Albania vs Scotland - Match Thread [17/11/2018]

[RenfrewBlue]

4 hours ago, mrniaboc said:

Aye! A bit surprised more people aren't talking about it. It was bloody lovely. The awareness to use the dink past the defender and the ability to pull off the volley finish. It was really beautiful to see. The pass out to Fraser to set it up was sublime too.

It an absolutely lovely finish. Hopefully it will give him the confidence to perform like that all the time for Scotland. 

[mrniaboc]

4 hours ago, todd said:

Hey you, don't be saying positive things about Forrest , you'll get yourself banned 😀

Hahaha. I really hope that midfield five of Forrest, Christie, McGregor, Fraser, and Armstrong can make themselves the regular beating heart of the team. It's so valuable to have three of them playing week-in week-out together, and here's me a supposed Rangers fan! I do still think there's probably a place for McGinn over one of them if we need a bit more of a battling performance. 

[Malcolm]

1 hour ago, slasher said:

I didn't say Hendry was a good option, merely pointing out he was one.

As for the name calling..... unjustified but you're clearly pretty low on intellect so hey-ho 👍

 

Alan McGregor at right back is an ‘option’...  as Texas Pete said...  hendry at right back is a terrifying thought.  Hendry anywhere near the team is bad enough.  

Callum Patterson is not a defender yet I am more comfortable with him there than hendry.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Fred's been out this weekend to see the game with me.

After reading this thread, all we have to say is ..............BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

[stevenmcn]

11 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

 

There’s a rumour going around that McLeish will resign on Tuesday night due to ill health. 

Maybe folk should wait until they hear the facts before accusing someone (who actually isn’t a big drinker unless something has changed fairly recently) of being an alky. 

So we could win our group,  get a home draw and get rid of McLeish in one night? Sounds too good to be true.

[slasher]

5 minutes ago, Malcolm said:

 

Alan McGregor at right back is an ‘option’...  as Texas Pete said...  hendry at right back is a terrifying thought.  Hendry anywhere near the team is bad enough.  

Callum Patterson is not a defender yet I am more comfortable with him there than hendry.

 

Alan McGregor has never played RB in his puff. Calum Paterson has been a defender for a good deal of his professional career until lately. Never at any time did I champion Hendry.

Now if you're finished talking pish and being a Texas Pete fanboy I'll take my leave. 😵

 

[mrniaboc]

11 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

 

There’s a rumour going around that McLeish will resign on Tuesday night due to ill health. 

Maybe folk should wait until they hear the facts before accusing someone (who actually isn’t a big drinker unless something has changed fairly recently) of being an alky. 

If this is true then it's very sad indeed. No matter what you think of him as a manager there are some things that are more important than football. I hope he's ok either way, and I do think it's unreasonable to brand someone an alcoholic without any concrete proof. 

[Texas Pete]

20 minutes ago, mrniaboc said:

If this is true then it's very sad indeed. No matter what you think of him as a manager there are some things that are more important than football. I hope he's ok either way, and I do think it's unreasonable to brand someone an alcoholic without any concrete proof. 

I really don’t know if there’s any truth to it at all. Just something I’ve heard from a couple of different people. 

[bossman4]

He doesn’t look well, I’ve thought that for a while hand after watching his press conference after the game on Saturday I’m convinced something isnt’t right. whether its drink or not who knows but hope it’s nothing to serious. 

[Tartan_McCole]

11 hours ago, Texas Pete said:

As for being intellectually challenged, you’re the one that suggested playing Jack Hendry at right back. That has to be one of the daftest suggestions I’ve seen on here. 

I've seen it posted more than once, which is even more concerning.

[andyD]

1st up.. well done to the team. Things fell our way, but we took full advantage and will have left ourselves feeling positive going into the important game. Couldn't have asked for more.

Was a bit relieved to see the line up was basically the one we'd all settled on, given what was available, and not something crazy with a back 3.

The midfield 5 worked perfectly. Armstrong and McGregor getting possession and distributing well, and the from 3 being dynamic and quick and scaring the defense.
Fletch did ok up front, some good layoffs and put in a shift defensively. Never looked in danger of scoring tho and not involved in any of the goals, other than taking the pen.

In terms of the the untested defense, it remains untested. The early sending off basically killed their attacking intent, tho we still had a few hairy moments from Grezda taking Paterson apart at right back. In a way, it's good that they got thru a game with a clean sheet, but at the same time they're going to be going into the Israel game without really having had a proper game. Robertson seemed fine, but again lacked forward play. Paterson looked like a guy who's not played right back in 2 years and doesn't really want to (by his own admission). The central 2 coped. McKenna seemed quiet to me, Bates was a bit more prominent and did ok.

