RDU_64

Doesn't look like too many shocks in the League Cup tonight. Caley being held by Stenhousemuir looking like the only cup upset. England wise - Leeds are leading Everton 2-1, Crawley doing a good job at 2-2 with Swansea, 2-2 Man City and Villa and Chelsea pumping Wolves 6-0. Cattermole gets sent off for Sunderland. Shocker. Is he just an abortion of a football player or is he actually a decent player, just with a very poor disciplinary record?!

Good comeback but at the end of the day, it's another draw and another point. A win would have put us fourth. I think it is time to go back to 4-4-2 or even a 4-2-2-2.

I got free tickets for this from the RGU Freshers Fayre but I'm working. Good start though!

Any good links for any of the footie today?

Slept most of the evening on Friday night, had a quiet night in with the woman on Saturday and working Sunday. It's double time but wish to fuck, I had said that I would work Saturday instead. That way, I could have gotten pished today and off on Monday. Oh well.

Maggennis is a poor excuse of a footballer and he should be punted. He is 22 and he has already had 3 different positions! Goal-keeper, full-back and striker, all of which he has been mediocre at. Every single time I have seen him at full-back, he has been the obvious weak link and any goal that was going to come, was going to come from the right hand side. This all points to me, that the boy is just not a footballer. Striker, he's not been much better. Running about like a headless chicken most of the time, possibly causing the odd bit of panic but then it all fails when he chooses the wrong option or fucks it up. Not only that, it is almost guranteed that you can find him in Tiger every single Saturday night, win, lose or draw. Fair enough players gan oot and getting pished, I don't mind that so much but if it's every single weekend then that points to me that he is happy with his current standard of play. Which is, quite frankly, dung. Are you Jimmy Calderwood in disguise? Or Mark McGhee? Lets just face facts here, Magennis is just not good enough. Leave out all this stuff about being good to have about the place, good attitude, a team player, infectious mentality etc etc. It's all creating a smoke screen for the bare facts and that is that Josh Magennis, sadly, is pish.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GTF KERR!!!

The game should have never gone ahead in the first place. The stadium was not fit for purpose and it did not meet safety standards at the time. Also the thinking and mind-set from the Police at the time was a factor, treating all fans like hooligans and putting up anti-invasion barriers which was disasterous. I was of the opinion (I could be wrong) that the disaster was a combination of the crumbling, out-dated and unsafe stadium and the anti-hooliganism and invasion fences AND the Police who opened a large exit gate in order to reduce the crush outside the stadium. As fans were entering the stadium from the turnstiles, thousands of fans entered it also from this exit gate on the instruction of the police and headed to the same area of the ground which was already well past the capacity. There were systamatic failings by the Police, most of all by not closing off the tunnel leading from this main exit gate to the 'pens' 3 and 4 where the crush occurred. There were previous warnings before 1989 about the risk of crushing and over-crowding yet this was not acted upon. In my mind, this makes the Police just as responsible for causing the disaster as they were for the farcical recovery operation. Changing witness statements and attempting to cover their own backs is nothing short of disgraceful and criminal proceedings should be started against those who are responsible. The opinions of Baggy and manc_don disappoint me in a way as I don't think any football fan should treat any disaster that has occurred in that mind-set. I can't believe anyone can say that. Imagine losing your dad/son/daughter/mother/sister etc in a disaster that was partly caused by the Police, being lied to, your loved ones reputations being smeared across the country and then waiting 23 years for the truth to finally come out as to how and why they died and the fact that some had the potential to be saved. How anyone can sit there and say that people need to move on is beyond me. As for a 'typical persuction complex', what the fuck does that even mean? Fighting to find out why your loved one has died? Is that a 'typical persecution complex'? This is not Neil Lennon and the SFA/Scottish football. This is 96 individuals who died at a football game. This is their relatives and Liverpool as a whole attempting to discover the truth and finally, after waiting 23 years, they have been told that they have been lied to and the truth has been covered up in order to cover South Yorkshire Police force's own back. All of these disasters brought about significant changes in football ground safety and it was dreadful that it took these disasters to bring about this improvement in safety. However, I don't think anyone is lessening the importance of Heysel, Bradford, Ibrox etc. At the same time, I don't think there has been such a significant, widespread and scandalous cover up by those that we trust to protect us, who so badly failed. Hillsborough was a tragedy and one which will never be forgotten but the subequent media coverage and lies that were peddled in order to cover up the Police's failings are a fucking crime. If you feel that justice should not be brought, then turn off the tv and don't buy a newspaper. This 'constant going over of Hillsborough' should have never occurred but it is a tragedy and an absolute disgrace that we are only getting the truth after 23 years. That, and that alone, is the only reason why the relatives of those who didn't come home that day could not move on.

