Hampden Park, 12/10/10

Well this was much brighter. Two good goals and coming from behind to equalise. Against the World Champions* too. It just shows the benefits of having a go sometimes. Mind you I only watched the highlights show at 11.05.

The timidity of the (lack of) ambition in evidence against Lithuania and in the Czech Rep was shown up by this performance. We are capable of creating chances and of scoring them – even against the best. Okay it was at home and with a fierce vocal backing. But Spain are a much greater force than the two teams from whom we filched merely one point and who now have four and three respectively in our mini tournament to decide the upper lower (or lower upper if you prefer) placings in the group. Spain will win it overall, Liechtenstein will be bottom.

It’s all left us with too much to do.

*The official World Champions. Japan (!) are now the unofficial World Champions. That title has changed hands twice now since the World Cup.

Synot Tip Arena, Prague, 8/10/10

This was grim: and we got what we deserved. I hope Jim Chapman wasn’t watching, it might have given him wild ideas.

I joked to a work mate today we should play 10-0. What we got was a remarkably similar formation, 4-6-0. I would have been better off – and more excited – watching paint dry.

If you don’t play any forwards you can’t get the ball upfield. If you can’t get the ball upfield you can’t score. And that’s the whole point of the game.

Okay, if you don’t concede you don’t lose. But you can’t win.

Craig Levein’s tactics today ensured that Scotland would not win.

Was he using this as some sort of a trial run for playing Spain? (I know he denied it after the game but watch what formation he sends out against Spain in Spain. If he’s still there. )

If so it was at the least unwise. (I doubt whether we have the players capable of sustaining this system.) And the Czech Republic didn’t look very great shakes, not all that incisive going forward even after we had to come out a bit and, though they were never really under pressure, insecure at the back . They also appeared very get-at-able when Scotland went 4-4-2.

This could have been an opportunity for a win (unlikely but possible.)

And it was spurned.

Hampden Park, 7/9/10.

On the highlights (there were highlights?) Liechtenstein looked like a team. They were comfortable in possession, passing the ball, running in support, and in Mario Frick they had a very good player in their ranks – who took his goal superbly but ought to have been closed down to prevent it happening. Every time they got the ball I thought – they’re going to score, they’re going to score – and eventually they did.

Scotland looked nothing like a team, disjointed, unable to make the simplest pass or run, scared of possession: but got out of jail.

There is no point dreaming of qualification – notwithstanding the fact that Lithuania won in the Czech Rep last night (we won’t) – and even if by some miracle we do qualify what’s the use? We’d only get humped in every game in the finals; or the play-offs.

Even the chance to become unofficial world champions has now been taken away after Spain were demolished by Argentina yesterday.

Dariaus Ir Gireno Stadium, Kaunas, 3/9/10.

This was so frustrating. I expected Lithuania to be much better than they were. Given that we were so dominant in the first half while playing an essentially defensive formation why not change to something more attacking at half-time? (That was also the perfect time to replace Scott Brown who had become a liability.)

As it was McFadden wasn’t brought on till 25 minutes to go which didn’t give him enough time to be effective. Not that the ball was delivered to him often enough anyway.

And Kris Boyd wasn’t brought on at all: whatever you think of him he’s more of a natural goalscorer than anything we had on show in the starting line-up.

We’ll probably struggle against Liechtenstein on Tuesday night too.

Spain, now, we just might beat when they come round. We’re perverse that way.

Champions League Final, Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, 22/5/10

Finals are rarely exciting games. This one lived up to that billing.

Bayern were never able to get at Inter. Whether it was the absence of Franck Ribéry or not, they threaded too many attacks through Arjen Robben. This was despite the fact that Hamit Altıntop was having more joy down the left than Robben was on the right. I thought it was a strange substitution by Louis Van Gaal to replace him. Inter were well set up to counter Robben’s efforts and looked more vulnerable via Altintop.

Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder linked well for Inter and the goals were beautifully taken.

So the special one succeeds again.

He does seem to get the best out of players.

Edited to add:- For a major final the first goal was very route 1.

So, according to City analysts we needn’t bother watching the football fest in South Africa this summer.

A team at J P Morgan has crunched the numbers and come up with the eventual winners.

And (surprise, surprise) it’s England.

Well, I too have a model for World Cup performance.

Mine is based on past form and results in World Cups and other International Championships.

On that basis I make it that England will not have a sniff at it and instead will go out in the quarter-finals.

(Probably on penalties.)

You read it here first.

Europa League Final, Hamburg Arena, 12/5/10

I thought this game was dominated by defensive organisation. There certainly weren’t many clear cut chances. Both first half goals were not so much created as slightly, or completely, fluked.

Fulham seemed to tire in extra time. I think the main problem though, like with Rangers a couple of seasons ago, was this was a one-off game with no home tie to bolster your chances and no ten-men-behind-the-ball in the away leg.

A fit Bobby Zamora (the way he’s been playing in this competition) might have made a difference but this one may have been just a game too far for Fulham.

It’s good that Atletico have eclipsed Real for once, though.

Hampden Park, 3/3/10.

Totally meaningless for the future qualifying campaign of course, but a win’s a win and especially welcome for being the first in a home friendly for umpteen years.

Craig Levein may make us hard to beat again.

Can’t see us being easy on the eye, though.

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Spain.

The last two in this list mean we’ve virtually no chance of qualifying.

Barring a miracle.

Africa Cup of Nations, Final, 11^th November National Stadium, Luanda, 31/1/10

A forgettable first half, followed by an upturn in the last twenty minutes as Ghana started to push forward having restricted Egypt and making them resort to handballs and falling over in the penalty area.

The goal when it came was a beauty, though; exquisitely taken by Gedo.

Ghana may be dark horses in the World Cup if they forsake the caution they showed here. They’ll have a fair few experienced players back by then.

Strange that Egypt are so strong in the Cup of Nations and can’t seem to qualify for the bigger event.