When did European standards sink so low?

M

millar2318

Well-Known Member
was having a think about this last night. No one in the media will call this an embarrassment for Scottish football for some reason, they seem to be complicit in accepting that standards have evaporated.

Cases in point: a few years ago (maybe 10 or 12?) Scotland got 2 places in the CL by way of coefficient ranking of which one I think was an automatic place. We had this for a few seasons when the country coefficient was ranked between 11 and 15 (auto place may have been 1 season but we had 2 qualifying places) We are now ranked the 24th best league in Europe (24th!!) with mighty Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Belarus just 3 of the countries out ranking us.

How's it got this bad? And how is it possible that our media just put up with it and accept teams taking absolute tankings in Europe?

Basel last night beat Man U and sit second in their group. I would imagine their wage bill may be less than the tims. They've not been pumped, got good results and on the verge of qualifying, yet we're supposed to accept the guff about celtics amazing attacking play which has shipped 22 goals against psg and Barca in 2 years.

Meanwhile over at hampden (for now) those responsible for improving the game are too interested in how to ditch the national stadium, rather than assist in driving up standards

Asleep at the wheel doesn't even cover it. Thoroughly depressing situation, although tempered by watching those 7 goals again last night lol
 
Scottish football as bad as its been for a while,septic best of a bad bunch,mhedia desperate to survive,only one support buying their shyte-don’t want to upset them!
 
Until there is a complete overhaul we will continue our slide. So much wrong with the game in Scotland.
  • One team league
  • One team controlling said league
  • Blinkered and biased media
  • Playing each other 4 times a year
  • Too many teams
  • Too many poor quality teams - Hamilton would be a good conference team maybe.
  • A weak Rangers
  • A weak Aberdeen
  • Crappy stadia with some sides without stands
  • Excellent TV coverage of empty seats
 
The media's pathetic fawning of Rodger's doesn't help at all. No-one is holding him to account for what is actually a pretty poor European record. No-one dare suggest that Brendan is maybe a bit naive to play in the way he does against these top European sides. Look at his response last night to the mere suggestion they could have played a bit more conservative. His side have conceded 7 (seven) twice in Europe since his arrival. Why is no-one questioning that? Instead we get this pish about "made a great start" or getting lauded for "making Bayern work for their victory". They pretend that Celtic are now playing against the greatest teams ever to have graced football and so heavy defeats are unavoidable. But it's not just the European elite. In his 18 months at Celtic Rodgers' 'invincibles' have lost matches against Lincoln Red Imps, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Monchengladbach and Astana. His record should be under more scrutiny.

The longer the media avoid really questioning how Celtic are doing in Europe and continue to applaud defeats like last night the more deeply ingrained this acceptance of our current position in European football will become.

Celtic and the media might be proud of their achievements but I just feel embarrassment watching that lot represent Scottish football. And it angers me that it doesn't embarrass them. Celtic are streets ahead domestically, unbeaten in 60 odd domestic games and are getting their arses handed to them week in week out in Europe. What does that say about the rest of us? Rather than pandering to Rodgers and Liewell, the media should do their jobs and start to ponder the OPs question, when did standards get so low?
 
The Yahoo support is just as culpable. They slaughtered Strachan who took them to the last 16 twice but spent the second half in Munich and Paris warbling on about a meaningless '10 in a row' whilst their heroes were being humiliated on the pitch.

The Yahoos have always been mental but they've taken it to a new level under Rodgers. I guess it falls under their psyche of being easily persuaded by svengali-type figures.
 
It really is getting embarrassing that the term “Best Of a Bad Bunch is Being Used” since this shit little Country and every man and his dog put us down. Is it really surprising that football in this Country has went below the standard of the League of Ireland, when you have the Heavy Hand of the Scum in every Orifice of Scottish Football and Media. Until such times as WE come strong again Football here will remain a joke.
 
Fat Halpert said:
The media's pathetic fawning of Rodger's doesn't help at all. No-one is holding him to account for what is actually a pretty poor European record. No-one dare suggest that Brendan is maybe a bit naive to play in the way he does against these top European sides. Look at his response last night to the mere suggestion they could have played a bit more conservative. His side have conceded 7 (seven) twice in Europe since his arrival. Why is no-one questioning that? Instead we get this pish about "made a great start" or getting lauded for "making Bayern work for their victory". They pretend that Celtic are now playing against the greatest teams ever to have graced football and so heavy defeats are unavoidable. But it's not just the European elite. In his 18 months at Celtic Rodgers' 'invincibles' have lost matches against Lincoln Red Imps, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Monchengladbach and Astana. His record should be under more scrutiny.

