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wanderer

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5 hours ago, wanderer said:

Clarke confirms that Fraser asked to be left out as he is nowhere near match fit for these games

Fraser is clearly not interested. Why hasnt he kept himself fit, he knows these games are coming up. If he hadnt been such  dick and finished the season with Bournemouth that would have been half the battle and he would probably have a new team. 

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2 hours ago, ElChris04 said:

I’m happy with that team overall, bar O’Donell, personally wouldn’t have him near the team, don’t think he’s anywhere near good enough. 

Also, delighted to see Dykes has chosen Scotland as his allegiance. 
 

As much as j am a fan of the 4 at the back. That squad looks very much a 3 at the back type team, aswell as getting the best out McBurnie in a 2 ST formation.
 

so I’d go with something like this 

 

                  McLaughlin 

        Gallagher-Cooper-Tierney 

Forrest--McTominay-McGregor-Robertson

                      McGinn                   
         
                Dykes-McBurnie 

I don't hate the look of that line-up, but I am also a massive fan of Christie.

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50 minutes ago, Kirk said:

Fraser is clearly not interested. Why hasnt he kept himself fit, he knows these games are coming up. If he hadnt been such  dick and finished the season with Bournemouth that would have been half the battle and he would probably have a new team. 

The longer it goes on the worse that decision looks. I can understand why he did it, but it's generated a lot of bad faith in him. He's allegedly looking for £100k a week too, which, if true, won't exactly endear him to potential buyers.

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Don´t think Fraser is a big loss, TBH. What has he done in a Scotland jersey? Considering the talent in the midfield area and McTominay back, we'll be fine.

Interesting about Dykes. I heard him about 6 months ago basically saying he was Australian, but loved Scotland, in his blood etc, but he would play for his homeland. Wonder if he changed his mind and what made him?

Tierney has been in better form than Robertson since the start after the Covid break. Taylor is a decent understudy too - wish two of them were centre halves. Ample cover on the left.

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2 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

Bit of an ignorant question but I've never actually seen him play apart from highlights. Is Dykes capable of playing a lone striker told or would be be better in a pair r?

We have to play with two up top or mcginn as a 10. I dont see any of our forwards doing the lone striker role

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Guest ElChris04

Just a thing it dawned on my as of late.. 

what has happened to Tom Cairney?
 

The last time I can remember him playing for Scotland was in that 1-0 loss in a friendly to Costa Rica. 
 

and since then everything seems to have gone dead with him and Scotland, albeit a few years ago he also said he was focused on Scotland too so it’s a really strange one,  he’d have 100% made the team for me giving his fine form for Fullham, so unless I’ve missed something Clarke has said, it doesn’t make much sense. 
 

Edited by ElChris04
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32 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

Bit of an ignorant question but I've never actually seen him play apart from highlights. Is Dykes capable of playing a lone striker told or would be be better in a pair r?

Yes, he is well suited to that role. He has exceptional pace, can use his body and is good in the air. I don’t think he’s a world beater but he is a very good athlete. 

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1 hour ago, scotlad said:

The longer it goes on the worse that decision looks. I can understand why he did it, but it's generated a lot of bad faith in him. He's allegedly looking for £100k a week too, which, if true, won't exactly endear him to potential buyers.

Its stupid though as if the season was normal he would have played to the end without question and then got his club. He wouldn't have stopped and said naw i dont want to play the last few games. Just an utter cunt move and now hes not fit which says more about his professionalism too.

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He should have played to the end of the season with the short term contract, plus its not that the contract window would have been any shorter for him over other players. His agent probably felt he would have been snapped up quick, well as it stands right now he had one outstanding season and the latest one was poor. 

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2 hours ago, scotlad said:

The longer it goes on the worse that decision looks. I can understand why he did it, but it's generated a lot of bad faith in him. He's allegedly looking for £100k a week too, which, if true, won't exactly endear him to potential buyers.

At the end of last season he might have got close to that but his attitude this year will have cost him at least a £1,000,000 a year in wages. Value has easily dropped by 20k a week.

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8 minutes ago, wanderer said:

The tone in Clarke’s voice when the topic of Fraser came up during his press conference felt like he was not happy in any way.

Agree. Didn’t seem happy that Fraser didn’t speak directly to him either. 
 

Then talked more positively about Gordon and Naismith. Noting he wouldn’t hesitate to select them again. Didn’t give the same statement for Fraser...

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2 hours ago, ElChris04 said:

Just a thing it dawned on my as of late.. 

what has happened to Tom Cairney?
 

