Did England's performance merit comparison with our cup final showing?
Tartan specs off in the wake of what was a hard-won point for Scotland, but I'll admit that during the game I was increasingly baffled by how lifeless England looked. They seemed almost bereft of energy, enthusiasm and tactical nous. Afterwards this quote from Gary Neville caught my eye:
"It's hard to say why England were so poor. They went into the game with a lot of expectation on their shoulders so was that too big for some of them? For a few of those lads it was the biggest game they’ve ever played in and I know myself that the build-up to a game like that can sometimes mentally take it out of you."
It's a quote which made me wonder if the same could be said of our dismal cup final showing, which has left me perplexed for weeks. I hadn't really considered the mental aspect of it and while you could argue we shouldn't really have felt too much pressure playing against St Johnstone in an empty stadium there's no question the weight of expectation sat far more heavily on our players' shoulders than St Johnstone's. Were we just mentally worn down? Compared to our 2016 side we definitely lacked players who had the mental experience/fortitude for such occasions.
"It's hard to say why England were so poor. They went into the game with a lot of expectation on their shoulders so was that too big for some of them? For a few of those lads it was the biggest game they’ve ever played in and I know myself that the build-up to a game like that can sometimes mentally take it out of you."
It's a quote which made me wonder if the same could be said of our dismal cup final showing, which has left me perplexed for weeks. I hadn't really considered the mental aspect of it and while you could argue we shouldn't really have felt too much pressure playing against St Johnstone in an empty stadium there's no question the weight of expectation sat far more heavily on our players' shoulders than St Johnstone's. Were we just mentally worn down? Compared to our 2016 side we definitely lacked players who had the mental experience/fortitude for such occasions.