[FM16] If I had a Nicol for every goal, I'd have just over six dollars

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Lithuania



Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying



The usual 4-2-3-1 for us with an emphasis on attacking wing play.







It wasn't quite the cavalier performance we wanted, but can't complain with a clear win and a clean sheet. Lithuania didn't put up too much resistance, only managing a single shot on target, and in the end we were pretty comfortable.



But results elsewhere proved very interesting. Slovakia beat England, keeping their perfect record. Slovenia also won, so the Slov teams are the early leaders.



Are England beatable? They face Lithuania next, away from home, and will surely be looking to move onto 6 points. A win against Malta will put us onto the same mark, with the two Slov teams fighting it out in the remaining fixture.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Malta



Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying



Once again we play our trusty attacking formation. Lithuania are one of those hard to beat teams (No, Georgia...please...not again...) but Malta are really the diddies. We should be smashing a few past them with little resistance. With that in mind, Chris Martin starts up front, preferred to Jordan Rhodes. Why? Well, I'd like my backup striker to get his eye in against the weak teams, and rest Jordan for now. I imagine both will play at some point, but happy to give Chris the start. Anya and Phillips give us natural width, looking forward to seeing what they can provide for the unit that is Chris Martin.







That'll do nicely. Chris Martin took all his goals very well, and left the pitch to a standing ovation. Jordan Rhodes came on after the hat-trick was completed and added a 4th, and job very much done thank you very much.





And that is the sound of the group being blown wide open.

Slovenia got a wonderful win against rivals Slovakia, putting them top of the group, but it was in Lithuania that the real story unfolded. As we comfortably drifted towards the points, I couldn't help but notice that England were having a little trouble. In fact, they were 2-0 down away from home to a side they scudded not so long ago in real life. They clawed it back to 2-2, but tellingly they could not find a winner, and had to settle for a point. I get the feeling that that result will come back to haunt them, even though they pulled it out of the fire somewhat with a point.

The last update, I was bemoaning the fact that it could all be over after this round of fixtures. Now, it's exactly the opposite. Had one side disappeared off into the distance, with the other three points behind, it could have looked pretty ropey, but Slovenia taking points off of Slovakia and now England dropping some against both Slovakia and Lithuania, we could be right back in it if we get something against England or Slovakia in our next two matches. Lose those though...it's unlikely we can claw it back even with five games left to play.





That's what you get for playing diddies...

Brazil have completed their path to redemption and now sit atop the rankings once again. They'll be dreaming of glory in Russia, trying to erase the memory of that match against Germany.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Big games just keep coming at this stage, and none are bigger than a battle with a wounded England. Oh, and Canada.



By this stage, we're picking a fairly settled squad, but injuries in midfield meant that Charlie "The Chunk" Adam gets a rare call-up. It's the first under my stewardship, and with good reason. He's a good option to have for a set-piece though from the bench. With no Phillips or Anya, we'll probably be going with two from Snodgrass, Gauld and Ritchie on the flanks. Decision to be made there. Everywhere else on the park, we pick a largely settled set of players.



Nice little bit of self-awareness from the code there as Robbie Neilson breaks the fourth wall and realises how pointless media questions can get sometimes. Remember kids, that's Hearts manager Robbie Neilson being asked whether Dundee player Scott Bain should be in the squad.



Backup option Danny Wilson drops out through injury, to be replaced by Matt Phillips. Yes, that's right, I've called up a winger to replace an injured central defender. Some say I'm mad...others would just point out that I screwed up my squad balance in the initial squad. Others would be correct.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs England



Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

So here we go, our third home game in a row, and it's against a wounded England side. Wounded both in terms of remembering the smash-and-grab win we managed in the Euros, and the points they dropped in their last two games. What was happened to the England side that always breezes through qualifying? I bet we'll find out tonight.



Phillips goes straight onto the right after my squad faux pas, balanced by Snodgrass on the left. Our back four remains the same again, with the full-back partnership of Robertson and Paterson hopefully continuing to bear fruit.







This time we forgot the "grab" part of smash-and-grab. We were very much up against it from minute one, with England peppering our goal. We certainly had our chances, but obviously few and far between. England were happy to let us have the ball in non-threatening areas, then hit us with blistering pace. We switched off for just a second, allowing Ross Barkley to arrive late and smash in what ended up being the winner. Hampden silenced, and the English Lions roar once again.





