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Scottish Players in Action 18/19


PASTA Mick

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1 hour ago, romanticscot said:

I am curious in your mind which formation do you believe Scotland should play and do you expect the 3-5-2 to be what McLeish will favor for at least these next two games? 

Honestly not a clue what McLeish will do actually do.
He seemed set on a 352 variant, but then random crumbled to 'public opinion' and played the flat 4 against Portugal.
I suspect he'll stick to his apparent convictions and go back to a back 3. I say apparent convictions as I suspect he adopted it as an attempt to convince people he knows about modern football. When he was appointed many (myself included) saw it as a backwards step, a manager with a pretty poor record since leaving us and who'd been out of work for a year an a half.  I don't think he really wants to play a back3, I'm not sure he really understands how to play a back 3, but he's nailed his colours to that mast and I don't see him changing now. It'll be the sword he falls on probably, a badly protected back 3 leaking goals that they shouldn't.

As for what we should play, depends who we're against, of course, but against Israel and Albania 4231 seems sensible, it's a system everyone knows and we have personnel who can fit it well. I think the back 3 has potential, but these are 2 games we really should want to win, to restore some pride if nothing else.

Given the raft of injuries we have stacked up right now, my choice 11 would probably be something like this:

gordon
o'donnell - bates - mulgrew - robertson
mcdonald - armstrong
russell - gms - fraser
rhodes

O'Donnell's the best we have right now and hasn't done much wrong.
We're short on right sided centerbacks. Souttar's out, Hanley's out, Hendry was wobbly (to put it politely), so it's between Bates and Devlin for me. A bit of a pressure debut, but Bates will bring a lot of confidence with him and that should help.
Make Mulgrew captain and let Robertson get on with his own game.
McDonald or McTominay, don't mind which, but McTominay's barely playing. Armstrong's a good link man, can do the defensive work and contribute going forward. Basically a midfield 2 that's reliable and steady, which gives the other players something to build off. Sorry, but McGinn can be awesome or awful, which means no one can trust him at any given moment.
I want an attacking 3 that are quick, tricky and who want the ball. Russell's got more about him than Forrest for me, while GMS offers something different. McGregor would do a decent job there, as should Snodgrass now he's finally finding his feet at West Ham, but I'd go with GMS. Axnd Fraser, who if he can actually get on the pitch for us would be a fantastic weapon to have.
Up front, it would be Griff, but who knows what's going on there. Rhodes is doing as well as anyone, and while he might get bullied by top class defenders, these two sides don't have top class defenders. They have defenders the likes of which he used to score a goal a game against.. so.. he's our guy for this game.
I'd want McGregor, Bannan, Morgan and McBurnie among the subs in case we need to change things.

If everyone was fit, it'd look a bit different. But we've got the players we've got and i think it'd get us over the line.


 

 

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2 hours ago, andyD said:

Honestly not a clue what McLeish will do actually do.
He seemed set on a 352 variant, but then random crumbled to 'public opinion' and played the flat 4 against Portugal.
I suspect he'll stick to his apparent convictions and go back to a back 3. I say apparent convictions as I suspect he adopted it as an attempt to convince people he knows about modern football. When he was appointed many (myself included) saw it as a backwards step, a manager with a pretty poor record since leaving us and who'd been out of work for a year an a half.  I don't think he really wants to play a back3, I'm not sure he really understands how to play a back 3, but he's nailed his colours to that mast and I don't see him changing now. It'll be the sword he falls on probably, a badly protected back 3 leaking goals that they shouldn't.

As for what we should play, depends who we're against, of course, but against Israel and Albania 4231 seems sensible, it's a system everyone knows and we have personnel who can fit it well. I think the back 3 has potential, but these are 2 games we really should want to win, to restore some pride if nothing else.

