Scott McTominay - TA specific - Tartan Army Message Board Jump to content

Scott McTominay


SWMM82

Recommended Posts

I think last night was a great snap shot of the good and bad of modern day football!

A raw academy player, thrust into first team football backed by a manager on a downward spiral,  but failing to win over the clubs fans.... ”not good enough” “out of his depth” “not fit for the jersey” amongst other condemnations after just a handful of first team games. 

Academy players, the ones that know what it means to play for the club, the ones who have trained with aspired to play on the same pitch as the first team superstars, are too quickly written off.......where as players bought for tens of millions on hundreds of thousands a week are given chance after chance!

McTominay has still got a long way to go to win over the Man Utd fans, but after last night I am seeing more and more positive comments including  “proud of him” and “he’s one of our own”.

Ole has stuck to the SAF blueprint which was so successful, and even though I am aware of the injury problems Man Utd have,  the kids have been given their chance...and they have flourished, culminating in one of their best European results in modern times, against a club with 100s of millions pumped into them. You could see how much it meant to McTominay last night!

Really hope he kicks on from here.....and becomes a big player for Scotland as well!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

United didn't see much of the ball last night (30%), so McTominay didn't see much of it, but when he did have possession he was his usual self. I'm surprised that the stats were 96% passes completed as it seemed more like 100%.

What I love about Scott McTominay is that his ball retention abilities are probably among the best I've seen. He's brave on the ball, his feathers are never ruffled and he's always calm and composed. He's a class act. He's also humble and willing to work at his game and listen and learn. He's a manager's dream.

As for the Manchester United fans. Some of them just have a hate towards Scottish midfielders. For a chunk of Darren Fletcher's career at United he was only getting a game "because he's Scottish" or because "He's the manager's son". They pretty much said the same about McTominay, calling him "Mourinho's pet project". Some football fans just don't get it. No manager gives a free pass to a player, especially at a massive club.

I kinda wish that Ferguson was still the manager as he would've loved McTominay and he would've developed into a world class anchorman. Hopefully the next permanent manager shows faith in McTominay as already I'd rate him as good as Matic.

Scotland don't have a lot of midfielders that are brave on the ball and can maintain composure under duress, so McTominay is a certain starter for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Chripper said:

Scotland don't have a lot of midfielders that are brave on the ball and can maintain composure under duress, so McTominay is a certain starter for me.

I honestly think this is a big part of our struggles i recent years, and I bought it up numerous times.

Ball retention in the middle of the park is vital. Part of us looking good in recent games was the ability of Armstrong and McGregor to receive the ball and move it on in a composed way even when under pressure. They had control and composure that players like, sorry to him, McArthur have never shown in the dark blue. We didn't give it away in our own 3rd and we worked the ball around and forward with some fluidity.

McTominay looks very capable at doing that as well, while also being more of a physical presence that Armstrong or McGregor are. That can only be good for us. He's also shown he can do it against a level of player that Armstrong and McGregor struggled against. It feels a bit like a break thru moment for Scott, where people kind of have no choice but to sit up and respect his ability now.

With injuries to McGregor and Christie, it's looking very likely that the deep midfield 2 will be Armstrong and McTominay. And I for one am very comfortable with that. Leaves McGinn and Snodgrass fighting for the more advanced midfield slot, which i'm less confident about, but hey.. No worries about McTominay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Bobby Russell's Lovechild said:

Went on Twitter last night to see how he was getting on and it was a great insight into your average man utd fan. Loads of comments ranging from 'immense' and 'stunning' to 'worst player on park' and 'not man utd standard'. How a player can be immense, yet the worst player on the pitch is a mystery

I wouldn't single out Man Utd fans, although perhaps you could as they have will always have unrealistic expectations.

Supporters of all clubs are guilty of seeing what they want to see, but if you are playing against the team who I thought were the best in Europe it should be pretty obvious who played well and who didn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:

I wouldn't single out Man Utd fans, although perhaps you could as they have will always have unrealistic expectations.

