Manno

Would be nice to see some 'fringe' players get a run in the next three games while not making wholesale changes. Would also quite like to see some freshness for any friendlies in March - you'd think he'll know the bulk of the squad by then and it should be an opportunity to cap players ahead of the Nations League rather than prospective Euros players. Gordon only gets in ahead of Clark if he's playing regularly for Hearts. I think it will be Nisbet over Shankland, and I think Ryan Jack could miss out for an attacking player (Doak). It would be great if someone can turn into Haaland over the next six months. I've got 25, on the basis that we have a 26 man squad; ideally another attacking player (left-field options: Conway, Hardie, Lowry, Hornby, Gauld). I don't rate Greg Taylor or Jacob Brown. Goalkeepers - Gunn, Kelly, Clark. Defence - Robertson, Patterson, Hickey, Tierney, Porteous, Hendry, McKenna, Souttar, Hanley, Cooper. Midfield - McGinn, McTominay, McGregor, Gilmour, McLean, Armstrong, Christie, Ferguson. Forwards - Adams, Dykes, Nisbet, Doak.

My XI GORDON HENDRY HANLEY TIERNEY FORREST GILMOUR McTOMINAY McGREGOR ROBERTSON McGINN ADAMS What I expect the team to be MARSHALL HENDRY HANLEY TIERNEY O'DONNELL McTOMINAY McGREGOR ROBERTSON McGINN DYKES ADAMS

It's been so long since I've been to Hampden that I have to ask this question - is it possible to get to the east stand from Somerville Drive, or can you only access it by walking past the south stand/aitkenhead road end?

Scotland 2-1 Czech Republic (McGinn, Fraser) England 1-1 Scotland (Hanley) Croatia 1-1 Scotland (Adams)

It might not be a great consolation but apparently Glasgow Green will be a fan zone for the duration and tickets (free) will be available tomorrow on the Euro 2020 website.

Not sure you can make 11 changes in friendlies anymore, it's been six for quite a while Against Netherlands, I'd like to see Gilmour given a chance against better opposition Gordon; Hendry, Hanley, Tierney; O'Donnell, Gilmour, McGregor, Robertson; Armstrong, McGinn; Dykes Against Luxembourg, keep the same system but change the XI Marshall; Gallagher, Cooper, McKenna; Patterson, McTominay, Fleck, Taylor; Christie, Fraser; Adams Forrest, Turnbull, Nisbet and McLaughlin to get 45 minutes against Luxembourg at the very least.

Pleased with the squad. Only gripe would be Taylor - Clarke has gone for Tierney as CB so can understand a backup LB required, but if Robertson gets injured you’re not telling me Taylor is going to start? I would have gambled on taking 9 defenders (plus McTominay) and adding Griffiths. Getting excited now.

My 30-man provisional squad Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon, David Marshall, Jon McLaughlin Defence: Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Liam Cooper, Grant Hanley, Declan Gallagher, Scott McKenna, Stephen O'Donnell, Nathan Patterson, Liam Palmer, Jack Hendry Midfield: Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Callum McGregor, Stuart Armstrong, John Fleck, Billy Gilmour, Ryan Gauld, David Turnbull, Callum Paterson Forwards: Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, Ryan Fraser, Ryan Christie, James Forrest, Kevin Nisbet, Lawrence Shankland, Leigh Griffiths It's a tough call on who to drop out - Nisbet, Shankland and Griffiths all have an eye for goal but I think only 1 will make the squad; Callum Paterson will play wherever he's asked to so that could see neither Nathan Patterson or Liam Palmer make it, or another forward drop out. I don't think Gauld, Gilmour and Turnbull will all go either even though I personally would take them. Out of my 30, Palmer, Shankland, Paterson and Hendry are the ones I would leave on standby. My team vs Czech Republic: Gordon Hanley---Cooper---Tierney O'Donnell------McTominay------Robertson Armstrong-------McGinn------McGregor Adams