It really is harrowing when you read it as to how these events could occur. From the crush and the terrible event itself to the disgraceful lies and the following cover up by the South Yorkshire Police and the media. I can't imagine how the relatives are feeling after waiting 23 long years to finally get to the truth as to how and why their loved ones died. No-one should go to a football game and not come home.

I did have a think but I couldn't reach the dizzying heights you had set.

Shocking turn of events and the tragedy and the campaign for justice by relatives should have never happened.

And why the fuck is Alan Hutton an automatic starter in the first place? Because he currently is contracted to an Premiership club? I say contracted instead of plays because at this point in time, he has been exiled from the first team at Villa! He isn't even getting a game at club level but because he is at a club in England, then that makes him an automatic starter for Scotland? Absolute joke decision. He has been horse rank ever since he had that bad injury at Spurs. This sort of mentality that Levein has adopted really grinds me. Just because you play in England, you're automatically good enough for Scotland. That's horse shit. A prime example of this is Ricky Foster. Levein GTF.

Whats the chances of that?! Undoutedly the majority of the fans have turned against him. That should be a clear indication to the SFA but this is the SFA we're speaking about. Levein will get this qualifying campaign which already looks doomed but I think our best way is for him to walk away. However, with Levein being a massive fuck-head, I don't think that will be happening. I think we will need to wait for a lot more bad results until the SFA decide to act. It has to be McLeish or Strachan, both failed at their previous clubs, will be on the look-out for another job, are free and would be welcomed by open arms by the Scotland fans. Personally, I think it is time Strachan got it.

I dont think Levein will get sacked until his position is absolutely untenable which could be a long time yet as the fuck-wits that run the SFA won't bother their arses doing anything until they absolutely must. The best hope is for him to walk away, probably when this campaign ends after the next round of matches. No club is going to touch him with a barge-pole either.

Great. 2 points from 2 very winnable home games. You're really looking to really make your home games count. I wouldn't recommend anyone booking Brazil 2014 because Scotland just ain't going. Might as well write off another qualifying campaign as a failure.

That's what I thought. Absolutely stunning move by Levein. Scotland are going to lose this yet, Macedonia hit the post.

0-1 now.

I can't say I am the biggest supporter of Scotland but picking Miller is shite. He's past his best and that is why he plays for Vancouver Whitecaps now-a-days. Look forward a bit Levein apart from picking 'established' players and go for Rhodes or go for a combo of Rhodes and McCormack even. It's fucking Macedonia for christ sake! Go mental and go 2 up top! I predict a dour 0-0 draw, with Levein not changing any tactics or formations, giving little away but not threatening, a chorus of boo's and Levein becoming public enemy number #1.

Miller still starts tonight with Maloney, Forrest and Mackie coming in for Snodgrass, Naismith and Adam. No idea would sort of formation he'll come up with for this one. Fucking pish. Miller is past it. Get Rhodes on from the start.

I agree with the need for Vernon to have a strike partner. Not a fan of Vernon and Fallon together as they are too a like and Magennis is shit. Hopefully we'll see McGinn feeding of Vernon after the international break.

Better for me as I'm heading to The Proclaimers later on that night! Aye, was thinking of going to both of them but I think we're going to go to County away and get to Tannadice in April.

I've already said in this thread that I would agree that its a 4-3-2-1 with Ozzie, Rae and Hughes or Jack in the middle and Hayes, Fraser and Vernon up top. When we don't have the ball, of course Hayes and Fraser are going to chase back. But to suggest that because of this, we are playing a 4-5-1 is something I just don't agree with.

I don't give a rats arse what Scotland lined up as. All I know is that from the games I have seen this season, it has clearly been a 4-3-3.

I agree with you in regards to the 3 midfielders. Rae and Osbourne gives you a solid base and allows the other midfielder to push up and support the attack. We should be encouraging the 3 midfielders to be more like a triangle with Rae and Ozzie at the base and Hughes/Jack/whoever attacking. Would encourage a bit more creativity behind Vernon whilst not leaving us too short at the back.

How can it be 4-5-1 when Hayes and Fraser are pushing up along with Vernon? I would give you a 4-2-3-1 formation possibly but it's just not 4-5-1!