sophocles, on 14 March 2025 - 01:23 PM, said:
I'm proud to say it - born in Ibrox, lived most of my life in England. I want both Scotland and England to do well, but Scotland are a lost cause currently. I think my background helps me to be more objective about both countries, and I support them both. Tuchel has the same chance as Southgate of actually winning a trophy - like every other team in every football competition , England's success or failure depends not only on player and management skills, but also a large slice of luck. The results of football matches at every level are decided partly on the fortunate/unfortunate bounce of a ball, lucky/unlucky deflections, decisions for or against by officials, etc etc. If it was a foregone conclusion that the team with the most top players and best manager always won the competition, it would be a waste of time holding tournaments. Let's just enjoy the twists and turns of the competition, and support the players and manager we want to win.
Talking of Scotland, I saw their squad announcement the other day and I didn’t realise how many are playing abroad.
Napoli, Bologna, Sturm Graz, Las Palmas.
Good to see them spreading their wings.
Is that a failing of our national talent? Most play their entire career in England, supposedly the best league in the world, but don’t enhance their knowledge and skill set by experiencing football in other countries.