Your Scotland squad (and first XI) for Euro 2020

[wee-toon-red]

Marshall, Gordon, McCrorie

McKenna, Hanley, Gallagher, Cooper, Tierney, Robertson, O'Donnell

McTominay, McGinn, McGregor, Turnbull, Jack, Gilmour, Armstrong

Christie, Dykes, Griffiths, Fraser, Forrest, McBurnie

If it's 27 men, then add Considine, Taylor, McLean and Patterson.

Edited March 12, 2021 by wee-toon-red

[Tartan blood]

6 hours ago, Malcolm said:

not sure about my 22 man squad, here is my first 11 assuming all fit and available and assuming we play 3 at the back...

 

                                Mcgregor

Patterson(N)  Cooper McKenna  tierney  robertson

                                  Jack

             Armstrong  mctominay  mcginn

                                 Dykes

 

Risks are inexperienced right back, shaky looking centre half’s with a left footed right centre half, and a centre forward who doesn’t score goals.  On the other hand the midfield and goalie are great.

 

I didn't know Callum McGregor could play in goals. Great to have such versatility in the team. 

[Malcolm]

Just now, Tartan blood said:

I didn't know Callum McGregor could play in goals. Great to have such versatility in the team. 

Callum mcgregor on the bench....  our out and out best goalkeeper, Alan Mcgregor for the sticks.

[Tartan blood]

Just now, Malcolm said:

Callum mcgregor on the bench....  our out and out best goalkeeper, Alan Mcgregor for the sticks.

I was joking. But I'd bench Callum McGregor as well. 

There isn't much point in debating whether Allan McGregor is better than the current Scottish player of the year (Marshall) because he isn't available. 

Unpopular opinion: I'd keep the door open for anyone that wants to return, but only if they join in the WC qualifiers. Anything beyond that is taking the piss. So now or never for McGregor.

[Taylor1996]

Re: Alan McGregor.

Even if he did come out of international retirement (I don't think he will.) I'd still keep David Marshall as my number one. Especially after the exploits in the penalty shoot out.

I saw highlights of McGregor's save last night. Meh. It was decent. In my opinions, he got lucky that the ball bounced off the ground and leaped up into his hand.

In my opinion, he's nowhere near as good as peak Goram or Leighton. Both were world class. Yes, Leighton had a chequered spell at Old Trafford, but the biggest testament to him is that he resurrected his career.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Taylor1996

[Malcolm]

37 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

Re: Alan McGregor.

Even if he did come out of international retirement (I don't think he will.) I'd still keep David Marshall as my number one. Especially after the exploits in the penalty shoot out.

I saw highlights of McGregor's save last night. Meh. It was decent. In my opinions, he got lucky that the ball bounced off the ground and leaped up into his hand.

In my opinion, he's nowhere near as good as peak Goram or Leighton. Both were world class. Yes, Leighton had a chequered spell at Old Trafford, but the biggest testament to him is that he resurrected his career.

we are fortunate to have three very good goalkeepers in Marshall, Gordon and mcgregor.  Pity they are all com8ng to the end of their careers.

I would say that it’s similar to the Leighton goram situation....   I would have done what brown did at euro 96....  when push comes to shove I think goram was a wee bit better than Leighton.   Equally, I think mcgregir is better than Gordon and Marshall... however earlier in their careers I would have picked Gordon

[er yir macaroon]

2 hours ago, Taylor1996 said:

Re: Alan McGregor.

Even if he did come out of international retirement (I don't think he will.) I'd still keep David Marshall as my number one. Especially after the exploits in the penalty shoot out.

I saw highlights of McGregor's save last night. Meh. It was decent. In my opinions, he got lucky that the ball bounced off the ground and leaped up into his hand.

In my opinion, he's nowhere near as good as peak Goram or Leighton. Both were world class. Yes, Leighton had a chequered spell at Old Trafford, but the biggest testament to him is that he resurrected his career.

McGregor’s save was world class. If it was luck I’m not sure how it explains all his other world class saves.

[Tartan blood]

 

1 hour ago, Malcolm said:

we are fortunate to have three very good goalkeepers in Marshall, Gordon and mcgregor.  

We are, and that might deter McGregor from making a comeback, since he could end up just being on the bench anyway. Though I know if it were me I'd just be happy to be on the plane/bus.

