PASTA Mick

I suspect you are right. I think my biggest worry with Clarke will be him being too loyal to some of the worst players that were there when we qualified.

I'd include him in the squad. If I was Clarke, I'd be looking to name a larger squad than normal and bring in some of the form players like Hendry, Hanley, Gauld and Turnbull. I think my squad would look something like this - Gordon (Hearts) Marshall (Derby) McLaughlin (Rangers) McCrorie (Livingston) Robertson (Liverpool) Hanley (Norwich) Tierney (Arsenal) Gallagher (Motherwell) Cooper (Leeds) Taylor (Celtic) Hendry (Oostende) Patterson (Rangers) Hickey (Bologna) McGinn (Aston Villa) McGregor (Celtic) Armstrong (Southampton) McTominay (Man Utd) McLean (Norwich) Christie (Celtic) Jack (Rangers) Turnbull (Celtic) Gauld (Farense) Forrest (Celtic) Fraser (Newcastle) Paterson (Sheff Wed) McBurnie (Sheff Utd) Dykes (QPR) I've left McKenna out because he's injured and Griffiths doesn't make it because he's not done enough lately but you could easily swap him and McBurnie.

It is always tricky comparing players that are playing regularly and well at a poorer level than players that maybe aren't playing as regularly and as well at a higher level. I remember comments on here saying that Robertson should leave Liverpool not too long before he broke into the side. I've seen similar about Gilmour in the last few weeks. The manager has a tough job deciding between players from different leagues and different levels. We currently have a handful of players around Europe that are doing well but haven't been in squads recently. McBurnie does get an unfair amount of stick from Scotland fans. It's nothing a couple of goals won't sort out. I'm pretty sure Griffiths was getting a lot of stick until he scored two against england and now plenty of folk still want him in the team/squad despite him being clearly unfit and hardly playing for Celtic - myself included.

More likely to be Armstrong for Jack.

The only issue is finding a way to fit the best players in the team. Marshall McTominay Cooper Tierney Forrest McGregor Armstrong Robertson McGinn Dykes Fraser What are you worried about?

Stephen Welsh at Celtic has only just turned 21 and is starting to get games at Celtic. Already looks miles better than the Rep. of Ireland captain. If you aren't already, these Twitter accounts are well worth following - OwenJamesBrown ScotsAbroadPod ByronHutchison

Clarke has got some really tough decisions to make ahead of the three matches next month. They are pretty much his last chance to work with new players ahead of the Euros. However, they are key games for the World Cup and we really need to pick up a minimum of 7 points. He picked 25 players to play in the matches in November. Gordon Marshall McLaughlin Robertson McKenna O'Donnell Tierney Gallagher Palmer Cooper Taylor Considine McGinn McGregor Armstrong McTominay McLean Christie Jack Griffiths Paterson McBurnie Burke Dykes Shankland Hanley, Fleck and Fraser were both called up but had to pull out injured. Forrest would have been included and should be available again next month. So that is 29 players. Personally, I think Hickey, McIntyre, Hendry, Gauld, Turnbull and Gilmour are all worth considering for the upcoming squad. You could make arguments for a few others too. I think Clarke has to make the tough call to axe the more limited players like O'Donnell and Considine. I think he needs to exclude players out of form (or not playing) like Griffiths, McBurnie and Shankland. Sadly, I think GIlmour misses out for this reason despite him being more talented than most of the players in the squad. I'm really interested to see what he does do but I expect he will stay too loyal to some of the average players in the squad.

I'm not sure what the terms of the loan are but I'm pretty sure there is an option to buy. I personally can't see him back at Celtic Park but I'd be happy for him to come back and prove a few people wrong.

Bates was VERY unlucky with the second yellow card. In fact, I would say he was cheated. But I've heard that Hendry was good again. He has a really good chance of getting into the squad in March. Not sure if it was mentioned earlier, but 18-year old Elliot Anderson was on the bench for Newcastle recently. https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/latest-news/introducing-elliot-anderson/

Agree with this. England are fairly average in defence and midfield but they have some outstanding attacking options. Adams is nowhere near their squad.

Of course there will be. The WC qualifiers are in March and September. There will be 2 or 3 friendlies in month before the finals.

