Scottish players in action 19/20

[Super_Scotlandfan]

25 minutes ago, ErsatzThistle said:

Can't keep tinkering about with the central defence with every game.

Just stick with Gallagher and McKenna for the moment. 

We should hopefully have a couple of friendlies later in the year to play one or two of - Hanley, Cooper, Porteous, Souttar, Lindsay, or Halkett.

Please no return for Mulgrew though !

I think Clarke will agree with you.

I'd take the risk against Israel though. It's a game we should win regardless of centre back pairings. 

Give Hanley and Cooper a chance to create a partnership in training and against Israel. It's unlikely to not work out. 

We shouldn't play weaker players just for the sake of it. It's to our advantage we've got an 'easier' semi final we can make minor changes in. 

If it was a one off game in Serbia/Norway I probably would play the pair that have the understanding but we've got the chance to change it up against Israel. 

[Bino's]

6 minutes ago, Super_Scotlandfan said:

I think Clarke will agree with you.

I'd take the risk against Israel though. It's a game we should win regardless of centre back pairings. 

Give Hanley and Cooper a chance to create a partnership in training and against Israel. It's unlikely to not work out. 

We shouldn't play weaker players just for the sake of it. It's to our advantage we've got an 'easier' semi final we can make minor changes in. 

If it was a one off game in Serbia/Norway I probably would play the pair that have the understanding but we've got the chance to change it up against Israel. 

Treat the Israel game as an easier game and we're out

[Bino's]

4 hours ago, ceudmilefailte said:

Hate the way I am heading towards three at the back but it helps us get rid of one of our weakest, if not weakest players in Palmer.

Mucks up what every one else is used to so I guess it's a non starter.

Really am beginning to give up on working out how to make use of the players we have.

I suggested a 352 with Griffith's mcburnie and the three centre halfs maybe solving some problems

Was roundly slated

433 will only be played anyway

[Super_Scotlandfan]

13 minutes ago, Bino's said:

Treat the Israel game as an easier game and we're out

But it is an easier game. Israel are nowhere near the level as Norway or Serbia away. 

Of course give them 100% respect. All I'm suggesting is to start the centre backs that play at a stronger level rather than play conservatively with 2 on-paper weaker centre backs. I think that in particular, McKenna is playing that badly that there's little reward in playing the established partnership. 

If we play Hanley/Cooper we're as likely to win AND we'll have a new centre back pairing that play at a higher level than McKenna/Gallagher. 

Edited February 23, 2020 by Super_Scotlandfan

[ErsatzThistle]

54 minutes ago, ErsatzThistle said:

We should hopefully have a couple of friendlies later in the year to play one or two of - Hanley, Cooper, Porteous, Souttar, Lindsay, or Halkett.

Forgot to add Stuart Findlay to that list 

Think we'll definitely see more of him and Liam Cooper later on this year.

Edited February 23, 2020 by ErsatzThistle

[ProudScot]

20 minutes ago, Super_Scotlandfan said:

I think Clarke will agree with you.

I'd take the risk against Israel though. It's a game we should win regardless of centre back pairings. 

Give Hanley and Cooper a chance to create a partnership in training and against Israel. It's unlikely to not work out. 

We shouldn't play weaker players just for the sake of it. It's to our advantage we've got an 'easier' semi final we can make minor changes in. 

If it was a one off game in Serbia/Norway I probably would play the pair that have the understanding but we've got the chance to change it up against Israel. 

Israel would have beaten us about 6-0 not too long ago if it wasn’t for McGregor having the game of his life

[Super_Scotlandfan]

3 minutes ago, ProudScot said:

Israel would have beaten us about 6-0 not too long ago if it wasn’t for McGregor having the game of his life

That was a game where we were;

1. Managed by McLeish.
2. Away from home.
3. Trying out 3-5-2.
4. Playing Souttar, Mulgrew and Tierney as centre backs.
5. Souttar was sent off.

And McGregor didn't put away the penalty we scored so we'd have still have only lost 6-1 if he wasn't 'having the game of his life'. 

[Paulus]

5 hours ago, ceudmilefailte said:

Believe your lot were in for Maupay or McBurnie before the season started. Here's some stats which might help explain why you are were you are in the league and not were Brighton are

 

Interceptions: Maupay 4 McBurnie 12
Tackles won: Maupay 7 McBurnie 16
Clearances: Maupay 6 McBurnie 29
Headed Clearances: Maupay 1 McBurnie 29
Aerial battles won: Maupay 18 McBurnie 130

Maupay has of course scored 8 goals which would have many on here starting him if he was Scottish.

