Scotlands 2-0 win over Croatia caused such embarrassment for the visitors that coach Igor Stimac immediately offered his resignation after the game. With his nation having secured a place in the play offs for Brazil, its unclear whether or not it will be accepted, and one wonders whether its all just for show.<\/p>\n
GordonStrachan, who has at least saved face for the Scots by securing fourth place in the group, and that has to be hailed as a remarkable achievement considering how Craig Levein had decided to give all the other countries a head start earlier in the campaign.<\/p>\n
Strachan was a happy wee fellow last night;<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a nice way to finish the week. The week has been hopefully enjoyable but hard work, so when you put that kind of hard work in it\u2019s always nice to get a performance and a win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goals from Robert Snodgrass, probably the least Scottish sounding player of all time, and Ibrox favourite Steven Naismith secured the win, and means that Scotland can look forward to the Euro 2016 qualifiers if not with confidence, then certainly with optimism.<\/p>\n
The radio and newspapers will be full of the “what ifs ” over the next few days, considering what would have happened if Strachan had been in charge throughout the whole campaign, but put simply, he wasn’t , so its irrelevant.<\/p>\n
England qualified for the finals with a 2-0 win over Poland, meaning we will have just 31 teams to support next year. Except this time it might be different. With manager Roy Hodgson admitting he “died a thousand deaths ” ( no, he didn’t -ed ) every time Poland crossed the half way line, he will be looking to blood a new keeper to either replace or at the very least provide back up to the calamitous Joe Hart, which means Fraser Forster will get his England cap, without ever having to go there via Norwich. That means if the big man plays in Brazil, a lot of the enjoyment of watching the English get beat on penalties in the semi finals will be tapered , especially if their press blames Forster.<\/p>\n
All of that won’t matter if he moves from Celtic in the meantime, but for now he is still one of ours.<\/p>\n
It’ll be like watching a car load of Rangers fans drive off a cliff-in your own new car.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Emilio Izzaguerre and Honduras booked their place in the finals, a 2-2 draw in Jamaica ensured third spot in their group, ahead of Mexico, and the latter will now face a play off with New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Play offs also beckon for Mikael Lustigs Sweden and Gergios Samaras with Greece. Sweden finished second to Germany, and despite a win at home to Leichtenstein, Bosnia winning in Lithuania means that the Greeks lost out on automatic qualification.<\/p>\n
One other heading to Brazil is Aussie midfielder Tomas Rogic, who drew praise from former Australia captain Paul Wade;<\/p>\n
”Every time I’ve seen him play, even if it’s just a cameo, he looks like he’s all class and he doesn’t panic, and he’s not been out there a long time,” Wade said.<\/p>\n
”But he’ll come good [from injury] and he’ll play in the World Cup and he’ll score.<\/p>\n
”I don’t think he’s going to crash and burn tomorrow so that he never plays again. He’ll be back and then we’ll sit there and go, ‘Yeah, we found a jewel’. He’s got a gorgeous touch under pressure, beautiful, love it. He reminds me of Ned Zelic, he just glides.”
\nNow its time for those five \u00a0most commonly used words in the English language-James Forrest is fit again<\/p>\n
This time he’s looking for a “wee bit of luck ” to stay that way;<\/p>\n
It’s just been bad luck getting not well and having a wee niggle here and there and I just need a wee bit of luck now to get a run of games,” he told the club’s official website.<\/p>\n
“We have a lot of big games left and once all the boys are back on Thursday and Friday we can look forward to the next few weeks.<\/p>\n
“When you haven’t been well, you don’t want to come back and do too much, so it’s been a good wee break and I have been able to do some hard work.”<\/p>\n
The club are taking their own precautions with him<\/p>\n
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Another potential injury has entered the minds of Celtic fans when this still from the Greece game last night appeared in Interwebland;<\/p>\n
![\"View](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/BWp8sT4IIAAFUb8.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
With what happened to Samson when his missus got the clippers out, there are real fears over the Greek gods well-being, and we can only hope it grows back quickly.<\/p>\n
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Over at Ibrox, there has been a change in the board room again. Craig Mather , who was the CEO, has resigned with immediate effect after a record breaking few months in the post.<\/p>\n
The club said;<\/p>\n
“The company announces that, by mutual consent, the chief executive, Craig Mather, has resigned from the company with immediate effect. The company also announces that non-executive director Bryan Smart has resigned from the board with immediate effect. The directors would like to thank both Craig and Bryan for their contributions to the club.<\/p>\n
“As a matter of priority, the company, working with its advisers, will now seek to strengthen the board, both to meet the standards required for an AIM company, and to achieve stability through a consensus amongst major shareholders, which can then be considered by all shareholders at the annual general meeting.”<\/p>\n
The man himself said;<\/p>\n
“The interests of the club are of paramount importance and I believe these are best served by me leaving the club.<\/p>\n
“Despite recent events and speculation, the facts of the matter are that the club is financially secure and in a far better place than it was a year ago. Unlike most football clubs Rangers has money in the bank, no borrowings and this season we have assembled a squad which is capable of progressing through the leagues.<\/p>\n
“My short tenure as chief executive has been beset by incessant attempts to destabilise the operations of the club, all done supposedly in the interests of Rangers. I had real faith in the rebuilding of Rangers and invested significantly in the club. Sadly, those who have been most active in upsetting the very good progress we have been making were not willing to do the same.<\/p>\n
“I leave with my head held high and will remain as a shareholder and a supporter of Ally and his team.”<\/p>\n
and Celtic supporters said;<\/p>\n
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for which we must be eternally grateful to the new club, as they continue to supply an endless stream of hilarity.<\/p>\n
We tried to get hold of Mather for an exclusive interview, but he wasn’t in.<\/p>\n
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Where do they go from here ? Who cares, as long as it keeps us smiling ?<\/p>\n
Grant Munro has left Ross County to pursue a career away from football-surely he’s not next in line for the job ?<\/p>\n
Tommy Gemmell, who helped to set inmotion the death of the old Rangers when he scored against Inter Milan all those years ago, does \u00a0something else today that \u00a0they will never do when he celebrates his seventieth birthday.<\/p>\n