So fair play to McLeish. Got it right in terms of picking the only half sensible side he had available. Hopefully he realises that the forward play worked and sticks with it in future.

Was a bit alarmed by McLeish's post game comments yet again.. claiming only 2 other players would have made his first choice 11.
Those two being Tierney and McGinn. I just can't fathom that at all.. it means:
His 1st choice back 2 is Bates and McKenna. So no Mulgrew, and Bates is maybe only behind Souttar. Bizarre.
Tierney is his first choice right back.
Given how well Armstrong and McGregor did, shoving McGinn in there doesn't seem like the best idea.
And Griffiths is a bench player.

I don't understand the man in the slightest. But at least we got a result.

[SMcoolJ]

Shinnie played right back for ICT for quite a few games when they were doing well.  He remains an option.

[er yir macaroon]

6 minutes ago, SMcoolJ said:

Shinnie played right back for ICT for quite a few games when they were doing well.  He remains an option.

Hendry has played quite a few games there for Celtic and is right footed. McTominay would probably be fine as well. Paterson not on a yellow will do well enough. 

[Grim Jim]

1 hour ago, andyD said:

Was a bit alarmed by McLeish's post game comments yet again.. claiming only 2 other players would have made his first choice 11.

I think you're taking him too literally Andy.   What I believe McLeish meant was that he had decided on his 11 a short time before the game and lost only 2 from that.

[PASTA Mick]

1 hour ago, andyD said:

1st up.. well done to the team. Things fell our way, but we took full advantage and will have left ourselves feeling positive going into the important game. Couldn't have asked for more.

Was a bit relieved to see the line up was basically the one we'd all settled on, given what was available, and not something crazy with a back 3.

The midfield 5 worked perfectly. Armstrong and McGregor getting possession and distributing well, and the from 3 being dynamic and quick and scaring the defense.
Fletch did ok up front, some good layoffs and put in a shift defensively. Never looked in danger of scoring tho and not involved in any of the goals, other than taking the pen.

In terms of the the untested defense, it remains untested. The early sending off basically killed their attacking intent, tho we still had a few hairy moments from Grezda taking Paterson apart at right back. In a way, it's good that they got thru a game with a clean sheet, but at the same time they're going to be going into the Israel game without really having had a proper game. Robertson seemed fine, but again lacked forward play. Paterson looked like a guy who's not played right back in 2 years and doesn't really want to (by his own admission). The central 2 coped. McKenna seemed quiet to me, Bates was a bit more prominent and did ok.

So fair play to McLeish. Got it right in terms of picking the only half sensible side he had available. Hopefully he realises that the forward play worked and sticks with it in future.

Was a bit alarmed by McLeish's post game comments yet again.. claiming only 2 other players would have made his first choice 11.
Those two being Tierney and McGinn. I just can't fathom that at all.. it means:
His 1st choice back 2 is Bates and McKenna. So no Mulgrew, and Bates is maybe only behind Souttar. Bizarre.
Tierney is his first choice right back.
Given how well Armstrong and McGregor did, shoving McGinn in there doesn't seem like the best idea.
And Griffiths is a bench player.

I don't understand the man in the slightest. But at least we got a result.

It is not a surprise that we start to look good as soon as we put out a team that looks like the teams fans on here were picking leading up to the match.  It is a shame that we don't have a natural right-back in the squad because I think it would improve things again if we did.  I just hope that this is the formula going forward, with changes made in accordance to the opposition.

If we continue to play a formation that gets the best out of Forrest and Fraser, we will do well against most teams.  

[andyD]

1 hour ago, PASTA Mick said:

If we continue to play a formation that gets the best out of Forrest and Fraser, we will do well against most teams.  

100%.

Makes me wonder. While Fletch wasn't directly involved in any of the open play goals, he was making lots of run off the ball and coming a little deeper which let Forrest and Fraser run beyond. Forrest's first certainly shows how effective that can be. So should Fletch be the man with the shirt, even if Griff gets over his little.. whatever it is.

[ProudScot]

Just now, andyD said:

100%.

Makes me wonder. While Fletch wasn't directly involved in any of the open play goals, he was making lots of run off the ball and coming a little deeper which let Forrest and Fraser run beyond. Forrest's first certainly shows how effective that can be. So should Fletch be the man with the shirt, even if Griff gets over his little.. whatever it is.

How can folk even question if Griffiths should start.

He’s far and away our best striking option. 

[Orraloon]

1 minute ago, ProudScot said:

How can folk even question if Griffiths should start.

He’s far and away our best striking option. 

