ProudScot Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-clarke-makes-scotland-line-21346672 Erm... the game is months away and he’s sure of 9 of his 11 starters. Hmmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfingers Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 53 minutes ago, ProudScot said: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-clarke-makes-scotland-line-21346672 Erm... the game is months away and he’s sure of 9 of his 11 starters. Hmmmm... Probably wont be wholesale changes from the previous line ups unless it is forced upon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 1 hour ago, ProudScot said: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-clarke-makes-scotland-line-21346672 Erm... the game is months away and he’s sure of 9 of his 11 starters. Hmmmm... Thats a little bit concerning considering certain players form has dropped significantly and there are two or three banging on the door and probably deserving of a start like Armstrong, Fleck and Griffiths. Mckenna has become dog shit too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfingers Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 7 minutes ago, vanderark14 said: Thats a little bit concerning considering certain players form has dropped significantly and there are two or three banging on the door and probably deserving of a start like Armstrong, Fleck and Griffiths. Mckenna has become dog shit too I think it depends on certain positions in the team. You take a centre midfield pairing, it does help if they have played together before. Mcgregor and Jack probably know each others game well enough now so there is an element of risk in swapping one out for fleck. Hanley has always been horrendous for scotland therefore again it would be a huge risk to throw him into the biggest scotland game in recent times. Findlay has barely played any international football. Its less of a risk in the attacking areas where the likes of armstrong, fraser, forrest,christie, griffiths and naismith all have good international experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwhitelaw Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 2 hours ago, bigfingers said: I think it depends on certain positions in the team. You take a centre midfield pairing, it does help if they have played together before. Mcgregor and Jack probably know each others game well enough now so there is an element of risk in swapping one out for fleck. Hanley has always been horrendous for scotland therefore again it would be a huge risk to throw him into the biggest scotland game in recent times. Findlay has barely played any international football. Its less of a risk in the attacking areas where the likes of armstrong, fraser, forrest,christie, griffiths and naismith all have good international experience. Hanley is one that I honestly can't make my mind up on! I think you're being harsh by saying he's always been horrendous but he has had some dodgy moments. He's playing now at a higher level than Cooper against harder opposition and is he honestly any worse a defender than McKenna or Gallacher? Part of me wants him to play due to his experience but the other part doesn't coz it's Hanley lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfingers Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 27 minutes ago, kwhitelaw said: Hanley is one that I honestly can't make my mind up on! I think you're being harsh by saying he's always been horrendous but he has had some dodgy moments. He's playing now at a higher level than Cooper against harder opposition and is he honestly any worse a defender than McKenna or Gallacher? Part of me wants him to play due to his experience but the other part doesn't coz it's Hanley lol Hanley feels like a backward step to me. Unless they are all playing in the same league its hard to compare each player. This debate over average defenders is probably the reason we wont qualify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASTA Mick Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 54 minutes ago, bigfingers said: Hanley feels like a backward step to me. Unless they are all playing in the same league its hard to compare each player. This debate over average defenders is probably the reason we wont qualify. Agree with the last sentence but Hanley is playing his 3rd season in the EPL. Our other centre-backs won't play 3 seasons in the EPL between them. I think he is better than folk on here give him credit for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartan blood Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 5 hours ago, ProudScot said: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-clarke-makes-scotland-line-21346672 Erm... the game is months away and he’s sure of 9 of his 11 starters. Hmmmm... I'm not sure if having 9 out of 11 already chosen is a good or bad thing. You have to assume Clarke has researched all of his eligibles far more than we have. So we have to give him the benefit of the doubt a little. But it seems crazy to think he's already chosen who his striker is, unless he means Griffiths is automatic first choice if fit. All 5 of our midfielders are interchangeable, so that would be at least another 2. Rightly or wrongly, McKenna will start. But his partner is anyone's guess. Mulgrew or Hanley for experience? Gallagher or Souttar for familiarity. I really couldn't say. RB is another dilemma. Palmer, O'Donnell, Tierney?? I'm glad I don't have Clarke's job, because I'd never sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanticscot Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I would suggest reading the whole statement and not jump on that comment, he says he is "pretty sure" and also says there are 2 or three who are to close to call(probably the injuries), so right now I believe he is fairly certain of 6 or 7 and gives himself some room as he says don't look too far ahead. Calm down lads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Templeton_Peck Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Haaland has scored 5 goals in first 57 mins for Dortmund in the Bundesliga..i dont think any of our centre halves will keep him quiet. For me centre halves should be 2 from Hanley Mckenna, Cooper and Tierney. I know clarke would go with back 4 but i would have had back 3 of Tierney mckenna and robertson with fraser and Forrest as wing backs. 