But, if Marshall doesn't make a full recovery, and considering Gordon is playing at a far lower level than McGregor, there could be an argument made to start him.

AND McGregor did play a big role in the Nations league. So it's not quite the same as recalling someone like McArthur or Bardsley, who haven't been seen in years.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Tartan blood

[Taylor1996]

3 hours ago, Malcolm said:

we are fortunate to have three very good goalkeepers in Marshall, Gordon and mcgregor.  Pity they are all com8ng to the end of their careers.

I would say that it’s similar to the Leighton goram situation....   I would have done what brown did at euro 96....  when push comes to shove I think goram was a wee bit better than Leighton.   Equally, I think mcgregir is better than Gordon and Marshall... however earlier in their careers I would have picked Gordon

Yeah. It is a pity and just a tad alarming!

Oh, nowadays, McGregor is better than Marshall and Gordon, no doubt. 

If Gordon didn't break his arm (Or rather, if Defoe didn't break it), he may have gone on to join Manchester United or an Arsenal. Too bad injury and illness robbed us of two of our best recent players, in Craig Gordon and Darren Fletcher. 

[bazmidd]

10 hours ago, Taylor1996 said:

Yeah. It is a pity and just a tad alarming!

Oh, nowadays, McGregor is better than Marshall and Gordon, no doubt. 

If Gordon didn't break his arm (Or rather, if Defoe didn't break it), he may have gone on to join Manchester United or an Arsenal. Too bad injury and illness robbed us of two of our best recent players, in Craig Gordon and Darren Fletcher. 

Not to mention John Kennedy, what a great spine of the team that could have been

[Tartan blood]

3 hours ago, bazmidd said:

Not to mention John Kennedy, what a great spine of the team that could have been

Add in the likes of McFadden, Maloney and Caldwell who had injury ravaged careers and retired earlier than they should have. 

We do seem to have been cursed. Any time we create players with top level talent, they end up with some ailment that wrecks/affects their career. Too many examples to mention. You could just go through the strikers of the last 2 decades and you'd have a big list of unfulfilled potential.

[Montrose97]

Looking at the players we have I almost caught myself being optimistic for a second. Ok, we still have issues - we lack a truly world class player (which drags even the most ordinary up a level), no prolific goal scorer, issues in the centre of defence, (aside from the Serbia game) a fair bit of inconsistency etc. But we have reason to be hopeful, especially the young guys coming through.  Hope we can get a decent start to the WC qualifiers as a platform for the Euros.

[Taylor1996]

21 hours ago, bazmidd said:

Not to mention John Kennedy, what a great spine of the team that could have been

Yeah. Add Kennedy to the list. McFadden, too, as the tail end of his career was blighted. Could add Ian Durrant, too.

Not just that, though, it's also individual cases. If Paul Lambert didn't sustain a concussion playing against Rangers, the weekend before the Euro 2000 play offs vs England, we would've probably have beaten then. 

There's no way that Scholes would've scored two if Lambert was marking him.

[theabsentee]

On 3/14/2021 at 7:18 AM, Taylor1996 said:

Yeah. Add Kennedy to the list. McFadden, too, as the tail end of his career was blighted. Could add Ian Durrant, too.

Not just that, though, it's also individual cases. If Paul Lambert didn't sustain a concussion playing against Rangers, the weekend before the Euro 2000 play offs vs England, we would've probably have beaten then. 

There's no way that Scholes would've scored two if Lambert was marking him.

My memory is shot but from what i recall Tony Adams couldn't handle Duncan Ferguson at his peak so if he had played during that wembley clash at Euro 96 it could have been a very different outcome.

  Imagine that we might not have spent the last 25 years crying about Gary Mc's missed pen or berating that clown spoonbender😁

I know big Dunc quit us way too early but was he still available but actually injured during Euro 96 ? 

[ProudScot]

1 minute ago, theabsentee said:

My memory is shot but from what i recall Tony Adams couldn't handle Duncan Ferguson at his peak so if he had played during that wembley clash at Euro 96 it could have been a very different outcome.

  Imagine that we might not have spent the last 25 years crying about Gary Mc's missed pen or berating that clown spoonbender😁

I know big Dunc quit us way too early but was he still available but actually injured during Euro 96 ? 

