Chris Iwelumo v Kris Boyd
Posted in Scotland at 14:43 on 14 October 2008
Okay. It was a bad miss. But if Scotland have any pretensions at all to World Cup qualification it shouldn’t have mattered. Norway should have been put to bed long before.
It is possible people got carried away by the two results against France. Neither they nor Italy (who beat us twice) did anything at the Euros and France are still struggling. Scotland may be lucky to finish second bottom of this group now.
Kris Boyd’s decision to quit – while understandable – is a bit, “It’s ma ba’ and ah’m goin’ hame.”
From the way some pundits have been talking you’d think Kris Boyd has never missed a sitter in his life. As I recall he has, and in a crucially high profile game – against Villareal late on – where if he had scored Rangers would have got to the Champions League quarter final on away goals. There is no guarantee he would have scored if he had played on Saturday, though I would have probably put him on.
But I’m not on the inside. Arguably Boyd’s reaction proves George Burley’s point.
Chris Iwelumo is likely to bust a gut for Scotland now (if he gets another game.)
(Stands back and waits for brickbats.)
The Tomahawk Kid
14 October 2008 at 15:39
Have to agree. Seems a bit petulant to me.
To read some people’s comments on the web you would think that the man had never, ever missed in all his playing career. He is Kris Boyd FFS not Kenny Wilson!!! [For the pedants out there, this is a joke comment. I know Kenny missed hunners of chances]
I actually thought the Big Guy + More Mobile Striker combination worked pretty well in the second half. Yes, big Chris had an absolute nightmare miss but I would challenge anyone to name a striker who hasn’t.
You have to wonder about Boyd’s attitude, anyone with his record should be a first choice. The fact that he isn’t, for a number of different managers, suggests that there is another factor at play here.
Bigrab
15 October 2008 at 21:21
BUT
Put yourself in Bela Lugosi’s position 57 minutes in on Saturday. Do you take a chance with a player with a bad attitude (7 goals in seven starts with Scotland) or with a player with no international track record at all?
Boyd is an enigma. He’s a lazy bastard. He’s the man to send on against Norway. So Burley puts someone on the bench that he’s decided beforehand (clear from his comments on Monday) he’s not going to use?
I can’t believe the way people are rallying round to support this buffoon.
jackdeighton
15 October 2008 at 22:12
Like I said, Rab. I would have put Boyd on.
But I suspect that the result would have been no different.
BTW even if we do now finish second we won’t be in the play offs – we have the worst record of the second placed teams at present.
MrH
17 October 2008 at 12:59
“Long time listner, first time caller…”
I have to say that i think Iwelumo made a huge difference in the second half for scotland. Faddy (as much as you have to love him) was completely invisible for 45min.
Burley is not doing it for me but whats the alternative? Souness? I think we need to give him time. Scotland play good football which we have never done before and our biggest problem is we have no one capable of consistantly scoring goals.