Scotland v Serbia Live Match thread....

Live@ http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewLiveArticle/151766

Now let's get one thing straight I am a passionate supporter of Scotland, love my country and will support them through thick and thin. And by god recent years have been so thin were borderline anorexic.

But let's separate support for the team and manager from personal opinions on team management, tactics and player selection policy.

We haven't qualified for a major tournament now for 14 years. And in those years the same tactics have been employed and failed over and over.

But here we are on the verge of a new campaign ready to repeat the mistakes of the past. No lessons gave been learned. When they are, it will be too late yet again to salvage another failed campaign

Usually at this point I'm excited and looking forward to a new campaign. Hope usually over expectation. This time I fear for us. This is a car crash we can all see coming.

Ironically this is the best group of players we've had in a generation. We should be approaching this campaign full of optimism and expectation over hope. But we're being held back. We're being held back by poor managerial decisions, man management, team selections an tactics.

For the first time in a generation we have players plying their trades in the top leagues. But we have a guy feart to set us up to win. A guy so polarised in his opinion he is damaging our chances from the outset.

- How can it be that we have £20m of striking talent yet it won't start today ?

- How can it be that a clown like Webster will start CB over a seasoned pro & EPL captain in Caldwell (not that I'm his biggest fan)

- How can it be that the same Caldwell is shoe horned into midfield instead of the numerous other EPL midfielders who can play that role yet not even un the Squad (like McArthur and Bannan) ?

- how can I be that we will start with a 33-yr old lone striker plying is trade in Canada instead of either of those in my first point

- how can it be that we are about to repeat the mistakes of the past. 4-1-4-1 formation has failed us time and again. Levein claims that it's no about formations but about speed and support. I don't disagree. But his selections for this formation dont support that ethos. For it to work you need 3 things. Of which we have none. Firstly you need a lone striker who can hold the ball up to allow your midfield to provide the support/numbers. We don't have that. KM for all his endeavour can't hold the ball up. And he is genuinely hopeless in from of goal. Secondly you need a dynamic mobile midfield that is willing to get in grin of the ball. Again we don't have that. Our musfield tend to sit behind the play. And thirdly aefnd probably most importantly you need pace in defence. Th defence needs to be able to squeeze up to allow the midfield to get forward to support the line striker or else big gaps appear between defence and midfield for the opposition to play in. If your defence doesn't have pace it tends to drop off and inevitably sucks the midfield back to close that gap. And ultimately the line striker gets isolated. That's clearly why he's playing the holding midfielder to bridge that gap. But it shouldn't be Caldwell in there. It's sacrificing a position.

- how can it be that the manager claims to be doing everything in his power to get us to Brazil when this is clearly no the case.? He is neither selecting our best players nor is he playing those he has selected in their best positions nor is he setting us up to win

We have a manager whose utterings get more nonsensical the more you hear him, says one thing and then contradicts himself, isolates players and is jeopardising our chances through his own stubbornness.

A case in point is the Steven Fletcher incident. Now since April this year Fletcher has said hexis available for selection. But Levein says he must call him to say he is available. Do all players need to do this ? No.

There have been many famous bust ups between top players and their managers. For example Tevez and Mancini and Rooney and Ferguson. But guess what ? Top managers are savvy enough to know the team is more important and doing what's best for the team overtired the personal feelings. It takes a strong and good manager to do this. Levein is damaging our chances by continuing this stand off

I hope to god we win but I fear we won't. Wrong lineup wrong tactics wrong players and wrong manager

This is the best players we've had in a generation. By they're wasted on this manager.

If we're not already disillusioned before the campaign has begun, we soon will be.

As I said I hope to god Levein proves me wrong and will be more than happy to eat a big slice of humble pie but this car crash arrives at our door very soon.

We should be gettin maximum points from our home games. It's not unachievable

1 point from 6 is what I think well have after the first two games. .

Min the Scotland !!