Why Are Scotland Rubbish?

14 October 2013 17:25
When I was a kid, half of the Newcastle team was Scottish. What has gone wrong?

John McNamee, Tommy Gibb, Bob Moncur, Tony Green, Dave Hilley, Jackie Sinclair, Jinky Jimmy, Tommy Craig, etc.

There were so many legends even before them - Hughie Gallacher, Frank Brennan, Bobby Mitchell, Jimmy Scoular.

So why is Scotland the joke of world football?

Gordon Strachan is relaxed about Croatia boss Igor Stimac's seemingly low-key attitude to his side's final 2014 World Cup qualifier against Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday night.

The hosts have no chance of reaching the finals in Brazil next summer while the Croats will go into the play-offs next month after losing to Group A winners Belgium on Friday.

After arriving in Glasgow on Monday, Stimac was quoted as saying the game would be a "kind of a training session" for his side, to which Scots boss Strachan said: "He can have any comments he wants. I like Igor, a nice fella.

"I spent time with him in Poland (during Euro 2012), I've known him since he was at Derby.

"It depends if he said training or experimenting. Experiment is completely different from training.

"I look forward to seeing him. He is a good man, he organises his team well and we wish him all the best in the play-offs."

One of the last Jock heroes at St James' Park, Mark McGhee, has urged Scotland not to dwell on the past as they aim to secure their first home win of the World Cup qualifying campaign.  Mark McGhee: "We have to play in the present.

"One of the things we've got to do is not worry about what it's been like previously.

"You look at each game in isolation and not the fact that you've not won in so many games.

"If you do that, you've got a better chance.

"Being the last game in the campaign, finishing with a win against Croatia at Hampden would set everyone's thoughts tingling for the next campaign. Of course it would.

"It would get everyone excited and would be a marvellous way to sign off.

"But I think we are getting ahead of ourselves, I think there's a lot of work to do before that will be the case.

"I think the expectation comes not only from the result against Croatia.

"I think it's the performance against England, it's the performance and result in Macedonia and even parts of the performance against Belgium.

"That's where the expectation has grown again.

"It's not a bad thing. The players require a certain pressure on them to bring the best out of them.

"I think players play better under that sort of pressure.

"The supporters are entitled to think that they should expect to see a top commitment performance and a much-improved passing performance and hopefully out of that comes a result."

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NEWCASTLE UNITED 2013/14

PREMIER LEAGUE

CARDIFF CITY 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Remy 2)Krul, Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon, Tiote, Cabaye (86' Ben Arfa), Gouffran, Sissoko, Remy (71' Gutierrez), Cisse Subs: Anita, Yanga-Mbiwa, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett

EVERTON 3 NEWCASTLE 2 (Cabaye, Remy)Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa (46' Williamson), Coloccini, Santon, Tiote, Anita (69' Cisse), Ben Arfa (46' Cabaye), Sissoko, Gouffran, Remy Subs: Elliot, Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett

NEWCASTLE 2 HULL CITY 3 (Remy 2)Krul, Debuchy (86' Tiote), Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Cabaye (62' Gouffran), Anita, Sissoko, Ben Arfa, Cisse (73' Marveaux), Remy Subs: Williamson, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett

ASTON VILLA 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Ben Arfra, Gouffran)Krul, Debuchy, Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon, Anita (74' Tiote), Cabaye (88' Sammy Ameobi), Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Remy (63' Gouffran), Cisse Subs: Elliot, Marveaux, S Taylor, Dummett

NEWCASTLE 1 FULHAM 0 (Ben Arfa)Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita 65' (Cabaye), Marveaux 74' (Remy), Shola Ameobi 65' (Gouffran), Cisse Subs: Gosling, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett

NEWCASTLE 0 WEST HAM 0Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita, Marveaux 66' (Sammy Ameobi), Shola Ameobi, Cisse 72'Subs: Gosling, Bigirimana, Elliot, Vuckic, Dummett

MAN CITY 4 NEWCASTLE 0Krul, Debuchy, Coloccini, S Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Sissoko, Tiote, Gouffran 45+4' (Dummett), Ben Arfa 65' (Sammy Ameobi), Gutierrez 44' (Anita), Cisse Subs: Elliot, Marveaux, Shola Ameobi, Obertan

LEAGUE CUP

NEWCASTLE 2 LEEDS UTD 0 (Cisse, Gouffran)Krul, Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Gouffran (90' Vuckic), Anita (80' Gosling), Tiote, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Cisse (71' Obertan).Subs: Ben Arfa, Yanga-Mbiwa, Bigirimana, Alnwick

MORECAMBE 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi)Elliot, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Good, Dummett, Bigirimana, Gosling, Marveaux 88' (Sissoko), Vuckic 46' (Shola Ameobi), Sammy Ameobi, Gouffran 71' (Ben Arfa)Subs: Santon, Anita, Alnwick, Streete

Newcastle United Fixtures

 Saturday October 19 12:45 Premier LeagueNewcastle United v Liverpool

Sunday October 2713:30 Premier LeagueSunderland v Newcastle United

Wednesday October 3019:45 League Cup - 4th RndNewcastle United v Manchester City

Saturday November 212:45 Premier LeagueNewcastle United v Chelsea

Sunday November 1012:00 Premier LeagueTottenham v Newcastle United

 

 

Source: Newcastle United Mad

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