Why Has Phillips played every minute of the last 4 games ? - TA specific - Tartan Army Message Board Jump to content

Why Has Phillips played every minute of the last 4 games ?


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Mystifying  . The guy has been total mince in  three and a half of the last four games ,yet he never gets taken off .

I don't know why he even gets in the squad never mind on the park, totally one footed , can't tackle or head a ball  .We can see that he is hopeless , so why can't the last two managers ?

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Totally beats me why the guy gets near the squad. Last night was a great chance to try out Cummings, but instead he got just over 5 minutes. The fact that Phillips never seems to be subbed is worrying as it means he will be in the team/squad.

I reckon we would have won or got at least a draw if we had played a different forward last night. He not only missed a golden chance last night...he missed the friggin ball....total shit, and I hate to put down our own players.

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5 hours ago, GaryWood34 said:

He is shocking which I can forgive but he is also doesn't give a single fluck.

He worked hard to be fair to him. Ran a lot, hassled their defenders, closed down, worked back. Effort and trying were not the things that he lacks in that position, so seems veryhard to suggest he doesnt give a fuck. If he didn't, he would have just stood still up top and hoped the ball came to him.

He's not a center forward. All of us know that and doubtless we all groaned when we saw his name as the lone striker. It's not his fault he got put there tho. Mackay decided he wanted to look like a genius and so did something silly in the hope it would come off. It didn't and it was glaringly apparent that we didnt have a striker on the pitch pretty much every time the ball came into the area. So I find it hard to be too critical of Phillips in terms of last night, as he was just dropped in it by the manager. Asked to do something he's not good at. He tried, but the result was exactly what you'd expect. that's not Phillips' fault.

In terms of his previous few performances. He's been playing on the left (outside of one half against Solvenia), which as a right footer often means you get very extreme performances. Your ability to deliver opportunities for others is inhibited as you can't swing in balls behind the defense (as we see Robertson do) because you have to check back onto your right. That makes the balls you put in easier to defend as they'd delayed in delivery and coming from an angle where it's easier for defender to head them away. To play inverted you really need to offer a goal threat yourself and Phillips has got into a couple of good positions across those games, as he did against Holland, cutting in on his right. The problem is his finishing isn't really good enough (much like Forrest). I think it might actually be nerves tbh, rather than a lack of caring. Look at his lay off last night to Forrest that went waaay wider than it should have (immediately before McGregor gives it away and Holland counter for the goal). that's the pass you make when you're up tight, not when you're relaxed and confident. he overhits the lay off and sprints to get in position for the cross coming in

I honestly think we'd see be better of him on the right, where he can just use his pace and strength to go down the line and put balls in off his natural foot. He can't be worse than Forrest in that position. The question is would he be better than Fraser, Christie, Russell, Ritchie or Burke.. who honestly knows? None of us, cos we haven't seen him doing it.

Personally I'd go with Fraser on one side and Robertson on the other. Phillips has ability, he's shown that at club level. For us he's not shown it yet, but he's been no worse than Forrest if we're honest, so the singling out seems unfair.

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He had a good last season according to Baggie fans which is whjy he started getting games. His form has not been so good this season - which could be said for the whole WBA team - and he has been dropped to the bench. However, it hasn't worked for Scotland, though as others have said, perhaps he has been another one that's played out of position. It was interesting to hear what Michael O'Neill said recently about NI success which was that always play your strongest team - meaning his top 5 players from the Premier League (including 3 from WBA and with some not always first choice). With our PL players, it is a bit of a different story - Phillips, Morrison, Burke, Fletcher,  Fraser, Robertson, McArthur, Ritchie; only Ritchie and Fletcher are getting a regular game.

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4 hours ago, Chesney TA said:

Phillips had three eye-catching performances in club games that were live on the telly around February / March time and that got him selected for five squads. Impressive work by him. 

Ryan Jack signing for Rangers got him selected.Never got a sniff whilst at Aberdeen

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When the SFA interview the next Scottish manager candidate, the first question should be, "Will you select Matt Phillips?" If the answer is not a categorical "No", the interview should immediately terminate.

In response to the poster above who thinks Phillips worked hard against Netherlands, I watched him off the ball and he put absolutely no pressure on their defence, as opposed to Griffiths who presses hard from the front. Phillips is absolutely useless.

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4 minutes ago, HighlandScot said:

In response to the poster above who thinks Phillips worked hard against Netherlands, I watched him off the ball and he put absolutely no pressure on their defence, as opposed to Griffiths who presses hard from the front. Phillips is absolutely useless.

