Tartan Chris

5 points clear of 4th but then I see the last match was losing to Kazakhs 1-0 and they finished on 10 points in the end so I get your point. Just looking at the Belgium squad now and aside from KDB and Lukaku still around they're going to be in proper transition for next 3-4 years. Wouldn't be the worst top seed to get for the world cup group.

Oh to have a forward like Evan Ferguson coming through...this lad can finish. Republic of Ireland finally got a good CF in their ranks again.

Just reading the last two pages....kid is only 20 so to me it's a bit different to someone in late 20s suddenly deciding they want to play for Scotland e.g Phil Bardsley, Matt Ritchie etc. I was incredibly cynical when Che Adams suddenly declared his availability a few months before the euros (he was 24) but since then he's had very few call offs so clearly loves being part of things. Not sure where Anderson's head is at as he would've been in the squad but Wales had plenty of duels down the years who've taken ages to commit but once in the set up they love it and probably wonder why they took so long to decide. It took them 12 months to convince Hal Robson Kanu to decide to join up for example reading John Toshack's autobiography. He then gave them one of the great Welsh sporting moments with that goal v Belgium so no one cared after that he'd play for England youth groups as Anderson has.

I really liked that "goal" he scored v Forest. Showed real strength at the back post to rise above Aurier and it was a very well placed header. He's an interesting prospect and Howe clearly rates him so rather than Newcastle signing xxx number of players in summer think bigger issue is he gets sacked in next 12 months and then Anderson falls down the pecking order.

Well yes qualified for the last euros unless I missed something? O.k it was through the nations league play off insurance but with Belgium and Russia in the group it was going to be a big ask to finish 2nd especially given start of that McLeish was in charge. Easier group for the World cup pool and 2nd was comfortably secured in the end. I think this is going to be more difficult. Norway surely got enough about them to have a proper go at qualifying automatically given this is the weakest Spain selection for many years back to front (look at that goal Kepa let in yesterday). Not beating Cyprus at home would be like 3-0 in Kazakhstan for me, qualification pretty much over at that moment so can't mess up and then try to get a 1-1 v Spain. Georgia's going to be really difficult aswell as usual with that Napoli wizard they have.

Patterson wasn't on the bench for Everton yesterday so I think that's a huge risk just to chuck him back in. He last played for them on January 3rd. Hickey is starting regularly for Brentford and they've lost one premier league match since October so it might be a Scottish disease but play in form players in their correct positions perhaps.....

Dykes is miles off it. From his good spell around 2019/20 he's been declining for a few years and just coming back off a health issue so I'd question Clarke significantly if he's thrown in from the start for these games. Last 10 minute sub option if a goal down is logical. In reality it will be Che upfront with all the midfielders behind him. Lewis Ferguson is a goal threat and scored a couple in Serie A so I'd be starting him v Cyprus for sure just to freshen things up with in form player. McGinn is back in form for Villa so that's a huge plus and we know he's a serious goal threat anyway. Looking at the Spain squad and it looks miles off what they were putting out a decade ago. They'll endlessly dominate possession so just have to sit in and wait for breaks on counter or get a goal from a set piece. I think it's possible to get a draw from that game so 4 points from opening two would get everyone confident for another success euros qualifying campaign.

Can see Ramsey retiring for them soon aswell. Got a young defence but rest of side especially in midfield dosen't then look that amazing.

Ryan Porteous going to Udinese by looks of it. Cracking move for him as they're having a good season in top half of Serie A (only lost 1-0 away to late Juventus goal yesterday). So chance to start regularly for europa league contender..... Or they just sell him to Watford in 18 months.

Armstrong is a very busy player, just his composure lets him down infront of goal sometimes. Was example I think at home to Ukraine when he was through on goal, leaned back and blazed miles over the bar. Decent pick for away games though when you need to dig in.

Nice to see Ferguson scoring in Serie A. He's started last few games so obviously needed a couple of months to settle in as you'd expect. Talented player so hopefully he becomes part of the regular NT squad now and isn't just ignored because he's playing abroad as Hickey was for quite a while.

Starting and finishing with home games is good I think, Norway home last match already has winner takes all feel. Have to say in non tournament year having to play up to 20th June is ridiculous. Couldn't they have had one international break with triple header again?

Fancy Israel to qualify directly, big chance for them in a group with Swiss and Romania as the top 2 seeds.

