If Scotland beat Italy I will....

[Johnny Mac]

Lets hope we draw england.

They are there for a horsing!

[Mr.Mike]

OK, I'm not going to argue about the corruption in the domestic game, obviously.

If you were to judge them on tonight's game alone, then it's true that they played negatively, but find me the team that wouldn't when they're looking for a draw away from home.

And if you look at their style in general, I think people are very unfair to them. They can match virtually anyone in the world for technical ability, and in an average game they'll play with two forwards in addition to their main striker, as well as quite often pretty attacking full-backs (Zambrotta, Oddo, Grosso...). They pass and move just about as well as any other team and their ball retention is outstanding. I don't understand how Brazil winning 4-2 is better than Italy winning 2-0. Some teams specialise in attack, some in defence - play to your strengths, surely?

As for this "undeserving" argument...

Buffon- The best keeper in the world

Cannavaro - At the time of the World Cup, arguably the best centre-half in the world

Pirlo - Arguably the best ball-player in the world

Totti (still playing at the time) - one of the best creative players in the world

Toni - One of the best goalscorers in the world

And that's just the blindingly obvious ones, so how you or anyone can claim they didn't deserve to be world champions is something I'll never understand.

I fucking love Italian football and I'm not going to apologise for it. But that's just me, I'd love to hear any interesting arguments folk have to the contrary.

sorry, I've been away from my comp for a couple days. I hadn't actually considered their formation but that's quite a good observation, and you're right about playing to your strengths.

I think in general I just get fed up with the way they'll get a goal and then seem content to sit back for most of the game after that. I know that's a cliche but no smoke without fire and all that and I certainly dont remember seeing Italy win many games by more than 2 clear goals. Their passing is exceptional, no denying that, but i just feel they lack a real exciting attacking edge. Toni is alright but you could hardly call him exciting (unless you're discussing his acting ), Del Piero ain't looking so great these days and Totti's retired too, although I never really thought he was as good as he's made out to be. I guess that leaves Ianquinta who doesn't look too bad and same goes for Di Natale.

They just don't play my sort of game. It's nothing personal.

As for the undeserving thing; I was referring more to the way they got through the Australia game and events that happened during the final as opposed to which of their players make FIFA's list of players of the year or who's on the front of the new PES game. Although there's no doubting the quality of some of their squad, some of them are resting on their reputations. (Zambrotta was a good example on Saturday)

For my money, Germany are still the most consistent and arguably the best football team in Europe right now. Domestic league ain't so great but maybe that's somehting to do with why the national side are so consistent?

[calum]

For my money, Germany are still the most consistent and arguably the best football team in Europe right now. Domestic league ain't so great but maybe that's somehting to do with why the national side are so consistent?

The domestic league's bound to be weak until it recovers from Calciopoli and the exodus to Spain and "innocent" Inter. But the top teams are still strong enough to do their usual - scrape their way through to the latter stages of the Champions League - and give it a few years and I reckon Juve are gonna be back to helping Milan irritate the hell out of the overrated English teams and their smug, self-righteous media.

[Shaki]

small parochial mercies

:up:

[RossP]

:up:

skills to pay the bills!!

Absolutely delighted!!!

Have this....

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[scottST]

i give mcclaren about 24 hours before he's unemployed

that was a woeful game of football.

no british teams at euro 2008 then? surely thats a first?

[calum]

I can now forgive Bilic for getting Laurent Blanc sent off in the France '98 semis

In other news, Home Nations type competition next year anyone?

[scottyboy]

I can now forgive Bilic for getting Laurent Blanc sent off in the France '98 semis

In other news, Home Nations type competition next year anyone?

i think england would be too scared of embarresment 8-)

[scottST]

i'd fancy our chances!

[Jim Stax]

If Engerland got through that's all we would hear about for an age. They don't get through and all we will hear about for an age is, well, guess what. I want a match between Scotland and England soon! The right royal England team is being taken down a peg or two. After all they are expected to win everything all the time with the players believing their own hype... Ha!

