Reasons for optimism

[ceudmilefailte]

1 hour ago, mccaughey85 said:

Tierney, Robertson, Mctominay, mcginn, and Adams would be starters for them. Armstrong, gilmour, fraser would also get in their first team regularly. 

Wales havent got a stronger squad than us but they play well together and they have a genuine world class game changer of a player in bale. 

Adams wouldn't play ahead of Moore, he doesn't even play ahead of Dykes

Let me know who you are leaving out for Mctominay and Mcginn and how you would fit both Tierney and Robertson in.

As for the others, Gilmour would have 5 caps and probably would have started.

 

[mccaughey85]

27 minutes ago, ceudmilefailte said:

Adams wouldn't play ahead of Moore, he doesn't even play ahead of Dykes

Let me know who you are leaving out for Mctominay and Mcginn and how you would fit both Tierney and Robertson in.

As for the others, Gilmour would have 5 caps and probably would have started.

 

Adams should start for us ahead of Dykes, I think Clarke is starting to see that now, plus he's new to the squad, if Adams had of declared 2/3 years ago for us he would be our main man by now. He would be ahead of Moore easily as well. Moore is 28 and has never played higher than the championship, his scoring stats at that level are pretty average as well. Have you actual checked who Moore is and what levels he's played at? 

I would leave out Allen and Morrell for mctominay and mcginn, even Armstrong, gilmour and mcgregor would have a good chance of starting over 2 guys who are in the championship. 

Again have you actually looked at Morrells career? He has played league1/championship most of his career. He played 7 times for Luton in the English championship last season. 

If Wales had Robertson and Tierney they would be doing what we are doing right now which is trying to find a way to fit them into the same team. 

Theres a good chance guys like Cooper, fraser, Hanley, Christie get starts for them regularly as well. They started mepham tonight who is similar level to Hanley and Cooper. 

If I had to make a team out of the two squads it would probably have 5 scots and 6 Welsh players and that's me leaving out one of Robertson or Tierney. 

Both squads are similar quality imo, Wales seem to have them playing better and they have some excellent attacking players which we seem to lack. 

[Tartan blood]

37 minutes ago, mccaughey85 said:

Adams should start for us ahead of Dykes, I think Clarke is starting to see that now, plus he's new to the squad, if Adams had of declared 2/3 years ago for us he would be our main man by now. He would be ahead of Moore easily as well. Moore is 28 and has never played higher than the championship, his scoring stats at that level are pretty average as well. Have you actual checked who Moore is and what levels he's played at? 

I would leave out Allen and Morrell for mctominay and mcginn, even Armstrong, gilmour and mcgregor would have a good chance of starting over 2 guys who are in the championship. 

Again have you actually looked at Morrells career? He has played league1/championship most of his career. He played 7 times for Luton in the English championship last season. 

If Wales had Robertson and Tierney they would be doing what we are doing right now which is trying to find a way to fit them into the same team. 

Theres a good chance guys like Cooper, fraser, Hanley, Christie get starts for them regularly as well. They started mepham tonight who is similar level to Hanley and Cooper. 

If I had to make a team out of the two squads it would probably have 5 scots and 6 Welsh players and that's me leaving out one of Robertson or Tierney. 

Both squads are similar quality imo, Wales seem to have them playing better and they have some excellent attacking players which we seem to lack. 

Total overreaction to Wales right now. Not only do they have tournament experience, they also have one of the best players in the world that can win games by himself. There aren't many players like that out there.

I'm not going to go through all the names, but comparing the 26 men squad, we are superior. In my honest opinion, I think if you combined the squads, it would probably be about 15 Scots, possibly more. And the first 11 would probably have 7 or 8 Scots in it. 

We are a bloody good team and squad that miss having a clinical talisman. Put Bale in our team and we'd be winning far more games. When he retires, Wales will be utterly lost.

[Dave78]

1 hour ago, Tartan blood said:

When he retires, Wales will be utterly lost.

I said the same when Robbie Keane retired from Ireland, and it's pretty much gone that way.

Without him and Ramsey, they're average.