Oh and Maupay has been on the pitch 6 hours longer than McBurnie this season. 50% longer if we added 50% to those stats it would look a bit silly

Some one on the Sheffield United forum said not bad stats if he was a defender

Think it's this sort of work ethic that get's teams better results than they should on paper based on the overall ability of their players. 

Lets not worry though Leigh Griffiths will score against Kilmarnock and every thing will be fine and dandy

McBurnie’s problem yesterday was mainly due to the fact that Potter set BHA up to not lose at any cost.  I think their 11 was the biggest I’ve ever seen, bigger than Stoke under Pulis.  They had 4 centre backs on and 8 over 6 foot including some real monsters like Duffy and Burn who are both over 6 and a half foot. Needless to say leading the line against that lot he was on a hiding to nothing.

[Tartan Chris]

1 hour ago, ProudScot said:

Israel would have beaten us about 6-0 not too long ago if it wasn’t for McGregor having the game of his life

At Hampden?

There is a vast difference between how majority of international teams below the elite ones play at home and away.

Israel certainly don't have a centre forward of calibre of Mitrovic or Haaland. They'll play to keep it tight and try to pinch a goal from set piece or on the break as Lithuania would do.

[bigfingers]

We’ll see how Mctominay does in the next few weeks. Fleck and mcgregor could work with one of Armstrong and McGinn in the more advanced role. 
 

Could maybe play Armstrong in one of the wider roles with christie on the other side. 

[wanderer]

I suspect he will stick with McKenna and Gallagher, but one thing that has went quiet is Steven Caulker.

After the Russia game Clarke made no secret that he was going to go speak with him, and then followed it up by saying the paperwork would not be done in time for the last squad, so will he be a surprise addition to this squad, or will Clarke comments be swept under the rug?

Good to see Griffiths get another goal, and each week certainly giving Clarke no option.

Suspect strikers for the next game(s) will be Naimsith, Griffiths, McBurnie, and one from Phillips, Shankland and Brophy (at the moment I would go with Brophy from these three). 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by wanderer

[Orraloon]

15 hours ago, bigfingers said:

Exactly. If you pick the centre defenders by the level they are playing at then it’ll have to be Cooper and Hanley. 

That isn't how the team is picked though, is it?

 

[Orraloon]

14 hours ago, Super_Scotlandfan said:

I think Clarke will agree with you.

I'd take the risk against Israel though. It's a game we should win regardless of centre back pairings. 

Give Hanley and Cooper a chance to create a partnership in training and against Israel. It's unlikely to not work out. 

We shouldn't play weaker players just for the sake of it. It's to our advantage we've got an 'easier' semi final we can make minor changes in. 

If it was a one off game in Serbia/Norway I probably would play the pair that have the understanding but we've got the chance to change it up against Israel. 

Did you watch our two games against them in the Nations League?

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Orraloon

[kwhitelaw]

By the time of the Israel game McKenna and Gallagher will have played together twice nearly 5 months previously!  What kind of partnership is that?! 

The line up should consist of players playing at the highest level possible against the best opposition, so that's Hanley in one of our CB roles.  You could argue that the English championship isn't that much of a step up on the Scottish Premiership so I wouldn't say Cooper is a shoe-in for the other CB role.  My preference would be Cooper or Findlay.  McKenna has been awful the last couple of times I've watched him for Aberdeen.  Griffiths brushed him off like a piece of dandruff for one of Celtic's goals the other week.  I've not seen enough of Gallagher recently to say if he should start or not

[Bino's]

3 hours ago, kwhitelaw said:

By the time of the Israel game McKenna and Gallagher will have played together twice nearly 5 months previously!  What kind of partnership is that?! 

The line up should consist of players playing at the highest level possible against the best opposition, so that's Hanley in one of our CB roles.  You could argue that the English championship isn't that much of a step up on the Scottish Premiership so I wouldn't say Cooper is a shoe-in for the other CB role.  My preference would be Cooper or Findlay.  McKenna has been awful the last couple of times I've watched him for Aberdeen.  Griffiths brushed him off like a piece of dandruff for one of Celtic's goals the other week.  I've not seen enough of Gallagher recently to say if he should start or not

We could have done with a friendly just before

[dohadeer]

8 minutes ago, Bino's said:

We could have done with a friendly just before

If we had a friendly then there would be no playoff. The reason this playoff exists is because they got rid of friendlies.

