George Burley

[cosanostra]

Anyone else think that things are just not going to work out for him as Scotland manager?

 

Results have not been good, performances have not been good, the team looks low on morale, the defence looks disorganised and the forwards are not scoring.

 

Not only that but fate seems to be conspiring against him as well. He just seems to be an incredibly unlucky Scotland manager.

 

He had a hard act to follow in the footsteps of the relative success of McLeish and Smith.

 

He had 2 tricky, critical away qualifiers as his first 2 competetive games. Who the hell thought that was a good idea? Gordon Smith apparently - idiot.

 

Then against Macedonia - that ridiculous free kick the ref gave them, the ball bounces back off the post and straight to one of their guys. Scotland had 1 if not 2 incredible penalty decisions go against them. Just not our day.

 

Norway - Probably the most incredible miss i've ever seen from any professional footballer in my entire life. And that happens to us, in a vital qualifier yesterday.

 

Injuries - I think we can see how much we miss Barry Ferguson and Alan Hutton from last years team. We had so little poise on the ball yesterday in the first half that we never even threatened. Broadfoot is a trier but let's face it, he's not international class.

 

I'm also starting to think that some of the players don't like or respect him. Can't imagine McCulloch or Boyd refusing to play for McLeish or Smith - no way. I've also heard that McFadden is unhappy.

 

Players just not performing - The complete loss of form by Fletcher and McFadden has been a huge loss. When was the last time Fletcher played a good game for Scotland? McFadden just hasn't been the same since the Italy game.

 

I'm 90% certain that we'll do nothing under Burley. I just have this feeling that he's not the right man for the job. Some players & managers just don't work out at certain clubs, I think this is a similar situation.

 

What does everyone else think?

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

It's not going great for him but he needs TIME.

 

He's trying to change things and do it his own way. McLeish really just continued Smiths good work. Burleys scrapped it and tried his own thing which is a bold move.

 

If THAT miss had gone in yesterday we would be looking in a very strong position and the mood would have been different.

 

The players aren't doing him any favours. Ridiculous amounts of call offs for crucial build up games and players throwing their toys out of the pram.

 

IT'S AN HONOUR TO PLAY FOR YOUR COUNTRY YOU BUNCH OF OVERPAID W***ERS.

[cosanostra]

I know it sounds illogical, I just think Burley is doomed as Scotland manager.

 

I wonder why are the players behaving like this under his management.

 

Maybe we used up our on field luck during the last campaign because with this one, things are just not going our way at all.

[Gigolo-Aunt]

Will lead this campaign but will leave due to "Mutual concent" citing that he misses the day to day involvment of cub football.

 

Burley has been pretty unlucky in the QF games - athough he has made some poor decisions as well.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I know it sounds illogical, I just think Burley is doomed as Scotland manager.

 

I wonder why are the players behaving like this under his management.

 

Maybe we used up our on field luck during the last campaign because with this one, things are just not going our way at all.

 

That's the main issue here IMO.

 

It will all come out in the wash it's just utterly bizarre though.

 

Especially when you look at how much the Hearts squad loved playing under him!

 

I'm naturaly defensive of Burley because I loved him at Hearts but maybe this is his fault, I dunno.

[hearts00]

Let me tell you my honest thoughts on Burley. He comes across as a total half-wit. He speaks very poorly, his grasp of English is horrible and his summaries of matches ridiculous, for example "we were outstanding in the second half against Macedonia and Norway". I cringe every time he speaks.

 

The decision to put Fletcher and Iwelumo ahead of Boyd is very damaging for team morale and I believe the dressing room is imploding.

 

His tactics to start the match yesterday were completely wrong, and then to bring our most talented player off in McFadden mind-boggling.

 

I don't like his chances of being in the Scotland job for much longer.

