mccaughey85

I think it's probably best if we avoid each other on here. We are obviously on different wavelengths and I have no interest in being accused of racism by you.

My point wasn't that most of the French squad are not french. Of course they are french, most were born in France or brought up there from a young age. I never said anything to the contrary. My point was that most or alot of their squad are the sons of immigrant families who moved to France rather than the French who have been in France for many generations. If you think that pointing out that countries like Belgium, Netherlands and France rely heavily on their immigrant population to produce footballers is racist then you really are a crackpot and theres no point in discussing anything with you. I am happy to use any advantage we can get within the rules. We are a small country and we need all the help we can get, if that means using the granny rule then so be it. You joined 6/7 months ago, what was your previous account or username? You sound very similar to certain idiots that have been in here in the past who ended up leaving because they talked utter shit constantly and acted like an arrogant arseholes who stubbornly doubled down like you are with this argument. You are insinuating that I was being racist and seem desperate to prove I was being racist. Thats a dirty and low thing to do. Get your facts straight in future before jumping in with accusations.

Just stop buddy, you are trying too hard. Stop trying to be a good person and just be a good person. If you think theres overtones of racism then ask a few questions on what I meant before starting to throw accusations around like a child. Nothing worse than ppl who throw racism accusations around like confetti. In my experience most black ppl and other races hate it because it undermines proper racism when it occurs. But hey you crack on, as I said the mask seems to slipping again.

Lol your trying to morally point score and accuse me of racism yet you have no problem with visiting countries who use slaves and would have no problem attending a world cup in stadiums built by slaves. You are a strange boy.

Stop being an idiot. I think most sensible ppl in here will understand the point I was making and you trying to point score over racism is pathetic. Feels like the mask is slowly starting to slip with you as it always does.

Personally I didn't want us going to Qatar. I watched next nothing of the Qatar world cup and still can't believe that it was allowed to take place. I wouldnt attend a world cup there either. Saying that it would of been hard not to watch Scotlands games if we had made it to Qatar.

Don't be silly or try and virtue signal. The statement I made doesn't have any racist or xenophobic overtones. I have no problem with immigrants or different races. I am usually the first one to slate right wing idiots like Tommy Robinson or the edl. It's simply a fact that France relies on it's immigrant population to produce footballers and their squad is largely made up of children of immigrants especially from the African colonies. I have no problem with that and wish we had that as resource but currently we don't although maybe in 10 or 20 years we might have a more diverse squad.

Irish didn't give a shit tbf. Just wanted a team to cheer on.

I still think theres a chance he will become a good footballer. Hes only 20 and doing reasonably well in league1. Still very much time for him to make it at a decent level.

Until that happens we should be utilitising the granny rule to full effect. Saying that I do think the granny rule can be a bit ridiculous at times. Roi in the 80s and 90s really took the piss a bit. Wouldn't really want it to get quite as bad as that.

Also most of the French team are the children of immigrants. Hardly many indigenous Frenchmen in their squad. We should just accept that a small country like ours needs as much help as possible and just accept as many granny rule players as long as they improve the squad.

Gilmour, Patterson, hickey, Doig, porteous all pretty young when Clarke called them up. Theres not been any other young players worthy of a call up. Hackney will probably end up playing for us. Can't see him getting a game for England.

Correct. He will be playing for us eventually. Perfect replacement for McGregor.

I still don't think they produce alot more elite players than us. They had a spell of maybe 12 years where they had 5 or 6 elite players playing in the same team. If you average it out we have probably had a similar amount of elite players as them over the last 30 years. It's just been spread out more evenly and we didn't have an elite striker or winger which Ireland have had. Our elite players have all been midfielders barring Robertson and maybe Tierney if he counts as elite.

2 in 30 years isn't exactly great. Even we have had more than that.

I said LOTS of elite players. Theres only three countries in the world similar in size to us who regularly produce lots of elite level players. Those three countries are Croatia, Denmark and Uruguay. Ireland produces lots of elite players? Are you having a laugh. I can only name 5 or 6 in the last 30 years. That being McGrath, Irwin, Keane X2, duff and Given. Maybe theres one or two others but that's about it. Luckily they had ten year spell where most of those guys were together in the same team but if you average it out it's hardly alot. I would say that we have had 4 or 5 elite players in the last 30 years. Lambert,Collins, Robertson, mccallister, Tierney, maybe even mcginn. Very few countries our size produce lots of elite players going by your definition of elite. It's extremely hard to do and expecting Scotland to start doing it is highly unlikely. What we need is to start making sure we produce a full squad of guys who play in top European leagues. If we can do that then we should stand a good chance of always going to the euros and maybe getting to a world cup every so often.

Most Countries our size don't produce lots of elite players anyways and never will. I am not expecting us to produce lots of elite players. What I want is a few more Frasers, Armstrongs and hickeys. We produce these level of guys in all positions who can cut it at epl level then we should stand a chance at going to more tournaments. The way we produce these guys is by getting our best talent playing proper competitive football at a young age. Currently our best players have come from the route I am suggesting. The evidence overwhelmingly supports that route.

Yes as I said 2 in 20 years. Thats a poor return. It was 1 in 20 years until gilmour started getting games this season. I find it strange ppl in here stubbornly defend the route of going to elite clubs based on the basis that 2 players out of dozens have made it in 2 decades! The question is why when it's proven not to work.

Robertson only spent a brief period at queen's park playing league 2. You know fine well that Robertson quickly moved onto spl and English championship football at around the same age Tierney was playing spl with Celtic. He even had a stint in the epl for one season. To me thats a comparable level of football to what Tierney was exposed to. Why are you trying to make out Robertson spent most of his younger years at queen's park? Whatever way you twist it neither went to elite clubs and wasted their formative years playing youth football. That's the main point I was making. Of course theres going to slight differences in where they played and what age they made transitions. Not every player travels the exact same route but both players played spl and English championship football instead of youth football and that is what helped them develop into good players.

Point is neither played a high level of football barring a few appearances in the champs league for tierney and neither were at elite clubs. They both fall into the same category in terms of developing their careers in weaker leagues.

Would you say doak is too good to go on loan to the spl or English championship?

Tierney is the same as Robertson in the fact that he played lower level football(spl and English championship) before stepping up. Both players benefitted from this pathway and it helped them become the players they have become. Also Tierney got champs league experience because he played for Celtic. If he was at an elite European club I doubt he would have gotten that. You suggesting Tierney and Robbie would be better players had they went to an elite clubs youth set up instead of playing first team football.

I would probably agree that gilmour would make it regardless of what route he took but I think he might have been an epl regular at 19/20 had he played first team football at lower level rather than spending his 16-19 years in the Chelsea youth set up. I suppose we will never know and I am just thankful he is at a club like Brighton who will give him the valuable experience he needs. He wasn't getting that at Chelsea and was in danger of not making the grade at epl level.

Tierney falls into the mcginn and Robertson category. Doaks not made it yet. Why has only 2 in 20 years made it through an elite clubs youth system? Surely that suggests that route doesn't work.

Fletcher came through more than 20 years ago! You call that recent years? If some of our youth players are too good for spl football then why did they not make it at a good level after going to epl youth set ups? Why has only 2 in 20 years made it through an elite club or epl clubs youth set up to play at a high level?