Supporters of all clubs are guilty of seeing what they want to see, but if you are playing against the team who I thought were the best in Europe it should be pretty obvious who played well and who didn't.

This.

Sheffield Wednesday fans were calling for Liam Palmer's contract not to be renewed a few months ago, he was widely cast as 'not good enough' and a waste of a wage. A few months of excellent form and they're clamouring for him to be given a new contract and see him as rightly the first choice right back and even think he's earned a Scotland call.

Football fans are temperamental, often suffer from multiple personality disorder and equally often refuse to admit when they were wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, andyD said:

I honestly think this is a big part of our struggles i recent years, and I bought it up numerous times.

Ball retention in the middle of the park is vital. Part of us looking good in recent games was the ability of Armstrong and McGregor to receive the ball and move it on in a composed way even when under pressure. They had control and composure that players like, sorry to him, McArthur have never shown in the dark blue. We didn't give it away in our own 3rd and we worked the ball around and forward with some fluidity.

McTominay looks very capable at doing that as well, while also being more of a physical presence that Armstrong or McGregor are. That can only be good for us. He's also shown he can do it against a level of player that Armstrong and McGregor struggled against. It feels a bit like a break thru moment for Scott, where people kind of have no choice but to sit up and respect his ability now.

With injuries to McGregor and Christie, it's looking very likely that the deep midfield 2 will be Armstrong and McTominay. And I for one am very comfortable with that. Leaves McGinn and Snodgrass fighting for the more advanced midfield slot, which i'm less confident about, but hey.. No worries about McTominay.

I agree with the sentiments. I'm not entirely convinced by Armstrong and McGregor, and as for McGinn, he's 50%/50% when it comes to keeping the ball as he's probably the most careless midfielder that I've seen play for Scotland. I certainly wouldn't trust him in an anchorman position. I'd play him more advanced as when he loses the ball we won't be in trouble.

I think McTominay is the only midfielder that I trust. Snodgrass is good at ball retention, too. Other than that, it's looking sparse.

Are you happy with playing two anchormen? That's what I don't understand. Why are fans happy to play with four at the back with two anchormen (six defensive players) and not three at the back? In order to play 4-2-3-1 the player playing behind the striker has to be top drawer... we have either Oliver Burke or John McGinn....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:

I wouldn't single out Man Utd fans, although perhaps you could as they have will always have unrealistic expectations.

Supporters of all clubs are guilty of seeing what they want to see, but if you are playing against the team who I thought were the best in Europe it should be pretty obvious who played well and who didn't.

Took many years for them to appreciate Darren Fletcher

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fair play to mctominay, he played well last night from what I have read. I was always of the opinion that he won't make it at United but happy to proved wrong. He reads the game well and intercepts and makes good tackles. His passing is good and he is a hard working player who carries out his instructions well. It looks bright for Scotland as our midfield options are relatively young, even armstrong is only 26, with guys like mctominay and mcginn along with Callum McGregor we have our midfielders for the next 7 or more years. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, andyD said:

I honestly think this is a big part of our struggles i recent years, and I bought it up numerous times.

Ball retention in the middle of the park is vital. Part of us looking good in recent games was the ability of Armstrong and McGregor to receive the ball and move it on in a composed way even when under pressure. They had control and composure that players like, sorry to him, McArthur have never shown in the dark blue. We didn't give it away in our own 3rd and we worked the ball around and forward with some fluidity.

McTominay looks very capable at doing that as well, while also being more of a physical presence that Armstrong or McGregor are. That can only be good for us. He's also shown he can do it against a level of player that Armstrong and McGregor struggled against. It feels a bit like a break thru moment for Scott, where people kind of have no choice but to sit up and respect his ability now.

With injuries to McGregor and Christie, it's looking very likely that the deep midfield 2 will be Armstrong and McTominay. And I for one am very comfortable with that. Leaves McGinn and Snodgrass fighting for the more advanced midfield slot, which i'm less confident about, but hey.. No worries about McTominay.

