Scotland starting XI vs Czech Republic

[Texas Pete]

4 minutes ago, 0Neils40yarder said:

I think the SFA were stung by the failure of Berti Vogts, and ever since then have refused to consider a foreign manager so we end up with hasbeens or never havebeens from Scotland.

 

 

Berti did as well as any Scottish manager we’ve had since in terms of how close we’ve come to qualifying. 

Clarke could still better him of course. 

[Toepoke]

25 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:

Michael O'Neil was interviewed but refused what ever was put on the table.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/michael-o-neill-northern-ireland-scotland-offer-reject-manager-gordon-strachan-a8172206.html

McLeish was appointed after O'Neill refused, not Clarke.

 

[bazmidd]

Was keen on trying the 3 at the back but it just looked far too disjointed on Friday, much the same way as it did the last time we tried it. It doesn't work for our best players, Robertson is an attacking overlapping fullback, he's no good at facing up a defender and taking him on. Forrest is no good at all defensively on the other side. McTominay isn't a centre half, he is a really good ball winning midfielder and ball carrier much the same as McGinn, and you wouldn't even think about playing McGinn at centre half. The most comfortable I have actually seen a Clarke team play so far was the first half of the 3 nil defeat away in Belgium, which I know sounds a bit daft but bear in mind Belgium are class and up until the end of that first half when they scored that is the most organised and best shape I have seen from us under Clarke yet, there was something to work on there and if McKenna and Forrest hadn't fluffed that easy chance 2nd half it might even have made for an interesting end to that game.

4-4-1-1 is what I would go with

                                Marshall

Palmer.        McKenna.     Cooper.     Robertson

Armstrong.   McTominay.    Fleck.    Tierney

                                  McGinn

                                   Dykes

[mccaughey85]

2 minutes ago, bazmidd said:

Was keen on trying the 3 at the back but it just looked far too disjointed on Friday, much the same way as it did the last time we tried it. It doesn't work for our best players, Robertson is an attacking overlapping fullback, he's no good at facing up a defender and taking him on. Forrest is no good at all defensively on the other side. McTominay isn't a centre half, he is a really good ball winning midfielder and ball carrier much the same as McGinn, and you wouldn't even think about playing McGinn at centre half. The most comfortable I have actually seen a Clarke team play so far was the first half of the 3 nil defeat away in Belgium, which I know sounds a bit daft but bear in mind Belgium are class and up until the end of that first half when they scored that is the most organised and best shape I have seen from us under Clarke yet, there was something to work on there and if McKenna and Forrest hadn't fluffed that easy chance 2nd half it might even have made for an interesting end to that game.

4-4-1-1 is what I would go with

                                Marshall

Palmer.        McKenna.     Cooper.     Robertson

Armstrong.   McTominay.    Fleck.    Tierney

                                  McGinn

                                   Dykes

I would be happy with that team, fleck deserves a chance to show what he can do. 

[0Neils40yarder]

10 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

Berti did as well as any Scottish manager we’ve had since in terms of how close we’ve come to qualifying. 

Clarke could still better him of course. 

He did that...the media however,would have us all believe that he was utterly hopeless

[ceudmilefailte]

11 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

McLeish was appointed after O'Neill refused, not Clarke.

 

Apologies. I was more suggesting that it was not a case that no one was ever interested in the job. 

 

[mccaughey85]

25 minutes ago, 0Neils40yarder said:

He did that...the media however,would have us all believe that he was utterly hopeless

He had an extremely easy group Tbf. He wasnt as a bad as ppl make out but he was pretty poor overall. 

[Big Ramy 1314]

Get Fleck in. 

[BucksburnDandy]

 I would go: Marshall; Palmer, Cooper, Tierney, Robertson; McTominay, Fleck; Armstrong, McGinn, Christie; Dykes.

Get back to what we have done best over the last 7 years and encourage plenty of attacking play out wide, get Robertson in his best position, get Fleck and Armstrong into the team to see what they can do and try to attack the new Czech team and get the win. If we do, it would be 4 points from 6 which would be a point ahead of where I thought we might be and would nullify Friday's horror show.

Hopefully Clarke will admit his error and revert to his preferred 4 at the back but who knows.

[Taylor1996]

30 minutes ago, BucksburnDandy said:

Get back to what we have done best over the last 7 years

Not qualifying, looking like a disjointed shambles?

