Being from Scotland, he should know!

We shouldn’t laugh because this could be happening to ourselves pretty soon. 

3-0 now 

Even I don't think we can be as bad as this! A lot of rumours that McLeish has been hitting the bottle hard and has a problem. Their defence has been in tatters, but their midfield, which looks alright on paper, has been dreadful on grass.

Out of the group after ten minutes must be a record, even for Scotland!

Scotland's starting eleven is absolutely muck. (They have a better eleven of players not available / on the bench).

I don't actually recognize any of the names in their back line, and while the likes of Armstrong, McGinn and Forrest are half decent attacking players, all are too lightweight and lack any real physical presence in midfield.

Surprised that McTominay didn't start, he would have done a better job at breaking up the play and starting attacks.

McGregor is a brutal choice for captaincy too.

Should be highlighted that the likes of Kazakhstan, Georgia and even Azerbaijan are always hard to play away against and usually have two or three nifty players who keep the ball well.

They usually struggle in front of goal but have been clinical tonight.  

Probably an argument to be made that naturally these countries produce technically better footballers than us and Scotland do but often lack in other areas.

That what shows up Strachan's ridiculous statement of it being harder to qualify now than 30 years ago for what it is. For the 1988 qualifiers you had us (when we were really good) Belgium, Bulgaria (when they were really good) and Scotland in a group with only the winners qualifying. Nothing even for coming second. Only 8 teams in the finals!

They'll f**k that up too

 

Got a hunch they wil see off San Marino.

I can't remember how the playoffs work, if we get a play-off can we get them? It might be our only hope!

Must be hard supporting rangers these days 

Finland, Serbia or Norway providing none of those qualify automatically  

Not a happy bunch

Scotland will probably draw 0-0 on Sunday 

Made my opinions abundantly clear over on the TAMB 

Read that. You reckon Clarke or Billic are realistic  ?

Ritchie asked to be excused from internationals for a while. So he can go and get f**ked. We don't want players with stinking commitment.

Also he just wasn't really all that good in the games he played. I'd rather give young uns' like David Turnbull, Glenn Middleton or Jake Hastie a run out before ever bringing back Ritchie.

@Denis Irwin

Billic, I'd love. However I'm a realist. He won't give up his current lucrative job in the Gulf unless a big club side want him or Croatia one day ask him back.

Clarke should be approached without a doubt. Does he want the hassle though ? I don't know.

It's been suggested over on the TAMB that it would be typical of the SFA to appoint Malky Mackay (our current "performance director") or Scot Gemmill (current U21 Manager) and I could see that being what will happen.

McLeish's big problem is that he has been an absolute coward dealing with the club sides. 

He lets them withdraw the players for the most pathetic of reasons just so there won't be any bad blood. For all his many faults, Gordon Strachan at least never bent over backwards like that.

Why he had ye playing some decent stuff during the nations league didnt he? However i did look at this game over the last few days and think ye would lose. I didnt get to the bookies in time to back kaz. It was 2 nil by the time i got there. I was raging. Whats this i heard about players pulling out cause of the plastic pitch? If that happened with our players we would be mad with rage. 

Robertson and Fraser are probably our best players but Robbo was out with a dental abscess and as for Fraser, Bournemouth have been utter kunts regarding him and the national team, they pull him out of squads frequently. 

Armstrong is not bad for us but I think the lack of game time recently at Southampton shows at present. We missed Christie too.

A lot of fans are criticising Scott McKenna for today and he did play badly but they ignore the fact he's playing after suffering a bad injury at the weekend which probably should have ruled him out. McKenna is a lad who really does enjoy playing for Scotland and has probably naively played when he shouldn't have.

We played fairly well against Albania home and away and Israel at home but apart from that it's been dire. 

Bournemouth didn't want Fraser playing on the plastic and Cardiff didn't want Paterson playing on it either. McLeish just gave in to them rather than doing his job and saying "get f**ked" like he should have.

Sheffield Wednesday also did one on us. Gave Steven Fletcher injections for ages and then scheduled an operation for the international break. Thanks ye pricks.

It was the same for the South American tour when half the original squad pulled out after "talks with the clubs", he's terrified of upsetting them. The actions of a coward.

The players don't respect him and it shows. 

And watch him being interviewed. My God, look at the state of him, he is not well and should be getting help and not managing a football team under huge pressure. Not a very PC thing to say, a few didn't like me saying it over on the TAMB, but it's the ugly truth.

Robert Snodgrass it's rumoured had a bust up with McLeish after the Israel away game. 

Matt Ritchie is no loss, he was poor at international level and had a bad attitude. 

James McArthur was hit and miss at international level, one great game followed by a piss poor one. 

Alan McGregor is a **** of a man without a shadow of a doubt but he's also a damn good goalkeeper. We will be hard pressed to replace him.

Tierney, Robertson, Fraser are all big losses. 

Paterson is not a great player but still handy because of the amount of positions he can play and his energy. Cardiff didn't want him playing on the plastic and McLeish bent over backwards for them.