The longer the media avoid really questioning how Celtic are doing in Europe and continue to applaud defeats like last night the more deeply ingrained this acceptance of our current position in European football will become.

Celtic and the media might be proud of their achievements but I just feel embarrassment watching that lot represent Scottish football. And it angers me that it doesn't embarrass them. Celtic are streets ahead domestically, unbeaten in 60 odd domestic games and are getting their arses handed to them week in week out in Europe. What does that say about the rest of us? Rather than pandering to Rodgers and Liewell, the media should do their jobs and start to ponder the OPs question, when did standards get so low?
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Absolutely, you've nailed on the head bits that I missed, no matter how good rangers were domestically, I'd be demanding answers if we shipped 7 goals in two seasons.
 
millar2318 said:
Absolutely, you've nailed on the head bits that I missed, no matter how good rangers were domestically, I'd be demanding answers if we shipped 7 goals in two seasons.
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Exactly. I don't think it's ever acceptable to concede 7 in a professional game of football, not matter the opposition.

To quote an Andy McKellar tweet from this morning "Rodgers has now presided over their heaviest away defeat in Europe, their second-heaviest away defeat in Europe and their heaviest home defeat since 1895. All in the space of 2 years."

Can you imagine if that was Pedro?
 
Just found out the score there......fuckin hell!!!

That is an embarrassment to Scottish football, but moreso Celtic and they had the cheek to go 1-0 up.

It seems a bit like Brazil getting angry after Dave Narey put Scotland one up in the WC.:eek::D:D
 
The standard has changed but that's not the reason for media acceptance of it.

If that was Rangers getting horsed 7-1 last night the headlines and coverage of the result in Scotland would have been very different.

Don't know if the OP is old enough to remember Juventus with Del Piero beating us home and away and scoring 4 in each game when the league was pretty much a one horse race in our favour.

Rest assured the coverage was scathing and totally different from what is afforded to St Brendan.
 
The game is a mess.

It's not just about last night - or their results.

Us - lost in Luxembourg.
Sheep - lost in Luxembourg last season - albeit went through.
Them - lost in Gibraltar, 7-0 in Barcelona, 5-0 at home to PSG, 7-1 in Paris............
Hearts - lost at home to a team from Malta.

All these are just in the last 2 seasons.

That is nothing short of absolutely ridiculous - but none of it matters, as Celtic are apparently "Invincible"..........
 
Walter2 said:
Scottish football as bad as its been for a while,septic best of a bad bunch,mhedia desperate to survive,only one support buying their shyte-don’t want to upset them!
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Scottish football has never been in a worse state.

It seems all everyone, outside of Rangers, cares about is to facilitate the paedos winning the league.

Jealousy, hatred and vested interests are the name of the game and it will never really improve.

I don’t even want it to. I just want Rangers to get out of Scotland to a fairer setup.
 
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Rodgers was smiling during his press conference after the game, that really says it all.

Regardless of the opposition getting pumped in that manner is not positive in any way shape or form. There is a few dhims in my work starting to question Rodgers refusal to change his style of play (sound familiar)? but you probably won't hear the media saying that, they will label it as "brave".
 
Barryhopez said:
Just found out the score there......fuckin hell!!!

That is an embarrassment to Scottish football, but moreso Celtic and they had the cheek to go 1-0 up.

It seems a bit like Brazil getting angry after Dave Narey put Scotland one up in the WC.:eek::D:D
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If PSG han’t fannied around for 25 mins, with the games already won, it could’ve been more.
 
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Just to put this "oh you can't expect us to compete because they are just on another level" line to bed, this is the Barca lineup that came to Ibrox and only came away with a draw

Valdes, Thuram, Abidal, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen, Milito, Henry, Messi, Ronaldinho,

European teams were on another level back then too.
 
The way football finances are nowadays 3rd place in the group is the best a Scottish team can realistically aim for in the champions league.

However a bit of pragmatism wouldn’t go amiss. Whatever the spin there is no positives or glory to be taken from a massive pumping. Defend for your lives you may get lucky and draw or sneak a win. Give me a Walter lineup to one of Brendas any day.
 