Marshall O’Donnell, Gallagher, McTominay, McKenna, Robertson Armstrong, Jack, McGinn, Christie Dykes/Griffiths

A.Goalkeeper Paterson Souttar Cooper Tierney McTominay Fraser McGinn Christie Robertson A.Striker

Probably been done to death but thought I’d compile a list of available players that weren’t called up or pulled out of the squad for whatever reason, plus guys that have been capped in the last few years. It’s as grim as you would expect. I’ve included players that are eligible to be selected but that doesn’t mean I want or expect them to be called up. Feel free to add anyone I’ve missed out. GK Craig Gordon - Celtic Scott Bain - Celtic Liam Kelly - QPR Zander Clark - St Johnstone Full Back/Wing Back Kieran Tierney - Arsenal Chris Cadden - Oxford United Jason Naismith - Hibs Aaron Hickey - Hearts Barry Douglas - Leeds United Murray Wallace - Millwall Nicky Devlin - Livingston Jack Grimmer - Wycombe Wanderers Centre Back Christophe Berra - Hearts John Souttar - Hearts Scott McKenna - Aberdeen Liam Cooper - Leeds United David Bates - Sheffield Wednesday Craig Halkett - Hearts Liam Lindsay - Stoke City Ross McCrorie - Portsmouth Ryan Porteous - Hibs Paul Hanlon - Hibs Liam Gordon - St Johnstone Jason Kerr - St Johnstone Tom McIntyre - Reading Jack Hendry - Celtic Centre Midfield Kenny McLean - Norwich City Ryan Jack - Rangers Tom Cairney - Fulham Kevin McDonald - Fulham Barry Bannan - Sheffield Wednesday Graeme Shinnie - Derby County Dylan McGeouch - Sunderland Lewis Ferguson - Aberdeen David Turnbull - Motherwell Scott Allan - Hibs Stevie Mallan - Hibs Liam Henderson - Verona Billy Gilmour - Chelsea Allan Campbell - Motherwell Jay Fulton - Swansea City Lewis Macleod - Wigan Wide Midfield Matt Phillips - West Bromwich Albion Callum Paterson - Cardiff City Mikey Johnston - Celtic Lewis Morgan - Celtic Barrie McKay - Swansea City Jake Hastie - Rotherham Jamie Murphy - Rangers Greg Stewart - Rangers Centre Forward Leigh Griffiths - Celtic Steven Naismith - Hearts Steven Fletcher - Sheffield Wednesday Oli McBurnie - Sheffield United Jordan Rhodes - Sheffield Wednesday Marc McNulty - Sunderland Eamonn Brophy - Kilmarnock Fraser Hornby - Kortrijk Stevie May - St Johnstone Jason Cummings - Shrewsbury

Marshall Devlin Gallagher Findlay Forrest Fleck McTominay Christie Fraser Russell Shankland fuck all left to play for so why not

Marshall O’Donnell, Bates, Cooper, Robertson McGinn, McGregor, Jack Christie, Naismith, Fraser Forrest off the bench.

Marshall O’Donnell Mulgrew McKenna Robertson McTominay Forrest McGinn McLean McGregor Burke

Lack of options at centre forward, I’d play a rotational front three of Fraser, Forrest and Russell. Marshall O’Donnell Souttar McKenna Robertson Armstrong McGinn McGregor Russell Forrest Fraser

Just putting it out there, Andre Villas-Boas is available 🙄

McLaughlin Paterson, Souttar, Bates, Robertson Armstrong, McGinn Russell, Forrest, Fraser Burke