Edited June 16, 2021 by Dave78
Robbie, not Roy

[ParisInAKilt]

9 hours ago, Tartan blood said:

Total overreaction to Wales right now. Not only do they have tournament experience, they also have one of the best players in the world that can win games by himself. There aren't many players like that out there.

I'm not going to go through all the names, but comparing the 26 men squad, we are superior. In my honest opinion, I think if you combined the squads, it would probably be about 15 Scots, possibly more. And the first 11 would probably have 7 or 8 Scots in it. 

We are a bloody good team and squad that miss having a clinical talisman. Put Bale in our team and we'd be winning far more games. When he retires, Wales will be utterly lost.

I hate to say it, especially on this thread but we really aren’t, at least based on performances and results over the past x amount of years. 

[Tartan blood]

Just now, ParisInAKilt said:

I hate to say it, especially on this thread but we really aren’t, at least based on performances and results over the past x amount of years. 

Results, maybe. Performances, we are. 

[ParisInAKilt]

1 minute ago, Tartan blood said:

Results, maybe. Performances, we are. 

Which ones? 

[Tartan blood]

7 minutes ago, ParisInAKilt said:

Which ones? 

The last one

[Haggis_trap]

As I see it : the team need to believe they can beat England.
Do Robertson, McGinn, McTominay and Tierney <etc> believe they can beat them ?
Of course they do....  They play these guys every week for top sides in the EPL.
Each of their club sides has had decent results against those players this season.

Confidence is a huge part of football. 
Playing England at Wembley not going to be easy - they are a top international side.
However if we go out on park with a little confidence then we can make things difficult.

The Czech result was disappointing - but the performance wasn't all bad. 
Clarkes task now is to pick the boys up, regroup and get them fired up.
Keep it tight and organised has to be the primary aim.  We will get some chances in this game.
We might not win - but then we aren't expected to either...  So consider it a free hit and give it 110%.
 

Edited June 17, 2021 by Haggis_trap

[Caledonian Craig]

4 minutes ago, Haggis_trap said:

As I see it : the team need to believe they can beat England.
Do Robertson, McGinn, McTominay and Tierney <etc> believe they can beat them ?
Of course they do....  They play these guys every week for top sides in the EPL.
Each of their club sides has had decent results against those players this season.

Confidence is a huge part of football. 
Playing England at Wembley not going to be easy - they are a top international side.
However if we go out on park with a little confidence then we can make things difficult.

The Czech result was disappointing - but the performance wasn't all bad. 
Clarkes task now is to pick the boys up, regroup and get them fired up.
Keep it tight and organised has to be the primary aim.  We will get some chances in this game.
We might not win - but then we aren't expected to either...  So consider it a free hit and give it 110%.
 

Fully agree.

The confidence thing is key and is why we should make changes too. Bringing in Patterson, Gilmour and Gordon gives us more pace, creativity and confidence. The longer we go holding at 0-0 the more confidence will rise for us and nervousness will rise for them and their fans will start getting on their back. Another factor that may come into it - the weather. Tomorrow London is forecast for a day of heavy rain easing off around match time. The pitch will be heavy another reason for needing fresh legs.

[Tartan blood]

3 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Fully agree.

The confidence thing is key and is why we should make changes too. Bringing in Patterson, Gilmour and Gordon gives us more pace, creativity and confidence. The longer we go holding at 0-0 the more confidence will rise for us and nervousness will rise for them and their fans will start getting on their back. Another factor that may come into it - the weather. Tomorrow London is forecast for a day of heavy rain easing off around match time. The pitch will be heavy another reason for needing fresh legs.

The Czech v Croatia result beforehand might influence the attitudes as well. Though it'll probably have a bigger impact on us. 

A Croatia win would probably suit us more as it means a draw against England could mean we still have a shout of 2nd. Even a loss could result in all 3 of us finishing on 3 points if we beat Croatia in the last game. 

[Diamond Scot]

Most european countrys have produced a European class attacking player in the last 25 years. 