They're s*** currently but Windsor park when the crowd is up is still a tricky place for teams to go (Italy missed out on 1st in world cup group because they could only draw 0-0 and they also drew with Swiss) so six points off San Marino and then home wins v Kazaks and Slovenia and suddenly they're on 12 points and in the mix for second. Think it's a draw that will convince Steven Davis and Johnny Evans to hang around for one more attempt to play at another major tournament.

I thought they were scrapping the September international date to ease fixture congestion at start of season and going to play three games over two of the breaks. Or is that coming in for next qualification cycle?

Hopefully Spain will beat Norway home and away. Don't want to be going into situation where you need close to 20 points to get 2nd. With it being just 8 games points will be fewer anyway so 15 points should be the target.

Just looking at what they put out in their last nations league game. Haaland, Sorloth and Elyonoussi was front 3 and they had Odegaard and Sander Berge in midfield. Lost 2-1 to Slovenia....

More concerned with getting Georgia again! Tiblisi has messed up previous groups and they've got some really talented players and made euros play offs. That said Norway's away results aren't good either so that match could easily trip them up aswell. Perhaps pot 5 was the ticket this time, incredible group for Northern Ireland to get in considering how low they've dropped. Got a decent chance of second if they can get some confidence back. Wales will be pretty happy with what they've got aswell. At least have the play offs as insurance and given all 2nd place teams go through there won't be as much quality in it as for world cup.

How's the allocation work with three extra places? Bit like France 98 and say two 2nd place teams go through automatically? Or you just pool some nations league winners in with 2nds and have larger play off competition? Even in pot 2 you're still very likely to be in a group with one of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland etc so pretty unlikely you'd win the group so I wouldn't say pot 2 is as significant for world cup draw as for euros.

Euro 2008 qualifiers smashed them first game 6-0, felt like every attack was a goal. Then away game was reasonably comfortable IIRC. Rather have that than having to trek to Kazakhstan again. Georgia are improving and that is pretty bogey away trip for this nation. North Macedonia also lurking in pot 4 and qualifying for a euros is very realistic for them these days as they proved last time.

It's only 4 team groups so you could feasilbly get it done in two matchdays if you play 3 games in the two week period as happened for much of last 18 months.

In last decade he's been sacked by West Brom (after leading them to top 10 in premier league) and Reading so he's been around the block long enough to know about lack of job security in club football compared to what he has now. I think the ambition to get Scotland to another euros and then first world cup in decades will keep him sweet. If euros dosen' happen he'll leave.

Was unlucky with the covid delay for a start. Think back to how Hampden was buzzing after the Denmark win. In normal circumstances the play offs would've been a month later so imo having to wait 6 months to play the actual SF play off after the war started killed the momentum generated from that great late run of the qualifiers. Didn't play well on the night of course but then way it panned out Wales were always big favourites to get through the quarter. Amazed anyone is giving Clarke below a B + tbh. The last year bar one game has been fantastic. Finally exciting young players introduced into squad/11 like Gilmour, Patterson, Hendry and Hickey with more on the way (Elliot Anderson and perhaps Conway at Bristol if he's interested). Team also showed tonight it can be without 3-4 significant starters and grind out a 0-0 to arguably superior team. This is like the 90s again imo when Brown got very consistent performances out of the squad in many qualifying cycles. Qualifying for next euros should be demanded now and then you'd like to think Clarke will have significantly learnt from last summer and last 16 could be realistic prospect. Then his reign is easily an A.

Would be very confident of qualifying from this for euros: 1st Poland- Still got Lewandowski but don't think the rest of their side is as strong as in 2016 qualifiers and gave them really good games home and away back then. 3rd Iceland- On the decline after their golden period and good historical record v them. 4th Faroes- Probably the weakest of the fourth seeds. Was going to say Luxembourg aswell but they've improved over last 5 years and generally competitive v whoever they play (got a 0-0 away to France years back). 5th- Has some tricky trips in that. Cyprus would be o.k given the wins v them in 2019 nations league. 6th- Dosen't matter. Has to be 6 points on the board to have serious chance of top 2. Probably too soft a group to be realistic but then the world cup draw was the best for decades and so it proved with a comfortable 2nd place finish.

Turkey are pretty poor on the road, lost to Faroes at the weekend so they'd be very beattable at Hampden. Norway are odd. Can never seen to kick on with actual results but ultimately Odegaard and Haaland in final third must be respected.