Slovakia and Slovenia keep up the pace, and suddenly the group is starting to look ominous for us. We have one more match before we hit half-way, and it's against Slovakia. Should we lose that, then I'm just about ready to throw in the towel. Our next match after that one would be against Slovenia at home. That would become a 2000% must-win game, and even then we'd have to go to Wembley and win, then beat Slovakia you'd presume.

Crunch time.



But there's still time for new England manager Eddie Howe to make everyone around the World reminisce about dear old Roy Hodgson. Certainly seems like Eddie lacks the old yin's class. After I said that we maybe deserved a little better, he went a bit mad.



I responded with a massive ****-eating grin on my face of course. "You appear to be upset Eddie".

The scene is set for the return at Wembley - let's just hope I've not talked myself into getting an absolute shoeing.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Canada



Easter Road, Edinburgh

International Friendly

A FIFTH home-based match for us on the spin, this time against Canada at Easter Road in Edinburgh. A nice little stadium this one. I actually attended a Scotland friendly there once as we played Australia. Terrible match, only known for Jordan Rhodes getting his first goal, and Craig Levein (Aye, I know) deliberately playing a player that wasn't good enough, just to get it right up the Scotland fans. That may sound bitter, but if you knew Ian Black and the situation around his call-up, you'd understand. Anyway, nice little stadium for a friendly. Close to the pitch, nice tall stands, what better place to play a friendly where squad and fan morale is at a very low ebb?



Craig Gordon dropped out through injury, so MacKay makes his debut. Rare starts for Shinnie and Hutton, and a spot up front for Chris Martin. Can you tell I'm really phoning this one in? To be honest, I'd have liked to have called up a completely new squad after the draining England game.







Not really much to cover for this one. Canada gave us a much closer game than we expected, and it rounded off a pretty desperate few months for us. Things does not look dead good by the way.





And to top it all, we've plummeted in the rankings, out of the top 20 for the first time in a while. Happy New Year.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying



A quick note on expectations. The board want me to reach the Playoffs. I don't think that's going to happen. Only thing now is to hope they'll be lenient when I don't.





Just the one match this window, which falls in that awkward March period where players would really rather be back with their clubs thank you very much. They certainly don't need a long trip to Slovakia, with the prospect of our World Cup hopes being extinguished.



Craig Forsyth gets the skitters, and is sent off on a plague boat back to Scotland. Graeme Shinnie - who was unlucky to not make the initial squad - comes in in his place.



And now the impossible dream. I'm not even sure how we're going to get out of this one alive, let alone with any points.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Slovakia vs SCOTLAND



Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

Yep. There's a photo above of the fans setting light to the stadium, as is the tradition in Eastern Europe. Does anyone really believe we can go here and get a result?



I'll ask again, does anyone really believe? I get the feeling he was sharing meals with Forsyth. I told him not to do that.



England vs Slovenia is the other crunch game. At this stage, there isn't really a result that favours us. I'd probably say Slovenia to win, as they're already further ahead of us than England. But I'd probably fancy us to beat Slovenia, but not to do the same to England. A draw might be the best result at this stage, but we really need to concentrate on our own game. Lithuania and Malta fight it out in the other game...but...well, does anyone really care? At least until Lithuania catch us up.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Slovakia vs SCOTLAND



Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia

FIFA World Cup Qualifying







The Grim Reaper is on the horizon.

A good analogy would be the Titanic movie. If this was that movie, then we'd be at the moment where the boat was starting to tip, and you're seeing extras drop off the boat to their depths. Those extras are our ancillary squad members, while people like Craig Gordon and Jordan Rhodes play the roles of Kate Winslet and di Caprio. Ryan Gauld is of course one of the babies that gets chucked into a lifeboat.

Analogies aside, we were absolutely rotten. Out-matched and out-played in every single area, apart from perhaps the scoreline. 3-2 makes it sound like we battled hard and came up just short, but once again we went 2-0 up and let our bottle crash. When Jordan Rhodes got our second, you'd describe our display as the ultimate in counter-attacking skill. When the final whistle blew, that just sounded hollow.



England battered Slovenia, and it looks like their little dip has well and truly been left behind. I misplaced the league table screenshot, but we now lie four points behind England, and six behind both Slovakia and Slovenia. It's not over yet, given we need to play all of those sides again, and they all need to play each other, but it would take a huge swing now. Realistically, we need to win every single match we have left, and then hope that other results go our way. Even if we do win all of our matches, England and Slovakia (or England and Slovenia, or Slovakia and Slovenia) could then get enough points to eliminate us anyway.