A fair amount, probably the majority, of Rangers fans have no interest in the national team. That’s why there’s no ‘demands’ for our players to be called up. I’m probably in the minority, I still follow the national team and don’t view the squad through blue tinted specs. Same can’t be said for a lot of other clubs’ fans though. Ryan Jack has been one of our best performers all season, he does his job well which is all you can ask of any player. He’s got European experience this season as well. I’d view him as the holding midfielder that scotland need just now. I wouldn’t start him over McGregor, McGinn or Armstrong as they are technically much better footballers than him, but if we’re playing a 4-1-4-1 he could free up the other three to play a more advanced role. At present, the 4-2-3-1 with Forrest and Fraser wide and three from McGinn, McGregor, Armstrong and Christie is our best system, but Jack can do a job of keeping the ball if we’re trying to see the game out. In terms of the other Scots, Halliday has a good game against celtic but he’s not first choice left back and he’s probably fourth choice in midfield so would be very surprised if he makes a squad. Ross McCrorie is another than can play the holding midfield role, in a different way from Jack, could also slot into a back three if we revert to that - at the moment Souttar, Porteous and McKenna are miles ahead of him in defence.

Whilst I certainly won’t be feeling sorry for Christian Panucci, it was Giorgio Chiellini and the Spanish ref that were the main villains that day.

This. We’ve lost a lot of bodies but how many would realistically have started? Two? Three at most? Im not including Ritchie, Snodgrass or McArthur as they made themselves unavailable, we knew Griffiths and Naismith were injured as are Souttar (and Berra). Cairney might have been called up but would he have started? My issue with McLeish right now is that he seems to be trying to rewrite everything Strachan did. He’s focusing on calling up SPFL standard players, and that’s okay if they are good enough. But he’s not looking much further afield down south. We keep hearing how he should have called up a right back, well who is there? Jason Naismith at Peterborough - he’d have been lynched by the media. Who is there in Scotland that can play right back, that wasn’t called up? Same with centre half, I thought Porteous might have gotten a call, but surely Liam Cooper would have, top of the Championship with Leeds. Or Murray Wallace at Millwall. Or Liam Lindsay at barnsley. We went with four left footed defenders against england at Hampden, so why can’t we do the same against albania and Israel? Ive said before, ROI call up about 36 players and then cut that down. We should be doing similar because there are players that aren’t getting selected and it doesn’t seem like we’ve even bothered looking at them. Perhaps some of the players I’ve mentioned have been contacted and aren’t interested, and if that’s the case then that really should be made public. Right now we have a plethora of central and attacking midfielders, some decent options out wide and of course left back. We don’t appear to have anyone other than O’Donnell at right back, have few options at centre half and don’t have a natural finisher other than Griffiths (despite Naismiths start to the season). That can’t all be the managers fault.

With the number of call offs I’d be going with this tonight A.McGregor Paterson Hendry Bates McKenna Robertson Forrest Armstrong C.McGregor Fraser Fletcher

The rules are there, see the NI case with Kyle Lafferty last month. The likes of Ritchie and Snodgrass who appear to have asked not to be considered for a squad can’t be punished, as they haven’t been called up for the squad. However the rest of the call offs can be if the SFA invoke the clause that stops them playing for their club after the international week finishes (Wed 21st November?). As Andyd says, players would be retiring from international football if we applied the rules all the time.

Tbh I went against my better judgement by putting Forrest there. I’m still waiting for him to put in a performance for us. Mulgrew out as well so Christ knows who’s playing at the back

This is where we need to take a leaf out of the Irish’s book. Call up a larger squad, a pool of approx 36 players. I’ve heard people say that we don’t have the players, well we won’t know until we try. Maybe McLeish and his staff are looking at certain players, and maybe they don’t believe they are good enough, but we’re now going into these games with two centre halves and two right backs. Liam Cooper at Leeds, Murray Wallace at Millwall, Ryan Porteous at Hibs, even David Bates at Hamburg, should be called up to train with the squad, and if they aren’t good enough then they don’t play, simple. Get Tom Cairney in the squad, get Ryan Jack in since McDonald is out. John Fleck has been Sheffield Uniteds main man for two seasons. Can Cadden cover at right back? Is it too much to have a look at Jason Naismith who’s playing every week for Peterborough? We’re down to the bare bones and I’m starting to worry that the players don’t want to play for the manager.

A. McGregor Tierney McKenna Mulgrew Robertson McGinn C. McGregor Paterson Forrest Fraser Fletcher