Diamond Scot

You are 100% correct. Thats why I said its a different kind of pressure. Ie make a mistake at St Johnstone or Motherwell and its not all over the news, 50,000 fans on your back, getting abuse in the street, costing a title etc etc. Its also sometimes hard as a keeper to do nothing for 89 mins of a game but then be called on to make that 1 big save. It should also be easier to be an outfield player at the Old Firm but as we have seen its not always the case. Guys like OHallaren at St J do very well but couldnt cut it at Rangers despite probably getting many many more chances to score per game.

I think playing for the Old Firm ia a different type of pressure. In 99% of games they have most of the ball and are heavy favourites so in theory it should be easy to play for them however thats been shown time and time again to not be the case. I think the pressure comes more from expectation and concentration. Something thats very similar to playing for Scotland. As I said, McLaughlin isnt the long term answer however I believe he is our next best bet for June. If we had a standout younger GK then in be all for blooding them and getting them involved but there is nobody that even comes close to meeting that criteria. If we are honest Clarke and Kelly are nowhere near good enough for number 1 either so its more a case of maybe having Gordon for aslong as possible and then maybe McLaughlin for a few games when required in the hope somebody emerges.

Ange played Welsh and Ralston at the start of the season but Welsh has dropped out completely once more options came and Ralston doesnt play in the bigger games now albeit he is still getting a decent amount of game time. Id disagree with Doak and Johnston though. Doak has 2 appearences totalling about 15 mins and Johnston relaly only gets a few mins off the bench. Without doubt its difficult at the Old Firm to play youth lots as you have so many alternatives. Take Ramsey at Aberdeen as an example, was playing really went but hasnt been good since the new year. If the manager had an international class right back then im sure he would find his game time limited aswell.

Ive said it before. No Old firm manager will develop youngesters. Their squad is too big and its much harder to leave a 28 year old on 10k per week out the squad than a youth player. I had high hopes for Ange being different but its clear that the only reason he played young Scots was lack of options. Welsh, Ralston etc have all seen game time drop since other options have become available. Ralston pretty much just plays the easier games now. Purely on footballing ability Lowry is already ahead of guys like Wright ams Arfield however just doesnt have the experience so likely to be inconsistent. That said who knows if you will be inconsistent id if you dint get the chance.

Generally speaking players who play for "big" clubs are able to handle pressure of big occasions better than those who dont. Im not a huge advocate of McLaughlin. I dont thinj theres a great deal between him and Clarke / Kelly. McLaughlin played a number of games at the beginning of last season and this season and done well at club level. He seems to me to be a safe pair of hands. No more no less. I agree that its unlikely that he will ever be Rangers number 1. I wouldnt be pushing him as the long term Scotland number 1. Im thinking very short term, ie to the games in June. Id give him full games now just incase Gordon gets injured before June. If Gordons not available in June who people want in goals?

Lowry looked a class above when he got a couple of games before the turn of the year. Comfortable with both feet and plays with his head up looking to make things happen. For almost any othet team a couple of standout performances like that would have seen him get more games however Rangers seem to have reverted to type and brought in the guys on big wages as soon as they were available again. Nobody can tell me that Scot Wright is a better option off the bench than Lowry.

Clarke must have an odea who his 2nd choice GK is. I would still bring Gordon along but id defo be wanting to see the back up GK get some game time and exposure to international football. Theres not much in it but for me McLaughlin would shade it purely down to the fact that in theory he should be able to handle the pressure more.

One potential benefit of the final game being delayed is that its another 3 months of Bale not playing any football.

We havent had a blame the benefit cheats in a while!!! Just ignore the tax evasion that would bring in billions per year if dealt with. Lets focus on the old dear gets an extra 40 quid per month for falsely declaring something.

Does anybody know the current coefficient position and what it means. Would be good to get to the point when 3rd place in the league gets a guarentee of group stage football. Not sure what number that kick in at.

