theabsentee
-
Posts
721 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Tartan Army Message Board News
Media Demo
Posts posted by theabsentee
-
-
Everton losing 4-0 & HT so Dyche making 3 changes, on comes our Nathan💪
-
1 hour ago, scotlad said:
Christie is having a good game. It's clear that he is now firmly a central midfielder; why Clarke played him in an attacking midfield role when he no longer plays there for his club and no longer appears to have the pace to play there effectively is something only Clarke can answer.
Incredible isn't it. A player with great work ethic who uses the ball well & also defends arguably better than any of our other midfielders not getting a chance to play there
-
38 minutes ago, romanticscot said:
Im watching Man Utd v Bournemouth and Christie is everywhere. Im shocked honestly Clarke didn't switch him and McTominay around in our last matches.
Shocked & angry.
-
18 minutes ago, Diamond Scot said:
Said for a while that the door shouldnt be closed on McBurnie however its probably too late for the Euros unless somebody gets injured.
That being said, most games ive watched him in this season he does one or 2 things that would risk a straight red with foreign refs which would be a worry for me.
Yeh, he can be pretty handy with his elbows, it seems. I was going to post earlier, saying what an uneventful weekend it has been for most of our players, and the only positive was that I don't think anyone got injured.
Pleased Ollie has sparked the thread into life. He deserves another chance, and for me, he should get it this summer.
-
12 hours ago, romanticscot said:
Ryan Fraser was injured in March so he will be fighting back to fitness as well. I am really hoping we can get a 26-man squad, it will force Clarke to consider the likes or Fraser, Morgan, Gauld but I full expect to see six goal keepers lol.
Fraser is fit again, played 70 minutes on Monday for Southampton. Theres a argument that he should make our 23 man squad nevermind 26.
-
33 minutes ago, broraboy said:
Reading this thread of late doesn’t sound like an Injury update ?
So to recapCallum McGregor - if the rumours are true, they say his season might be over with an Achilles Injury? There was mention of a return after the International break but still No sign of McGregor ( Scotland IMO need him back for the Euros )
Aaron Hickey - been out most of the season with a Hamstring Injury, if rumours are to believed then Brentford rushed him back to soon! Thomas Frank saying he is further down the line, read into that what you may but Brentford fans thinking he’ll feature before the end of the season ( again he will be vital for Scotland considering our lack of quality RB’s )
Billy Gilmour - during N.Ireland game went off with a knee injury and last pictured wearing a knee brace, according to Brighton out for a month. So fingers crossed should return in May sometime, if only out for a month?
Grant Hanley - Achilles Injury from last year but has played since recovery from injury but Norwich now saying he hasn’t regained full fitness / sharpness!
David Wagner - quoted as saying ( we all together agreed - him, myself and the fitness and medical department - to pull him out of team training because he is not as explosive and as sharp as he was when he was on his best )Jacob Brown - knee cartilage injury and had the operation but unlikely to return in the foreseeable, so unlikely to have made the Euro’s
Scott McKenna - pulled out of the last Squad, with no real explanation other than an injury. Looking at FC Copenhagens games, he played 90 minutes against Brønby on Monday night. Promising, with Hanley struggling I’d imagine McKenna makes it should he stay fit.
Kevin Nisbet - suffered a serious hamstring injury and according to Milwall unlikely to feature again this season, all but ending his chance of going to the Euros
Ross Stewart - been out most of the season and recovering from a hamstring injury and from what Russell Martin had to say unlikely to feature again this season, rehab gone well and now jogging. If the Saints are in the play-offs then there is a glimmer of hope apparently but as he hasn’t featured much under Clarke and would surely have been a wildcard for the Euros
Ben Doak - recovering from a knee injury he sustained back in December, if rumours are to be believed he’s targeting a return date this month with an eye on getting some game time in Liverpools run in……. He truly would be a wildcard if Clarke selects him but again unlikely to make it, the injury stalled any realistic chance he had.