Steven Fletcher is I think overrated by many of my fellow fans but I have to admit that with Griffiths unavailable (feck knows whats happening there) and Steven Naismith injured, we have to pick him and as I said Wednesday f**ked us over with the injections and operation.

Of course we're f**ked. Completely. Got the good SFA's "jobs for the boys" policy to thank on that front. 

In their defence some of them do care. 

Robertson is always up for the internationals but the dental problame was bad luck, he might rejoin the squad for the San Marino game. Kieren Tierney flew out to Kazakstan only to be ruled out. And I've always been impressed with Stuart Armstrong, Scott McKenna and Calum McGregor's commitment.

Since the end of the Craigie Broon reign, although far from being world beaters we always could count on Christian Dailly (who would run through a brick wall for Scotland), Kenny Miller, Gary Caldwell, Graham Alexander, Gary Naysmith, Paul Hartley, Shaun Maloney, Alan Hutton and James Morrison to turn up regularly and give it a go, even if we got beat.

The players of course should take a bloody good look at themselves the manager is incapable and should be replaced with someone who could inspire the players (particularly te younger ones) and stand up to the clubs.

Didn't Graham Taylor once relate a story of how when he was England manager, having an argument with a "Combat 18" type who said "goals scored by black players don't count" ? 

Denis Irwin wrote: Lithuania getting beaten 2-1 by Luxembourg

Yep think Taylor touches on it in "Do I Not Like That"  

I knew a fella from West Cork who didn't count Rooney's goals for Manchester United for the first two seasons. Manchester United shouldn't be signing lads who come from Liverpool, apparently.I think he stopped being scouse after the second season, it might have been earlier or later. 

To be fair to the lad in question, he is one of the maddest lads I have ever met and tremendous fun, but sense rarely enters into the equation with him. 

Wonder if he knew that Matt Busby was a Liverpool player for five years 

Must have fancied himself to get another 

I was in lansdowne when they went 1-0 up against us in 1987 in Euro 88 qualifiers. Thankfully we ended up 2-1 winners 

He knew the history alright and we had that very conversation one night, the details of which are sketchy as there was cider and other vitamin supplements involved, but I do remember a long winded and nonsensical answer that I assume made perfect sense to him.

Looking at the stats though, the Welsh might have been lucky to get the three points : the Slovaks had more possession and more shots on target

Make that 4-2. Arnie 

Their manager is an Austrian and has just thumped his own country !

Initially some Israeli fans were protesting against the appointment of an Austrian to their national team for rather obvious historical reasons.

He was a fine player too.

I've cooled doon a wee bit now. I have been a bit OTT with my criticism of him but aye, he really should go for the good of the country. 

It's very clear that the players have no clear instructions and don't know what he wants of them, others seem not to want to play for Scotland whilst he's the manager.

He is not a well man either. Look at him and listen to him. He should not be managing an international football team with resulting pressures. The SFA should step in and end it but they won't.

Alex McLeish deserves to be remembered as a cracking centre back for Aberdeen and Scotland in the 1980s and for his 2007 spell in charge as manager when we (briefly) got a bit of belief back. Not as the physical and mental wreck he currently is and the shambolic match performance's he's overseeing. 

If Steve Clarke won't take the job (I'm sceptical he will) then I think we should go for a foreigner. I don't want any the probable SFA native choices of Malky Mackay, David Moyes, Derek McInnes or Scot Gemmill.

Quite a lot of the TA were audibly chanting "McLeish out", "McLeish must go", "f**k the SFA", "Sack the board" at today's match.

Oddly enough, if Gordon Strachan had only just ditched some of his favourites like Barry Bannan sooner and called up Stuart Armstrong, Callum McGregor and Ryan Fraser much earlier than he did, he might still have been in a job ! I think that was his downfall at Celtic too, he was too loyal to his old favourites and it cost him.

I've cooled doon a wee bit now. I have been a bit OTT with my criticism of him but aye, he really should go for the good of the country. 

It's very clear that the players have no clear instructions and don't know what he wants of them, others seem not to want to play for Scotland whilst he's the manager.

He is not a well man either. Look at him and listen to him. He should not be managing an international football team with resulting pressures. The SFA should step in and end it but they won't.

Alex McLeish deserves to be remembered as a cracking centre back for Aberdeen and Scotland in the 1980s and for his 2007 spell in charge as manager when we (briefly) got a bit of belief back. Not as the physical and mental wreck he currently is and the shambolic match performance's he's overseeing. 

If Steve Clarke won't take the job (I'm sceptical he will) then I think we should go for a foreigner. I don't want any the probable SFA native choices of Malky Mackay, David Moyes, Derek McInnes or Scot Gemmill.

Quite a lot of the TA were audibly chanting "McLeish out", "McLeish must go", "f**k the SFA", "Sack the board" at today's match.

Oddly enough, if Gordon Strachan had only just ditched some of his favourites like Barry Bannan sooner and called up Stuart Armstrong, Callum McGregor and Ryan Fraser much earlier than he did, he might still have been in a job ! I think that was his downfall at Celtic too, he was too loyal to his old favourites and it cost him.