We begin again in June.

[dllu]

Losing out against Finland. That'll teach you to get your Nordic countries straight!

[smp20]

Nice read Forameuss, did well to scrape through the groups in Euro 16 but not a great start in the WC qualifiers. Good luck getting through the group!

[deltablue]

Oh dear. It was all going so well until you messed up big time against Finland, and you'd probably have been able go further with a better last 16 draw.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying





A few changes to the squad this time as we try and claw back some ground on our rivals. I've covered it a couple of times now, but I can't emphasise how important this game is. Definitely a lack of width in the squad thanks to injuries, but we still have Anya and Snodgrass ready to provide that.



Slovenia are favourites for the win, and probably with good reason given their campaign so far. We know what we need to do.



The fixture list is kinder to England and Slovakia, with winnable games for those two. The importance is ratcheted up another notch.



And here's the team. I've always said I'll stick to my system no matter what, and not change for anyone, but I've gone against that today, and play a more defensive formation that tries to nullify the oppositions attacking threat. We've essentially withdrawn the support striker and put a player shielding our defence. Hopefully our wingers can continue to fly, as all the pressure is going to be on them to perform. Not to mention Chris Martin who is preferred to Jordan Rhodes.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovenia



Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying







The coaches keep telling me he's useless, but I bloody love Ikechi Anya. He was a driving force - and the man of the match - in what will go down as a massive win. Our less offensive formation saw us cede possession to the opposition, but we played the game that Slovenia did in the opening game, taking our time and then our chances. The media seemed to concentrate on Slovenian players being much bigger than us (interesting point) which adds further fuel to the Scotland fire.

One down, four to go.



Although England expectedly thumped Malta to further complete their turnaround, there was another big result in Lithuania as once again they managed to hold a big side at home. Slovakia couldn't find a way past the yellow sea, and that's another two points dropped. An absolutely huge result for us and the other teams in the group, but one that could all be for nothing if we drop something when we go to Lithuania in the next match.



A much more respectable looking table after that round of fixtures, just four points behind England and Slovakia at the top now. Slovenia are just three ahead.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Bulgaria



Rugby Park, Kilmarnock

International Friendly

13th June 2017



A friendly I could probably do without, but a chance to try out our new more conservative formation again. Also a chance to try out new players - Tony Watt makes a debut, and Forsyth finally got back to the mainland from his plague boat a few months ago, so he starts on the left.







Pretty poor to be honest. You can see by my reluctance to send on the big guns that I really didn't fancy this game. I gave a lot of the fringe players until the 72nd minute to make an impression, but they didn't exactly set the world on fire. Still, it's minutes under their belt for their country, and if I'm going to lose a game in the next few months, I'm happy for it to be this one.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying



Next up, it's Lithuania and Malta away from home. I had these matches pegged as wins, but given what Lithuania have already done, I'm wary of the first. Should we win that, and then go to Malta and round off the job, I think we'll go into the final double header with England and Slovakia with our spirits very much raised. It might not be enough, but I at least need to take it to those final games.

Ritchie and Phillips return, so expect to see a return to our flying formation. Three strikers also called up, which is rare for us.



But then the injuries began. James Morrison will miss out, so the experienced and highly angular head of Scott Brown will replace him.



Big matches elsewhere as Slovakia head to Wembley. They're both four points ahead, but I can't decide whether I'd like a draw to keep them both in touch (and possibly take the lead down to 2 points) or for one to win to head into the distance. Not like I have a say in it anyway! Slovenia should pick up all three points against Malta.



And here it is, the crunch match. Can we go one better than England and Slovakia did?

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Lithuania vs SCOTLAND



LFF Stadionas, Vilnius, Lithuania

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

31st August 2017









I offer this without comment. England went 2-0 down, and then had to fight back. Slovakia couldn't even score. We only went and put NINE GOALS PAST THEM. NINE! Matt Ritchie caused chaos cutting in, scoring four goals, while our lone striker only managed one. Snodgrass contributed from the other wing, and Phillips did too once he replaced the almighty Ritchie late on. I'm not sure if it was down to their 4-4-2 being exposed worse than other formations, but our wing play was so, so effective. And that has most certainly got out tails up. Oh yes.





