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Euro qualifiers thread


Alphas

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So we got:

Spain

Czech Republic

Lithuania

Liechtenstein

Not a bad draw overall. I think the Czech Republic was a decent enough team to pull from pot 2 and the Spain game sets up a cracker at Hampden. In the past we've done well against the big teams such as Holland, Italy and France at home so hopefully we'll give them a game.

Whilst I'd expect England to go through in their group, quite a few potential banana skins there.

Looking forward to Levein's first team selection to see who he calls up. The friendly against the Czech's in a month is going to be interesting.

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You never know.

4 wins from Lithuania and Lichtenstein and a cheeky win out of the Czechs at Hampden and that'll be us.

This is however silly talk as it's never as easy as that for us. I was hoping for another Faroe Islands match :(

Remember when we struggled against the Faroes away from home in the Berti Vogts days? Bad times..........

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Guest Gladstone

4 out of 4 against Lithuania and Lichtenstein is what we should get, but what we never seem to get.

Remember we beat France home and away, but got pissed on by Georgia away from home. That's the sort of shit we normally pull.

What's the qualification set-up? If we get second are we into the Euros? We really need to win our home games - against Spain and Czech, that will obviously be a big ask, but we've beat the best there before. But if we can pick up away wins against the 2 smaller teams, we can maybe afford to drop points to Spain. You have to imagine that both Spain and Czech will beat the 2 small teams twice as well though.

I honestly can't see us getting out of this group. We shouldn't have been in bloody pot 3 after all the hard work in that group with France and Italy. We should have been at worst second in our last group, but we totally ballsed that up!

Hope I'm wrong and we win every game, then go onto win the tournament...

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The road to the finals kicks off in September through to October 2011 with the nine group winners automatically qualifying for the tournament together with the runner-up with the best overall record.

The eight other runners-up will then face play-offs over two legs in November 2011.

from BBC Sport - Football - England face Wales in Euro 2012 qualifying group

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Guest Gladstone
We always seem to get a hoor of a group.

Hopefully we can get second.

The friendly against the czechs in a few weeks time should be a good indicator of the task ahead!

The last group we had was the best we've had for a while. If McLeish was still the manager, I'm confident we'd have got the play-offs at least. What might happen this time is we do well, get to the play-offs then get knocked out - our ranking goes up, we actually get into pot 2, Levein gets poached by a Premiership club, and we appoint another shite manager to fuck up our rating again for the next good manager to come in and land in a group with 3 of the best teams in the world.

Maybe I'm just a cynical bastard.

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It's a tall order for Scotland to qualify but not impossible. Scotland have a frustrating knack of doing well against the big teams, especially at home, then performing poorly against the more rubbish teams, especially away. Beating Spain and Czech Republic at home is a must I feel, very very tough of course but teams dinna like going to Hampden. From an Englishman, good luck anyways, I'd love to see Scotland in a major championship again, it will happen one day!

As for England, it should be quite straightforward and I agree they have been given a favourable group. Wales will be good, always like playing our near neighbours but I'd be very disappointed if England didnt qualify from the group with relative ease. If I gave a shit, which in all honesty I don't these days!

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In theory, an easy group for England. Bulgaria and the Swiss will be reasonable opponents, but shouldn't be too threatening. If England get through that campaign like they did the World Cup qualifiers, then there'll be no problems. I guess it depends on the sort of squad they will have by then. Such as a cemented strike partner for Rooney, and sorting out the jigsaw that is the midfield, instead of playing Gerrard on the left wing, where he is 0% effective, and Gaz Baz, who is 1,000% overrated. I like percentages. Especially made up ones.

Wingers are a problem too. We've got a handful of these fast little nippers who have little technique or vision, yet great deliverers of the ball like Milner, Joe Cole and even Downing are being pushed out of the equations for headless chickens like Shaun Wright bastard Phillips.

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I'm going for "there's no fucking way we can qualify" in an attempt to protect myself from the major disappointment that I've felt every 2 years since 1998.

I can just tell now that hope will return at some point only to be dashed in the 97th minute of the "must win" game against Spain at Hampden as Nacho Novo outpaces a decrepit, grey haired David Weir to handle the ball into the net for an undeserved equaliser.

...or something equally as sickening.

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Does Nacho even get picked for the national side? Surely there is bus loads of strikers that would be in before him?

I was jesting, just picking a scenario that would be the ultimate sickener. I think he's 30 or older so his chances of international football are pretty slim.....unless Levein calls him up (it was actually a story about a year ago that Novo might get called up for Scotland)

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I'm going for "there's no fucking way we can qualify" in an attempt to protect myself from the major disappointment that I've felt every 2 years since 1998.

I can just tell now that hope will return at some point only to be dashed in the 97th minute of the "must win" game against Spain at Hampden as Nacho Novo outpaces a decrepit, grey haired David Weir to handle the ball into the net for an undeserved equaliser.

...or something equally as sickening.

