for decades. But it seems to me that Clarke....and Gemmill....are far more focused on not losing than winning. How is that panning out?

Exactly the set up I was hoping for as well. For the reasons already covered. Adams gets slaughtered at times but exactly how much support does he get up front? Might not be world class but game after game he runs himself ragged in the hope that McGinn and McTominey can push forward to help him. Seems a bit one dimensional from Clarke.....and predictable. Pretty sure we could have put more pressure on Greece by playing two recognised strikers. Qualification criteria aside, I would like to have seen Conway ahead of Hirst. Although both are scoring for their Clubs. I also agree that some players appear to be able to do no wrong. Whereas others do a great job, always give their all, but get unwarranted abuse when results don't pan out. A bit like MFC in truth. I still believe Clarke is well beyond his sell by date. Germany convinced me of that and, despite him suggesting he would reassess his approach, he is as negative, uninspiring and resistant to change as ever.

I agree those two were excellent in Athens. But two full games in four days was a step too far for both of them. They were done by half time and it showed second half. Clarke did nothing to help them Max J did originally struggle to get a start with Sturm Graz. That's true. But he is far from a bit part player now. He has been first choice for most of 2025. In the League and CL. The only games he missed this year were down to injury.

I tend to agree with you but when you dig deeper you find that (based solely on place of birth) Max Johnston is no more entitled to play for Scotland than Scott McTominey, Lyndon Dykes and Bryan Gunn. All three born outside Scotland but with a parent or parents who were born in Scotland. Both Dykes parents were born in Scotland. So if being born outside Scotland is the criteria then our pool is even smaller and some surprising players would be ineligible. Also for me it seems unreasonable to ignore players who were born outside of Scotland because a parent was 'abroad' for work purposes. It is not as if the child chose to be born outside Scotland. Max Johnston as an example when his dad was playing for Middlesborough.. Extending qualification to take into account a grandparent is a step too far for me though. So that would exclude Hirst, Conway, Slicker and Adams. Maybe that's a balance that's fairer? Just to add to the nonsense, although the Home Nations agreed as a group to ignore them, per Uefa/Fifa players can qualify based on the length of time they have been in a country and any player born in the UK can play for any of the four nations. Schooling in a country for a set number of years is yet another route to qualification. James Tavernier is actually eligible to play for Scotland. Not saying he should but technically he qualifies. And, for the more senior amongst us, Jack Charlton also has a lot to answer for. I think the current Manager is a bigger problem than qualification criteria though. His loyalty to players who hardly feature for their Clubs is nonsensical. As is his refusal to select in form players. Only one Manager learned anything from the Thursday night win in Greece. And it wasn't Steve Clarke. Did he really believe that Ralston and Hanley with next to no game time for their Clubs could survive two full games in four days at International level.

Of the players that featured on the right this season, either in a back three or as wing back, only McGinn has been an upgrade on SOD. And McGinn's best performances were when he was paired with SOD. They covered for each other when one pushed forward and looked comfortable doing it. Kaleta was the messiah for a week or so and could do no wrong in the eyes of a good few. Then we saw how poor he really was defensively. Casey was tried on the right side of the back three and anyone who was at Perth saw how much of a disaster that was. Even Casey himself going by the rumours of the fall out with Kettlewell. Katroumbis has hardly played so hard to assess. Sparrow has far more energy than most but his defensive positioning is poor and has cost us goals......although he is being asked to play a role that is new to him. Those criticising SOD as a centre back do have a point. But then Balmer, Blaney and Casey seem to get a much easier ride when they lose concentration or pass directly to the opposition. Or does anybody really think those three are error free? SOD is certainly not the player he was several years ago but I believe he can contribute as a squad player and as an 'old head' that can set an example to those less experienced. On that basis I am happy to see him back for another season. I do expect Wimmer to find a preferred starter for that right side though.