Taki said:
The Yahoo support is just as culpable. They slaughtered Strachan who took them to the last 16 twice but spent the second half in Munich and Paris warbling on about a meaningless '10 in a row' whilst their heroes were being humiliated on the pitch.

The Yahoos have always been mental but they've taken it to a new level under Rodgers. I guess it falls under their psyche of being easily persuaded by svengali-type figures.
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Said previously the coverage of Rodgers is that of a brainwashed cult in this country. Witness this last night from BBC Scotland's Senior Football Reporter

"A 7-1 thumping for #Celtic in Paris but it feels strangely more positive than the 5-0 defeat in Glasgow. They played well at times against an unbelievably talented side."

How can you debate with a mentality like that ? Strachan and Smith would've been slaughtered for suffering such scores but the Blessed Brendan must not be criticised at all costs.

Even the likes of Sutton and Hartson tempered their criticism last night by focusing on the players rather than the manager. "Brendan is a wise man, Brendan knows what he's doing"

2 wins in 17 CL games at two clubs would suggest otherwise. But don't say it out loud. Brendan might get angry at us.
 
millar2318 said:
was having a think about this last night. No one in the media will call this an embarrassment for Scottish football for some reason, they seem to be complicit in accepting that standards have evaporated.

Cases in point: a few years ago (maybe 10 or 12?) Scotland got 2 places in the CL by way of coefficient ranking of which one I think was an automatic place. We had this for a few seasons when the country coefficient was ranked between 11 and 15 (auto place may have been 1 season but we had 2 qualifying places) We are now ranked the 24th best league in Europe (24th!!) with mighty Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Belarus just 3 of the countries out ranking us.

How's it got this bad? And how is it possible that our media just put up with it and accept teams taking absolute tankings in Europe?

Basel last night beat Man U and sit second in their group. I would imagine their wage bill may be less than the tims. They've not been pumped, got good results and on the verge of qualifying, yet we're supposed to accept the guff about celtics amazing attacking play which has shipped 22 goals against psg and Barca in 2 years.

Meanwhile over at hampden (for now) those responsible for improving the game are too interested in how to ditch the national stadium, rather than assist in driving up standards

Asleep at the wheel doesn't even cover it. Thoroughly depressing situation, although tempered by watching those 7 goals again last night lol
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I guess the headline is a wee bit mis-leading.
I’m thinking you don’t mean standards so low but, objectives being so low.
More than this, acceptability being so high!
The answer to your question though, is quite simple.
It became acceptable when it was septic who’d be on the receiving end of the criticism.
 
SDF said:
Said previously the coverage of Rodgers is that of a brainwashed cult in this country. Witness this last night from BBC Scotland's Senior Football Reporter

"A 7-1 thumping for #Celtic in Paris but it feels strangely more positive than the 5-0 defeat in Glasgow. They played well at times against an unbelievably talented side."

How can you debate with a mentality like that ? Strachan and Smith would've been slaughtered for suffering such scores but the Blessed Brendan must not be criticised at all costs.

Even the likes of Sutton and Hartson tempered their criticism last night by focusing on the players rather than the manager. "Brendan is a wise man, Brendan knows what he's doing"

2 wins in 17 CL games at two clubs would suggest otherwise. But don't say it out loud. Brendan might get angry at us.
Click to expand...

They bought into the Rodgers myth from day one. One of their slophouses near the Piggery was renamed 'Brendans' in the summer of 2016 before he'd even managed a game for them. They've been able to build a momentum domestically and, unfortunately, we've contributed to that happening.

Even for the Yahoo, though, it's been something else. I recall O'Neill starting to get some disquiet in his second season after losing to us in the League Cup and Scottish Cup so perhaps it'll take a couple of defeats to us to puncture the Rodgers bubble. They don't mind losing 7 goals in Europe but just don't lose to Rangers is perhaps the attitude.

I think it's the assertion that there's something noble in what they're doing that I find so incredible. I've read some of them saying that it's better to try and 'play the game' than 'park the bus' as if defending is not a skill and drawing 0-0 is worse than losing 7-1. It's absurd and, at heart, they know it's absurd.
 
Fat Halpert said:
Just to put this "oh you can't expect us to compete because they are just on another level" line to bed, this is the Barca lineup that came to Ibrox and only came away with a draw

Valdes, Thuram, Abidal, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen, Milito, Henry, Messi, Ronaldinho,

European teams were on another level back then too.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. The only difference now is that it will cost you more money to put together a top side. I think it's also worth pointing out that man for man, that Barcelona team is stronger than the current PSG one. And by quite some distance.
 
