'Tremendous response from Scotland' - what are the fans saying?
- Published
Scotland remain in the hunt for a place in the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 after a battling draw with Switzerland.
Now Steve Clarke's side look to Sunday's meeting with Hungary in Stuttgart, which could very well be a winner-takes-all contest for one of the best third place spots.
Fans were left dismayed by the heavy opening loss to Germany but the mood has brightened now.
Here are a selection of your views on the performance in Cologne and what it means for the remainder of the tournament.
- Published20 June
- Published19 June
- Published20 June
'Pride restored'
Andy: The performance was more like the qualifying campaign. Combination of guile and steel, closing down quickly and breaking with pace. Yes, there were mistakes but we should expect that. It’s the reaction to Ralston’s error that really pleased me. No heads went down. Great to see and now with a real chance to progress in our own hands and not simply relying on other results in isolation. Brilliant job Scotland.
Martin: Scotland the Brave! We are absolutely decimated in defence yet still stood up to be counted. Gilmour's inclusion was key. When he was on the pitch he oozed class and calmness on the ball. All I wanted after that German mauling was evidence we belonged at this level. We could have lost, could have won (that Akanji clearance was world class). Scotland shook Switzerland to their core. The Tartan Army march! Watch out Hungary! Wee gripe: can we give Shankland more than four injury time minutes in Stuttgart, please Stevie?
Alastair: Tremendous response from Scotland. The Tartan Army were outstanding. Progression is in our hands and with another scintillating performance like that on Sunday, the team will make a little bit of Scottish footballing history.
Nick: Pride restored. Scotland were always going to be a different side to the one that folded in Munich, but the tigerish, front-footed football they showed was exciting, passionate and skilful. Defence looked, one mistake aside, like a pretty composed unit, and attacks were frequent (particularly in the second half). Come on Scotland!
Gordon: Enjoyed it. Exactly what we should be seeing from a Scotland side going forward. Created a few really good chances and stood up to the Swiss physicality. Really do worry about us defensively though, we've given away six really poor goals in two games now and it could easily have been more. Would have taken a point before the match. Up there with one of my favourite Scotland games, incredible atmosphere.
Bruce: Much better performance. A cracking game. Scotland really put the pride back into their performance, high energy press and much better touch and distribution. Roll on Sunday!
Asim: A brave and thoughtful performance from Scotland.
Rab: Absolutely delighted with the effort, commitment, drive, grit, guts and determination. Superb effort from the boys! Pride restored… Now come on and make history!
Tam: It was always going to come down to four points from the Switzerland & Hungary games. So part one completed, one point in the bag. Now it’s easy maths. Beat Hungary, go through. Simples!
'Shaky defence, McGinn not there yet'
Andy: Was at the game and, at last, a fighting performance, but you could feel the nerves jangle across all Scots in the ground every time we were attacked down our right side. Mistakes happen and we definitely lack a quality right-back. That’s both games now it's been glaringly obvious. Mr S.C we need to get that sorted for Sunday or Hungary will just do more of the same.
Andrew: Better performance but defence still looks shaky.
Anon: I think with Gilmour (by far our most accomplished player) alongside McTominay in the middle, we have a chance against Hungary. McGinn and McGregor need to keep on improving though. We got more aggression but still not playing like they can. Adams is our best striker by far so he should be up front again. I do think Clarke has a big problem at right-back. Swiss hurt us a lot coming down that side and cutting in. Clarke should have seen that weakness in first game. He made a mistake with benching Gilmour in the first game but rectified that thankfully.
Andy: McTominay was better, McGinn still not there yet, so more to come from him. Can't fault the effort from every player but we need to get back to clean sheets! Never going to win games if shipping goals all the time. KT out is a massive blow. Hungary look decent against Germany so anything can happen. Fingers crossed for a Scotland win.
Anon: I was there in Cologne. Once again if the players believed they could win they might have.
Roysters: Determination. Guile. Bravery. All finally evident and returning qualities in this Scottish team. Like the BBC analysis, I thought that the addition of Gilmour made the difference. Yes, there were a couple of loose passes, but it certainly didn’t merit a woeful 4.73/10 on the player ratings (worst rating of the team!) Roll on Sunday evening.
Scott: It was an ok performance, nothing more. Switzerland played within themselves and Scotland were full tilt. Clarke should have made offensive changes earlier but his in-game management is abysmal and I'm telling you now he'd take a draw against Hungary so it looks decent on paper and on his CV.
Malcolm: As good as Tierney is, perhaps having McKenna in as a recognised centre-back will help the defence be more convincing. Would be good to see Steve Clarke go to his bench a little earlier and freshen things up a bit, give Shankland a chance. Almost certainly through if we win, but a draw might even be good enough... It'd definitely be the most Scotland way to get through!
Anon: I thought we were poor. If midfield is where strength is why do we bypass to hit long balls? We played like Everton that’s not a compliment. Don’t think Adams has had a decent pass in two games and we have created almost nothing from open play.
George: We now face the same scenario we’ve faced in nearly every major tournament we’ve been in since 1974 i.e. needing to win our last group game to qualify. World Cup 74 - drew with Yugoslavia. World Cup 78 - had to beat Dutch by three, won 3-2. World Cup 82 - drew with USSR. World Cup 86 - drew with Uruguay. World Cup 90 - lost to Brazil. Euro 96 – beat Swiss, but out on goal difference. World Cup 98 - lost to Morocco. Sorry, but I honestly can’t see it being any different this time round. I do hope I’m wrong.