Are Slovakia wobbling? England are getting stronger and stronger - which isn't good news for our trip to Wembley next month - as they comfortably beat the Slovakians. Slovenia weren't troubled against Malta, as expected, leaving the table looking very interesting. England play Lithuania next - if they can avenge that draw then they will take a massive step towards top spot. Slovakia have to play Slovenia at home, which is far from a foregone conclusion. A draw between those two, coupled with a win for us, would see us jump into 2nd going into the final two games. Unthinkable at the half-way point.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Malta vs SCOTLAND



Ta' Qali National Stadium, Malta

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

3rd September 2017



Heavy favourites, and for a reason, and I don't think even I could talk down this team from this position. No excuses, and no mercy.



A pretty much unchanged team from the one that smashed nine past Lithuania. I'm hoping for a similar result.



Discussed these fixtures earlier, but that Slovakia/Slovenia game looks pretty tasty. Half an eye on Wembley too to see if Lithuania can get something after their pantsing by ourselves.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Malta vs SCOTLAND



Ta' Qali National Stadium, Malta

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

3rd September 2017







Workman-like, if not spectacular. That's how I'd describe this one. We conceded early on, but luckily we were already 3-0 up by that point. We eased off from there, which was disappointing given that goal difference is a factor in this group rather than head-to-head. We should have been pushing for another nine. We'll make do with six though. I would have been happier had James McArthur not gotten himself needlessly sent off late on. He'll now miss the England game, which is a huge blow.





Slovakia recovered from their mini-wobble to take a priceless three points at home to Slovenia, and England well and truly put the memory of Vilnius behind them with a win at home to Lithuania.

Two games to go, and oh boy is it tight. Ourselves, Slovenia and Slovakia our all within a point of each other, but we sit ahead of Slovenia with our much superior goal difference. Looks great for us, right? Well maybe not after the next fixture. We go to Wembley, while Slovakia and Slovenia face the weakest sides in the group. That means that if we lose and Slovakia win, we are out before a ball is kicked in the final game. A point against England would keep the chances of a playoff just about alive, but we really need a win. At Wembley.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying





Here's the squad for our massive double-header. A bit of a surprise up front as we go for three strikers, one of them being possible debutant Ryan Hardie. Chris Martin hasn't been playing enough football to be involved at this stage, so Hardie will be a good backup for Rhodes. And Griffiths will always be there or thereabouts. Apart from that, a pretty standard squad.



Again, I covered the fixtures in the previous update. Slovenia and Slovakia can take a huge step towards qualification, and our match could have a big say in that.





Eddie Howe is clearly not bothered about what happened after the first game. Not bothered at all.



Isn't Howe supposed to be a quite level-headed, quiet manager? I miss Roy.



Our Captain Craig Gordon drops out just before the England game. Ian Mackay replaces him, but will probably not feature. We have replacements, but you don't want to lose someone like Gordon on the eve of an important game.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

England vs SCOTLAND



Wembley Stadium, London

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

5th October 2017



It's hard to underestimate the degree to which both sets of fans will be up for this. For England, they can all but qualify for the World Cup and beat their oldest rivals into the bargain. For Scotland...well, we would keep ourselves alive for one more game, and get it right up England. And Eddie Howe, naturally.

We've set up in the system that saw us beat Slovenia, with Darren Fletcher sitting in front of the defence, supporting a youthful midfield in Gauld and Armstrong. Snodgrass, Ritchie and Rhodes will be relied upon to attack, and they'll have to take their chances when they come. I doubt we'll get too many.

David Marshall is probably the most important name on the sheet given how this game is going to be. Craig Gordon would have played, but Marshall has been given the nod. I hope I don't regret it.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

England vs SCOTLAND



Wembley Stadium, London

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

5th October 2017







We just won at Wembley. Drink it in.

I give precisely zero ****s how it happened, because let's be honest, we got absolutely battered. England didn't have way more of the ball, and the number of passes was pretty close, but in terms of chances and shots England were far superior. David Marshall was fantastic, stopping pretty much everything that came near him, including a few wonder saves.

Jordan Rhodes was almost completely ineffective, but then it was a pretty tough game to make a mark in. Ryan Hardie came on for his debut (no pressure) and wasn't much better. Anya had already come on at half time, and just like in the Euros, was making a big impact.