I might have this totally wrong, but wouldn't it shit better to have McGinn next to McTominay and have Armstrong in the more advanced role? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, mrniaboc said:

I might have this totally wrong, but wouldn't it shit better to have McGinn next to McTominay and have Armstrong in the more advanced role? 

Hate to say i agree with Chripper.. I don't trust McGinn's ball retention. He's too lax to play in front of the defense as he's shown numerous times for club and country. The further he is from our goal, the better.

I'd say both Armstrong and McGregor are both better as the attacking mid than McGinn.. but With Christie out, McGregor out and Armstrong needed in the anchor role then McGinn comes into the picture. I'd probably go with Snoddy instead of him, but I'd be surprised if McGinn wasn't in the squad. The other option is Cairney, but what his situation is with regards to actually accepting a call up is.. unknown.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, andyD said:

Hate to say i agree with Chripper.. I don't trust McGinn's ball retention. He's too lax to play in front of the defense as he's shown numerous times for club and country. The further he is from our goal, the better.

I'd say both Armstrong and McGregor are both better as the attacking mid than McGinn.. but With Christie out, McGregor out and Armstrong needed in the anchor role then McGinn comes into the picture. I'd probably go with Snoddy instead of him, but I'd be surprised if McGinn wasn't in the squad. The other option is Cairney, but what his situation is with regards to actually accepting a call up is.. unknown.

 

It's an interesting argument. I saw him give the ball away a few times for sure. However, you can only retain the ball if you have it in the first place, and he wins the ball back a hell of a lot more than he gives it away. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Chripper said:

Are you happy with playing two anchormen? That's what I don't understand. Why are fans happy to play with four at the back with two anchormen (six defensive players) and not three at the back? In order to play 4-2-3-1 the player playing behind the striker has to be top drawer... we have either Oliver Burke or John McGinn....

Because we have forward minded fullbacks, and not two out and out defensive mids.

Consider a lineup of..

McGregor
Paterson - Bates - McKenna - Robertson
McTominay - Armstrong
Forrest - Snodgrass - Fraser
Fletcher

Paterson and Robertson should be pushed right up, essentially wide mids, offering over and underlapping runs to the wingers. Snodgrass is pushed forwards as a 2nd striker, and Armstrong in an advanced midfield role. McTominay is left to anchor switches in play and protect the 2 centerbacks on the counter. It's actually very attacking.

Of course we can also just sit back a little and play it as it looks above, which should give us good control of the pitch.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, mrniaboc said:

I might have this totally wrong, but wouldn't it shit better to have McGinn next to McTominay and have Armstrong in the more advanced role? 

Agree. Armstrong further forward with these 2 guys behind him would be a good 3 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, mrniaboc said:

It's an interesting argument. I saw him give the ball away a few times for sure. However, you can only retain the ball if you have it in the first place, and he wins the ball back a hell of a lot more than he gives it away. 

True, but we don't seem to have a massive amount of trouble in winning the ball.. but we are very often the architects of our own downfall.

Winning the ball 15 times is great, but if you give it away once in defensive mid and the opposition score then the ball winning didn't matter. And that's why i don't trust McGinn. I seem him as a guy who'll play well and then do something horrific that'll lose us the game. And his good doesn't outweigh the bad, because the bad is truly game-changing.

If I'm honest, McGinn wouldn't be in my squad, even with McGregor and Christie absent.
For center mid: McTominay, Armstrong, Snodgrass to start. Shinnie, Lewis Ferguson and Cairney on the bench. Fleck's the more experienced option to take than Ferguson, but I want us to give young players opportunities if they're playing well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, andyD said:

True, but we don't seem to have a massive amount of trouble in winning the ball.. but we are very often the architects of our own downfall.

Winning the ball 15 times is great, but if you give it away once in defensive mid and the opposition score then the ball winning didn't matter. And that's why i don't trust McGinn. I seem him as a guy who'll play well and then do something horrific that'll lose us the game. And his good doesn't outweigh the bad, because the bad is truly game-changing.

