MUNICH, GERMANY - JUNE 14: From Left: Andrew Robertson, Angus Gunn and Ryan Porteous of Scotland sing their national anthem prior to the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Germany and Scotland at Munich Football Arena on June 14, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Again exposing his lack of knowledge and understanding of soccer, Tom English has decided to pin the blame for Scotland’s 5-1 defeat from Germany on Tony Ralston.
At least it gives Callum McGregor a break as the BBC slips into a familiar template of blaming Celtic players for a Scotland defeat.
With English, Neil McCann, Kenny Macintyre and Steven Thompson leading a team of 50 frontline and backroom technicians in Germany the fall out from Friday’s defeat is entirely predictable. Bobby Madden is commenting on the key decisions.
As Chief Sports Writer at the state broadcaster English can waffle away, never getting close to a story or expected to give instant post-match verdicts, instead he can use his flowery language to put the boot into anything Celtic once the dust has settled.
Over 227 words you won’t find any mention of Angus Gunn or Andy Robertson but Ralston is called out FOUR TIMES by the man affectionately known as House Paddy by his BBC colleagues.
On the BBC website he gives his chin-stroking analysis with:
The Scottish optimism that wafted across Munich throughout Friday always felt like a collective hypnosis, a belief fuelled by booze.
It was a dream those fans hung on to dearly, until Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala started turning it into a nightmare inside 10 minutes of their Euro 2024 opener.
The Tartan Army were under the mistaken impression that this was their party, but it wasn’t.
Their mortification was that, having paid through the nose to be here, many of them might have paid the same again to be anywhere else but Munich.
We can think back to those early shell-shocking moments and examine how they unfolded.
The wonderful Wirtz allowed space and time by his hesitant marker, Anthony Ralston.
Then a second; Kai Havertz running away from Ralston and setting up the equally brilliant, Musiala.
Wirtz and Musiala took turns to drift over to Ralston’s side of the pitch, where, helpfully for them, Ryan Porteous also roamed.
The Scotland defenders were tag-teamed by two of the most gifted 21-year-olds in European football. Ralston was game but tormented and Porteous red-carded.
The German pair moved from right wing to left in search of their prey.
Goals three and four and five came later, but the only game that Scotland played after Wirtz and Musiala set the agenda was damage limitation and they lost that modest pursuit, too.
To mention the same name in four successive sentences is the sort of thing that a First Year Journalism Student would be pulled up for but if your face fits at the BBC and you know the script you have a job for life, or until you can find an Irish publisher looking for an expensive egg-chasing writer.
Gunn had a nightmare, following on from his performance for Norwich as they lost 4-0 at Leeds in the EPL Play Off, in his last two matches he has lost nine goals.
Captain Robertson was left as exposed as Robertson on the other side of the defence despite having the back up and support of Kieran Tierney. Ralston had the dubious talents of Ryan Porteous and Jack Hendry between himself and Gunn.
Hopefully Young McCrorie comes in for Ralston against Switzerland on Wednesday with Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean, Ryan Jack and Lawrence Shankland also given a chance to shine.
English is hores cock,Calnac sent out face the music while Robertson dies a Tavpen and goes onto hiding.
Robertson only looks good at Liverpool because of te players he is surrounded by not his own skills.
As for Gunn he should be nowhere near the Scotland team Clarke and Kelly are far better than that stuntman for Alan Rough.
But hey as I said I was looking for 3 right good SCUDDINGS that’s the first one out the road 2 more to go.
Still it gives the klown English another excuse to do a hatchet job onanotger Celtic player probably Calmac this time to keep the Huns happy.
English is as thick as fuck ,just listen to him tryingto put a sentence together,it’s foow the bouncing ball,TWAT.
Thanks, bringing up Alan Rough made me burst out laughing! Reminded me of Jimmy Greaves going on about “Scottish goalkeepers”….
Gunn had an absolute stinker and it barely gets a mention, probably because there’s no chance of him getting dropped since Clarke took those two benchwarmers with 5 caps between them instead of Craig Gordon.
I almost stopped reading the article after paragraph 4 due to the constant use of Ralston’s name.
I think he mentions Porteous name twice which I thought was odd considering he left the team a man short for nearly sixty minutes.
Ralston was left exposed, often two on one, with cover always five yards too far away.
The heading of the article gives the impression of “Argentina” like levels of optimism yet anyone I’ve spoken to recognised how difficult this group was going to be.
I long ago gave up on our media. Everything is either “tremendous” or “terrible” with little incite and limited tactical analysis.
A fuckin no mark, an uncle tom who hasn’t a fuckin clue about anything, prick.HH
Robertson, McGinn, McTominay? Where the fck wur they.these are guys that play in the so called best league in the world but done absolutely hee haw.
Left a better keeper in the hoose.
Spot on Stevie – it’s team game and Scotland, as a unit didn’t turn up or lay a glove on Germany. Blaming individuals is a poor excuse for journalism.
Targeting Celtic players makes him and other hacks feel a bit better after the sickener of watching us just doing a double
I simply don’t listen to BBC Scotland at all..
Unless, Unless, Unless of course –
Sevco drop points in which case it’s a beautiful listen…
And if they drop points to Celtic (as happens a lot these days)…
Well it’s an awesomely beautiful listen !
Other than that it’s a NEVER EVER regarding that mob !
Uncle Tom the Stab City soup taker laying the boot into a Celtic player is nothing new. He has to keep in with his Sevco loving employers. His job depends upon it. Yep BBC Sevco laying thè boot into Celtic its what they do.
Your analysis of English is spot on Ed!
He doesn’t understand football and he panders to the anti-Celtic element in this country, through his role in the media.
In fact he is a willing cheerleader for that element!
He is a
“Useful Idiot”
in that respect!
They were all rotten: nobody got pass marks.
Either they each get named individually, or get criticised as a collective,
because the team – and management – was mince.
To repeatedly name one individual says more about the writer.
…and it seems likely that nobody bothered to proofread this ‘poison pen’ article ?