As England got more and more frustrated, and as results trickled in from elsewhere (more on that later), Ryan Gauld found himself clean through - thanks to Anya - and finished wonderfully from 12 yards. Cue absolute bedlam in the stands (I was in Wembley when we scored twice in a friendly, I can only imagine it was like that, but a million times more). Ten minutes left, and no matter what my history, I needed to withdraw quickly. Both wingers brought backwards to sit in a flat four, with Anya now playing a defensive role he is even better at. England kept knocking at the door, but now facing a wall of 9 blue shirts, with only Ryan Hardie left up top. Minutes ticked down, into the final minute of stoppage time, and England had one last chance. Into the danger area, but absolutely blootered away, and it was all over.











Slovakia and Slovenia thought they had done enough in their own games to take it to the final game, but as news trickled through about our winner, the group took on an unfamiliar appearance.

Two teams on 19 points, two teams on 18 points. England and Slovakia are leading, with England holding a four goal advantage. Slovenia are well back in terms of goal difference, but could still finish up on top.



Which brings me on to the final set of games. Would you believe it, the four teams involved will play each other in a bit of cosmic scheduling that FM can be proud of. Lithuania and Malta will play out an ultimately pointless match, while all the neutrals - and fans of the four nations - set up multiple feeds to watch Slovakia travel to Hampden, and Slovenia play host to England.

[Rikulec]

Amazing finish there, good luck in the last game.

[smp20]

What an exciting qualifying campaign, good luck in the final match!

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying





I've come over all BBC, so ahead of the game, here's a run-down of the permutations for the matches. Well, I did, until I realised they were pretty simple for all involved.

England - Will win the group if they win their game, barring a big, big win for Slovakia. A draw could be enough, providing Slovakia also draw. If they lose, they get nothing, as Slovenia and one of the nations from the other game will overtake them.

Slovakia - A win will guarantee at least a playoff spot. If they can score 4 more goals than England do in a win, they'll top the group, otherwise they need to hope for England to drop points. A draw will secure them a playoff spot

Scotland - Win at all costs. A win, coupled with England dropping points, will mean we top the group. Otherwise, it's playoffs. A draw will not be good enough, as either England or Slovenia will overtake us. A defeat is of course not good enough.

Slovenia - In the worst position of the four. They can only top the group if they win and Scotland and Slovakia play out a draw. In any other situation, a win gets them a playoff spot. Draw or lose, and they're out.

[forameuss]

Amazing finish there, good luck in the last game.

What an exciting qualifying campaign, good luck in the final match!

Cheers guys! Yeah, it's been quite a journey. I thought I'd blown it at the half-way point, and knew that 5 wins would be the only thing to realistically leave us in with a chance. Now we've got four of them, and if we can beat Slovakia, we're guaranteed at least a play-off spot.

[MichaelBrown]

Loving this thread! You ever planning on joining a club team or would you start a new game?

Also, I think it'd be good if you added a bit explaining the different changes you make to each squad, barring the obvious injuries. Upto you, think it'd just be something a little different!

[forameuss]

Loving this thread! You ever planning on joining a club team or would you start a new game?

Also, I think it'd be good if you added a bit explaining the different changes you make to each squad, barring the obvious injuries. Upto you, think it'd just be something a little different!

Yeah, you're probably right. I usually do more detail on major tournament squads, but often get sidetracked and charge on ahead without getting the requisite screenshots to give more detail on the squad.

I've played a few more months on from where I last updated, so may just keep updating the way I have been until I'm out of screenshots, then I'll maybe try a few new things.

I don't really have any intention of going to a club on this particular save. If the right one came up...meh, maybe. Going back to having a game every week and most of the time those games not really meaning as much as a standalone qualifier, I think the pace would get to me, especially if I was still Scotland manager at the time. I did consider an international journeyman, and still might, but it all depends what takes my fancy when the main release and the editor come around. Very likely I'll return to Gibraltar in a separate save, but may keep this one going for a few more campaigns yet. I don't think I've ever had a long term international job - usually it's just for a couple of tournaments at most.

[deltablue]

Great turnaround!

[Bobsled]

This is tense!

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia



Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying





You know what? **** it. We're going to go for it. Gauld, Phillips, Anya and Rhodes are going to be given free reign to make it 5 out of 5 for us. I really swithered on whether to play the 4-1-2-3 formation that we employed against England, but I think this is a game we can win. We've been good at home, so we have to go out and look like we want to win it, rather than wanting to just not get beaten. It of course helps that only a win will do.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying



After 16 minutes, England took a huge step towards winning the group with a Wayne Rooney goal at Wembley. Disappointing from our perspective, but we always knew that England were heavy favourites.