We havent and thats been a big problem for us. Take Robbie Keane out of a very good Ireland team and I dont think they qualify for as much. Same with Bale and Wales.

Our best players of the last 25 years have all been defensive. Fletcher, Hutton, Gordon, McGregor, Robertson, Tierney, McTom. 

The good thing is we now have some more attacking players who are regulars in a top league. McGinn, Armstrong and Adams.

If we could find somebody of a top 6 level in an attacking position it would take us from pretty decent to very good imo. For example, put Haaland in our team and all of a sudden no team would take us lightly.

[WHU81]

As an England fan, I'm worried about this game.

1. You have several players who can produce a moment of magic; if you catch us cold in the first twenty minutes then sit deep I can see us panicing. Only takes one stray pass and a quick break.

2. We struggle to break down sides who pack the space in front of the box - that's always been our issue, as we're better when the game's open on the counter.

3. Look at Wales last night - Turkey were some people's dark horses and they turned them over.

4. No fear factor, as your best players face our boys every week in the prem

Personally I wouldn't mind a draw, because winning the group means getting dumped out in the round of 16 - we have zero chance against France or Portugal. 

Anyway, I hope your boys get through - your support is top class. Wales on the other hand, I hope they get a thrashing in the next round 😁

[Caledonian Craig]

54 minutes ago, Diamond Scot said:

Most european countrys have produced a European class attacking player in the last 25 years. 

We havent and thats been a big problem for us. Take Robbie Keane out of a very good Ireland team and I dont think they qualify for as much. Same with Bale and Wales.

Our best players of the last 25 years have all been defensive. Fletcher, Hutton, Gordon, McGregor, Robertson, Tierney, McTom. 

The good thing is we now have some more attacking players who are regulars in a top league. McGinn, Armstrong and Adams.

If we could find somebody of a top 6 level in an attacking position it would take us from pretty decent to very good imo. For example, put Haaland in our team and all of a sudden no team would take us lightly.

Of course.

The closest we have had to a prolific goalscorer in the last 20 years has been Kenny Miller. But the harsh truth of the matter is that Bale and Ramsey better anything that even our legends have achieved at international level. They have surpassed Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish which just tells us we need to improve greatly in that area.

[ThistleWhistle]

1 hour ago, WHU81 said:

As an England fan, I'm worried about this game.

1. You have several players who can produce a moment of magic; if you catch us cold in the first twenty minutes then sit deep I can see us panicing. Only takes one stray pass and a quick break.

2. We struggle to break down sides who pack the space in front of the box - that's always been our issue, as we're better when the game's open on the counter.

3. Look at Wales last night - Turkey were some people's dark horses and they turned them over.

4. No fear factor, as your best players face our boys every week in the prem

Personally I wouldn't mind a draw, because winning the group means getting dumped out in the round of 16 - we have zero chance against France or Portugal. 

Anyway, I hope your boys get through - your support is top class. Wales on the other hand, I hope they get a thrashing in the next round 😁

I'm not hugely confident to be honest but a lot will depend on Southgate from our side as much as yours.  If he shows some bollocks and plays 4 at the back with two attacking full backs and we go with 5-3-2 I could see a fairly routine win for England.  

 

[Haggis_trap]

1 hour ago, WHU81 said:

As an England fan, I'm worried about this game.

1. You have several players who can produce a moment of magic; if you catch us cold in the first twenty minutes then sit deep I can see us panicing. Only takes one stray pass and a quick break.

2. We struggle to break down sides who pack the space in front of the box - that's always been our issue, as we're better when the game's open on the counter.

3. Look at Wales last night - Turkey were some people's dark horses and they turned them over.

4. No fear factor, as your best players face our boys every week in the prem

Personally I wouldn't mind a draw, because winning the group means getting dumped out in the round of 16 - we have zero chance against France or Portugal. 

Anyway, I hope your boys get through - your support is top class. Wales on the other hand, I hope they get a thrashing in the next round 😁

Cheers mate.
If it makes you feel better I am also dreading this game.
England could easily win 3-0 : however it also has potential to be a proper midfield scrap.
If Scotland turn up and keep things tight then just maybe we will get something out of it.
Tierney being fit would be a huge boost for us.