Calvin Ramsay - had such promise when he first went to Liverpool but injury’s have curtailed his development and currently farmed out to Bolton to gain match time but not really featuring for them for some reason? Given our RB issues, Clarke must be wishing of an alternative to Patterson should Hickey not return?
Good post but I think your not up to date on some of the info, I'll give you my opinion for what it's worth.
McGregor - think is training & could even feature in the Old Firm game this weekend.
Hickey - may not play for Brentford again this season but expects to be fit in May , so let's hope training & match sharpness can be gained in our June friendlies as we desperately need him.
Brown - don't know but prefer he wasn't selected anyway.
McKenna - Pleased he is back playing as even though he may not be a world beater we really do need him.
Hanley - Wasn't aware Wagner had said this , if it's true I would be very concerned as he is a naturally burly guy who needs to be playing to keep his levels up, if he isn't starting regular for Norwich before the end of the season I wouldn't want him starting for Scotland. I'm actually very concerned Clarke's loyalty may mean 2 of our central defence choices will be a either not match sharp or past their best in Hanley & Cooper .
Nisbet - sadly injured but hasn't kicked on at Millwall so the jury's out on his long term international career.
Stewart - Believe is doing light training but after breaking down so quickly from a previous long term injury I can't see Southampton risking him this season unless Adams etc are seriously misfiring.
Doak - Idk but hope your right that he could be back training & even playing by May. Be a very pleasant surprise if he could make the first team squad again this season & make an impact . I'm sure most of us should love that to happen just to see what Clarke would do especially if the squad is increased to 26.
Ramsay - sadly injury has ruined his season, he may also be suffering from Patterson style confidence issues as he didn't even get off the bench on Monday even though his league one side Bolton brought 5 subs on in a 5-2 victory. Sadly we can't really call him even a potential Scotland player at this stage . Next season will be very crucial for his future, let's hope the lad stays fit
-
U19s
in TA specific
3 minutes ago, ProudScot said:Billy Stark has retired!
Who will get the job - Peter Houston, Peter Grant or some other dinosaur/moron most likely?
Small bit of comfort on a wet miserable Tuesday afternoon 👍
Let's hope Gemmill doesn't fancy his cushy number until pension 😪
-
8 hours ago, Caledonian Craig said:
Well I presume that would mean he would be fit for the two friendlies which he could use to get match sharp. The alternatives are a confidence shot to pieces Patterson or Tony Ralston.
Yeh I'd take that now as at least he is with us but we will most probably end up playing the June friendlies with both Hickey & Patterson desperate for minutes. In that scenario rest Robbo & start both of them I reckon. Give Patterson a chance to discover some confidence if it doesn't work tough decision when cutting the squad to 23.
-
8 hours ago, Scotty2Hotty said:
Pigs will fly before Clarke puts him in at CDM, the opportunity to do it was against Holland and he played him high up the pitch (tbf played well but we have others that could of done this role also)
Exactly & this at a time we are crying out for natural defensive midfielders to help protect our average central defenders.
-
11 hours ago, BryanBlessed said:
This is a major problem at the moment but I can understand the players' perspective: they're guaranteed starters and are at the business end of the domestic season. I'd put McGinn and Robertson in that category. Look what happened to Gilmour when he got stuck in. Ithink Dykes always tries hard but just lacks ability.
Wee billy got stuck into their player in the wrong way, it was a daft tackle to make in a friendly, let's hope he is back in time.
Posted from a fan yesterday on the Brentford forum . It looks like we may be relying on a player who isn't match fit
-
1 hour ago, Scotty2Hotty said:
Great Assist by Armstrong btw
🤣 Proving again what a good player he is, he could easily start for us allowing Christie to play in his best position , deeper🤞
-
4 hours ago, BryanBlessed said:
I think defensively, there isn't much between the players so he prefers continuity. As long as Hendry isn't playing in the centre, I won't be too disappointed. Despite his exemplary attitude, the inclusion of Dykes is becoming increasingly hard to justify. SOD also had a great attitude but he didn't hesitate to drop him.