Given the raft of injuries we have stacked up right now, my choice 11 would probably be something like this:

gordon
o'donnell - bates - mulgrew - robertson
mcdonald - armstrong
russell - gms - fraser
rhodes

O'Donnell's the best we have right now and hasn't done much wrong.
We're short on right sided centerbacks. Souttar's out, Hanley's out, Hendry was wobbly (to put it politely), so it's between Bates and Devlin for me. A bit of a pressure debut, but Bates will bring a lot of confidence with him and that should help.
Make Mulgrew captain and let Robertson get on with his own game.
McDonald or McTominay, don't mind which, but McTominay's barely playing. Armstrong's a good link man, can do the defensive work and contribute going forward. Basically a midfield 2 that's reliable and steady, which gives the other players something to build off. Sorry, but McGinn can be awesome or awful, which means no one can trust him at any given moment.
I want an attacking 3 that are quick, tricky and who want the ball. Russell's got more about him than Forrest for me, while GMS offers something different. McGregor would do a decent job there, as should Snodgrass now he's finally finding his feet at West Ham, but I'd go with GMS. Axnd Fraser, who if he can actually get on the pitch for us would be a fantastic weapon to have.
Up front, it would be Griff, but who knows what's going on there. Rhodes is doing as well as anyone, and while he might get bullied by top class defenders, these two sides don't have top class defenders. They have defenders the likes of which he used to score a goal a game against.. so.. he's our guy for this game.
I'd want McGregor, Bannan, Morgan and McBurnie among the subs in case we need to change things.

If everyone was fit, it'd look a bit different. But we've got the players we've got and i think it'd get us over the line.

Andy, are you okay? I'm worried about you. 

Bates? McDonald? Russell? GMS? Rhodes?

This is a competitive game and you've picked a B team.

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1 minute ago, PASTA Mick said:

Andy, are you okay? I'm worried about you. 

Bates? McDonald? Russell? GMS? Rhodes?

This is a competitive game and you've picked a B team.

Where exactly do you think we are in the footballing world?

Bates, McDonald, Russell, GMS and Rhodes ARE where we are. Scotland are weak all over the park, like it or not those five are in the mix. Who do you suggest we pick? Our invisible players who play for Juventus, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona? 

Some Scotland fans really do need a reality check. 

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1 hour ago, Chripper said:

Where exactly do you think we are in the footballing world?

Bates, McDonald, Russell, GMS and Rhodes ARE where we are. Scotland are weak all over the park, like it or not those five are in the mix. Who do you suggest we pick? Our invisible players who play for Juventus, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona? 

Some Scotland fans really do need a reality check. 

I am a little surprised he's chosen Bates over McKenna, and no start for either of the McGregors. Think I'd also like to see McGinn in there for either Armstrong, McDonald, or GMS. Cairney should be fit again for a call up too, and he was playing really well before his injury. I'm not sure Tierney will be dropped either. 

In other news, Ryan Christie seems to be in the middle of a purple patch.

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1 hour ago, Chripper said:

Where exactly do you think we are in the footballing world?

Bates, McDonald, Russell, GMS and Rhodes ARE where we are. Scotland are weak all over the park, like it or not those five are in the mix. Who do you suggest we pick? Our invisible players who play for Juventus, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona? 

Some Scotland fans really do need a reality check. 

Bates has never been in a squad.

McDonald and Russell have only really been picked by McLeish. Previous managers didn't think they were good enough.

GMS ahead of all the Celtic players that were ahead of him when he was at Celtic?

Rhodes hasn't been near a squad in years. 

There are 4 players at Celtic alone that would improve that team. Not to mention McKenna, Snodgrass, McGinn, Ritchie, Phillips...

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12 hours ago, PASTA Mick said:

Andy, are you okay? I'm worried about you. 

Bates? McDonald? Russell? GMS? Rhodes?

This is a competitive game and you've picked a B team.

Well, i'm very happy to be wrong, but that's where we are realistically isnt it?

Bates:
It would be Souttar, but he's just had an op and is out till March.
Hendry has been less than stellar and making mistakes for goals. It's fair to argue we should persist.
Hanley's been out since mid September and may or may not be match fit in time.
So in terms of right sided defenders, we're looking at Bates, Devlin or Lindsey. None of who had been capped.
We could shuffle Mulgrew to the right side of the 2 and play him with McKenna. We've done that before. But all the left feet at the back does make trouble for ourselves. So there's no good solution that I can see, but Bates or Devlin makes sense in the context of who's available.