So all football games are equal in your mind? Why do players take injections for cup finals but not for other games etc. He is a young player who is playing alot of football at a very high level. He clearly feels that he would rather give his body some time to rest rather than play in a developmental game at a lower standard to that he plays at every week. Do you go to every Scotland game? U21s, U19s, U17s etc. For the purpose of my point im assuming not. Does that make you less committed as a Scotland fan?

Do you consider U21 and full international to be the same? Ive no doubt he would accept a call up for the full squad. Some will no doubt take issue with that which I understand but lets not misrepresent his position. He has stated he has ambitions to play for Scotland and supports them. He has made himself unavailable for U21 games as he feels the time is better served recovering for his club games which in the long run increases his chances of fulfilling his potential and presumably playing reguarly for Scotland. Theres a huge difference in my opinion between his stance and somebody like Ryan Fraser for example. I respect other supporters view on the topic. I personally just feel the kid has earned the right to make his own choices about his future. Ultimately its him who stands to lose out if it goes wrong one way or another.

As ive said, im not saying its not possible. Every player is different as is every situation. I dont see why people cant just let the kid make his own career decisions without slating him. He is 19, playing abroad in a top league. Thats braver than almost any player in recent history. If he gets to 22 or 23 and still isnt making himself available then fair enough but its only an U21 game. If they are so important to all of us why are the attendences so low compared to full international. Die hard tamb supporters csnt be bothered going to these games but its ok to criticise Hickey.

Not really as its about risk / reward. Nobody is saying he is injured. He is saying he is better served using the international break to recover from knocks and niggles which in turn allow him to keep playing every week for his club. He would rather do that than play U21 football which is at a lower level than he plays normally. Theres much more to be gained by playing for the full squad than the U21s which is actually just a developmental level. Theres no doubt he is making a decision but its his decision to make. If he goes on to play for a top 5 club in a major league week in week out and Clarke elects not to select him because of his stance on U21 football then so be it. I cant see Clarke doing that though. We do this all the time with players. Question their commitment etc. I remember Tierney getting the same but look how thats turned out. Vice Captain for Arsenal and a regular in our most successful international team for decades. Id much rather that outcome than him playing a bunch of U21s or friendlys earlier ib his career. As ive said before its different for every player. There is no right or wrong way at that age.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9303439/amp/Aaron-Hickey-battled-Covid-19-joining-Bologba-star-loving-life-Italy.html Theres actually a few interviews where he says he wants to play for Scotland. Im not saying its not possible for some young players to play week in week out and play at International level. Every player is different. Also, im not sure how often Owen played for the U21s and he also suffered horrible muscle injuries quite young so maybe not the best example to suggest Hickey should be doing the same. Id like him to play but im not going to be overly critical if he doesnt.

Im not saying he isnt physically able to play international football. He clearly is as he is already playing at a higher level than the U21s. What im saying is that if a chief of medical says the majority of players carry injuries throughout the season then its pretty safe to say that a still developing youngster playing every week in a tough league will be aswell. Both Gilmour and Patterson had about 2 months inbetween their clubs games when they played U21s so recovery time was not a live issue. What do you think Hickey has to gain from playing in these games? Is he going to learn anything. Likewise, what is Gemmil / Clarke going to learn about him? They already know that he is and will be a top player. Then look at what he could risk. Its not even the possibilty of picking up injury but also the fact his body wont get a rest from the toil of playing every week in Italy.

Neither Gilmour or Patterson were playing week in week out though so the comparison doesnt work. They would have been keen for game time. Would you rather Hickey played 2 games for the U21s and then lost his club place or miss out the U21s and keep his place? Im not saying I entirely agree with his position. Obviously as a fan id love him to play nomatter what however I can understand his thinking. As others have said, we already have 2 world class left backs. So how is playing for the U21s going to get him ahead of them? Concentrating on club football for a short period of time, earning a move to a top club gives him a much better chance than a couple of standout U21 performances.