At least a triple header gives 3 matches and the chance to rotate players as it is unlikely we will play the same XI for 3 games in a row. A home match at the end of the 3 against Faroe Islands could give an opportunity for us to experiment a little. Putting Gilmour in from the start in that match wouldn't be a big gamble at all - he's already proven against much better teams, albeit whilst playing for a stronger team at Chelsea. Gauld could be useful for us in trying to break down a team like the Faroes which we all know we have struggled to do far too often. There will also be friendlies ahead of Euro 2020. It's been a while but I'm sure Clarke will name a big squad ahead of the friendlies and then cut it ahead of the finals. Just looking at England in 2016, it looks like they played 3 friendlies ahead of Euro 2016 - I expect we will do the same. I expect they will all be at home too given our matches are at Hampden and Wembley. I wouldn't be surprised if we played Poland as they have matches in Ireland, and England in WC qualifying. Sweden might be another that want to play us before going to Ireland.

A lot can happen between now and the day Clarke names his squad. I agree about Hickey, GIlmour and Gauld having a great chance of breaking into the squad. I'd also be keeping a close eye on Jack Hendry who is having a really good season in Belgium. Before anyone jumps in with two feet, it is a weak position and he has a chance if he keeps playing well. I wouldn't leave out Armstrong. I doubt Clarke will either. Some of the others you've left out that have been involved recently are McLaughlin, Palmer, Taylor, Considine, Burke, Griffiths, Paterson and Shankland. I'm not saying I disagree. LG has a big 6 months ahead of him if he wants to be included. If's he's playing and scoring, he's in the squad.

Probably the 2010 WC group where we were a second seed in a group with Holland, Norway, Macedonia and Iceland. I still can't believe how quickly Burley undid all the good work done by Smith and McLeish. We'd have had a chance in that group if McLeish had stayed on.

Totally agree. The fact he hasn't played much for Scotland means a lot of fans haven't seen him with others of the same age group. He'd be a stand out with Gilmour.

I think most people are pleased with the draw yesterday. We've avoided the countries which we'd realistically have no chance of finishing above and it looks like we have a real chance. I thought it would be worth taking a closer look at the teams we've been paired against. Denmark The Danes qualified for Euro 2020 after finishing second behind Switzerland in qualifying, ahead of Rep. of Ireland and Georgia. They were undefeated with 4 wins and 4 draws. They have a good record at home but did only draw with Ireland twice (and they've been poor for ages now). They did finish above England in the Nations league (on head-to-head) and behind Belgium. Christian Eriksen remains their star player but they have quality all over the pitch and they will be the team to beat. At Euro 2020 they are in a group with Finland, Belgium and Russia with all three of their group matches being played in Copenhagen. We've won the last two times we've played them. Both friendlies in August 2011 and March 2016. Austria Austria qualified for Euro 2020 after finishing second behind Poland in qualifying, ahead of Macedonia, Slovenia and Israel. They lost 4-2 in Israel. They do tend to win the matches you'd expect them to win. They won promotion to Group A in the Nations League after topping a group with Norway, Romania and Northern Ireland (they won all 3 away matches). Almost all their squad play in Germany or Austria with many players at Bayern, Dortmund and the two RB teams. At Euro 2020 they are in a group with Netherlands, Macedonia and Ukraine. We did win the last match between the two sides, a friendly in May 2007. Israel Nothing new to add. Faroe Islands Faroes finished second bottom of their Euro 2020 qualifying with just 3 points - a home win against Malta. They scored 4 goals in 10 matches and conceded 30. Other than the matches against Malta, they were beaten by 2 or more goals in every match. They did win promotion to Group C in the Nations League after topping the group with Malta, Latvia and Andorra. Whilst we've struggled in the Faroes in the past, we simply need to be taking 6 points from them. Moldova Faroes finished bottom of their Euro 2020 qualifying with just 3 points - a home win against Andorra. They scored 4 goals in 10 matches and conceded 26. They had a few tight matches and France needed a 79th minute penalty to beat them at home after Moldova went 1-0 up. They have a Nations League relegation play-off against Kazakhstan in March 2022 after finishing bottom of a group containing Greece, Slovenia and Kosovo - their only point coming from a home draw against Kosovo. Again, we simply need to take 6 points from them because all our rivals will. Fixtures should be out later today. I'd quite like to get some of the away matches against our rivals early on while fans are unlikely to be there.

No player at Celtic has improved since Lennon took over. The situation is mental. I think if he moves to the right set-up, he's still got a real chance of making it.