McDonald:
The main problem in recent games has been a lack of protection of the defense. Largely we've just left McDonald in there alone and McGinn and McGregor go wandering. McDonald gets outnumbered and we lose goals. McDonald hasn't done much wrong, unlike McGinn.. but people would still put McGinn in because he turned over possession a couple of times in the opposition half. I don't buy it, I want stability from our defensive mids, that's exactly what they're there for.
Again, looking at who's available. Shinnie, I like, he's looked likely and involved when I've seen him play for the national side, but he's also not a tall guy. Given the lack of height throughout most of our squad (9 out of 10 players are 5'10"), we do need some height in the side. So That leaves McTominay, who again, I like, but he's played less than 2 games worth of football this season. After that we get into Ryan Jack and Paul Coutts terratory.. which.. no thanks. We need someone defending the defense, and McDonald is as good an option as we have, even when everyone's fit in that dept.

Russell:
Assuming Fraser is already on the pitch, Russell is among our most accomplished wide forwards. The alternatives are Forrest, who is quick, but has never produced in the dark blue, 24 caps, no goals, 2 assists and a plethora of missed chances. He's had ample chance imo we can't just keep persisting with a player who is half way to the hall of fame without really having had a good game. Next up is Snod. I prefer him in behind a striker than on the right, where he can rift out off the game and doesn't have the pace to scare defenders or carry the ball forward. He's 31, might still prove useful but probably not as a wide right outlet. Worth noting West Ham have used him as a pure center mid a couple of times already this season. Oli Burke's not kicked a ball. Christie tends to play thru the middle these days, is inexperienced and picking him to start is really just hopefully as much as anything. Matt Ritchie? Pass. Matt Phillips, again never really done it, especially on the right. If we switched Fraser to the right, we could put McKay on the left, but he's in and out at Swansea and the form of the beginning of last season seems long gone. So.. start Lewis Morgan? I mean, I'm not against it, but it feels a bit like we're just hoping he's a revelation.

GMS:
This is the one position where I'll hold my hands up and say I'm just going with my gut. There's options here and any of a handful could do a job. That said, a lot of the problem with our forward play is a lack of invention. We're pretty predictable. GMS certainly has the ability to bamboozle a defender or two. Looking at the alternatives, Cairney seems to just not want to play. Armstrong's probably needed further back. McGregor, I'm less impressed than most it seems. 7 caps in, no goals, no assists for a very forward minded midfielder. For me he often disappears at international level, tho he's clearly a player with ability. Bannan would slot in here well imo, but his poor finishing is a concern. Some of his close control in the last season or so has been sublime tho, quick turns, leaving quality Championship players for dead, it's a joy to watch. I could see an argument for McGinn here. His energy would be good for harrying defenders and he does have a shot on him, and he'd be a long long way from the defense, so any mistakes would hopefully be repairable. Snod has done it before and we know he can score goals from here. So yeah, any of 5 really. I just think GMS' close control with willing runners like Fraser and Russell either side will open up defenses. But agreed, this is probably our most strongly contested position after left back.

Rhodes:
Well, Griffiths either has a mystery illness or is being childish. Either way it seems he's ruled out for these games. Naismith's out injured. McBurnie, I like, but seems to be struggling a bit with making the step up. He's missed some chances he wouldn't have for his club and he is a young guy and is very inexperienced in terms of first team football. To put it in perspective, he's not played an awful lot more at a decent level than Lewis Ferguson has. McBurnie's talented and I think he'll come good, but it seems a little soon for him based on performances. Fletcher is still around and going ok, a good linkup players, but he's not a reliable goal scorer, we've seen that over the years. Rhodes is a reliable goal scorer, and while I wouldn't put him in if we were against Belgium or Portugal, given the level of opposition, Rhodes is a quality option, and his movement will make him dangerous. In terms of other options.. there's aren't many at all. McCormack's still on holiday in Australia. Chris Martin's scored 1 league goal in the last calendar year. Cummings hasn't scored since August, despite playing in League One. Then we're getting into Kris Boyd, Steven MacLean, Stevie May, Jack Harper type territory. They're not really options imo. If the strikers in the squad were McBurnie, Rhodes and Stephen Dobbie, I'd probably be ok with it. There's a sentence I definitely never thought I'd say!