 

But then you think he was brilliant at Hearts. Was he though? If Skacel had not put in the best six games of his career and scored wonder goals, we would have dropped a number of points in the opening ten games. We were bailed out by moment of genius from one man, who then failed to reproduce any of that genius for most of the rest of the season (bar the Scottish Cup final). For me Burley is an okay coach, who has never managed a big club of any real status.

[IMA MAROON]

It is everybodies fault but Burley's because he was the manager of Hearts.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

It is everybodies fault but Burley's because he was the manager of Hearts.

 

Nothing to do with the thread but I immediately laughed when you said that. So I'm going to say this and it's directed at you.

 

It is everybodies fault but Romanov because he saved Tynecastle.

[Gambo]

Whilst he has made some mistakes and results have not been great, he seems to be a target for certain members of the press who seem to be running a campaign to get him out. I would ask the question if those media people have got at and used a couple of players in their campaign.

 

The 'Boyd' issue apart, the team is along the lines probably of what most others would pick imo.

[Chad Sexington]

It's looking grim for him.

 

He'll be gone after this campaign I reckon. We have zero chance of qualifying outright from the group and I wouldn't fancy us against anyone in a play off on current form.

 

That said, he's not had a lot of luck with injuries and THAT miss yesterday beggared belief. He was also stymied early on by that moron Smith forcing him to play Macedonia in the stinking heat.

 

It just doesn't seem like it's meant to be for GB and Scotland.

[Deevers]

The west coast "Red Tops" have got the scent of Burleys blood - that's it as far as he's concerned now.

[DETTY29]

I'm not sticking up for Burley in anyway but I see a similar scenario to what Hearts experienced at the start of the Frail and Korobotchka partnership after the passing of Ivanauskas (or was it Malofeev). We went from getting beaten to start drawing/narrowly winning by playing exceptionally defensively. Thing is these 1 nil wins can easily become 1 nil losses or iif the other team scores first, games a bogey. Added to the fact there is a demand for Scotland to become more expansive, without the player quality, he was always doomed.

 

Smith and McLeish knew exactly what they were doing in getting out.

[cosanostra]

I think he got his starting team and formation all wrong yesterday.

 

If he'd watched Norway, he would have seen the size of those 2 hulking great brutes that they had playing centre half. Having McFadden isolated up front on his own against 2 monsters like that defies any sort of logic. It was clear after 15 minutes that he needed help but instead, he let the half drift by and then took off our most talented player.

 

We also had a goalscorer on the bench who was overlooked for 2 guys with less than 5 caps between them.

 

It's no wonder that the press are starting to ask questions about Burley because the Scotland fans certainly are.

[cosanostra]

That said, he's not had a lot of luck with injuries and THAT miss yesterday beggared belief. He was also stymied early on by that moron Smith forcing him to play Macedonia in the stinking heat.

 

It just doesn't seem like it's meant to be for GB and Scotland.

 

What the hell was Gordon Smith thinking about??? 2 away games like that with some of our best players missing, a new manager and stifling heat to contend with??

 

The guy should be sacked for allowing that to happen.

[IMA MAROON]

Nothing to do with the thread but I immediately laughed when you said that. So I'm going to say this and it's directed at you.

 

It is everybodies fault but Romanov because he saved Tynecastle.

 

I've always said that Romanov has made mistakes.

 

The only fans in Scotland sticking up for Burley are Hearts fans and Hearts fans will carry on making excuses for him.

[Only a Game]

Burley, you have to say so far, has been an unmitigated disaster as Scotland manager.

 

Team selection and tactics, not for the first time, were all wrong yesterday. Proven by the fact that Iwelemo came on and changed the game for us.(His miss is the sort of thing you only see every 7 or 8 years in football and it just happened at the wrong time and place for him/us)

 

SHOULD have started with either Iwelemo or Boyd up front with someone playing off him, or even better IMO, start with both of them up front. We didnt give that Norwegian defence anything to worry about for very nearly the first hour.

 

People who watch Scotland want to see the traditional passion and "gerrintaethum" attitude. Its the only way we will ever be even remotely succesful at international level. We havent got the quality to do what Burley tried to do yesterday and for him not to realise that, or to try it despite being well aware of it, was quite honestly criminal.