Do you have any more info on his health than just his appearance? He never looked the healthiest to me!

 

There's quite a lot people who know exactly what's wrong but I don't think I should be posting it on a public forum. However there are other places online that tell you what the problem is.

I'm afraid you've lost me there mate . Care to expand ?

That actually allows me to tell a good story related by Alex Ferguson.

During the 1984 miners strike the Scotland squad met up for their upcoming game. Our manager at that time was of course the immortal Jock Stein, with Alex Ferguson as his assistant manager. 

Early in his life before becoming a professional footballer, Stein had spent several years working down the coal mines in Lanarkshire (all gone now) and was naturally a big supporter of the miners cause.

One day the coach containing the squad, management, kit man, doctor, physio etc was on the road and near a large picket line of striking miners. Stein ordered the bus stopped. Went outside and emptied his wallet into the collection bucket. 

He then went back on the bus and ordered all the players to make a "generous" donation ! 

Quite what noted staunch Tory supporter Graeme Souness thought about this, is unknown. 

Well I've learned my first bit of Dublin rhyming slang then tonight !

As I said earlier, he's not a well man and should go. I mean if that was your father or brother looking and talking like that, alarm bells would be ringing. It actually looks even worse for the SFA to be employing a man in his poor physical and mental condition and pretending everything's alright.

Some TA at the airport tonight are reported to have told the SFA blazers exactly what they thought of them. 

We of course know that it goes a lot further than the players and manager. Every single one of those ****s in the Hampden boardroom should dooked in the Clyde

Sounds a lot like the FAI 

Although things may be finally moving in the right direction for us in relation to them 

I work with a dutch lad and have seen a lot of Holland/Ajax the past 2 years through drinking with him, I'd watch them all day at this stage.

That's a kick in the nuts 

You would have cashed out had you been watching.

 

At 2-2 the Dutch and Germans were going at each other for the last 20 mins it was obvious more goals would come. Could have been 4-4.

 

 

Fair enough Ersatz. Will consult Dr Google

Are you Double Maxim in disguise?

Edit: It turns out there might have been, but he didn't know that, so the point stands.

I didn't hear them and, more importantly, neither did he. He was commenting on the lack of them!!

Tyldesley on Twitter:

Just to be clear I did not hear any racist abuse in my headphones or I would have condemned it immediately. I mentioned the possibility of it because Raheem’s celeb was so pointed. M’negro is not a Balkan nation with a history of racist abuse. ITV reported it as soon as confirmed.

Aside from the stupidity of how he shortened Montenegro, why was he having a go at Sterling for the way he celebrated in the first place?  

It is funny how much of his Twitter feed is re-tweets from 'Kick It Out' and the like, without a hint of irony. 

TA supporters clubs are now demanding that the SFA sack McLeish. 

The support clubs never even went that far when Vogts, Burley* or the arrogant, spiteful ****** went past the point of no return.

*Wee George has my sympathy though. He suffered some unbelievably cruel bad luck during his time in charge. Such a lovely guy too who was proud as punch to be managing his country.

** also known by the name of "Craig Levein" but I know him as "that stupid ****"

f**k me sideways ! Where do I start on Levein ! ?

He just played really the most depressing, ugly, uninspiring football you can imagine. The ultimate devotee of ultra-defensive crap.

After bad results he had a habit of singling out individual players and putting the blame on them rather than himself. The actions of a coward.

The man has very thin skin. He cannot accept criticism of himself at all. There were a few occasions where he walked out on journalists or gave the fans the "evil eye".

Called up some really mediocre players (such as Ryan Stevenson, Ricky Foster, Danny Swanson - none of whom ever got capped thankfully) to squads and left other more deserving of a call up at home. He also had a habit of going down to England to watch one player in a match when he could have went to another match and seen four of five of his squad play.

Brought his beloved Ian Black on for one game purely to "get it right up" the supporters who complained he wasn't not anywhere near good enough for the internationals.

He developed an amazing strategy of "give the ball to Charlie Adam, let him blindly boot it hard as he can up the park and see what happens."

Levein was just a horrible, arrogant prick. None of us liked him. Although Strachan ultimately failed, at least he ditched a number of Levein's players, changed the tactics and tried to expand the playing style.

Fancy him as a future Ireland manager ? He's only a phone call away.

Good to see you back posting Ersatz 

But Strachan managing us?! He can fook right off. 

No thanks. We had his identical twin MON.

I'm always lurking round here IrishMUFC ! I've even given yis a good write up over on the TAMB where I post every day.

I didn't mean Gordon Strachan managing ROI, I meant Levein (the ****) !

Had fate brought Strachan and the ROI national team together it would probably have panned out almost the same as it did when he was managing us. Some good games, a few nice results, but ultimately just too reluctant to embrace new players and tactics, which cost him the job.

Is he basically getting sacked for one result in Kazakhstan then?

Terrible appointment from the SFA