Jimmy Mac said:
The standard has changed but that's not the reason for media acceptance of it.

If that was Rangers getting horsed 7-1 last night the headlines and coverage of the result in Scotland would have been very different.

Don't know if the OP is old enough to remember Juventus with Del Piero beating us home and away and scoring 4 in each game when the league was pretty much a one horse race in our favour.

Rest assured the coverage was scathing and totally different from what is afforded to St Brendan.
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Oh god yes. I'm 35, and as much as del pieros free kick was awesome, I remembered being thoroughly embarrassed and cringing at the score, despite how good we all knew that juve team were. We were slaughtered back then, even with 2 decent draws against Dortmund.
 
The decline in Scottish football standards lies squarely at the door of the SFA. A complete lack of leadership, vision and direction. We've known the league structure is wrong for 20 years and have done nothing about it. Physicality over skill is the measurement of success. The result of this approach was there for all to see last night. The best team in our league can't pass, can't keep the ball, can't defend and can't create. If I was a young Scottish player I would get out as soon as possible and go somewhere you're coached to develop and use skill.
 
SDF said:
Said previously the coverage of Rodgers is that of a brainwashed cult in this country. Witness this last night from BBC Scotland's Senior Football Reporter

"A 7-1 thumping for #Celtic in Paris but it feels strangely more positive than the 5-0 defeat in Glasgow. They played well at times against an unbelievably talented side."

How can you debate with a mentality like that ? Strachan and Smith would've been slaughtered for suffering such scores but the Blessed Brendan must not be criticised at all costs.

Even the likes of Sutton and Hartson tempered their criticism last night by focusing on the players rather than the manager. "Brendan is a wise man, Brendan knows what he's doing"

2 wins in 17 CL games at two clubs would suggest otherwise. But don't say it out loud. Brendan might get angry at us.
Click to expand...

thats astonishing
 
tazzabear said:
I guess the headline is a wee bit mis-leading.
I’m thinking you don’t mean standards so low but, objectives being so low.
More than this, acceptability being so high!
The answer to your question though, is quite simple.
It became acceptable when it was septic who’d be on the receiving end of the criticism.
Click to expand...


Yes pretty much. It's the acceptability of these results I find baffling. As someone's said further up, I'd take a Walter Smith team drawing against Barca and man u playing defensively, than getting absolutely skelped and playing attacking. It makes zero sense, but your conclusion is bang on.
 
Fat Halpert said:
Just to put this "oh you can't expect us to compete because they are just on another level" line to bed, this is the Barca lineup that came to Ibrox and only came away with a draw

Valdes, Thuram, Abidal, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen, Milito, Henry, Messi, Ronaldinho,

European teams were on another level back then too.
Click to expand...
one of the best performances in Europe by a scottish team - i was there.
All we heard next day was it was parking the bus, get the game stopped etc.
Mourinho does it, hes a genius
 
SDF said:
Said previously the coverage of Rodgers is that of a brainwashed cult in this country. Witness this last night from BBC Scotland's Senior Football Reporter

"A 7-1 thumping for #Celtic in Paris but it feels strangely more positive than the 5-0 defeat in Glasgow. They played well at times against an unbelievably talented side."

How can you debate with a mentality like that ?
Click to expand...

Shows how much collum knows about football. Mental. However, take comfort this has always been their weakness and why we will overcome. While we are overcritical, we always recognise and tackle our own shortcomings. They are perpetually in the denial stage.
 
Fat Halpert said:
Just to put this "oh you can't expect us to compete because they are just on another level" line to bed, this is the Barca lineup that came to Ibrox and only came away with a draw

Valdes, Thuram, Abidal, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen, Milito, Henry, Messi, Ronaldinho,

European teams were on another level back then too.
Click to expand...
If you look at the teams we played that season in the cl and on the run to the final in Manchester.nearly all of them came from
Bigger and richer leagues and Walter found a system that firstly made us incredibly hard to breakdown and beat home and away.
 
millar2318 said:
Yes pretty much. It's the acceptability of these results I find baffling. As someone's said further up, I'd take a Walter Smith team drawing against Barca and man u playing defensively, than getting absolutely skelped and playing attacking. It makes zero sense, but your conclusion is bang on.
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I was at old trafford when Walter parked the bus and we came away with a 0-0 their wasn’t a bear in the stadium that night that wasn’t delighted with the result
 
Superrangers said:
If PSG han’t fannied around for 25 mins, with the games already won, it could’ve been more.
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I really thought (hoped) that PSG were going to score double figures in the latter stages and Roy Keane said that in the highlights round up that it could easily have been double figures
 
I know the tims have been pumped before but previous teams for them were never pumped home and away frequently. The same for us as well. Standards for Scottish football is definitely plummeting.
 