 

Burley wont see the end of this campaign. He has already failed and I see no point in carrying on with him much longer unless he can fluke a win against the Dutch.

 

He's begining to make his 12 weeks at Tynecastle look like a total freakish accident and lets face it, THAT 12 weeks is the only reason he got the job in the first place.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

What the hell was Gordon Smith thinking about??? 2 away games like that with some of our best players missing, a new manager and stifling heat to contend with??

 

The guy should be sacked for allowing that to happen.

 

He was dreaming of the big finale at Hampden against Holland.

 

He couldn't have got it more wrong if he had tried.

 

Play in Macedonia in 100 degree heat? Nice one ya tool.

[DETTY29]

He was dreaming of the big finale at Hampden against Holland.

 

He couldn't have got it more wrong if he had tried.

 

Play in Macedonia in 100 degree heat? Nice one ya tool.

 

Nice tan top up if you can get it

[Walter Kidd]

He will be lucky to survive this. Some baffling decisions yesterday.

 

What is the point of Darren Fletcher?

[cosanostra]

When Burley does go, Gordon Smith should be following him.

 

The standard of football in Scotland has never been worse and the national team are going backwards with his choice of manager.

 

His blatant pro-OF stance is also sickening.

[cosanostra]

He will be lucky to survive this. Some baffling decisions yesterday.

 

What is the point of Darren Fletcher?

 

He is having a terrible run of form for the national team.

 

He was even poor in Iceland on a night when the whole team played quite well.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

When Burley does go, Gordon Smith should be following him.

 

The standard of football in Scotland has never been worse and the national team are going backwards with his choice of manager.

 

His blatant pro-OF stance is also sickening.

 

He's done a fine job of destroying the progress we had been making over the last few years.

 

Now we are facing playing out another campaign with nothing at stake and a Scottish Cup sponsored by a fridge company and players refusing to play for our country.

 

Don't worry though, we managed to get a friendly against Argentina reserves on a Wednesday night in November and nailed that ******* Miko for his diving.

[cosanostra]

I wonder what it will take for people to start asking why Gordon Smith seems untouchable in his role?

[monkfish1979]

That's the main issue here IMO.

 

It will all come out in the wash it's just utterly bizarre though.

 

Especially when you look at how much the Hearts squad loved playing under him!

 

I'm naturaly defensive of Burley because I loved him at Hearts but maybe this is his fault, I dunno.

 

I reckon it's something to do with OF players - and Burley coming to the conclusion that the sun does not shine out of their arses.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I wonder what it will take for people to start asking why Gordon Smith seems untouchable in his role?

 

Let's review some of Smiths achievements since he took the job:

 

• We are now on our 3rd manager since he took over.
   
  
• We went for a season without a sponsor for our main cup competition.
   
  
• We finally found a sponsor for the cup ... a fridge company.
   
  
• We managed to mess up a draw for the CIS Cup resulting in the draw being CHANGED.
   
  
• We have seen 2 players retire from international football without any comments/action from Smith.
   
  
• Our co-efficient has took an absolute battering this season. We will be lucky to have a club in Europe by Christmas.
   
  
• This wasn't helped by not changing the stupid rule than cup finalists qualify for Europe.
   
  
• The standard of the SPL is at an all time low.
   
  
• We witnessed one of our Premier Division clubs go to the wall last season without much help from the main main - Smith.
   
  
• We have seen Boruc wear t-shirts like 'God bless the Pope' at an Old Firm game ... bigotry is still going strong without much action from Smith.
   
  
• Smith publicly condemed Miko for diving while Broadfoot dives every single week. Of course Broadfoot is a good honest Scottish lad. Not like that Johnny foreigner, Miko.
   
  
• He managed to dent Scotlands chances in this campaign with what can only be described as a pathetic fixture list.
  