[ceudmilefailte]

31 minutes ago, BucksburnDandy said:

 I would go: Marshall; Palmer, Cooper, Tierney, Robertson; McTominay, Fleck; Armstrong, McGinn, Christie; Dykes.

Get back to what we have done best over the last 7 years and encourage plenty of attacking play out wide, get Robertson in his best position, get Fleck and Armstrong into the team to see what they can do and try to attack the new Czech team and get the win. If we do, it would be 4 points from 6 which would be a point ahead of where I thought we might be and would nullify Friday's horror show.

Hopefully Clarke will admit his error and revert to his preferred 4 at the back but who knows.

I like that, would have been pretty much the team/ formation  I would have picked. I don't think McKenna did anything wrong on Friday though. and I'm afraid we have to rely on Clarke to find the right balance in the centre of defence. Looks like all of our best defenders are best on the left, he might end up deciding Tierney is the best of them on the right who knows.

[BucksburnDandy]

10 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

Not qualifying, looking like a disjointed shambles?

We've done that in the last two years quite often but pretty unfair to label Strachan's entire time as a disjointed shambles.

5 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:

I like that, would have been pretty much the team/ formation  I would have picked. I don't think McKenna did anything wrong on Friday though. and I'm afraid we have to rely on Clarke to find the right balance in the centre of defence. Looks like all of our best defenders are best on the left, he might end up deciding Tierney is the best of them on the right who knows.

Yes I would agree McKenna did well and I'd certainly have no objections to him playing. I worry about Clarke and his ability to solve the Tierney and Robertson conundrum.

[Taylor1996]

13 minutes ago, BucksburnDandy said:

We've done that in the last two years quite often but pretty unfair to label Strachan's entire time as a disjointed shambles.

Apart from a spell under Smith and McLeish, we've been an unequivocal disjointed shambles, for 20 years.

No one can dispute that.

In the world according to TAMB everything is rosey.

Edited September 6, 2020 by Taylor1996

[Guest ElChris04]

As much as i like the man, As a Celtic supporter I endure enough of watching McGregor coast a game as a ghost most domestic games for at least 2 years now.
 

He’s literally done nothing of note since Rodgers first 2 seasons, which he’s really been living off. 
 

Hopefully tomorrow he isn’t anywhere near the team. And I may say a game free from an empty jersey who’s criminally overrated. 
 

Fleck should definitely be starting in the midfield. he’s more than earned it. 
 

 

[csinclair]

17 hours ago, Templeton_Peck said:

                         Marshall

Palmer.    Cooper.       Tierney.       Robertson

                    Mctominay.   Fleck

   Armstrong        Mcginn.         Christie

                              Dykes

This is pretty much what I'd go with.

[Squirrelhumper]

12 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

He had an extremely easy group Tbf. He wasnt as a bad as ppl make out but he was pretty poor overall. 

Plenty of Scotland managers since have had easy groups and failed spectacularly to even finish in our seeded place never mind get close to qualify.

[Squirrelhumper]

10 hours ago, ElChris04 said:

As much as i like the man, As a Celtic supporter I endure enough of watching McGregor coast a game as a ghost most domestic games for at least 2 years now.
 

He’s literally done nothing of note since Rodgers first 2 seasons, which he’s really been living off. 
 

Hopefully tomorrow he isn’t anywhere near the team. And I may say a game free from an empty jersey who’s criminally overrated. 
 

Fleck should definitely be starting in the midfield. he’s more than earned it. 
 

 

Fully agree - I do not get the McGregor hype in the slightest.

[csinclair]

I do find it strange how much pundits bang on about the strength of our midfield when we play the likes of Jack & McGregor who were poor together against Kazakhstan at Hampden, let alone on Friday. McTominay & Fleck have proven themselves at a higher level yet one is punted out of position and the other left on the bench. 

[Rohan]

McGregor looks burnt out, and Forrest looks far too isolated out wide. Both need to be dropped. Fleck deserves his chance, move Mctominay back into midfield and give play Cooper. Need our best players playing in their best positions

[wanderer]

Everything about Friday night (including Clarkes use of subs) made me think that was nothing more than a glorified bounce game, with all eyes focused on the much bigger game next month, and more importantly, give nothing away to Israel ahead of then.

