08-11-2017, 14:02
How sad is the prospect of a Scotland friendly against Holland?
Two proper football nations, neither of whom got particularly close to qualifying for the World Cup meet on Thursday, is it? To what end? Will anyone be better for the experience?
I would have thought the upside of having so many currently poor sides in Scotland would be that it ought to provide a massive opportunity for player development. Scottish football isn't like a Chelsea or a Man City where you have to be classified as a young Messi to break through to first team football, is it? It looks as though at 17 or 18, if a youngster can reach the level of a good English Vanarama or Division Two player, he could find chances to play against Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen on a regular basis. Surely that should be bringing players on? At the moment quite a few youngsters seem to reach the fringes of the Scottish Premiership or Championship ........ but instead of becoming seriously good, they either become ordinary, or disappear entirely. Or am I being unfair?
I know the Scottish FA behaves as if its mission statement is to make the English FA look efficient, but I'd have expected that, even in the absence of judgement, sheer luck would be throwing up a young Law or a Baxter.
Two proper football nations, neither of whom got particularly close to qualifying for the World Cup meet on Thursday, is it? To what end? Will anyone be better for the experience?
I would have thought the upside of having so many currently poor sides in Scotland would be that it ought to provide a massive opportunity for player development. Scottish football isn't like a Chelsea or a Man City where you have to be classified as a young Messi to break through to first team football, is it? It looks as though at 17 or 18, if a youngster can reach the level of a good English Vanarama or Division Two player, he could find chances to play against Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen on a regular basis. Surely that should be bringing players on? At the moment quite a few youngsters seem to reach the fringes of the Scottish Premiership or Championship ........ but instead of becoming seriously good, they either become ordinary, or disappear entirely. Or am I being unfair?
I know the Scottish FA behaves as if its mission statement is to make the English FA look efficient, but I'd have expected that, even in the absence of judgement, sheer luck would be throwing up a young Law or a Baxter.