 

That's just off the top of my head. Well done Gordon Smith.

 

Now feck off back to the BBC and continue with your terrible punditry.

[The Craig]

He will be lucky to survive this. Some baffling decisions yesterday.

 

What is the point of Darren Fletcher?

 

It's not often I agree with Charlie Nicholas but I think he was on the right lines with his view point yesterday.

Because Fletcher plays (and does it well IMO) for Man Utd we expect too much from him. He does what he needs to at club level cause he's got the players around him to give the ball to. For Scotland he's the one expected to make the key passes while there's no Ferguson involved. Which he cant do as often as we need him to.

[monkfish1979]

Let's review some of Smiths achievements since he took the job:

 

• We are now on our 3rd manager since he took over.
   
  
• We went for a season without a sponsor for our main cup competition.
   
  
• We finally found a sponsor for the cup ... a fridge company.
   
  
• We managed to mess up a draw for the CIS Cup resulting in the draw being CHANGED.
   
  
• We have seen 2 players retire from international football without any comments/action from Smith.
   
  
• Our co-efficient has took an absolute battering this season. We will be lucky to have a club in Europe by Christmas.
   
  
• This wasn't helped by not changing the stupid rule than cup finalists qualify for Europe.
   
  
• The standard of the SPL is at an all time low.
   
  
• We witnessed one of our Premier Division clubs go to the wall last season without much help from the main main - Smith.
   
  
• We have seen Boruc wear t-shirts like 'God bless the Pope' at an Old Firm game ... bigotry is still going strong without much action from Smith.
   
  
• Smith publicly condemed Miko for diving while Broadfoot dives every single week. Of course Broadfoot is a good honest Scottish lad. Not like that Johnny foreigner, Miko.
   
  
• He managed to dent Scotlands chances in this campaign with what can only be described as a pathetic fixture list.
  

 

That's just off the top of my head. Well done Gordon Smith.

 

Now feck off back to the BBC and continue with your terrible punditry.

 

Amen. The guy's a cynical hypocrite and the biggest boon that the OF have ever had. A miserable failure as the figurehead for Scottish football. A better man would stand aside and accept that he's made a complete ****** up of the job.

[Dazo]

The OF players seem to have a real problem with Burley and this will undoubtedly be his/our downfall.

[Diego10]

The OF players seem to have a real problem with Burley and this will undoubtedly be his/our downfall.

 

I'd say pretty much all the dissent has come from one side of the OF to be fair, and it's no Celtic.

 

I think the OP might have a point to be honest, some guys just don't fit or get much luck in a job. We could easily have won yesterday's game despite a poorish (particularly 1st half) performance if not for a truly unbelievable miss. here's no doubt that the 'experts' in the Daily ****** and the Hun have it in for him as well, as we've no been as bad as the level of abuse would suggest.

 

He does need to start getting the team selection right from the kick-off and get us playing at a higher tempo, but it is starting to look like it might all slip away from him

[Chad Sexington]

Amen. The guy's a cynical hypocrite and the biggest boon that the OF have ever had. A miserable failure as the figurehead for Scottish football. A better man would stand aside and accept that he's made a complete ****** up of the job.

 

The recent doco on him was a major eye opener.

 

He came across as an incompetent boob who is hopelessly out of his depth.

 

As far as Burley is concerned, he got a lot of things wrong yesterday and is starting to look out of his depth also.

 

It's a depressing time to be a Scotland fan.

 

[monkfish1979]

It's a depressing time to be a Scotland fan.

 

 

It's a depressing time to be a Scottish football fan. We've sat and watched a weak Old Firm manage to remain leaps and bounds ahead of any other club in Scotland by hook or by crook. The recent ploy to impose handling fees on other clubs is yet another prime example of the big clubs being able to do anything they want without any sort of backlash from the powers that be. Smith's where he is soley because of where hiss allegiances lie. There's nothing springing to mind that qualifies him for the position he currently holds.

 

He's like a Scottish George W. Bush.