So that's where I'm at.. and why those names ended up on the team sheet.
I understand people who'd want to put out a side like:

McGregor
Tierney - Mulgrew - McKenna - Robertson
Forrest - McGinn - Armstrong - McGregor - Fraser
McBurnie

I just don't think it's balanced and we'll struggle. The defense isn't protected, Tierney's at right back kills all attacking intent on that side. Forrest is poor. McGinn is in prime goal-losing-mistake territory and McBurnie will be isolated and ineffective.

But hey, it's all about opinions. #superScoreboardFromTheMid2000s
 

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8 minutes ago, andyD said:

Well, i'm very happy to be wrong, but that's where we are realistically isnt it?

Bates:
It would be Souttar, but he's just had an op and is out till March.
Hendry has been less than stellar and making mistakes for goals. It's fair to argue we should persist.
Hanley's been out since mid September and may or may not be match fit in time.
So in terms of right sided defenders, we're looking at Bates, Devlin or Lindsey. None of who had been capped.
We could shuffle Mulgrew to the right side of the 2 and play him with McKenna. We've done that before. But all the left feet at the back does make trouble for ourselves. So there's no good solution that I can see, but Bates or Devlin makes sense in the context of who's available.

McDonald:
The main problem in recent games has been a lack of protection of the defense. Largely we've just left McDonald in there alone and McGinn and McGregor go wandering. McDonald gets outnumbered and we lose goals. McDonald hasn't done much wrong, unlike McGinn.. but people would still put McGinn in because he turned over possession a couple of times in the opposition half. I don't buy it, I want stability from our defensive mids, that's exactly what they're there for.
Again, looking at who's available. Shinnie, I like, he's looked likely and involved when I've seen him play for the national side, but he's also not a tall guy. Given the lack of height throughout most of our squad (9 out of 10 players are 5'10"), we do need some height in the side. So That leaves McTominay, who again, I like, but he's played less than 2 games worth of football this season. After that we get into Ryan Jack and Paul Coutts terratory.. which.. no thanks. We need someone defending the defense, and McDonald is as good an option as we have, even when everyone's fit in that dept.

Russell:
Assuming Fraser is already on the pitch, Russell is among our most accomplished wide forwards. The alternatives are Forrest, who is quick, but has never produced in the dark blue, 24 caps, no goals, 2 assists and a plethora of missed chances. He's had ample chance imo we can't just keep persisting with a player who is half way to the hall of fame without really having had a good game. Next up is Snod. I prefer him in behind a striker than on the right, where he can rift out off the game and doesn't have the pace to scare defenders or carry the ball forward. He's 31, might still prove useful but probably not as a wide right outlet. Worth noting West Ham have used him as a pure center mid a couple of times already this season. Oli Burke's not kicked a ball. Christie tends to play thru the middle these days, is inexperienced and picking him to start is really just hopefully as much as anything. Matt Ritchie? Pass. Matt Phillips, again never really done it, especially on the right. If we switched Fraser to the right, we could put McKay on the left, but he's in and out at Swansea and the form of the beginning of last season seems long gone. So.. start Lewis Morgan? I mean, I'm not against it, but it feels a bit like we're just hoping he's a revelation.