At this point, England are through, with Slovakia facing a playoff.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying



But who's that celebrating?



Matt Phillips puts us into the lead with an absolutely massive goal close to half-time.

At the moment, we're going through in 2nd place.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying





And another on the stroke of half-time, a quick-fire double from probably our most important player this campaign, Matt Phillips.



With England still ahead and looking comfortable, it looks as though the two pots have been decided by half-time. Could all still change though, both Slovenia and Slovakia are tough teams.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying



So half-time arrives, and as I said, it looks as though the games are over. Matt Phillips has put us on the brink, but can Slovenia find something at Wembley? A draw there would just polish off what has been a wonderful run of games for us.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying





It's 3-0, and this one is well and truly over after the hour mark. It's party time at Hampden!



Is there going to be late drama at Wembley?

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying



Nope, no more drama. Daniel Sturridge has surely sealed England's group win, and consigned us to a tricky playoff.

At this stage, I don't think I even care.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

Slovakia will be gutted, won't they? It'd be a real shame if we were to rub their noses in it, wouldn't it?





It's fitting that our scorers in this match have been three players who have been absolutely wonderful during my reign. So proud of the team.



The table's pointless at this stage thanks to England's result, but it looks wonderful in my eyes.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying







To put it simply, we absolutely battered them. Shot after shot rained in, and although we didn't get enough on target for my liking, we did get four goals. What a difference between the 3-2 collapse in Slovakia the previous and this procession.





Confirmation of the final result from Wembley. Not much we can do about that, and I guess it's a little disappointing that we ended up being just a point away from qualifying automatically. Five games ago, we were on 6 points and in 4th position, and looked as though we'd struggle to even stay in touch with 2nd place. Five wins out of five, and had we managed to hold on against Slovakia in the away game and get a draw, we would have qualified automatically on goal difference.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Slovakia

Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying

But have we made the playoffs? All this talk of securing a playoff spot with 2nd place may be for nothing if we didn't manage to secure one of the eight best 2nd placed records. Remember, the results against Malta are stricken from the record for that table. We certainly won't be on top thanks to those three defeats, but surely we won't be bottom, right?



Right!

It wasn't as big a gap as I'd hoped for, but we were effectively a heavy win ahead (3 points and a 14 goal swing) of Montenegro. Unlucky for them, but we can now look forward to a playoff match against one of the other seven sides. That'll be tough.



I'm not sure if there's seedings, but I would like to avoid Italy and Holland, and also Switzerland given they're reigning European Champions. Ireland would be nice, and I'd fancy our chances against Greece I think. Which means we won't get them.



Croatia it is. An awkward one, one of the unknown sides. Still, we've beaten big sides before, and at Hampden we're a match for most sides. We play the first leg there, so a good result there will give us a good springboard.

Elsewhere, either Holland or Italy will miss out, with Ireland and Greece drawing each other (I'd have taken both of course!)







And finally, a different way of showing what a difference six months can make. After the Slovakia away game, we were at a record low ebb under my reign. Now we're shooting up after five straight wins. Should we make it to the World Cup, we'll be in a wonderful position. Unfortunately, I think we'll definitely miss out on top seeding should we make the group stages. Only the holders and top 7 nations in the rankings get seeded, with the rest organised into vaguely geographical pots. If we make it of course.

Means we could still draw England. Wouldn't that be lovely?

[HeresdaKicker]

Well done, forameus!

But I'm confused by the screenshot of the table you posted before the Slovakia match. It has you sitting on 19 points going into the game. Why does a win only bag you two points bringing you to 21?

[forameuss]

Well done, forameus!

But I'm confused by the screenshot of the table you posted before the Slovakia match. It has you sitting on 19 points going into the game. Why does a win only bag you two points bringing you to 21?

The table with 19 points was after the game kicked off, so was including the point I currently had for drawing with Slovakia as it stood.

[deltablue]

Good one. Croatia will be tough though.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying





Dorrans and Griffiths drop out, the latter replaced by one time vanquisher of Barcelona Tony Watt. Apart from that, it's a very familiar looking squad. At this stage, that's exactly what we need.



Then Kenny McLean pulled out through injury, meaning that we could bring in the experience of Scott Brown. I can't think of anyone better I could throw on for a final 20 minutes when we need someone to take a grip of the game and guide us to protecting a win.



