Team for israel - Page 4 - TA specific - Tartan Army Message Board Jump to content

Team for israel


Malcolm

Recommended Posts

20 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said:

I thought he was our worst midfielder in the last set of games.

I thought he broke up play well and played the simple pass but lacks the mobility and dynamism of our other younger midfielders. It’s a role Ryan Jack could also fill but he seems to like an injury a bit too much. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

Replace McDonald with McGinn or McGregor and that would be our best team imo.

Aye, but I'd be a tiny big cautious out of the gate. If we play Armstrong more 'behind the 3' and McDonald sitting then we've got a LOT of options going forward and a bit of stability. If by half time it's clear we don't need the protection that McDonald gives then absolutely, switch to McGregor, push him forward and let Armstrong cover more ground.

Start with a controlled attacking mentality, then we can go to batter them if we've pushed them right back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, er yir macaroon said:

McGinn needs to stay in the side. He needs experience, but he can be our best midfielder since Barry Ferguson. His tackling is quite unbelievable and he sets the tempo for the whole team.

He's an absolute bombscare at times too tho. In both the Albania and Belgium games he did things which either did or should have handed the opposition a goal. I agree with you about his contributions elsewhere on the park, if he can cut out the errors he'll be a really really good player. But as is, I have no desire to see him in the side until we're 2-0 up. International football is so often tight margins and McGinn is too big a risk imo.

We've got enough in Armstrong, McGregor, Shinnie and McDonald to had a tidy, solid central midfield and comfortably win this game. We don't need the element of risk that McGinn brings, it's not worth it imo.

I saw McGinn get robbed by Steven Fletcher the other week. Just far too casual at times. Fingers crossed a season in the Championship will teach him that he needs to be 100% focussed all of the time, you can't sleep in central midfield. So hopefully in a years time we'll have a real player. But right now.. he's just going to carry on making mistakes and we will ship goals because of it. That'll do us no good, nor will it do him any good. I'd protect him (on the bench) until he's tightened up that part of his game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

Dropped?

He has started most of Fulham’s matches this season. He was subbed at half time against Watford and didn’t start against Everton. This suggests an injury problem (although I think he did start against Millwall?) or a temporary dip in form. 

If he does lose his place in the Fulham team long term then he won’t be selected by McLeish anyway. 

Maybe we should give the guy a chance though instead of writing his international career (and club career it seems) off after a few games. 

 

Fair enough. Still doesn't take away from my point that I do not think he's mobile enough on the ball or good enough tracking midfield runners to play.

 

At the moment, with McArthur out, Brown retired and McTominay not playing, we are lacking quality in the sitting midfield role.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Rab The Crab said:

I think McDonald has looked ok in his last couple of games for us but he’s not a long term answer. McTominay would be the obvious option in his place but he needs games at club level.

 

I would disagree, I think McDonald looked poor and was rightly taken off both times. Agree on McTominay, needs to play more football sadly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, andyD said:

He's an absolute bombscare at times too tho. In both the Albania and Belgium games he did things which either did or should have handed the opposition a goal. I agree with you about his contributions elsewhere on the park, if he can cut out the errors he'll be a really really good player. But as is, I have no desire to see him in the side until we're 2-0 up. International football is so often tight margins and McGinn is too big a risk imo.

We've got enough in Armstrong, McGregor, Shinnie and McDonald to had a tidy, solid central midfield and comfortably win this game. We don't need the element of risk that McGinn brings, it's not worth it imo.

I saw McGinn get robbed by Steven Fletcher the other week. Just far too casual at times. Fingers crossed a season in the Championship will teach him that he needs to be 100% focussed all of the time, you can't sleep in central midfield. So hopefully in a years time we'll have a real player. But right now.. he's just going to carry on making mistakes and we will ship goals because of it. That'll do us no good, nor will it do him any good. I'd protect him (on the bench) until he's tightened up that part of his game.

Better to give him the experience he needs now. I think he’ll be less careless away from Hampden where he was on a mission to win the game single handed (which I’ve no problem with). We’ll hump Israel anyway. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, BucksburnDandy said:

I would disagree, I think McDonald looked poor and was rightly taken off both times. Agree on McTominay, needs to play more football sadly.

He wasn't taken off for being poor against Albania. It was a tactical sub because we were to heavily dominating the midfield that we didn't need an out and out defensive mid. Instead we bought on Armstrong who offers more going forward. To berate McDonald for being taken off is either stupid or wilfully ignoring reality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, er yir macaroon said:

Better to give him the experience he needs now. I think he’ll be less careless away from Hampden where he was on a mission to win the game single handed (which I’ve no problem with). We’ll hump Israel anyway. 

Call me old, but i want players to learn to play at their clubs, while the national side is used to play the team most likely to get a result.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, andyD said:

He wasn't taken off for being poor against Albania. It was a tactical sub because we were to heavily dominating the midfield that we didn't need an out and out defensive mid. Instead we bought on Armstrong who offers more going forward. To berate McDonald for being taken off is either stupid or wilfully ignoring reality.