[delboy]

engerland losing tonight should make the FA sit up and take notice about how appaling the team is and how useless the manager is. and mclown has the hard neck to say he isn't quitting!!! as soon as i saw the 4-5-1 formation i knew they were doomed. fair play to croatia who played superbly and fully deserved the victory.

at this time scotland would beat england i feel. just as well i long gave up giving any kind of a flying fig about the english national side, i'm as happy as most of the scots about england not qualifying.

[scottST]

engerland losing tonight should make the FA sit up and take notice about how appaling the team is and how useless the manager is. and mclown has the hard neck to say he isn't quitting!!!

don't worry, he'll surely be turfed by lunchtime tomorrow, FA meeting at half 8 in the morning, so expect press conference for around about 1....?

[delboy]

the useless buffoon should have done the decent thing and immediately resigned. it was always apparent from the off he was about 10th choice for the job and way out of his depth.

as for a replacement - has to be jose mourinho or martin o neill.

[calum]

England's tactical (and I include the players in that) and technical ineptitude is incredible. I find it hilarious how arrogant they and their media can be and how patronising they can be about other nations' styles of play, when virtually any non-minnows can outpass them. And I don't see it changing because I can't see the English public ever accepting a truly continental style of play, so there just won't be the pressure for REAL change.

Anyone else think Bilic's post-match interview was not only spot on but truly heroic?

[delboy]

England's tactical (and I include the players in that) and technical ineptitude is incredible. I find it hilarious how arrogant they and their media can be and how patronising they can be about other nations' styles of play, when virtually any non-minnows can outpass them. And I don't see it changing because I can't see the English public ever accepting a truly continental style of play, so there just won't be the pressure for REAL change.

Anyone else think Bilic's post-match interview was not only spot on but truly heroic?

well said on all accounts. i hate the sort of shit the english media come out with such as 'none of the croatia or russia team would get in the england starting eleven' what nonsense, i'd take most of those croatian players. they played with such true grit and determination and most importantly passion. i thought when the croatians were stroking the ball around just before they got the winner that england were holding back far too much.

the current state of the english national team is the same as it was for france around 15 years ago when they failed to qualify for world cups and euro championships. the whole game needs a severe overhaul from grass roots upwards.

and bilic was spot on with what he said. under mclown england just dont work as a unit and cannot handle the pressure of the big games.

[Johnny Mac]

Great result. That's for you Adrian Durham (wanker who presents drive time on Sports Talk radio).

Laugh when Scotland got beat by Italy did you?!

I was pissing myself after 8 mins.

Get it right up you!

Pity for Northern Ireland though...... would have liked to see them qualify.

[Chris]

SCOTLAND DIES LAUGHING

TRIBUTES are being paid to Scotland this morning after the entire country laughed itself to death.

The alarm was first raised at around 10pm last night as thousands of phone calls and text messages went unanswered.

Small groups of volunteers from Berwick-Upon-Tweed and Carlisle ventured north just after midnight only to find houses full of dead people gathered around still blaring television sets.

By dawn, as RAF helicopters flew over deserted city streets, it was clear that the whole country had suffered a catastrophic abdominal rupture.

Wayne Hayes, a special constable from Northumberland, said: "We went into one house in Dunbar and found three men sitting on the sofa with huge smiles on their faces, still holding cans of 70 shilling. They seemed to be at peace."

He added: "In a house near Edinburgh we found a man face down on the living room floor with his trousers and pants round his knees.

"It seems he may have been showing his bare buttocks to the television when he keeled over."

Roy Hobbs, a civil engineer from Northampton, said: "I got a call from my friend Ian in Stirling at about 9.50pm.

"He was already laughing when I answered the phone, but after about 25 minutes of the most vigorous and uncontrollable hilarity, everything suddenly went very quiet."

Moving tributes are already being placed along the Scotland-England border with many mourners opting to leave a simple bag of chips or a deep fried bunch of flowers.