2 from fleck, mctominay, jack , mcgregor in the middle with mcginn and christie supporting one striker naismith/mcburnie/ griffiths Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 3 minutes ago, Templeton_Peck said: Haaland has scored 5 goals in first 57 mins for Dortmund in the Bundesliga..i dont think any of our centre halves will keep him quiet. Yep. Fingers crossed for a Serbia win, or Haaland being unavailable for the final. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ger intae them Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 7 hours ago, PASTA Mick said: Agree with the last sentence but Hanley is playing his 3rd season in the EPL. Our other centre-backs won't play 3 seasons in the EPL between them. I think he is better than folk on here give him credit for. granted (like it, like it!?) he’s had injuries but it’s a big big stretch to say he’s played 3 seasons in the epl!! He’s been paid by teams in English top flight but never a full season regular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 13 hours ago, bigfingers said: I think it depends on certain positions in the team. You take a centre midfield pairing, it does help if they have played together before. Mcgregor and Jack probably know each others game well enough now so there is an element of risk in swapping one out for fleck. Hanley has always been horrendous for scotland therefore again it would be a huge risk to throw him into the biggest scotland game in recent times. Findlay has barely played any international football. Its less of a risk in the attacking areas where the likes of armstrong, fraser, forrest,christie, griffiths and naismith all have good international experience. I think folk are very harsh on Hanley, there was a time when he was plaing at the back with Martin and they made a reasonable partnership, hes very good in the air and has a lot of experience at a good level. Its maybe not ideal going forward but the situation we are in he may be a shout, we arent blessed with decent defenders. 2 hours ago, Templeton_Peck said: Haaland has scored 5 goals in first 57 mins for Dortmund in the Bundesliga..i dont think any of our centre halves will keep him quiet. For me centre halves should be 2 from Hanley Mckenna, Cooper and Tierney. I know clarke would go with back 4 but i would have had back 3 of Tierney mckenna and robertson with fraser and Forrest as wing backs. 2 from fleck, mctominay, jack , mcgregor in the middle with mcginn and christie supporting one striker naismith/mcburnie/ griffiths Saw a bit of him tonight, he looks sharp, going to cause us lots of problems if we get that far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccaughey85 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 8 minutes ago, Kirk said: I think folk are very harsh on Hanley, there was a time when he was plaing at the back with Martin and they made a reasonable partnership, hes very good in the air and has a lot of experience at a good level. Its maybe not ideal going forward but the situation we are in he may be a shout, we arent blessed with decent defenders. Saw a bit of him tonight, he looks sharp, going to cause us lots of problems if we get that far. Hanley's no worse than or other centre backs and I am pretty sure he played in both the games we beat Croatia, he's not exactly epl class but sadly that is our situation and he's probably worthy of a call up tbf. I await the backlash of Hanley haters who will remind us he's terrible but will be unable to name who is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Griffiths coming back could be the biggest boost we could ask for. The loss of McGinn was a huge blow but Christie can fill that role and support his team mate. Should we beat Israel, I would be much more confident with a proper striker going to Norway or Serbia I really hope he starts again today and bangs in another one or two goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 9 hours ago, Templeton_Peck said: Haaland has scored 5 goals in first 57 mins for Dortmund in the Bundesliga..i dont think any of our centre halves will keep him quiet. For me centre halves should be 2 from Hanley Mckenna, Cooper and Tierney. I know clarke would go with back 4 but i would have had back 3 of Tierney mckenna and robertson with fraser and Forrest as wing backs. 