I don’t think he got selected for euro 96, he played in qualifiers the year after then chucked it didn’t he. 

[wanderer]

6 minutes ago, theabsentee said:

My memory is shot but from what i recall Tony Adams couldn't handle Duncan Ferguson at his peak so if he had played during that wembley clash at Euro 96 it could have been a very different outcome.

  Imagine that we might not have spent the last 25 years crying about Gary Mc's missed pen or berating that clown spoonbender😁

I know big Dunc quit us way too early but was he still available but actually injured during Euro 96 ? 

Injured for Euro 96.

He was in the squad for the Australia friendly earlier that year, but pulled out (think story goes in his Dundee United days he broke his big toe, and rather than tell Jim McLean out of fear of losing his place in the team, he kept quiet about it and it was a injury that hampered him the rest of his career). 

[Taylor1996]

1 hour ago, theabsentee said:

My memory is shot but from what i recall Tony Adams couldn't handle Duncan Ferguson at his peak so if he had played during that wembley clash at Euro 96 it could have been a very different outcome.

  Imagine that we might not have spent the last 25 years crying about Gary Mc's missed pen or berating that clown spoonbender😁

I know big Dunc quit us way too early but was he still available but actually injured during Euro 96 ? 

Yeah. Very different. I watched it recently when ITV reaires the entire Euro 96. The match was so even. If we had Ferguson to ragdoll them, I think the outcome would've been different.

lol. I recall it like it was yesterday. When the match finished I went outside, back to the wall and just sat.. head in hands. Thank god I was just a child... as I'd never do that now that I'm older...... 😛

Ah. Uri. lol. He can bend spoons and he can move a football from a helicopter... why was he even up there? Couldn't get a ticket?

Very good question! I don't know. I remember he played on for Scotland, upon his release from Jail, at least for a match or two. But yeah, it would sum up our luck if that was the case.

[romanticscot]

I just read right now the UEFA are discussing larger squads for the EURO's. That would be great, it would force Clarke to bring some from the bunch of Gauld, Gilmour, Patterson, Rooney and Turnbull 

[Tartan blood]

23 minutes ago, romanticscot said:

I just read right now the UEFA are discussing larger squads for the EURO's. That would be great, it would force Clarke to bring some from the bunch of Gauld, Gilmour, Patterson, Rooney and Turnbull 

Or, more likely, the current squad of 26. Possibly swapping in Burke, Griffiths, Forrest, or C. Paterson. Based on Clarke's comments, it doesn't sound like he is keen on bringing in too many inexperienced players. So I doubt the players you mentioned will get a look in, unfortunately.

[Taylor1996]

7 minutes ago, Tartan blood said:

Or, more likely, the current squad of 26. Possibly swapping in Burke, Griffiths, Forrest, or C. Paterson. Based on Clarke's comments, it doesn't sound like he is keen on bringing in too many inexperienced players. So I doubt the players you mentioned will get a look in, unfortunately.

Yeah.

That's what I was going to say.

I doubt at this point Steve Clarke will introduce new faces.

[Third Lanark]

On 3/12/2021 at 4:44 PM, wee-toon-red said:

Marshall, Gordon, McCrorie

McKenna, Hanley, Gallagher, Cooper, Tierney, Robertson, O'Donnell

McTominay, McGinn, McGregor, Turnbull, Jack, Gilmour, Armstrong

Christie, Dykes, Griffiths, Fraser, Forrest, McBurnie

If it's 27 men, then add Considine, Taylor, McLean and Patterson.

The ones in bold are nailed-on definites I think. The others are all arguable, though Adams surely will replace McBurnie now.

[Third Lanark]

On 3/12/2021 at 10:34 AM, Tartan blood said:

I'll be a bit braver and try a 23 man squad.