Celtic have ruined Scottish football.

They tried to bury (off the park) their only rival, removing competition.

They have destroyed the integrity of referees and bullied them into fear of honest decision making.

They have poisoned the media which is now little more than a watered down 'Celtic View'.

They have infiltrated the SFA and SPFL and recruited willing diddy team allies in their quest to 'nail' Rangers.

The result is the humiliation they bring on our country in the real football world outside of the tin-pot dictatorship they've created and wallow in.
 
let me make it very clear i dont give a f-ck about the beggars.but everyone goes on about psg and the money they spend.well everyone goes on about the billions the scum get every year.psg spend their money on new players so what do the manky mob spend it on ,it is not players when someone skelps your arse 12-1 over two games.
 
Fat Halpert said:
The media's pathetic fawning of Rodger's doesn't help at all. No-one is holding him to account for what is actually a pretty poor European record. No-one dare suggest that Brendan is maybe a bit naive to play in the way he does against these top European sides. Look at his response last night to the mere suggestion they could have played a bit more conservative. His side have conceded 7 (seven) twice in Europe since his arrival. Why is no-one questioning that? Instead we get this pish about "made a great start" or getting lauded for "making Bayern work for their victory". They pretend that Celtic are now playing against the greatest teams ever to have graced football and so heavy defeats are unavoidable. But it's not just the European elite. In his 18 months at Celtic Rodgers' 'invincibles' have lost matches against Lincoln Red Imps, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Monchengladbach and Astana. His record should be under more scrutiny.

The longer the media avoid really questioning how Celtic are doing in Europe and continue to applaud defeats like last night the more deeply ingrained this acceptance of our current position in European football will become.

Celtic and the media might be proud of their achievements but I just feel embarrassment watching that lot represent Scottish football. And it angers me that it doesn't embarrass them. Celtic are streets ahead domestically, unbeaten in 60 odd domestic games and are getting their arses handed to them week in week out in Europe. What does that say about the rest of us? Rather than pandering to Rodgers and Liewell, the media should do their jobs and start to ponder the OPs question, when did standards get so low?
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That is a brilliant post
 
Its because it is the media's beloved team that are getting hammered on a regular basis, so they will not say anything negative. Whereas when Rangers got beat at the start of the season by Progres, we are still hearing about it.
 
Celtic and the media might be proud of their achievements but I just feel embarrassment watching that lot represent Scottish football. And it angers me that it doesn't embarrass them. Celtic are streets ahead domestically, unbeaten in 60 odd domestic games and are getting their arses handed to them week in week out in Europe. What does that say about the rest of us? Rather than pandering to Rodgers and Liewell, the media should do their jobs and start to ponder the OPs question, when did standards get so low?[/QUOTE]
This is the biggest problem in Scottish Football; Mr Liewell and his band of merrymen at Hampden Park are happy that the filth govern the domestic game, leaving us with embarrassing defeats in Europe which they turn a blind eye to.

The national team and our domestic league are shite, you can't blame punters for turning away from the Scottish game.

Until the governance at HP and the lie-in with our media changes, this unfortunately could go on for a long time.

Most club chairmen know this however the hatred towards Rangers and keeping us at arms length, Is their biggest concern. How sad our national game has become.
 
Brenda is so far up his own arse its mental and has the media loving every minute of it.
I take you back to when he was Liverpool manager and the Crystal Palace game prior to the Chelsea one where Gerrard slipped and the rest is history. They were 3-0 up with 11 minutes to play and ended up drawing the match which although not directly but effectively lost them the league (confidence levels)
This tells me the tranny shagger has learned nothing and is far too arrogant to change his ways similar wo Warburton and I pray for the day we give them more of a challenge as IMO he will implode.
Why do you think no team in the EPL wants the arrogant arse
 
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