Not if he can't be bothered to turn up, he isn't. It's not an issue for Tuesday anyway. By the time Griffiths is available again it might be Fletcher's turn for the sick note?

[andyD]

8 minutes ago, ProudScot said:

How can folk even question if Griffiths should start.

He’s far and away our best striking option. 

He's our best striker, sure. But does he fit the system, if we're playing 4231, with a striker playing link-up with 2 wider men running ahead?

[Lion Rampant]

2 hours ago, PASTA Mick said:

It is not a surprise that we start to look good as soon as we put out a team that looks like the teams fans on here were picking leading up to the match.  It is a shame that we don't have a natural right-back in the squad because I think it would improve things again if we did.  I just hope that this is the formula going forward, with changes made in accordance to the opposition.

If we continue to play a formation that gets the best out of Forrest and Fraser, we will do well against most teams.  

In terms of club form at the moment, our best 3 players are Robertson, Fraser and Forrest.

Playing 3-5-2 doesn't get the best out of those players with even Robertson admitting he struggles with left wing back as he doesn't have a winger to play off of.

It's no real surprise that playing our form players in a formation that they are familiar with has resulted in them playing better.

I also think that having a core of the team that does play or has played together at club level helps massively.

[andyD]

1 hour ago, Lion Rampant said:

Robertson admitting he struggles with left wing back as he doesn't have a winger to play off of.

Part of me wonders if this is just a change in how Robertson tends to play full stop.

He used to be incredibly eager to overlap, run beyond the winger, committing to the  attack and cutting into the area or swinging balls in from somewhere near the goal line. Nowadays, for Scotland and for Liverpool, he very rarely goes past the winger. He stays behind them offering a ball back, very rarely goes beyond and crosses from much deeper.

It leaves the team more secure, and his crossing is still a good weapon, but I do find myself wishing that he'd just go up the line on a few occasions because the opportunity is there. Tierney seems to still have that willingness to commit forward, perhaps because the SPrem is less likely to punish an overloaded fullback than the EPrem is, but it perhaps means we should use Tierney in the games where we feel we should be in the ascendancy and Robertson in those where we need to be better protected.

[mrniaboc]

6 minutes ago, andyD said:

Part of me wonders if this is just a change in how Robertson tends to play full stop.

He used to be incredibly eager to overlap, run beyond the winger, committing to the  attack and cutting into the area or swinging balls in from somewhere near the goal line. Nowadays, for Scotland and for Liverpool, he very rarely goes past the winger. He stays behind them offering a ball back, very rarely goes beyond and crosses from much deeper.

It leaves the team more secure, and his crossing is still a good weapon, but I do find myself wishing that he'd just go up the line on a few occasions because the opportunity is there. Tierney seems to still have that willingness to commit forward, perhaps because the SPrem is less likely to punish an overloaded fullback than the EPrem is, but it perhaps means we should use Tierney in the games where we feel we should be in the ascendancy and Robertson in those where we need to be better protected.

He may have reduced the amount he does it, but I must say in the last Liverpool match against Fulham he was flying down the wing and overlapping a lot, especially with Mane who he seems to have a really good connection with. I'd love to see him build that relationship with Fraser.

[Third Lanark]

11 minutes ago, andyD said:

Part of me wonders if this is just a change in how Robertson tends to play full stop.

He used to be incredibly eager to overlap, run beyond the winger, committing to the  attack and cutting into the area or swinging balls in from somewhere near the goal line. Nowadays, for Scotland and for Liverpool, he very rarely goes past the winger. He stays behind them offering a ball back, very rarely goes beyond and crosses from much deeper.

It leaves the team more secure, and his crossing is still a good weapon, but I do find myself wishing that he'd just go up the line on a few occasions because the opportunity is there. Tierney seems to still have that willingness to commit forward, perhaps because the SPrem is less likely to punish an overloaded fullback than the EPrem is, but it perhaps means we should use Tierney in the games where we feel we should be in the ascendancy and Robertson in those where we need to be better protected.

Y'know I think you've just solved the Robertson-Tierney conundrum. Why are we obsessed with playing the both of them just because they play in the same position? At one time our 2 best players were the goalkeepers and we obviously had to rotate or leave the one in possession. There will be plenty of times when either Tierney or Robbo are unavailable and then it isn't an issue.  

Edited November 19, 2018 by Third Lanark

[marinello]

Wee bit off topic but anyone know what the official attendance was at the Albania game on Saturday?

[Texas Pete]

1 hour ago, marinello said:

Wee bit off topic but anyone know what the official attendance was at the Albania game on Saturday?

8632 according to the BBC. 

Looked a bit more than that to me but the ground only holds around 16,000 I think so it’s probably accurate.