I agree with you about Dykes but especially about Souttar & Hendry, for me I'd trust Souttar a lot more one on one against a physical opponent . I'm not sure there's much in them on the ball, both pretty good but both got a mistake in them. Hendry has his arms all over opponents way too much, he makes me very nervous & will give away soft penalties I'm convinced it's only a matter of time before he costs us. I'm not saying Souttar or anyone else is far superior but would feel much more comfortable with a stronger defender in the middle of the 3 & like you said if Hendry plays keep him on the right.
-
5 hours ago, Scotty2Hotty said:
The bit in bold is what i've been thinking for a wee while. The previous Euros tournament, we failed miserably against Croatia and Czech Rep and would hate us to wimp out in the same manner. There wasn't much we could do with the team then but nowadays there are a few options we could of tried out recently that could of benefited us but Clarke hasn't bothered at all to try out anything new, really frustrating
The style of high press against Netherlands was a new style of play for us & it was really impressive for 70 minutes, I actually hope Clarke doesn't abandon it & is brave enough to try it against Germany.
Apart from that though Clarke starts & sticks to his favourite sons even during friendlies, there's too many examples of that to deny it.
-
On 2/13/2024 at 1:22 PM, wanderer said:
Poland booked.
Easyjet out to Berlin on the Saturday morning, then train to Poznan (a Ukrainian band I like are playing Poznan that night as part of a tour, so great little add on to the trip) and then on to the venue the next day, before down to Krakow for Easyjet flight home on the Thursday.
I like folk with diverse & alternative tastes in music 👌😊 Your going to see these right?
-
On 3/18/2024 at 9:29 AM, wanderer said:
Unlikely Krakow, as Chorow seems their stadium of choice outside of Warsaw in recent years, with Wroclaw and Gdansk probably the main other contenders (I would like Wroclaw as its a great place.... Krakow minus the tourists)
Yeh Wroclaw is fantastic, best atmosphere of the bigger Polish cities though I have to say Gdansk when they weather's nice is also special🩷
-
1 hour ago, BryanBlessed said:
As an unused sub again today, Patterson has to be a huge worry. If he gets little to no minutes before the Euros, Clarke can't possibly take him and will have to go with Ralston as backup to Hickey. We can only hope Dyche gets sacked.
.
Theres still time & if not with his club the 2 June friendlies for him to find a bit of confidence, I wouldn't give up on him for the summer just yet.
-
1 hour ago, Scotty2Hotty said:
Colemon OG too and loss so if he cant get in now then he is fucked
Most fans say he should be at worst 2nd choice behind Coleman , they really don't rate 38 year old Ashley Young or Ben Godfrey but unfortunately Mr negative Dyche is the only opinion that seems to matters .
No doubt the lads confidence is at a all time low.
-
Che Adams getting some abuse from the Southampton faithful online, he missed 2 sitters from inside the six yard box & they conceded a late equaliser . We've said it enough times good player but finishing is his weak point.
Ross Stewart is back in training, too late realistically but if was to make it back into the team & bag a couple of goals in the league or play offs I think Clarke should seriously think about taking him especially if the squads too be 26.
-
57 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:
Having pretty much written him off based on his stats in all the games I haven’t watched I thought I had better watch today.
Was pretty impressed but according to who scored that was his best non scoring performance of the season. Jury is still out in my opinion.
Looked at Adam’s and Dykes stats and surprisingly there isn’t much between them Both are very average championship players.that leaves us Shankland who is a well above average SPL player and Mcburnie who is an above average EPL player.
Good that you made the effort to watch. My only live viewing was for our under 21's . Like I've said before plenty Bristol city fans blame the manager for negative tactics for his average season, there's also a few saying he has been effected by his best mate Alex Scott being sold to Bournemouth. Give the lad time , my gut feeling is he will be good enough for us though that's mainly based on what he is up against.
I like the little McBurnie comment, whereas I think he is decent I'm not sure about the above average EPL😊
-
48 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:
Having pretty much written him off based on his stats in all the games I haven’t watched I thought I had better watch today.
Was pretty impressed but according to who scored that was his best non scoring performance of the season. Jury is still out in my opinion.
