Taylor1996

McBurnie did well. He had a few good touches and lay offs. He was better than Dykes, who tries, but is technically limited. Adams, apart from his goal, was shocking and did nothing all night. The search for a goalscorer continues...

Never in doubt... Another really strange performance. Only Tierney and maybe McTominay the stand outs. (2 of the back 3) A win Is a win, though.

Looking at their results, it looks like it could be tricky. If we score in the first 30 minutes, it'll be quite easy going.

Yes. The England match is live on STV tonight at 19:15.

True, but having a ball playing center back is always a good thing to have in your armoury, especially if you want to build from the back. Yep. Totally agree with you. And the main thing that Manchester United fans moan about with McTominay is that he doesn't dictate matches and that his passing is limited. I suppose, it is, but he'd still get into England's first XI. Agreed about Gilmour. Same with Gauld and even Turnbull. This would've been an idea chance to bed them in. Chance gone.

Very comprehensive and I agree with the highlighted players. Honestly. I don't think many of the current players would get into a combined XI with the class of 2008. It would make for a great thread. An amalgamation of strongest XI from each year. If I were to guess, though, only two of today's team would regularly make it. As much as we like McGinn and McTominay, etc, they can't compete when we talk about the likes of Darren Fletcher and Ferguson. As well as Brown, to bring balance. Then there's the strikers... what I'd give to have a prime.. any of those you highlighted!

So true about Brown and McFadden. Imagine the difference those would make! Caldwell, too, even Stephen McManus. Those two in 3 would've been interesting. I've been beating this dump for so long that it's no longer a drum... it's a thin piece of round wood, but imagine the teams from the past 20 years in this current system. S midfield three of Brown, Ferguson and Fletcher, with McFadden and Fletcher up front. It would've done well.

And in fairness, I do pronounce it with an "n". Kinda we all say "Gallacker" when it's "Gallagher". But yeah, lighten up, mate. It's just spelling. It's all good. Just do you.

Excuse me? I do? When? I pronounced it correctly in the link. Think you're mistaking me for someone else, mate. Even if I did. Who cares if I spell a name wrong. Guess we know what happened to dohadeer. lol

Yeah. I know. It's fun, though. I just checked. The average age of our team vs Israel was 27. Surprising. Would be interesting to see how many of our current players would make it into the strongest XI since the 90s. I'm guessing, only Tierney and Robertson would make a consistent appearance. It's crazy to think that Tierney is still only 23.

He does have good passing range. I've seen him a few times this season and that's probably the main part of his game that sneak him ahead of Gallagher, etc. Completely agree. I said a few days ago that the only reason McGinn and McGregor and McTominay survive in a double-pivot at club level Is because they have an anchorman beside then. And it's true. Those three are so much better when they have license to get forward. I would definitely favour Tierney as the anchorman at this moment in time. In terms of McTominay, lets just hope he matures into a more aggressive midfielder.

Agreed against McTominay. When he plays in defence he does break the lines incredibly well with his passing. Hendry was subdued, but I do think he's capable. The midfield is the main thing for me that needs to be sorted. The amount of times that McGinn and McTominay sat off and ball watched against Austria, and McTominay and McGregor against Israel was peculiar. I've seen McTominay do it almost every match for Manchester United, so I wouldn't completely blame Clarke for the midfielder standing off. If we're to play with a double-pivot then it has to be more intense and press higher, particularly if neither of the 3 midfielders that I mentioned are that good defensively.

Not sure why people are saying that we have the strongest squad since the 90s. We don't. A look at the 00s and we had the likes of McFadden, Fletcher, Fletcher, Hutchinson, Miller, Naysmith, McNamara, Weir, Hutton, McManus, Brown, Naismith, Maloney, etc, in the same squad. Only Tierney and Robertson would break into the first XI from back then. Maybe McTominay.

The striking dilemma is a huge issue. No doubt. As far as Tierney in midfield, I definitely agree. I used to champion Robertson to play that role, but Tierney is the better all round player.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-clarke-offers-scotland-work-23825219 Statistically, Scotland are improving. We're shipping in a lot less goals and we're harder to beat. We're more resilient than we have been ever since I can remember. Has switching to a three made a difference? It's made a massive difference. (If you look around, more and more teams are choosing to play a variant of the three. If we had been playing like system all along, our evolution would be light years ahead of where we are currently.) If you look at the numbers, they bear that out. Yes, the performance against Israel was probably our worst performance for a while, we could not string 4 passes together without resorting to punting it forward. The positive side is that we got a point. Getting a point from playing so badly isn't usually a Scotland trait, especially away. The next step in the evolution is to be more attacking and expansive. Can we evolve? We'll see, but it's hardly the time for pessimism. Steve Clarke made a mistake when he named this squad: Palmer should've been dropped, same with Considine, McLean, too, Amstrong with them, and Adams is just a faster Oliver McBurnie. And Jack? He was never going to realistically be fir. We already have one Oliver McBurnie. That's six positions that should have been filled by: Gilmour, Turnbull, Gauld, Shinnie and two more. If we keep to the same system, I see a 4-0 win tonight.

My combined 96, 98 and 2020 first XI: Goram C.Hendry Weir Tierney Burley Robertson Lambert Collins McAllister McCoist - Durie Players that played in tournaments (some players played in 96 and 98) 1996: 7 Players 1998: 6 Players 2020: 2 Players

Maybe you can contact the SFA and tell them that. Apparently, he's been in charge for 19 matches, so it's a 47% win ratio.

Those numbers only factor in matches that begin and end in a 90 minute cycle. They don't factor in penalty shootouts wins. So, by that amendment, Clarke has a 50% win percentage

Overlapping centerbacks. Or a centre back from either side stepping forward into midfield when we have possession. Making it a central three in midfield.

Damn. Probably, actually. He has missed a few Arsenal matches recently. I think it's definitely something to ponder for Steve Clarke in the future. Tierney oozes quality, no matter what is asked of him.

Yep. I called that one. Without Jack, there is genuine defensive minded midfielder. People objected to me saying that McGregor and McTominay and McGinn are babysat in the double-pivot t club level. The previous two matches prove it.

SNP. I fear that Alba are going to ultimately splinter the votes.

I know. It was like we might as well call it a defeat when the fell behind. Seems like that was the case forever. Yep. We might not always play well, but we always seem to show grit and determination. I know. Clarke missed a trick by not calling up Turnbull, Gauld or Gilmour. This was their only chance to stake a claim for Euro 2020. Gauld, literally, could not do any more. Yep. It's a chance for a striker to fill their boots. I think Adams will get the nod.

I know. Me, too. It wasn't great viewing. But the upside is that we can back, again. There was about a decade where when we went behind, that was it. This squad is showing grit... that's something to grasp onto. Most definitely, but we were due. Over the years we've been on the other side of things, it's nice to be on the pleasant side for a change.

lol For some (unfounded reason) I'm optimistic about this one. I think it'll be a four goal win, easily. We're all being unduly harsh on Clarke. Progress is definitely being made. We ARE harder to score against and to beat. That's a foundation.