GMS:
This is the one position where I'll hold my hands up and say I'm just going with my gut. There's options here and any of a handful could do a job. That said, a lot of the problem with our forward play is a lack of invention. We're pretty predictable. GMS certainly has the ability to bamboozle a defender or two. Looking at the alternatives, Cairney seems to just not want to play. Armstrong's probably needed further back. McGregor, I'm less impressed than most it seems. 7 caps in, no goals, no assists for a very forward minded midfielder. For me he often disappears at international level, tho he's clearly a player with ability. Bannan would slot in here well imo, but his poor finishing is a concern. Some of his close control in the last season or so has been sublime tho, quick turns, leaving quality Championship players for dead, it's a joy to watch. I could see an argument for McGinn here. His energy would be good for harrying defenders and he does have a shot on him, and he'd be a long long way from the defense, so any mistakes would hopefully be repairable. Snod has done it before and we know he can score goals from here. So yeah, any of 5 really. I just think GMS' close control with willing runners like Fraser and Russell either side will open up defenses. But agreed, this is probably our most strongly contested position after left back.

Rhodes:
Well, Griffiths either has a mystery illness or is being childish. Either way it seems he's ruled out for these games. Naismith's out injured. McBurnie, I like, but seems to be struggling a bit with making the step up. He's missed some chances he wouldn't have for his club and he is a young guy and is very inexperienced in terms of first team football. To put it in perspective, he's not played an awful lot more at a decent level than Lewis Ferguson has. McBurnie's talented and I think he'll come good, but it seems a little soon for him based on performances. Fletcher is still around and going ok, a good linkup players, but he's not a reliable goal scorer, we've seen that over the years. Rhodes is a reliable goal scorer, and while I wouldn't put him in if we were against Belgium or Portugal, given the level of opposition, Rhodes is a quality option, and his movement will make him dangerous. In terms of other options.. there's aren't many at all. McCormack's still on holiday in Australia. Chris Martin's scored 1 league goal in the last calendar year. Cummings hasn't scored since August, despite playing in League One. Then we're getting into Kris Boyd, Steven MacLean, Stevie May, Jack Harper type territory. They're not really options imo. If the strikers in the squad were McBurnie, Rhodes and Stephen Dobbie, I'd probably be ok with it. There's a sentence I definitely never thought I'd say!

So that's where I'm at.. and why those names ended up on the team sheet.
I understand people who'd want to put out a side like:

McGregor
Tierney - Mulgrew - McKenna - Robertson
Forrest - McGinn - Armstrong - McGregor - Fraser
McBurnie

I just don't think it's balanced and we'll struggle. The defense isn't protected, Tierney's at right back kills all attacking intent on that side. Forrest is poor. McGinn is in prime goal-losing-mistake territory and McBurnie will be isolated and ineffective.

But hey, it's all about opinions. #superScoreboardFromTheMid2000s
 

I actually like the look of that team🌚 but I agree, having a defence of left footers isn’t sitting well with me. And yeah we need a bit more physicality in midfield, even though McGinn can put himself about.

Feel like am forever defending the guy, but have to strongly disagree that “Forrest is poor” and that Russell offers a bit more. Russell is never international class, in fact he’s a class below Forrest.

Striking options are the big concern for me. Racking my brain but can’t think of any forward that would add value to the squad, unless Griffith’s sorts his shit out!

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1 hour ago, SWMM82 said:

I actually like the look of that team🌚 but I agree, having a defence of left footers isn’t sitting well with me. And yeah we need a bit more physicality in midfield, even though McGinn can put himself about.

Feel like am forever defending the guy, but have to strongly disagree that “Forrest is poor” and that Russell offers a bit more. Russell is never international class, in fact he’s a class below Forrest.

Striking options are the big concern for me. Racking my brain but can’t think of any forward that would add value to the squad, unless Griffith’s sorts his shit out!

Yeah, strikers is a problem. I remember what a relief is was when Griff suddenly started to look the part under Strachan.. but how he's in this questionable position and we're pretty much back where we were.

With regard to Forrest, he's great for his club.. but what makes you think he's an good international player tho? For me he's sort of an inverse McFadden.. Faddy was fairly average for Everton, but mercurial in a Scotland shirt. Forrest is the opposite.

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From the lack of details about Griffiths' absence from the Celtic team I'm worried his problems are most likely mental/personal. I hope he's ok. Got to give all these lads the benefit of the doubt and remember they are real people and we all struggle at times. It might be that playing for Scotland isn't the most important thing in his life right now, but hopefully he can sort everything out and come back even stronger. 