The last time I can remember him playing for Scotland was in that 1-0 loss in a friendly to Costa Rica. 
 

and since then everything seems to have gone dead with him and Scotland, albeit a few years ago he also said he was focused on Scotland too so it’s a really strange one,  he’d have 100% made the team for me giving his fine form for Fullham, so unless I’ve missed something Clarke has said, it doesn’t make much sense. 
 

Strachan undoubtedly should have given Cairney a run of five or six games to show what he could do. Sadly, he was far too loyal to his under performing favourites and only gave Cairney those two run outs when morale was critically low.

It was unfortunate we never got to see Cairney at his best for Scotland a few years ago.

Today we have better and younger midfielders available and it's better to just focus on them.

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9 hours ago, JECK said:

Have to admit haven’t really paid attention to Dykes and just looked up his goal scoring record...hardly inspiring by any stretch. Looks like he’ll be in and out and slowly disappear altogether.

Was watching the video that was posted on Youtube last night of a compilation of him in action..... no idea why, but I always thought he was just a big lump of a player, yet there is a bit of Kenny Miller'esque about him where he will chase every ball (regardless of how lost it is) and put himself about (but far from the answer to all our prayers for a striker who can score goals for us)

When we have all our strikers fit, on form and available, I do not think he would be anywhere near McBurnie or Griffiths, but a useful alternative to Nasmith.

Think just goes to show that with Griffiths in limbo, and Nasimith getting no younger, our options are pretty much limited to McBurnie (who is not exactly Mr Reliable himself) then scraping the barrel, so I can see why Clarke was after Dykes.

Hopefully QPR take his game up a few more levels.

Edited by wanderer
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3 minutes ago, wanderer said:

Think just goes to show that with Griffiths in limbo, and Nasimith getting no younger, our options are pretty much limited to McBurnie (who is not exactly Mr Reliable himself) then scraping the barrel, so I can see why Clarke was after Dykes.

Let's hope none of our strikers get injured then! Interesting game is who would be called up in that unwelcome scenario, Brophy? Cummings (is he still Scottish), Adams, Dalglish, Jordan, me, you?

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5 minutes ago, wanderer said:

Was watching the video that was posted on Youtube last night of a compilation of him in action..... no idea why, but I always thought he was just a big lump of a player, yet there is a bit of Kenny Miller'esque about him where he will chase every ball (regardless of how lost it is) and put himself about (but far from the answer to all our prayers for a striker who can score goals for us)

When we have all our strikers fit, on form and available, I do not think he would be anywhere near McBurnie or Griffiths, but a useful alternative to Nasmith.

Think just goes to show that with Griffiths in limbo, and Nasimith getting no younger, our options are pretty much limited to McBurnie (who is not exactly Mr Reliable himself) then scraping the barrel, so I can see why Clarke was after Dykes.

Hopefully QPR take his game up a few more levels.

We've a recent history of playing without an out and out striker but I don't think it's too much of a problem when you have midfielders that can score. Forrest, Christie, McGinn, Armstrong can all find the net.

Dykes can chase lost causes and hold it up. Naismith gets criticised but the last games he played I thought he was terrific. He takes the pressure off the defence and pushes us up the pitch. If Dykes can do that I will be very happy.

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6 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

Let's hope none of our strikers get injured then! Interesting game is who would be called up in that unwelcome scenario, Brophy? Cummings (is he still Scottish), Adams, Dalglish, Jordan, me, you?

That is just the unfortunate thing, we have this odd mix of 2 or 3 strikers who have shown they can do it at a high level.... and a lot of ok level Scottish Premiership strikers (Brophy v Cyprus, while he did try his best, we were effectively playing with 10 men that day.... every time Forest, Robertson, Fraser got into a position to put a cross in to the box, nobody was there to aim for).

Chances are Shankland will probably drop out of the squad, and then its a head scratcher for a replacement (probably Brophy, but would not say no to Hornby).

1 minute ago, SkyBlueScot said:

We've a recent history of playing without an out and out striker but I don't think it's too much of a problem when you have midfielders that can score. Forrest, Christie, McGinn, Armstrong can all find the net.

Dykes can chase lost causes and hold it up. Naismith gets criticised but the last games he played I thought he was terrific. He takes the pressure off the defence and pushes us up the pitch. If Dykes can do that I will be very happy.

Agree, Steven Fletcher was the same, problem was Strachan built him up for to much as the answer to all our prayers, but his role was more to defend from the front, and set things up for Anya and Maloney (though being honest, I though Nasimith was the better suited for this). 

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James Scott at Hull looks to be a good striker. Any Motherwell  fans got an opinion on him? Nisbet at Hibs also worth keeping an eye on. Dundee Utd seem to have at least a couple of very promising strikers already in u17 and u19 national squads. Rangers have the lad from Ross County. I’m optimistic we’re seeing some light in the striker department.  

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