I think there will be a number of changes, and possibly a different formation. 

McTomiany will be moved into midfield and Palmer will play at the back again, or Patterson if he plans to continue with 3 at the back to try accommodate Tierney and Robertson (was not much wrong with that on Friday, just a case of McTomany was wasted at the back, and issue was in the midfield, so will try fine tuning it a bit more tonight). 

At least two from Jack, McGinn and McGregor will be dropped in place of Armstrong or Fleck (I suspect Fleck more, as I think Clarke prefers using Armstrong more as a impact sub) and allowing McTomiany to move into midfield.

Would not be shocked if Burke sneaks into the team and plays as a false striker alongside Dykes.

 

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

12 hours ago, ElChris04 said:

As much as i like the man, As a Celtic supporter I endure enough of watching McGregor coast a game as a ghost most domestic games for at least 2 years now.
 

He’s literally done nothing of note since Rodgers first 2 seasons, which he’s really been living off. 
 

Hopefully tomorrow he isn’t anywhere near the team. And I may say a game free from an empty jersey who’s criminally overrated. 
 

Fleck should definitely be starting in the midfield. he’s more than earned it. 
 

 

Would have to agree with this. McGregor specialises in looking busy without actually contributing anything. Neat and tidy but offers nothing when we don't have the ball.

 

Much rather have Fleck/McTominay in that area.

[gkm_vancouver]

14 hours ago, bazmidd said:

Was keen on trying the 3 at the back but it just looked far too disjointed on Friday, much the same way as it did the last time we tried it. It doesn't work for our best players, Robertson is an attacking overlapping fullback, he's no good at facing up a defender and taking him on. Forrest is no good at all defensively on the other side. McTominay isn't a centre half, he is a really good ball winning midfielder and ball carrier much the same as McGinn, and you wouldn't even think about playing McGinn at centre half. The most comfortable I have actually seen a Clarke team play so far was the first half of the 3 nil defeat away in Belgium, which I know sounds a bit daft but bear in mind Belgium are class and up until the end of that first half when they scored that is the most organised and best shape I have seen from us under Clarke yet, there was something to work on there and if McKenna and Forrest hadn't fluffed that easy chance 2nd half it might even have made for an interesting end to that game.

4-4-1-1 is what I would go with

                                Marshall

Palmer.        McKenna.     Cooper.     Robertson

Armstrong.   McTominay.    Fleck.    Tierney

                                  McGinn

                                   Dykes

Happy with those players,  though think it may be better in a 4-2-3-1 formation to allow Robbie,  Palmer,  Tierney to make runs down the flanks. There should be no excuses with a weakened Czech team to get a victory and we have already put pressure on ourselves by not beating Israel at home. Like others have said,  apart from a spell under Strachan,  there's been precious little to be confident about performance wise with recent Scottish managers. But with potentially up to 8 EPL players in the team we should be doing a lot better and keeping up with some of the other home nations if we are going to get a sniff of competing in a major competition in the near future. 

[ThistleWhistle]

An unknown Czech side 5/1 at home vs a pretty pish Scotland side.  Seems pretty generous odds.  

 

[Taylor1996]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/cdn.footyheadlines.com/amp/5013884647117930349

New away strip to be premiered tonight.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Taylor1996

[adamntg]

16 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

He had an extremely easy group Tbf. He wasnt as a bad as ppl make out but he was pretty poor overall. 

The football and the results were diabolical under Vogts.  0-3 v Hungary, 0-2 v Ireland, 0-2 v Austria, all at Hampden, 1-1 v Moldova, 2-2 v Faroes, 0-1 v Lithuania, 0-4 v Wales, 0-5 v France, 0-6 v Holland.  He only won 9 out of 32 games, and 8 out of those were against Hong Kong XI, Faroes, Iceland (when they were shite), Trinidad, Canada and squeaked through against Lithuania and Estonia.  Absolutely embarrassingly bad.

The only two decent results he got were a draw at home to Germany and the 1-0 v Netherlands with the flukey deflected goal which was quickly wiped out.

And some of the diddies he capped - Gareth Williams,  Kevin Kyle, Scott Dobie, Warren Cummings, Robbie Stockdale, the other Andy Gray, Graeme Murty, Paul Gallagher,  Jamie Smith, Maurice Ross, Bob Malcolm, Paul Devlin - just wow...