Hickey is making a calculated decision based on his career. Ben Foster does a very good postcast where he had a chief of medical on who basically said that at any given time the vast majority of players arent fully fit. Having a break during international week helps players regain fitness, thats why so many players in early 30s give it up. Hickey is 19. He isnt a particuarly developed 19 year old physically and is playing week in week out in one of the best leagues in the world. He missed out on alot of football last year due to injury. If he feels that his long term goals are better served from resting during these periods rather than play U21 football then so be it. The important thing is the full team. He will know that it would be easier to just attend and play but I reckon he is banking on being a top top player in a couple of years time. If he earns a move to AC Milan or the likes then theres no way any Scottish manager isnt picking him because he didnt play a few u21 games. Its hard for us fans because we would give anything to play for Scotland but players have more things to consider. If you look at his season so far, he has made the right choice to not attend U21s as its allowed him to be a regular at club level, something he might not physically have been able to do if he had played.

Why are they allowed then given its the clubs who make the rules? As somebody said above, theres only 1 in the top flight atm but no motion to ban then which would pass with flying colours if you were correct. Clubs understand finances. Fans dont.

Initially I wasnt worried about Patterson but 45 mins against a non league side in about 7 months by June could be an issue. Ralston is getting some game time but he is 2nd choice and in my opinion is a limited footballer. He is exposed anytime he comes up against quality and thats probably why he doesnt tend to play in those games. Ramsey was always one for the future and really needs some more game time and consistent performances before being considered. ODonnell is ODonnell. Very limited but has shown he can do a shift. One to be phased out when better options prove themselves. Hickey for me is a must start in the friendly games. 19 years old and has played the most minutes by any teenager in Europes top leagues. The idea that we wouldnt play somebody starring week in week out in Italys top flight would have been crazy only a couple of years ago. For the friendlys id start with a non Gordon or Marshall GK. Probably McLaughlin. Robertson, McKenna, Hanley, Hendry with Hickey RWB. Id then swap Hickey to LWB and bring on Patterson at half time.

When is the time to experiment then? To have continued success you always have to have one eye on the future. The games will allow us to bring in Hickey and get him introduced to the squad, phasing out guys like Taylor and possibly ODonnell. Also allows us to try out somebody like the Sunderland forward, not neccesarily in the gake but allowing Clarke to see him train with the squad to assess him. The issue with friendlys previously was that we made wholesale changes and thus they became meaningless. This time round we have the opportunity to make some minor tweaks and learn what might work better for the future. Staying still is moving backwards afterall. Id much rather somebody like Hickey got 2 friendlys and 1 squad under his belt than make his debut in a world cup semi final play off should we need him.

We have been saying for ages how difficult its been recently to have a look at new players or tweaks to formation because all of our games are competitive. This gives us a chance to bring in guys like Hickey. Maybe try another striker for 30 mins or so. Different combinations in midfield or defence.

I agree that summer football is the way forward. I was merely highlighting the misconception that artificial is bad and grass is good. Ive played on some exceptional artificial pitches in my time. The one that used to be at Spartans was better than most grass pitches. Dont know what was different about it but it was brilliant. As ive said previously Livi's is a disgrace and shouldnt be allowed. Its uneven, you can see it with the naked eye. For me grass is the ideal but there has to be standards. Ultimately it comes down to cost. I think clubs should have to spend a certain amount on the upkeep of their pitch along with a certain amount on youth development. If that was a rule then it wouldnt matter to the finances of clubs as all teams would be doing it so would still be a level playing field. Might mean not being able to sign certain players but equally the opposition couldnt either.

Would you rather watch a game on an artificial pitch (not the one at Livi as that one is a disgrace) or on pitches like the one at St Johnstone?

I think thats really smart. Navy or White Shorts with yellow trim and Navy socks with yellow trim.