If I'm honest, McGinn wouldn't be in my squad, even with McGregor and Christie absent.
For center mid: McTominay, Armstrong, Snodgrass to start. Shinnie, Lewis Ferguson and Cairney on the bench. Fleck's the more experienced option to take than Ferguson, but I want us to give young players opportunities if they're playing well.

You'd have Armstrong even after his assist for Harry Kane? 

Everyone makes mistakes. It's far too soon to rule McGinn out for his. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, andyD said:

Because we have forward minded fullbacks, and not two out and out defensive mids.

Consider a lineup of..

McGregor
Paterson - Bates - McKenna - Robertson
McTominay - Armstrong
Forrest - Snodgrass - Fraser
Fletcher

Paterson and Robertson should be pushed right up, essentially wide mids, offering over and underlapping runs to the wingers. Snodgrass is pushed forwards as a 2nd striker, and Armstrong in an advanced midfield role. McTominay is left to anchor switches in play and protect the 2 centerbacks on the counter. It's actually very attacking.

Of course we can also just sit back a little and play it as it looks above, which should give us good control of the pitch.

 

Put Burke in for Fletcher and that would be my line up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, mrniaboc said:

You'd have Armstrong even after his assist for Harry Kane? 

Everyone makes mistakes. It's far too soon to rule McGinn out for his. 

True enough. Seems to be something that happens to McGinn fairly consistently tho. Being in the Championship will do him good tho, as those type of errors will get punished more often than in the Scottish Prem, so he'll be forced to improve. I'm not writing McGinn off as a player, I just don't see him as good enough to start right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, andyD said:

Because we have forward minded fullbacks, and not two out and out defensive mids.

Consider a lineup of..

McGregor
Paterson - Bates - McKenna - Robertson
McTominay - Armstrong
Forrest - Snodgrass - Fraser
Fletcher

Paterson and Robertson should be pushed right up, essentially wide mids, offering over and underlapping runs to the wingers. Snodgrass is pushed forwards as a 2nd striker, and Armstrong in an advanced midfield role. McTominay is left to anchor switches in play and protect the 2 centerbacks on the counter. It's actually very attacking.

Of course we can also just sit back a little and play it as it looks above, which should give us good control of the pitch.

 

I don't feel that we could play that way, as we saw under Strachan, as he adored the 4-2-3-1. I'm not totally convinced by Paterson at right back or Armstrong or Snodgrass. I don't feel the team that you've selected is good enough at retaining the ball. Armstrong has shown that he has an inclination to switch of and Snodgrass isn't really getting any younger.

Once the squad has been chosen I'll post my team.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mrniaboc said:

You'd have Armstrong even after his assist for Harry Kane? 

Everyone makes mistakes. It's far too soon to rule McGinn out for his. 

Villa fans have compared McGinn to Steven Gerrard (probably because he empties the midfield on a regular basis). I wouldn't trust him in midfield, unless it was a central midfield three.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Chripper said:

I don't feel that we could play that way, as we saw under Strachan, as he adored the 4-2-3-1. I'm not totally convinced by Paterson at right back or Armstrong or Snodgrass. I don't feel the team that you've selected is good enough at retaining the ball. Armstrong has shown that he has an inclination to switch of and Snodgrass isn't really getting any younger.

Once the squad has been chosen I'll post my team.

I would honestly put Liam Palmer in at right back, having seen him a fair bit lately, he's been excellent. Strong defensively, calm and with the legs to get forward.

Armstrong's been a consistently good performer for Scotland. I think it'd be difficult to pick an 11 from the upcoming squad which didn't include him.

Regardless of Snoddy's age, he's playing consistently well at West Ham, often in the central attacking mid slot.  I would rather have Christie as his mobility is a real asset along side the wide men, but having someone who plays every week in the premier league as a back up is a luxury we've not had in a long time.

I look forward to your teamsheet.. should be entertaining ;)

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...