Any yet, without going back and looking at the highlights..

I remember him helping to steel the ball on the right before he slipped in Cummings.
Closing down Cillissen causing him to panic and almost hand us a goal.
Offering for the ball/making a lot of runs (tho not always the right ones) when we were in possession .

He didn't close down the Dutch centerbacks a lot but then neither would Griffiths have done that in this game as with Blind playing so deep, there were usually 3 guys vs our lone forward. Pressing on your own is pointless in that situation, no matter who you are. McGregor dropped deeper out of possession, and the lethargy of McLean meant that the odd bit of pressing from Forrest and Christie we pretty much always won the ball back at our back line, and almost never in midfield. Again, this isn't something you can blame Phillips for, this is how the team was set up.

I'll agree that Phillips over the piece, looking at all his caps, has been very much under par for Scotland. But in this game, he did what was asked of him to the best of his ability. The problem is he was asked to do the wrong thing.. he's not a center forward. He didn't hold the ball up very well, because that's not his game.. His finishing was poor because that's not his game.. He didn't make the right runs because that's not his game.. He didn't close down 3 guys because that would be pointless, pressing only works if the team's doing it, and we weren't.

I full understand the frustration with Phillips, especially given his form in the league earlier this year.. but I don't see much point in bashing players for being what they are, especially when he was clearly trying.

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5 minutes ago, DizzyVizion said:

My opinion is that he's in the team because of his size and strength.

He really hasn't been playing well, I agree.

Will be interesting to see what our new manager does with him.

He is sometimes very good in the EPL but there seems to be a question mark over his self-belief. I hope he hasn’t read this thread.

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2 minutes ago, DizzyVizion said:

My opinion is that he's in the team because of his size and strength.

He really hasn't been playing well, I agree.

Will be interesting to see what our new manager does with him.

He’s not a terrible player as some people on here seem to think. He just hasn’t played very well in his last three Scotland games, in one of which he was played out of position. 

I won’t have a problem if the new manager gives him a chance but if he continues to play like he’s never seen a football before then he should be dropped. 

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42 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

He’s not a terrible player as some people on here seem to think. He just hasn’t played very well in his last three Scotland games, in one of which he was played out of position. 

I won’t have a problem if the new manager gives him a chance but if he continues to play like he’s never seen a football before then he should be dropped. 

 

3 hours ago, andyD said:

Any yet, without going back and looking at the highlights..

I remember him helping to steel the ball on the right before he slipped in Cummings.
Closing down Cillissen causing him to panic and almost hand us a goal.
Offering for the ball/making a lot of runs (tho not always the right ones) when we were in possession .

He didn't close down the Dutch centerbacks a lot but then neither would Griffiths have done that in this game as with Blind playing so deep, there were usually 3 guys vs our lone forward. Pressing on your own is pointless in that situation, no matter who you are. McGregor dropped deeper out of possession, and the lethargy of McLean meant that the odd bit of pressing from Forrest and Christie we pretty much always won the ball back at our back line, and almost never in midfield. Again, this isn't something you can blame Phillips for, this is how the team was set up.

I'll agree that Phillips over the piece, looking at all his caps, has been very much under par for Scotland. But in this game, he did what was asked of him to the best of his ability. The problem is he was asked to do the wrong thing.. he's not a center forward. He didn't hold the ball up very well, because that's not his game.. His finishing was poor because that's not his game.. He didn't make the right runs because that's not his game.. He didn't close down 3 guys because that would be pointless, pressing only works if the team's doing it, and we weren't.

I full understand the frustration with Phillips, especially given his form in the league earlier this year.. but I don't see much point in bashing players for being what they are, especially when he was clearly trying.

Finally a bit of perspective and common sense. Matt Phillips has been poor but then so has lots of players yet they don't seem to come in for the criticism Phillips is getting atm.The guy was playing a position that he probably has never played before. He is a player that should be in the squad but shouldn't be a first team start. If the new manager can get him performing the way he does in the premier league then he could be a real asset in the future.

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1 hour ago, ceudmilefailte said:

Wish there was a few better players than Matt Ritchie in the SPL (SPFL for those of limited intelligence and cant work out what the SPL is meant to mean)

We only need one decent striker.
Griffiths is clearly better than Matt Ritchie - especially at centre forward.

There often seems to be automatic assumption we should only pick English based players or Old Firm players.
But in reality someone like John McGinn could be a Scotland star of the future.
Should he have played ahead of Barry Bannan against Slovenia ?
Perhaps if Strachan was really concerned about height ;-)

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