2 from fleck, mctominay, jack , mcgregor in the middle with mcginn and christie supporting one striker naismith/mcburnie/ griffiths There aren't many teams who will keep Haaland quiet, he seems almost super human but he is still only one man. Starve him of service and take our chances. For this we will need McTominey and Griffiths fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 ----------Kelly ------------------ Palmer Cooper MAckenna/Gallagher Robertson McTominey Fleck Armstrong Christie Fraser Griffiths updated team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Pete Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 On 1/24/2020 at 9:43 AM, ProudScot said: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-clarke-makes-scotland-line-21346672 Erm... the game is months away and he’s sure of 9 of his 11 starters. Hmmmm... I don’t think it’s unusual for Clarke to realise who his best 9 players are. I think most people on here know who our best 9 are. If one or more of those 9 have a serious drop in form or are not fit then they won’t play in March. Or if someone bursts on to the scene then the 9 will likely change to accommodate them. He has to respond to the journalist’s question in some way and I think his response is more comforting than “I don’t have a feckin clue who is gonnae play mate”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudScot Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 33 minutes ago, Texas Pete said: I don’t think it’s unusual for Clarke to realise who his best 9 players are. I think most people on here know who our best 9 are. If one or more of those 9 have a serious drop in form or are not fit then they won’t play in March. Or if someone bursts on to the scene then the 9 will likely change to accommodate them. He has to respond to the journalist’s question in some way and I think his response is more comforting than “I don’t have a feckin clue who is gonnae play mate”. With not knowing if McGinn or McTominay will be fit and months for Fleck, Christie, Jack, McGregor, Armstrong, Fraser, Forrest & the rest to play well and put themselves into starting positions for the midfield and wide berth slots, with having absolutely no idea who our two centre backs will or should be & having our main striker maybe back but we aren’t sure, in addition to being unsure on a right back - I don’t see how anyone could say well these 9 are nailed on to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCTA Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Texas Pete said: I don’t think it’s unusual for Clarke to realise who his best 9 players are. I think most people on here know who our best 9 are. If one or more of those 9 have a serious drop in form or are not fit then they won’t play in March. Or if someone bursts on to the scene then the 9 will likely change to accommodate them. He has to respond to the journalist’s question in some way and I think his response is more comforting than “I don’t have a feckin clue who is gonnae play mate”. Sensible post. Agreed. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Pete Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 3 hours ago, ProudScot said: With not knowing if McGinn or McTominay will be fit and months for Fleck, Christie, Jack, McGregor, Armstrong, Fraser, Forrest & the rest to play well and put themselves into starting positions for the midfield and wide berth slots, with having absolutely no idea who our two centre backs will or should be & having our main striker maybe back but we aren’t sure, in addition to being unsure on a right back - I don’t see how anyone could say well these 9 are nailed on to be honest. I think he probably means he knows his 9 starters if everyone is fit. Just because you (or me for that matter) have no clue who our central defenders will be doesn’t mean Clarke doesn’t. Although I have a feeling at least one of the 2 he’s not sure of is a central defender. Anyway, as I said he had to give the person that asked the question some sort of answer. Would you prefer he said he has no clue and looked like an idiot? If you look at everyone’s preferred team on here, 7 or 8 players will be in most of them so it’s hardly a stretch to believe that Clarke knows 9 starters already (if they are fit to play and in form). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ElChris04 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Hanley has became a bit of a scapegoat for fans. He’s nothing special but he’s a decent level championship player Who’s trying his best with Norwich. and played in a Scotland defence next to donkeys like Mulgrew and Martin. Mikey Devlin, Scott McKenna, Declan Gallagher aren’t any better I’m afraid and Hanley walks in over them. He’s also the captain of Norwich and a partnership with another captain in Cooper could be what we are missing in confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceudmilefailte Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 11 minutes ago, ElChris04 said: Hanley has became a bit of a scapegoat for fans. He’s nothing special but he’s a decent level championship player Who’s trying his best with Norwich. and played in a Scotland defence next to donkeys like Mulgrew and Martin. Mikey Devlin, Scott McKenna, Declan Gallagher aren’t any better I’m afraid and Hanley walks in over them. He’s also the captain of Norwich and a partnership with another captain in Cooper could be what we are missing in confidence. Just about sums it up really. On another issue and not taking the alternatives into account, would you be happy to have Griffiths lead the line against Israel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton wanderer Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 2 hours ago, ceudmilefailte said: Just about sums it up really. On another issue and not taking the alternatives into account, would you be happy to have Griffiths lead the line against Israel? I would Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceudmilefailte Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 6 minutes ago, hamilton wanderer said: I would So would a lot of people, but that seems based on the past not the present. Even Celtic supporters don't seem to be as convinced as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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