He was also on a booking and came pretty close to getting a second one just before half time. McLeish was going ballistic at that point. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, BucksburnDandy said:

 

Fair enough. Still doesn't take away from my point that I do not think he's mobile enough on the ball or good enough tracking midfield runners to play.

 

At the moment, with McArthur out, Brown retired and McTominay not playing, we are lacking quality in the sitting midfield role.

If you don’t rate him then fair enough. He could come good though. 

I must admit I haven’t been particularly impressed by him but I wasn’t impressed by Griffiths on his first few internationals and I don’t think many folk would complain if he started against Israel. Completely different type of player of course but the point still stands.

International football is quite different to British club football and it sometimes takes players a while to adapt, which can be difficult when there are so few games compared to club football.

Hopefully McDonald will go on to do well for us. If he doesn’t then so be it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Squirrelhumper said:

Being considered is one thing but he should be nowhere near the starting 11 given the alternatives IMO.

PS - Plenty of EPL players haven't had call ups over the years.

Very true. 

The truth of the matter is he’s 29 so is unlikely to become a mainstay for us at this stage of his career. 

With the amount of call offs we get though we shouldn’t be dismissing any decent players out of hand. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

I think he's probably referring to your Matt Phillips types who qualify through a grandparent.

 

11 hours ago, weekevie04 said:

That's what I meant. 

I'm not doubting McTominey, Cairney, Jordan Archer etc loyalty. 

Poor choice of words using proper I suppose, but I'm meaning the journeymen who played for us because England didn't come calling. 

 

 

Fair enough but there have been several of them that have plied their trade in Scotland over the years. 

Phil Bardsley, Kris Commons, Danny Fox and Jonathan Gould off the top of my head. 

Playing in Scotland doesn’t automatically make you a more patriotic Scot than someone who plays, or is even born, in England or elsewhere. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

If you don’t rate him then fair enough. He could come good though. 

I must admit I haven’t been particularly impressed by him but I wasn’t impressed by Griffiths on his first few internationals and I don’t think many folk would complain if he started against Israel. Completely different type of player of course but the point still stands.

International football is quite different to British club football and it sometimes takes players a while to adapt, which can be difficult when there are so few games compared to club football.

Hopefully McDonald will go on to do well for us. If he doesn’t then so be it. 

He could indeed and I would be pleased if he does. At the moment he is struggling with the different style to the international game.

 

A sitting midfielder will likely be needed in qualification next year so we need McTominay to make a breakthrough, McDonald to adapt and improve or McArthur to come back into the fold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I disagree with most opinions regarding McDonald here and actually thought he had a good game vs Albania! Not sure what people are wanting out of him but he's not the sort of player to get his head down and start sprinting forward every time he gets the ball. To me he is a source of calmness in the middle, keeps things ticking over, finds the right pass forward when needed and offers good cover to the back line. Albania were noticably more threatening when he went off and on 1 particular occasion I recall they more or less walked through the middle and were ultimately denied by a great point blank save from McGregor. Another stricker might of finished that then it's 1-1 and maybe a different outcome. There will be games when a more patient/less gung-ho style is required (Israel away included) where i think he will be valuable to us.

I like McGinn and it is exciting when he wins the ball hard off the opposition but his complacency does give me the fear. A few ifs here but 1 error could mean 1 goal and its a tough game against any international team. As we all know international football is normally very tight. 1 error and you can forgive but the amount he is conceding is concerning. That said I would still like to see him play against Israel as 1 of the higher up options with McDonald in the anchor to back him up. With McGinn further forward to work his magic he can win (and lose!) the ball higher up where we can be more threatening and Israel less threatening if he does lose it. Throw McGregor in there for his forward runs and link up and to me thats the best balance to start this match.

McTominay showed some good skill when he first came on vs Albania. But also sprayed a strange pass into no mans land. I think he was trying too hard to impress and hope he will come good but not ready for Israel imo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The way some folk talk, you would think that McGinn was the only Scotland player who ever passed the ball to the opposition. Why is McGinn getting singled out for it when pretty much every Scotland player does it at some point. Passing ability and ball retention is not, and never has been, one of our strong points. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

The way some folk talk, you would think that McGinn was the only Scotland player who ever passed the ball to the opposition. Why is McGinn getting singled out for it when pretty much every Scotland player does it at some point. Passing ability and ball retention is not, and never has been, one of our strong points. 

Simply because his errors have been high profile and really nightmarish. One cost us a goal from a position of no danger whatsoever and a game later exactly the same and it should have cost us a goal but didn't because the opposition were not so hot. Other players who make such errors it fades into the memory as it was nondescript and never led to anything noteworthy.

Now I am not jumping on the bandwagon here but it is a trait he needs to cut out and fast. If he does that then he'll prove to be a very good player for us but if he doesn't he will become a liability we can't afford in the side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...