1st 11 versus Ukraine

[Malcolm]

1 hour ago, Orraloon said:

The very first post on this thread.

i think Mctominays strengths are his physicality, energy, directness and shooting.  I dont think he is a great defender.  For me it’s down to how Clarke wants to set up.  If we go 3-4-1-2 he is likely to be on the bench, if we play 3-4-2-1 I would play him ahead of Armstrong.  
 

I suspect Clarke might still play him at right centre half back.

[ceudmilefailte]

12 hours ago, theabsentee said:

 There isn't much in them but Leeds fans have been saying exactly the same thing about Cooper for years but he & Hanley are still captains of their epl teams so mistakes apart they are both strong characters with some leadership qualities.

     Your right though they are all probably more comfortable in a 3, since we have been playing that system the middle man in particular always seems to look really solid. We just have to wait & see where they are form & playing time wise come March.

     Looking forward to seeing how Souttar performs over the coming months. I think we would all be delighted if he can stay fit, look quality consistently & as a consequence unfortunately for Hearts fans attract a lot of interest from not only the OF but high end championship or even low epl clubs. If he does this then i would stick with him as a starter. The lad has had so much bad luck he deserves a chance to establish himself if he club form merits it. 

   

 

    

  

Damned if you do and Damned if you don't with central defenders. Good defenders make more tackles therefore commit more fouls, have more possession so get dispossessed more,make more passes so misplace more. 

One thing about Hanley and Cooper, they don't go into hiding which is probably why they are club captains. 

[Dodger]

On 11/28/2021 at 9:53 PM, aaid said:

Hopefully the opposition won’t have twigged that we’ve been playing 3-4-3 recently as people on this thread haven’t worked it out yet. 

We switched formation because either dykes or Adams were unavailable for the last 3 games and we're thin on the ground for forwards. Every chance we'll go back to 3-5-2 if they're both available for March. 

[Diamond Scot]

I dont like the way McTominey seems to be becoming the new whipping boy. It seems to me that the fact he plays for Man Utd is being used against him.

He is an exceptional footballer. All things being equal he is lightyears ahead of McGreggor and others like McClean etc. However football is sometimes about playing combinations and there is no denying the McGreggor and Gilmour have played really well together and imo we shouldnt be breaking that up for such important games.

McTominey isnt a CB however what he does give us in the RCB position is somebody who is calm on the ball and is really good at passing through the lines. Playing him and Tierney at LCB and RCB is actually more of an attacking decision than anything.

That being said if we now have actual defenders that can pass with similar quality then McTominey should give way to them.

If we had friendleys id have been interested in seeing him in the Armstrong / Christie role however again not worth experimenting in a play off.

Lets just be grateful our squad depth is so good atm rather than making out like our best players are actually rubbish.

[gkm_vancouver]

13 hours ago, ceudmilefailte said:

Has anyone put mctominay in there starting 11?

Steve Clarke tends to put him in if he is fit and available. In current circumstances, with everyone else fit and in form, he is most likely to play in the right side of a central back three or as a fourth midfielder behind Adams/Dykes

[Squirrelhumper]

1 hour ago, Diamond Scot said:

I

McTominey isnt a CB however what he does give us in the RCB position is somebody who is calm on the ball and is really good at passing through the lines. Playing him and Tierney at LCB and RCB is actually more of an attacking decision than anything.

 

Hendry very good in that role too.....

[Diamond Scot]

11 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said:

Hendry very good in that role too.....

I agree but not quite as good with the passing.

McTominey has something that all top top players have thats very hard to describe.

I cant remember the game but think it was Cyprus at home. Kenny McClean started and I think got motm. He passed the ball succesfully to the player who most people would say was the correct pass, completed the pass, kept the ball moving etc etc. McTominey then came on for him and made the same passes, he just did it quicker. He never received the pass, took a touch, looked up and passed,  McTominey just got the ball and fired it into the player. Not near the player, not behind the player, right into the players stride. This led to many more chances being created because Cyprus didnt have time to adjust.

The result of playing like that is that McTominey is more likely to misplace one out the park and get the ire of the fans however the upsides are massive. Its a very subtle thing but is huge in football. You see it when watching the top nations. How often do you see a ball being played out to a full back charging forward and the full back having to check back, adjust his stride, change his direction etc. The top players have the ability to just put it in the path.