theabsentee

Great, look forward to reading how he does.

Just imagine if 2 of these make it at the top level. Meaning a Bayern first team player or a regular starting in a top 6 EPL team, what a potentially fantastic back 4/5 we could have. Find a top class keeper & we've got the foundations of a team that will regularly qualify & perhaps even do well in tournaments. We are entitled to dream sometimes 😁

Totally agree with you man, there is no need to compare him with Brown at this stage. I/we have followed Watt for years, Celtic, Belgium to the English championship & waited patiently for him to fulfil, it never happened so even though i like his abilities it'll take more than a few goals in the spl before getting excited about him. Be delighted if come the spring he is still challenging the old firm attack for top goalscorer then he will deserve to be considered for a call up.

Haha exactly, its daft to look any further back than the last couple of seasons. Tony Watt we have all had high hopes for but it appears only the last 18 months or so he has screwed the nut & is trying to fulfil his potential. A shame but that's the reality, maybe Barry Mckay is a similar type character. Anyway never say never so I'm sure we would all be delighted if he is still top spl scoring come March & he gives Clarke a selection headache. Nisbet is starting to show a bit of form/promise again, let's hope that continues, as for our leftfield choice Jacob Brown, I'm not convinced yet but again time will tell, i think Clarke picked him as he sees him as yet another raw improving type player. Adams & Dykes where classed as that not that long ago & they haven't worked out to bad have they 😉

Gordon Souttar Hanley Tierney Patterson Robertson Gilmour McGregor McGinn Armstrong Adams Kinda mad choosing a Hearts starter over a Man Utd starter but i hope Clarke has that difficult decision to make come March.

There isn't much in them but Leeds fans have been saying exactly the same thing about Cooper for years but he & Hanley are still captains of their epl teams so mistakes apart they are both strong characters with some leadership qualities. Your right though they are all probably more comfortable in a 3, since we have been playing that system the middle man in particular always seems to look really solid. We just have to wait & see where they are form & playing time wise come March. Looking forward to seeing how Souttar performs over the coming months. I think we would all be delighted if he can stay fit, look quality consistently & as a consequence unfortunately for Hearts fans attract a lot of interest from not only the OF but high end championship or even low epl clubs. If he does this then i would stick with him as a starter. The lad has had so much bad luck he deserves a chance to establish himself if he club form merits it.

Just had a little read of their forum & they seem to play 3 at the back, it's the middle centre back McFadzean(also eligible) who seems to be highly thought of but he is 34 so beyond a call up. Hyam starts regularly & seems to be a strong defensively but very poor on the ball. Michael Rose who seems a good all round defender was linked with a big money move to Leeds due to his performances during Coventry's promotion winning season 2 years ago. Last season i think he got injured then couldn't get back in the team so didn't play much. This season it's only been the last month or so he has been a starter, so i guess he needs to stay in the team & really impress at that level for a sustained period then I would have thought Clarke will consider him. All based on fans opinions though as I've never watched Coventry play live since their days in the Premier league which much be 20 years ago.

Yeh i agree, needs to stay fit for a sustained period before judging him. Seems to be the chosen back up to Jota at Celtic so he should get minutes of the bench regularly, he needs to start using his chances productively which in turn might persuade management he deserves to start games.

Cheers

Exactly, never seen the lad play but I'm still fuming. John is a technically gifted player with a big of pace so surely there was a chance his younger brother who is considerably taller would also have had some attributes to go with his height. Pretty good combination in a centre half but the sfa snoozing again, useless c___s 😠

Maybe need a match thread for this comment but i find it slightly strange we have chosen to train in Spain prior to matches in potentially near freezing Moldova & probably wet & cold Glasgow. I'm no sports scientist but obviously someone at the sfa feels acclimatising before a game isnt important.

Not sure about eligibility, don't think he is but that's not the reason for his withdrawal. Maybe his club are pressuring him or he just thinks he is above playing for the under 21's, either way he deserved to be in the full squad especially as Tierney's match fitness is questionable. Clarke likes to have 3 left back options apparently for training purposes when Greg Taylor is fit, when he isn't it's not necessary it seems.

Was a bit sleepy last night & got my exchange rates mixed up. More like a quid a local pint & £1.50 for imported stuff. Still not a bank breaker 👍 Anyone any idea how many roughly are coming? Not many people here seem aware of it, there's not a huge amount of bars either so i will warn a few tonight that they need to be prepared staff wise.

Yeh its still pretty cheap here. Met them in the Kozel pub, that's a good quality Czech beer that seems pretty popular here for a £1 a pint Local stuff seems about 80p though I've not had a lot as pacing myself before the big kick off😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Bolton lads where having vodka chasers with their pints, that combo will kill you so i politely turned down their invitation to join.

Andy's restaurant/bars mate, pretty cheap & decent, there's a few of them scattered about, unless you can get summit in your hotel they open 24 hours if your landing late & still need watering.

I thought the same, one of them 60th birthday bash, mix of old & young. That's maybe the negative side of the budget airline industry, its a long time since you could only fly to the likes of Prague, Budapest & Krakow for next to nowt. Almost everywhere in Central/ East Europe has had the pleasure of a drunken squad of brits now.

From where i live flights only once a week, my excuse anyway, not that i need one 😉 Not seen or heard any other Scottish yet but there's a bunch a Bolton fans in this bar, all smashed & rather vocal. Last time i saw as many of them as this i was in the away end supporting Gretna in the FA Cup & Singing oh Wanky Wanky, Wanky wanky wanderers with the help of some Wigan fans 😂 Gretna where giving them a good game until John McGinley came off the bench & scored twice..

I landed last night & wondered if anyone is coming & wants to meet for a beer or 3?😉 Looks like you can buy tickets online but I've just sourced a local ticket shop so I'm heading to buy there.

Sorry Malcolm i couldn't disagree more, ridiculous asking a player from a mixed background to commit to a nation when signing pro forms. No player at 18 has any idea how far their talent will take them so why narrow down your chances of playing in a world cup, euros or even African nations at such a tender age. At 18 players just want to play & learn the game, they don't want such added pressure as thinking or dreaming that far ahead in their career.

Yeh exactly smart words from Southgate making the lad feel wanted. Harry Souttar will probably end up playing at a higher level than any of our current natural centre backs yet our coaches seemed oblivious to his existence until it was too late.

Yeh i think it could just be down to current form that he went with Brown over Grant. If Grant who seems a more natural finisher form picks up & he doesn't make future squads it could be that he knocked Clarke back, very much doubt that though. Having read about both of them on their club forums neither excite me too much though we will give the lad a chance. He seems to have improved a lot this season but does sound like a poor man's Che Adams. I'm not keen on the grandparent rule either but while it's in place we must take full advantage like every other nation does so if Harvey Barnes was to tell his dad to belt up & come running to us I'd be delighted to have him as he has the quality to make a difference.

I agree with every word, thanks for making the effort 👌

I'm not having a go as i would support all Scottish clubs in europe whether they field Scots or not though i don't agree that they can't afford young Scottish talent. Helander cost Rangers 3.5m, i can't believe Hearts would have turned down anywhere near that for Souttar.

Yeh its good to see. I also noticed Slicker also made the bench for City last weekend. They must rate him quite highly.

Wonder how he qualifies. Can't find any info online.