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17 minutes ago, mrniaboc said:

From the lack of details about Griffiths' absence from the Celtic team I'm worried his problems are most likely mental/personal. I hope he's ok. Got to give all these lads the benefit of the doubt and remember they are real people and we all struggle at times. It might be that playing for Scotland isn't the most important thing in his life right now, but hopefully he can sort everything out and come back even stronger. 

I've been thinking this since it all started. The language used could easily be referring to a mental health issue as opposed to a physical problem. However, that 'mental health' issue might well be 'in the huff.' 

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On 10/30/2018 at 2:11 PM, Bobby Russell's Lovechild said:

Supposedly, villa are preparing an £8 million January bid for Bannan

That’s the equivalent of 50 grand for Murray Davidson though. Don’t look too much into 8 mill in that bampot league in England.

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1 hour ago, andyD said:

Yeah, strikers is a problem. I remember what a relief is was when Griff suddenly started to look the part under Strachan.. but how he's in this questionable position and we're pretty much back where we were.

With regard to Forrest, he's great for his club.. but what makes you think he's an good international player tho? For me he's sort of an inverse McFadden.. Faddy was fairly average for Everton, but mercurial in a Scotland shirt. Forrest is the opposite.

I just don’t think Forrest sees enough of the ball in forward areas when he plays for Scotland. The perfect example of this was against Portugal.....first half he was involved in some good attacks, linked up well and put a couple decent balls into the box. Second half, Portugal began to dominate possession and everything went down the left hand side, so he barely touched it.

Celtic dominate possession domestically, and he sees a lot more of the ball, his goals and assists return over the last couple of seasons cannot be ignored. 

I would play him as right wing back. He has played there for Celtic and excelled in that position. He’s a great out ball and his pace would get us up the pitch more than Stephen O’Donnell ever would.

I watched him run riot against Bayern Munich last season in the Champions League, gave David Alaba a roasting! There isn’t another Scottish player currently capable of doing that.

I mean the boy scored four goals in half an hour against St.Johnstone and never even started against Israel.

Agreed about Faddy though, he never done it at Everton, despite scoring goal of the season once there, but was excellent for Scotland. Could argue Faddy had better players around him when playing for Scotland?

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43 minutes ago, SWMM82 said:

I just don’t think Forrest sees enough of the ball in forward areas when he plays for Scotland. The perfect example of this was against Portugal.....first half he was involved in some good attacks, linked up well and put a couple decent balls into the box. Second half, Portugal began to dominate possession and everything went down the left hand side, so he barely touched it.

Celtic dominate possession domestically, and he sees a lot more of the ball, his goals and assists return over the last couple of seasons cannot be ignored. 

I would play him as right wing back. He has played there for Celtic and excelled in that position. He’s a great out ball and his pace would get us up the pitch more than Stephen O’Donnell ever would.

I watched him run riot against Bayern Munich last season in the Champions League, gave David Alaba a roasting! There isn’t another Scottish player currently capable of doing that. 

I mean the boy scored four goals in half an hour against St.Johnstone and never even started against Israel.

Agreed about Faddy though, he never done it at Everton, despite scoring goal of the season once there, but was excellent for Scotland. Could argue Faddy had better players around him when playing for Scotland?

A lot of football is mental, and i think some players are more comfortable in certain environments and excel there and look bad elsewhere. Everton at the time Faddy was there has some really good players. Pienar, Felliani, Osman, Jagielka, Yakubu, Arteta, Cahill, Gravesen, Rooney, Baines, Coleman, Saha. I think part of it may have been he was thought of as a star for Scotland, and that gave him the confidence to be a star. At everton he was never the main man, he was always in a supporting role, and so he played within himself.