In many ways there is less pressure on Scotland as we are not expected to win...
Though of course I am daring to dream of a last minute McGinn goal 😉

[Marky]

The problem is, if (as I suspect he will), Clarke goes with largely the same team, or any changes are reflected in the substitutions he made on Monday, then we'll get exactly the same result. Probably a decent performance, where we create 3 or 4 chances that we fail to take. Ultimate result, 2-0 England. Optimism for me will come from significant changes to starting line up and by that, I mean the introduction of the young players and a fit Tierney. If he gives them a chance and it doesn't work out, we can all just take that on the chin, safe in the knowledge that the "tried and tested" probably wouldn't have done any better.

It's not every day you get to quote Einstein, but the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

[WHU81]

6 minutes ago, Haggis_trap said:

Cheers mate.
If it makes you feel better I am also dreading this game.
England could easily win 3-0 : however it also has potential to be a proper midfield scrap.
If Scotland turn up and keep things tight then just maybe we will get something out of it.
Tierney being fit would be a huge boost for us.

In many ways there is less pressure on Scotland as we are not expected to win...
Though of course I am daring to dream of a last minute McGinn goal 😉

Ha well McGuire reckons he's fit so that's not beyond the realms... 😆

It's a cliche but I think the first twenty minutes are absolutely vital - if we start like we did against Croatia and get an early breakthrough it leaves you in a bad place, as you'll then need to have a go at us. Then I see Sterling and Foden/Grealish having a field day in behind and 3-0 totally possible.

If you score first or keep it tight until half time, I think you'll get at least a draw. Croatia looked really poor and lacking confidence, so I can see them getting done by the Czechs, who are underrated IMO. At Hampden I reckon you'll turn them over - if Clarke lets loose and goes for it.

[Caledonian Craig]

5 minutes ago, WHU81 said:

Ha well McGuire reckons he's fit so that's not beyond the realms... 😆

It's a cliche but I think the first twenty minutes are absolutely vital - if we start like we did against Croatia and get an early breakthrough it leaves you in a bad place, as you'll then need to have a go at us. Then I see Sterling and Foden/Grealish having a field day in behind and 3-0 totally possible.

If you score first or keep it tight until half time, I think you'll get at least a draw. Croatia looked really poor and lacking confidence, so I can see them getting done by the Czechs, who are underrated IMO. At Hampden I reckon you'll turn them over - if Clarke lets loose and goes for it.

Maguire will probably come on for a run out in the last 15 minutes or so. If England are coasting he may get longer than 15 mins. He is not match fit so its small steps for him.

Tierney has to play for us. He did a full training session with everyone today and came through it so fingers crossed he plays its just a real shame he missed the Czech Republic game.

[slasher]

I hope Grealish doesn't play. England have a lot of good players but for some reason he is the one I fear could hurt us the most 🤔

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

9 hours ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Of course.

The closest we have had to a prolific goalscorer in the last 20 years has been Kenny Miller. But the harsh truth of the matter is that Bale and Ramsey better anything that even our legends have achieved at international level. They have surpassed Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish which just tells us we need to improve greatly in that area.

Profliic and kenny miller ?

[Haggis_trap]

Tierney is available!

Fucking magic news. Solves a lot of problems. Tightens defence up and allows us to play out. 

[mccaughey85]

Just now, Haggis_trap said:

Tierney is available!

Fucking magic news. Solves a lot of problems. Tightens defence up and allows us to play out. 

Good news, hopefully he has a great performance tomorrow. 

[Malcolm]

8 hours ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Maguire will probably come on for a run out in the last 15 minutes or so. If England are coasting he may get longer than 15 mins. He is not match fit so its small steps for him.

Tierney has to play for us. He did a full training session with everyone today and came through it so fingers crossed he plays its just a real shame he missed the Czech Republic game.

I would stick Mcginn on him and boot him to fuk

[Malcolm]

Just now, Malcolm said:

I would stick Mcginn on him and boot him to fuk

grealish that is