WANT Pot 1 Croatia Denmark Pot 2 Slovakia Romania Sweden Pot 4 Luxembourg Belarus Albania Pot 5 Andorra Faroe Islands Pot 6 Malta Moldova Liechtenstein Gibraltar San Marino DON'T WANT Pot 1 France England Spain Italy Germany Pot 2 Wales Switzerland Ukraine Serbia Turkey Pot 4 Bosnia-Herzegovina Slovenia Montenegro North Macedonia Bulgaria Israel Georgia Pot 5 Cyprus Kazakhstan Lithuania

Interesting night ahead in B3, particularly for Turkey who can still finish - 1st (Turkey and Serbia win) 2nd (Turkey win, Russia win or draw) 3rd (Turkey draw; or Turkey lose and Russia win or draw), or 4th (Hungary and Serbia win) I love the Nations League!

Not related to "top spot watch" but a stinker of a week for Northern Ireland...lost in the play-off final and relegated to League B before they play tonight because Romania have been awarded a 3-0 win against Norway. A win would have been enough for them tonight, assuming Norway had beaten Romania in the match which was cancelled.

The Scottish FA can confirm that Malky Mackay has today stepped down from his role as Performance Director. Malky joined the association four years ago and has had overarching responsibility to improve elite talent development across the game, working in partnership with the clubs to develop and deliver successful future international players and support our elite coaches. Malky has embedded strong core principles within the performance strategy, which have cascaded through our National Youth Teams, the Scottish FA Performance Schools and Club Academy Scotland. He has also played a vital role in further developing the Scottish FA’s renowned Coach Education curriculum and also worked on the prestigious UEFA Jira Coaching Panel. Malky Mackay: “As a number of qualification campaigns draw to a close and after four years in post, it feels like the right time to step down from my role as Performance Director. I would like to acknowledge the support I’ve had from my colleagues at the Scottish FA, to those at the clubs for their year-on-year co-operation and in particular to our talented team within the Performance Department for their passion, hard work and dedication. “Together, I believe significant progress has been made during my tenure. Collaboration at its best is a powerful force for good in the Scottish game. One such example being the Pride Labs, which our club coaches have really embraced and come together to share best practice. “We’ve seen more players reared in Performance Schools breaking into first teams north and south of the border and playing with distinction. We have also enjoyed strong relationships with our member clubs both at board level and within the academy structure. “At various age levels our National Youth Teams have consistently recorded excellent results against countries such as Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Germany and France. Most importantly we have done so with a consistent style of play throughout all our youth teams, one which I firmly believe will equip us to compete against our European counterparts more readily and over time give our players the platform to become top internationals of the future. “Our Talent ID player database stretches further than it ever has and our dedicated team of staff continue to scour the UK and beyond for Scottish talent to broaden the pool of players available to our national coaches. “Last year, we came together as a nation to support Shelley Kerr and her staff as they led Scotland to its first FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals, in France – another ground-breaking experience I thoroughly enjoyed supporting and being a part of. “It was also a great pleasure to be asked by the board to step in as interim manager for our national men’s international against Netherlands – an honour I’d like to thank them for and a memory I will cherish forever. “I am proud to have served Scottish football and to have played a part in the progress that has undoubtedly been made in more recent times. “I care deeply about the Scottish game and about the role the Scottish FA plays in leading and nurturing it. We have some of the most passionate, knowledgeable and committed coaches around and it’s no real surprise to me that a new generation of confident, brave and technical players are now emerging. I look forward to seeing them grow and compete with the very best going forward.” Ian Maxwell, Scottish FA Chief Executive: “Malky has implemented a best practice framework within the performance department that has strengthened our national teams and reinforced relationships between clubs, Performance Schools and Club Academy Scotland. “I would like to thank Malky – as a colleague, friend and former team-mate – for his considerable contribution and commitment to the performance strategy and wish him every success for the future.”

I've watched the highlights of the last few games again and we are a better side than Israel but they have been more clinical in the games. They have forwards that score from their few chances whereas we don't. Armstrong, Forrest and Fraser destroyed them at Hampden in the 3-2 win.

Elhamed and Dabbur are big losses for Israel - they both started at Hampden last month. Israel have only played once this break because their match against Norway was cancelled. However, I expect their strongest team played against Czech Rep, so our team should be a bit fresher, other than Tierney, McGinn and Christie, who have played in both our matches. Tonight will be tough. We need to start taking more of our chances in these sort of games.

McGinn was booked in the play-off match against Israel and in the match on Sunday. However, they are treated as separate competitions so McGinn will be available tonight. It's a shame about Armstrong because I think he is one player we are under-using and not getting the best out of him yet. He should have come on against Serbia and might have been useful as a sub tonight too.

I expect the same tomorrow too.