A reminder of the matches that will take place tonight. Hampden will be rocking - I just hope that we still have something for our travelling fans to look forward to come the second leg.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Croatia



Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying - European Playoff

10th October 2017



It had to be the attacking trio of Anya, Gauld and Phillips playing behind Rhodes. Ritchie may feel bad to have been left out, but he's a great option to have. We've gone with our strongest. McArthur is a must-pick, and Armstrong is building up a decent pairing with him. Then the remaining five...well, they're pretty standard. I often chop and change positions a little, but this is probably our most settled team so far, with no-one really missing. If we don't win from here, we have no-one to blame but ourselves.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

SCOTLAND vs Croatia



Hampden Park, Glasgow

FIFA World Cup Qualifying - European Playoff

10th October 2017







It isn't a great result, but it's nowhere near a bad one. We escape the first leg without having conceded an away goal, but obviously we would have liked to have taken a lead to Croatia.



Other matches are also in the balance. Holland and Italy played out a goal-less draw, while Switzerland edged narrowly ahead to keep their dreams of a Euro/World Cup double alive. Only Ireland have taken the initiative, managing a very creditable 2-0 away win in Athens. They should go through now.



As we boarded the flight to Croatia, Jordan Rhodes went away and licked a bin or something, and got food poisoning. A poorly timed illness, and means we'll be without our first choice striker when we really need a goal. Steven Naismith replaces him, bringing quite a bit of experience.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Croatia vs SCOTLAND



Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb

FIFA World Cup Qualifying - European Playoff

14th October 2017



Chris Martin replaces Rhodes, as expected, and Ritchie comes in to replace Anya. McArthur is suspended, so young Souttar replaces him in the key defensive midfield spot. Armstrong will hopefully keep some continuity in there though.

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Croatia vs SCOTLAND



Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb

FIFA World Cup Qualifying - European Playoff

14th October 2017







Super. Chris. Martin.

We're going to Russia.



Italy, Switzerland and Ireland will join us there. What a party it's going to be. First World Cup in 20 years.





They're not wrong about a memorable campaign, are they? That's seven matches unbeaten, and it would have been seven wins had we got something in the first leg. What a massive difference between March and November. In March we were dead and buried, having just lost to Slovakia. Then we beat everyone that was put in front of us in the remaining five, beating Slovenia at home when we really had to, then going to Wembley of all places when it really, really mattered. We knew that Lithuania had two mighty scalps in England and Slovakia at home, and then went there and smashed nine past them. Then to top it off, we put four past Slovakia at home in our final match with so much pressure.

After that, was it any wonder that we went past Croatia? Written in the stars!



The board are delighted - of course they are. I know they're purely looking at the finishing position, but had they been able to look at the constituent matches, I think we've done remarkably. Will be interesting to see what their thoughts on the World Cup are though.

[deltablue]

Now that's something to Cro over

[wardog]

WOOHOOO Russia Baby

[forameuss]

We have a dream, of not coming home too soon

A Scotland Career



The Road to Russia

World Cup 2018 Qualifying



As expected, we drop into the 4th pot.



Pot 1 contains the top seven sides in the rankings and the holders. Had we won our game against England at home, I like to think we may have just done enough to squeeze up the rankings come the draw, but there's no point dwelling on that. These are the sides we'll fear. Also interesting to note that England are not present, probably a hangover from a couple of poor results in qualifying, most notably against us and Lithuania. So the dream of drawing them again is over. Eddie Howe is raging.







The rest of the pots are supposed to be split geographically, but pots 2 and 3 look pretty mixed. Pot 4 is most definitely Europe though, and a distinct British-Isles flavour as the Republic of Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland all take their place.





And here's the draw. The missing team is of course us, and we'll face what I think is a pretty good draw. Obviously our pot 1 team is rough - we'll face the top side in the World in Brazil - but Mali and South Korea are both beatable. We play Brazil first, then Mali, so I think my chances of reaching that third game still in it are high. I'm pretty sure we'll lose the first, win the second, and then face a shoot-out with the Koreans. Of course, that now means we'll beat Brazil, get pumped off Mali and then lose 3-2 against South Korea to get put out. Written in the stars.



As is my want, I've organised my 2018 friendlies in standard fashion. March will see the visit of World Number 2 side Argentina, before Cyprus see us off for Russia. Two local matches close out the round before we face Brazil.