Looked at Adam’s and Dykes stats and surprisingly there isn’t much between them Both are very average championship players.that leaves us Shankland who is a well above average SPL player and Mcburnie who is an above average EPL player.
Good that you made the effort to watch. My only live viewing was for our under 21's . Like I've said before plenty Bristol city fans blame the manager for negative tactics for his average season, there's also a few saying he has been effected by his best mate Alex Scott being sold to Bournemouth. Give the lad time , my gut feeling is he will be good enough for us though that's mainly based on what he is up against.
I like the little McBurnie comment, whereas I think he is decent I'm not sure about the above average EPL😊
-
2 hours ago, ProudScot said:
Unsure where to post this but the national team managers are meeting 8/9th April to lobby UEFA to increase squad sizes to 26 players for the Euros, citing medical issues etc.
Youd think if they are all in it together it would happen again?
So maybe will be 26 after all…
If it's 26 I think most of us would like some younger players brought in but there's nobody really having a stand out season & the pick of our prospects Doak is injured
So i can't see any left field type call ups from Steve C. He would probably just go with the squad he's just had minus 1 goalie + maybe Fraser or Jack depending who's fit.
-
I liked Clarke as a player & also he has done a good job as manager but it is wearing thin as he does seem very stubborn & slow to change it when it's not working.
This is just a example, we have a 29 year old player playing who its fair to say has had a good if unspectacular career as a attacking midfielder. This season his English premier league club side have converted him to a deeper role in midfield & as a consequence the player seems to have taking his game to another level , the difference is that significant that you could even say he is now one of best in the best League in the world in this position yet Clarke fails to acknowledge this & continues to play the player in his previous advanced role in which he rarely puts in more than a decent performance.
Long post but if your a stats man if Christie as a attacking midfielder more often that not gives you a 6 or 7 out of 10, since playing deeper he regular gives you a 8 + level performance why the hell is he still playing further forward in friendly matches! -
2 hours ago, ProudScot said:
Anyone not worried about our form or what’s coming out of Steve Clarke’s mouth is in denial.
He says he needed picked up by the players after Friday night & after last night he’s said it wasn’t our night and peaking now doesn’t matter it’s about peaking in June…
30 mins in last night we went 451 but we don’t have a single winger in the squad so we had no width or penetration. The ability to see issues and change things - I don’t see any of that in any of our last… 5-10 games.
The make up of the squad for June should have changed following these results; less Kenny McLeans & Greg Taylor’s & more Ryan Frasers & hopefully someone who can create, breakdown & be effective in the final 3rd ie Ryan Gauld potentially? Surely we try these guys in the next friendlies!
It's too late for experimenting now, those chances Clarke has chosen to pass on even during friendlies! We all know he prefers the loyal core approach than a naturally evolving squad.
There might still be a chance of a Fraser recall but Gauld no chance.
-
4 hours ago, BryanBlessed said:
We badly needed a win last night for confidence reasons. Was Dykes the man to start for that? I'd argue no and I doubt Clarke would have started him had it been a competitive match. If we needed Dykes to press and harry a top team, then that's another matter though I'd still play Shankland. Clarke's loyalty is positive to create a team spirit but it'll also be his downfall in my opinion.
I don't know about 4ATB. NI don't have much of an attacking threat so I don't think we can say it definitely worked.
Are there not any Scottish RB's at championship level in England? I just can't believe our choice (if Hickey unavailable) is someone not getting a game for Celtic or Everton's third choice.
If we presume the squad is what it is currently then Dykes has to be third choice. I'm 50/50 on Adams or Shankland. If Adams finishes the season in goalscoring positive form i would prefer him.
Your right the 4 at the back wasn't tested last night so we have no clue if we could get away with it in the summer.
Only championship potential call up right back would be Ross McCrorie , good hard working strong player but maybe not the best technically. He has recovered from a bad injury & is playing every week but think but it's too late for him to break into the squad.
Scottish players in action 21/22
in TA specific
Posted
Yeh I only put it on as thought if he doesn't make a raft of changes & give Patterson a chance now he never will