[ProudScot]

4 hours ago, kwhitelaw said:

By the time of the Israel game McKenna and Gallagher will have played together twice nearly 5 months previously!  What kind of partnership is that?! 

The line up should consist of players playing at the highest level possible against the best opposition, so that's Hanley in one of our CB roles.  You could argue that the English championship isn't that much of a step up on the Scottish Premiership so I wouldn't say Cooper is a shoe-in for the other CB role.  My preference would be Cooper or Findlay.  McKenna has been awful the last couple of times I've watched him for Aberdeen.  Griffiths brushed him off like a piece of dandruff for one of Celtic's goals the other week.  I've not seen enough of Gallagher recently to say if he should start or not

Findlay is first pick for me but I do agree with this basically.

Hanley has been the culprit of so many goals but then who hasn’t. McKenna looks terrible now, probably borderline good enough to even get in the squad which is some fall from grace. 

[Super_Scotlandfan]

7 hours ago, Orraloon said:

Did you watch our two games against them in the Nations League?

 

We were by far the better team in the game at Hampden, we’ve improved since then. They’ve regressed. 
 

Game in Israel doesn’t hold as much value as I described in the post before my post. 

[Rich NATA]

On 2/22/2020 at 7:02 PM, ErsatzThistle said:

A lot of Southampton fans online noting that their revival began when Armstrong started playing again.

As a Scottish Southampton fan, I can confirm this to be the case.

On 2/22/2020 at 6:50 PM, SWMM82 said:

He’s been a key part of Southampton’s revival in recent weeks.

The upturn in Saints results coincided with the inclusion of Armstrong (and also Shane Long).

[Super_Scotlandfan]

13 minutes ago, Super_Scotlandfan said:

ignore

Edited February 24, 2020 by Super_Scotlandfan

[dohadeer]

50 minutes ago, Super_Scotlandfan said:

We were by far the better team in the game at Hampden, we’ve improved since then. They’ve regressed. 
 

Game in Israel doesn’t hold as much value as I described in the post before my post. 

What makes you think that we’ve improved since then?

[0Neils40yarder]

6 hours ago, kwhitelaw said:

By the time of the Israel game McKenna and Gallagher will have played together twice nearly 5 months previously!  What kind of partnership is that?! 

The line up should consist of players playing at the highest level possible against the best opposition, so that's Hanley in one of our CB roles.  You could argue that the English championship isn't that much of a step up on the Scottish Premiership so I wouldn't say Cooper is a shoe-in for the other CB role.  My preference would be Cooper or Findlay.  McKenna has been awful the last couple of times I've watched him for Aberdeen.  Griffiths brushed him off like a piece of dandruff for one of Celtic's goals the other week.  I've not seen enough of Gallagher recently to say if he should start or not

Agreed... This talk of 'partnerships' at our level of international fitba is pretty much, pure pish... Almost as much pish as the 'he played well for us in his last game, so should keep the Jersey'... 

 

... We should be picking the in the form players at the highest level possible

[Super_Scotlandfan]

37 minutes ago, dohadeer said:

What makes you think that we’ve improved since then?

We have a better manager. 

And personnel wise. Calum Patterson played right back, Bates and McKenna centre backs. McGinn and McTominay can come in. 
 

I’d say that’s an improvement. 
 

 

[ProudScot]

15 minutes ago, 0Neils40yarder said:

Agreed... This talk of 'partnerships' at our level of international fitba is pretty much, pure pish... Almost as much pish as the 'he played well for us in his last game, so should keep the Jersey'... 

 

... We should be picking the in the form players at the highest level possible

Agreed.

This is exactly why players like Fleck have to start.

Some people on here would still be happy with Barry Bannan being a squad regular. 

[dohadeer]

11 minutes ago, ProudScot said:

Agreed.

This is exactly why players like Fleck have to start.

Some people on here would still be happy with Barry Bannan being a squad regular. 

Barry Bannan is a decent midfielder, why is he being singled out for criticism?!