Scotland supporters have rallied behind Sebastien Pocognoli after the Belgian secured his first win as national team boss with a 2-0 Nations League victory away to North Macedonia on Saturday night. The result came just days after a 3-0 defeat to Switzerland had prompted criticism of the SFA's decision to appoint the 38-year-old.
Fans defend Pocognoli after maiden win
Callers to the Hotline were quick to push back at those questioning the manager's credentials. One fan, Nick in Gourock, responded directly to an earlier caller who had claimed the SFA were in "cuckoo" land for handing Pocognoli the job, saying: "Someone tell the dafty from Ardentinny, Stephen Johnstone, that the cuckoo clock originated in Bavaria in southern Germany, and not in Switzerland."
Another caller, Lux Veritas, urged the media to get behind the team, saying: "I'm sick of the depressing, hyper-critical tone from our own Scottish commentators. Of course we need a realistic analysis of the game, but good God, give us a break and get behind the team! Scotland plays with an honesty you don't see from the bigger nations. We constantly suffer from criminal refereeing decisions, yet our players get micro-analysed for every minor foul. It's time for our media to support the team, not drain the life out of the fans."
Robertson reaches century but faces criticism
Captain Andy Robertson marked his 100th cap for Scotland in Skopje, moving to within two of Kenny Dalglish's all-time record. However, not everyone was impressed. Richard Wharton from Carlisle called the Tottenham defender a "liability" and said he should not play for his country again, emailing: "Andy Robertson is a liability. How has he managed 100 caps. I think that should be it. No more!!"
Cameron Hall from Edinburgh noticed something unusual in the Scotland line-up, commenting: "Couldn't help noticing there was only one Old Firm player taking part in the game between Scotland and North Macedonia. Although, to be fair, I suppose Bojan Miovski did contribute more to a Scotland victory than anyone else from Celtic or Rangers has done recently."
England thrash Croatia and reserve team debate continues
Elsewhere, Croatia were beaten 7-0 by England in front of an empty home crowd after being hit with a ban for crowd trouble. Stephen Mulhern from Dumbarton said: "I was astonished by England thrashing a star-studded Croatia side 7-0 but then I looked at the details involved with Croatia not having the backing of there fiercely partisan crowd. It's just yet another example of Jock Stein's famous quote 'football is nothing without fans'. It was just like a training match and Croatia are an embarrassment to their country."
John Scott from Grassmoor agreed with Record Sport columnist Ryan Stevenson's views on the scrapping of reserve team football in Scotland, recalling how Hibs once ran three teams, including a B team that played in the East of Scotland League. He noted one player, John Grant, who signed in 1949 and had to wait five years to reach the first team, making over 300 appearances before being released by Jock Stein in 1964. He asked: "Would condensing that system back into a first team and reserve team really be a bad thing for our game?"
Finally, Steve McGregor from Australia was unimpressed by Michael Beale's comments about a training quirk he adopted with Steven Gerrard at Rangers, saying: "Every time Beale opens his mouth it's only to tell himself how good he is."