1. Marshall (XI)
2. Gordon (Marshall backup)
3. Kelly (crisis only)
4. Robertson (XI)
5. Tierney (XI)
6. Gallacher (XI)
7. Hanley (XI)
8. McKenna (Tierney backup)
9. Cooper (Gallacher backup)
10. O’Donnell (XI)
11. Hendry (Hanley backup)
12. McTominay (XI - DCM)
13. McGinn (XI - DCM)
14. McGregor (McGinn backup)
15. Jack (McTominay backup)
16. Turnbull (XI)
17. Armstrong (Turnbull backup)
18. Fraser (XI)
19. Christie (Fraser backup)
20. Burke ( Plan B )
21. Dykes (XI)
22. McBurnie (Dykes backup)
23. Griffiths ( Plan B )

 

 

I was loving that till I got to number 20. Burke brings nothing but the ability to mis-apply his pace. Adams surely has dispensed with the need to hope that McB. comes good, and fitness is an issue with Griffiths. I'd be tempted to opt for the promise of Nisbet instead.

[Third Lanark]

On 3/8/2021 at 11:37 PM, Taylor1996 said:

There's been talk about the squads being increased, so, I'm taking a stab in the dark and will assume that it's squads of 27 .

There's some controversial choice, like Michael Johnston, but if he can stay fit, he could be the heir to the McFadden throne. 

Forrest is out as he's missed most of the season (played more than Johnston this season, but still). Scott McKenna will be back from injury.

The most difficult one is RWB. I went for Hickey because 10 starts in Serie A is nothing to be sniffed at. He probably will have learned more in 22 Serie A matches than he would have playing five seasons in the SPL. He will be one of our key players going forward, so why not fast track him.

Was a toss-up between Gauld and Christie. Since Gauld is playing in a far better league. Playing for a small team but still being one of the best performers in the league.

I'd integrate Hickey, Hendry and Gauld in the first XI for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

First XI: 3-4-1-2 (Use a different formation if you want)

                       Marshall 

        Cooper - Hendry - Tierney

Hickey                             Robertson (C)

              McTominay - Jack

                      McGinn

                Dykes - Gauld

 

1. Gordon (Hearts)
2. Marshall (Derby)
3. McCrorie (Livingston)
4. Robertson (Liverpool)
5. Hanley (Norwich)
6. Tierney (Arsenal)
7. Gallagher (Motherwell)
8. Porteous (Hibernian)
9. Cooper (Leeds)
10. Taylor (Celtic)
11. Hendry (Oostende) 
12. McKenna (Nottingham Forest)
13. Hickey (Bologna)
14. McGinn (Aston Villa)
15. McGregor (Celtic)
16. McTominay (Man Utd)
17. McLean (Norwich)
18. Christie (Celtic) 
19. Johnston (Celtic)
20. Jack (Rangers)
21. Morgan (Inter Miami)
22. Turnbull (Celtic)
23. Gauld (Farense)
24. Gilmour (Chelsea)
25. Fraser (Newcastle)
26. McBurnie (Sheff Utd)
27. Dykes (QPR)

No quarrell with most names but you've only got 2 out and out centre forwards; I'd say we need 3 - to whit, Dykes, Adams and maybe Nisbet who is untested but has some potential. Morgan and Johnston are only in there because of your blind spot with Armstrong.

[Tartan blood]

I was just reading that the final squad needs to be submitted to UEFA 10 days before the tournament. (Unconfirmed) If that's true then it means we'll only really be able to pick a bigger squad for the Dutch game, and have the final 25(?) man squad for Luxembourg. 

So, basically just 1 game for any players to stake their claim. I'd assume that gives pretty much any outsiders almost no chance of breaking in. Gauld might have a small chance simply because he is near to the stadium in Portugal. 

[Taylor1996]

2 hours ago, Tartan blood said:

I was just reading that the final squad needs to be submitted to UEFA 10 days before the tournament. (Unconfirmed) If that's true then it means we'll only really be able to pick a bigger squad for the Dutch game, and have the final 25(?) man squad for Luxembourg. 

So, basically just 1 game for any players to stake their claim. I'd assume that gives pretty much any outsiders almost no chance of breaking in. Gauld might have a small chance simply because he is near to the stadium in Portugal. 

Interesting. Then I'd say that the chances of an outsider making their way into the squad is pretty slim..  barring a spate on injuries.

It's a pity Scott Wright didn't move sooner as he might've been a wildcard.

The situation with Scott Wright sums up the general standard of Scottish coaching, outside the Old Firm. He's pretty much said that he's developed more in 2 months at Rangers (Mentally and physically) than he had at Aberdeen for 7 years.

Edited April 15, 2021 by Taylor1996