I wonder if the same is somewhat true of forrest. He's very comfortable at celtic, playing at the level he's playing, against the like of st johnstone. He's comfortable and happy. At 27 now, it looks like he's be celtic for life, and that's all fine and admirable, but is part of the reason that he doesn't think he'll cut it elsewhere. I'm not trying to throw the guy under the bus, just trying to understand why he might not perform for Scotland like he does for Celtic, because he clearly has the ability. Has an EPL side ever come in for him? I remember him being rumoured to mid-table championship clubs a few times over the years, but that's about it. So maybe it's confidence. It's fine talking about him looking ok for a little while again portugal, but he's had 24 caps against good and bad opposition and never really made an impact. I don't think i've ever come away from an international and said "wow, forrest was on fire" and i'd love to, i really would. So maybe he's the opposite of faddy. Where faddy fed on being asked to be a star, forrest shrink from it and seizes up a bit when the pressure is on him. There will always be bigger fish than him at celtic, so it's a perfect fit, he can just relax and play. At Scotland he is often a focus of fan conversation and he probably knows that.

Like i said, not trying to do forrest down, he's a top player for celtic. Just trying to understand why he might not be reproducing it for Scotland. We've certainly played to his strengths repeatedly, especially the 4231 under Strachan where you'd think he'd be the perfect outlet, but he was massively outshone by (the less talented) Anya. I hope it just suddenly clicks for him, but after 24 games with no goals and just 2 assists, and not a single remarkable performance i can recall, well.. i'm not optimistic.

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1 hour ago, Ormond said:

That’s the equivalent of 50 grand for Murray Davidson though. Don’t look too much into 8 mill in that bampot league in England.

Factually inaccurate, sorry.

Only 3 players have moved to a Championship club for more than the rumoured Bannan fee this season.

Carvalho to Forrest
Afobe and Ince to Stoke (premier league money)

8mil would be one of the highest fees in the championship for one of the best players in the championship.

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11 minutes ago, andyD said:

Factually inaccurate, sorry.

Only 3 players have moved to a Championship club for more than the rumoured Bannan fee this season.

Carvalho to Forrest
Afobe and Ince to Stoke (premier league money)

8mil would be one of the highest fees in the championship for one of the best players in the championship.

8 mill for Bannan is hilarious. You are saying that because someone has a price tag he should be given a chance? The wee jakey has had his chance. Look forward, not back. 

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1 minute ago, Ormond said:

8 mill for Bannan is hilarious. You are saying that because someone has a price tag he should be given a chance? The wee jakey has had his chance. Look forward, not back. 

I don't think anyone, least of all me has said that.

He should be in or around the squad based on the form he's been showing, price tags are not at all relevant to me, else I'd be clamouring for Oil Burke to get a call.

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18 hours ago, mrniaboc said:

I am a little surprised he's chosen Bates over McKenna, and no start for either of the McGregors. Think I'd also like to see McGinn in there for either Armstrong, McDonald, or GMS. Cairney should be fit again for a call up too, and he was playing really well before his injury. I'm not sure Tierney will be dropped either. 

In other news, Ryan Christie seems to be in the middle of a purple patch.

To be completely honest, all of the players mentioned are all in the same bracket. None are massively more brilliant than the others.

That being said, people arguing about playing player X over player Y for Scotland doesn't really do anything for me, as we have no player who stands out from the group.

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17 hours ago, PASTA Mick said:

Bates has never been in a squad.

McDonald and Russell have only really been picked by McLeish. Previous managers didn't think they were good enough.

GMS ahead of all the Celtic players that were ahead of him when he was at Celtic?

Rhodes hasn't been near a squad in years. 

There are 4 players at Celtic alone that would improve that team. Not to mention McKenna, Snodgrass, McGinn, Ritchie, Phillips...

As I said in my previous post, arguing over these players is nothing but semantics. 

All of the players mentioned are pretty much of the same standard. Picking one over the other won't greatly improve us, nor will it greatly weaken us. I pray for the day that we are in a position to squabble over players who will vastly improve us, but we aren't anywhere near that place and time.

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They were completely over run. Did well to keep it to just 2. In the occasions the did break out, the play went through Cairney but there was very little support and the ball was normally overturned after a few passes. 

Great to see him back though. Looking forward to him getting back into the league. 

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