Listening to the Lee Miller interview I think Lennon does regret phasing his desire to be the best in the way he did. Nothing wrong with wanting and saying you want to be the best and McGinn readily acknowledged that. He also spoke highly of Miller's ability and maturity. McGinn revealed how badly he himself had been treated by senior players when called up, Charlie Adam in particular, and gave the impression that he would ensure Miller was not treated in such a bitter, jealous manner. I thought McGinn spoke well as a captain, supported Miller and said nothing wrong. It's only the media looking for a story and a few on here that seem determined to find fault. Steve Clark also spoke well on the matter and dismissed it as nonsense.

That brings back good memories. The second leg at Fir Park was something else. Under lights and a totally unexpected comeback. Almost 55 years ago though. That was a shock. Sadly after disposing of Morton we were then ran ragged at Hampden by St Johnstone. Aird, Hall and Connolly were just too good for us. That was a long and subdued journey back to Lanark on the supporters bus. I live and learn though. I had no idea Jumbo Muir had gained a few caps for Australia having moved there from Dumbarton. Well done him.

McGhee and Strachan were sitting with the Dundee Directors last week at Fir Park.. Hopefully that's as close as either get to being involved at Fir Park.

Easily sorted. Just tell all those lower league Clubs that they now have to adapt their grounds for VAR and bear all the costs associated with it's installation and usage. I suspect a good few might change their minds. Pretty damn quick. Reeks of when Brechin City used to run Scottish football. Maybe they still do. No doubt one Blazer has been swapped for another Blazer. On first class expenses of course.

The players can only be as good as the Manager sets them up to be. By playing to their strengths even if that means adopting a different approach at times. SK showed no intention of doing that even before LM and AP were injured. So I do not believe he would have done anything different when they returned. We can agree to differ. Anyway, irrelevant now as you say. Thankfully we have someone new at the helm so we get back to enjoying days like today. Well done to all involved and thanks for that. Best game day I have had this season.

Have to disagree. We were in total freefall with confidence shot. SK had had plenty of opportunities to change things up but either would not or could not. Those last 5 away matches were poorer than anything I can remember in years. Even the better players looked at a loss. It was that refusal to adapt that convinced me we were headed for the play off spot at best. And then it's a lottery. Just compare our approach today with our approach in the Semi Final. What Wimmer has brought out tactically and energy wise on the pitch coupled with the raised spirit in the Stands in his three matches only highlights what SK was unable to achieve. The support the fans gave the team when Dundee equalised was highlighted by both Manager and players. Early days and we need to remember that. But what a difference. The players certainly appear to appreciate the change.

Cheers. So basically set up to help bigger Clubs offset FFP......or bankrupt themselves hopefully. No regard for teams that have youngsters enticed away to bigger Clubs. I guess the good aspect is that Fulham who developed the boy should have benefited from a Development Fee pay out when he moved on from Arsenal ......and possibly Sturm Graz?

How does it work when Biereth spent most of his youth career at Fulham, having belatedly joined Arsenal to be part of their U21 (EPL2) set up? Is he regarded as an Arsenal youth development player? If so teams should just buy up 18 year olds, loan them out and then sell them on to gain the advantage you outline.

Livi in a play off a possibility. Nightmare. Let's hope we can all feel a bit more secure after tomorrow.

Like you I have seen us relegated a few times, and seen us escape on a technicality a few times as well. But those last games under Kettlewell were has bad as I can remember suffering and I think it speaks volumes that not one fan I know was surprised at how poor we were. The signs have been there for months. The lack of a regular goal scorer combined with the year on year drop in quality has finally come home to roost. Kettlewell's speculative signings hastened the decline and if Wimmer gets us out of the mess we are in he should be Manager of the Year. I hope you you are spot on with your positive forecast but I think 8th or 9th is a reach. Wellgirl is right to be worried.

At our level they usually can't. And certainly not when denied support to help them out. Casey on the right of a back three, Wilson in midfield, Blaney on the left of a back three as examples.

Kettlewell was the master at playing players out of position. Hung several out to dry when they were clearly struggling, seldom providing them with any support. I fear Frail was part of whatever thinking was behind that nonsense being repeated time after time. Only my opinion of course, but I believe that led to a lot of the frustration and dissent we saw from players prior to Kettlewell manuevering his way out.

Good point. Also helps when the possession is in the opponents half of the field.

According to the BBC, he switched his formation around to counter Falkirk in this match. Audition passed.