Yes, but I always aim low to avoid disappointment. Right up until we get so close that I actually think we will qualify and I am obsessed. Enough of this aiming low. I think Scotland will win the European Championship. Spain are shit, especially Torres and Villa; not a patch on Kenny Miller with all his composure. Mackie for Scotland.

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Guest Gladstone
Yes, but I always aim low to avoid disappointment. Right up until we get so close that I actually think we will qualify and I am obsessed. Enough of this aiming low. I think Scotland will win the European Championship. Spain are shit, especially Torres and Villa; not a patch on Kenny Miller with all his composure. Mackie for Scotland.

I am exactly this. It used to be different - I used to get optimistic after seeing who we'd drawn in the group and we only needed to be second to qualify automatically, but since they started all this play-off nonsense, I've always nearly not even cared about it, until there's a match, and I get all excited about it, but keep telling myself we won't qualify right up until the game that we balls it up.

Just before that point, there's not really been anything going wrong, despite the fact we're punching well above our weight a lot of the time, results have gone our way, all we need to do is beat [insert pish team name here] away from home, and we'll be in a magic position to qualify, and we get humped. Then all we're left with is slim hopes of qualification, that last right till the final game, where we need to beat the world champions 8-0, whilst all the other teams in our group get beat at the same time, but you never know, maybe Kenny Miller will find the back of the net at a crucial time instead of falling over the ball, maybe the world won't conspire against us this time, maybe all our dreams will come true and we'll get into the tournament and England won't. Then we can gloat for all of 2 weeks till we get dumped out in the first round like in the glory days...

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I don't think aiming for second place is the wisest idea - Spain aren't always on their A-game in qualifying for tournaments and if Levein can get his best XI out against them, I wouldn't be surprised if we could 'do a France' on them. The Czechs look a bit of a spent force TBH.

(Having said all this, we'll need a final day victory at home to Lichtenstien to qualify and lose 2-1, because that's the way it rolls.....)

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Probably something like this.....

Lithuania 2-1 Scotland

(Levein disappointed but points out there is a long way to go yet. SFA to make official complaint to FIFA about diving)

Scotland 0-0 Czech Republic

(Levein frustrated but points out there is a long way to go yet. Hints he might drop Kenny Miller for the next game. Evening Express suggest Darren Mackie could earn a call up due to scoring twice in one game. The story travels no further than the north east)

Scotland 4-0 Liechtenstein

(Let's not kid ourselves about the quality of the opposition - they were poor)

Spain 5-0 Scotland

(Let's not kid ourselves about the quality of the opposition - they are world cup champions/runners up)

Liechtenstein 1-3 Scotland

(with the Czechs dropping points in Vilnius confidence soars - as long as it's possible we will keep trying)

Czech Republic 1-1 Scotland

(Levein wins plaudits for solid, confident away performance. Have the Scots turned the corner?)

Scotland 3-1 Lithuania

(Czechs lose by 3 in Madrid meaning we are tied on points and goal difference for second place going into the last match. We have to beat Spain at Hampden to stand a chance with the Czechs likely to brush Liechtenstein aside in Prague. We can only do our best - the Spanish have already qualified but are a proud nation who will be trying to win)

Scotland 2-1 Spain

(Czechs win by two in Prague and get second spot. Levein is proud of the boys recent form and thinks we were unlucky. It was back in Vilnius and against the Czechs at Hampden last September that killed us)

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Guest Gladstone
Probably something like this.....

Lithuania 2-1 Scotland

(Levein disappointed but points out there is a long way to go yet. SFA to make official complaint to FIFA about diving)

Scotland 0-0 Czech Republic

(Levein frustrated but points out there is a long way to go yet. Hints he might drop Kenny Miller for the next game. Evening Express suggest Darren Mackie could earn a call up due to scoring twice in one game. The story travels no further than the north east)

Scotland 4-0 Liechtenstein

(Let's not kid ourselves about the quality of the opposition - they were poor)

Spain 5-0 Scotland

(Let's not kid ourselves about the quality of the opposition - they are world cup champions/runners up)

Liechtenstein 1-3 Scotland

(with the Czechs dropping points in Vilnius confidence soars - as long as it's possible we will keep trying)

Czech Republic 1-1 Scotland

(Levein wins plaudits for solid, confident away performance. Have the Scots turned the corner?)

Scotland 3-1 Lithuania

(Czechs lose by 3 in Madrid meaning we are tied on points and goal difference for second place going into the last match. We have to beat Spain at Hampden to stand a chance with the Czechs likely to brush Liechtenstein aside in Prague. We can only do our best - the Spanish have already qualified but are a proud nation who will be trying to win)

Scotland 2-1 Spain

(Czechs win by two in Prague and get second spot. Levein is proud of the boys recent form and thinks we were unlucky. It was back in Vilnius and against the Czechs at Hampden last September that killed us)

And this turnaround of the team, will win Levein plaudits, and he'll get scouted out by a Premiership team, and offered a wad of cash. The SFA will accept compensation of two 24 packs of Tennents, and we'll have to give Craig Brown his old job back. Or worse still, Jim Jeffries will be appointed.

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