Scottish football

[The Celtic View]

Confused by this? If Iceland has half the population of Glasgow, on your basis surely Scotland should be more than capable of performing to their level?

Yes they should, but I would say Iceland is an exception to the rule.

 

[The Celtic View]

What? No. If it was all about population then China would be the best team in the world.

The fact Scotland are an embarrassment and haven’t qualified for a tournament in several generations is not because of an accident of geography. In fact the Iceland example pretty much obliterates that argument right there.

Let me get this right. Are you saying the amount of players a country has to choose from has no bearing on how it performs?

 

[The Celtic View]

A la aberdeen.
Thanks for the reminder.

Celtic struggled to get past Astana a couple of times.

 

[Moomin]

Let me get this right. Are you saying the amount of players a country has to choose from has no bearing on how it performs?

Your country has a professional league with many divisions and clubs to select players from.

A vast amount of more players than the likes of Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Iceland combined.

The fact is you are crap at football, you can try to bring demographics in to defend Scotland's attempt to try and play football.

 

[MikeH72]

Let me get this right. Are you saying the amount of players a country has to choose from has no bearing on how it performs?

I’m saying it is far from the sole reason, or even the main reason, which you seemed to be implying.

 

[MikeH72]

Your country has a professional league with many divisions and clubs to select players from.

A vast amount of more players than the likes of Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Iceland combined.

The fact is you are crap at football, you can try to bring demographics in to defend Scotland's attempt to try and play football.

Don’t even have to use the Iceland example, we can look a little closer to home at Northern Ireland and Wales. Both with similar pools of talent to choose from, both with sub-par domestic leagues (some even semi-pro), yet both have performed well enough to at the very least make up the numbers at tournaments. It is not a valid excuse for Scotland being so bad.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Can't wait for Leicester to cash in on Ben Chillwell and for Brendan to go and buy Tierney.

Leicester will be in for one hell of a windfall in 2-3 years if they do

 

[The Celtic View]

Your country has a professional league with many divisions and clubs to select players from.

A vast amount of more players than the likes of Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Iceland combined.

The fact is you are crap at football, you can try to bring demographics in to defend Scotland's attempt to try and play football.

You didn't answer my question. I'll try again. Are you saying the amount of players a country has to choose from has no bearing on how it performs?

 

[MikeH72]

You didn't answer my question. I'll try again. Are you saying the amount of players a country has to choose from has no bearing on how it performs?

Think he pretty much is saying that mate. It would explain why Belgium are one of the best teams in the world and China or the USA aren’t.

 

[The Celtic View]

I’m saying it is far from the sole reason, or even the main reason, which you seemed to be implying.

Really? Can you point out where I said, or implied, it was the sole reason, please? Iirc, I posted this "Maybe if Scotland had ten times the amount of players to choose from they may do slightly better?"

I think the vast majority of reasonable folk would concede that saying if you had ten times the players to choose from your team/country might do slightly better is pretty far from saying it's the sole reason for them doing badly.

 

[MikeH72]

Really? Can you poin tout where I said, or imply it was the sole reason, please? Iirc, I posted this "Maybe if Scotland had ten times the amount of players to choose from they may do slightly better?"

I think the vast majority of reasonable folk would concede that saying if you had ten times the players to choose from your team/country might do slightly better is pretty far from saying it's the sole reason for them doing badly.

It’s not one of the main reasons either. It’s barely even a reason.

 

[The Celtic View]

Think he pretty much is saying that mate. It would explain why Belgium are one of the best teams in the world and China or the USA aren’t.

That's a bogus comparison.. Neither of those countries are what you'd call football countries. Belgium have a golden generation of players at the moment, though I concede Belgium are a good football nation in general.

 

[The Celtic View]

It’s not one of the main reasons either. It’s barely even a reason.

Seriously? The amount of players you have to choose from is barely a reason for how a team performs?

 

[MikeH72]

That's a bogus comparison.. Neither of those countries are what you'd call football countries. Belgium have a golden generation of players at the moment, though I concede Belgium are a good football nation in general.

What does that even mean? You can’t just apply the population excuse for Scotland and no one else. Ok what about this one, why is the Netherlands such a historically great footballing nation but Russia isn’t?

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

What does that even mean? You can’t just apply the population excuse for Scotland and no one else. Ok what about this one, why is the Netherlands such a historically great footballing nation but Russia isn’t?

Russia are a traditionally respected international team, dating back to the likes of Yashin in the 60's

Back during the USSR days they often went into tournaments with a chance of doing well, and in fact played in a World Cup semi final at Goodison park no less in 1966

In fact, losing the chance to draw from the rest of the communist block has actively made them worse, which doesn't really support your point. They were demonstrably better when they had a bigger pool they could draw from