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What a difference 8 years makes!


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7 hours ago, Auchinyell Sox Change said:

Chris Martin ; what a useless lump of a player - his dieing swan act at hampden at 2-2 game with england may have been his biggest involvement - not quite as dodgy as mackail-smith though

You forgot his late winner off the bench against Slovenia at Hampden ?

Much worse strikers than him have played for Scotland this century, such as Kevin Kyle and Scott Dobie.

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7 hours ago, ErsatzThistle said:

You forgot his late winner off the bench against Slovenia at Hampden ?

Much worse strikers than him have played for Scotland this century, such as Kevin Kyle and Scott Dobie.

Yeah am sure hes done more than what i posted ; but was kind of tongue in cheek - i would prob add steven thompson to your kyle and dobbie

if we want to go on a debate about our forwards over the years ; i personally would contend its been our achilles heel for some 40 odd years - almost back to the dodgy keeper (rough) days - we ve had a solid defence and quality midfield for a lot of that ( albeit very much constrained by Steins stay in your own half away from home tactics )

quality of the main 2 forwards currently is dire ; personally i thought leigh Griffiths breaking onto scene was dawn of a new era โ€ฆ alas not to be - goal away to slovenia in 2-2 game was out of nothingย 

ย 

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Looking at the last squad from the Euro 2012 qualifiers (Liechtenstein and Spain away):

  • Goalkeepers:ย Matt Gilks (Blackpool), David Marshall (Cardiff), Allan McGregor (Rangers)

  • Defenders:ย Phil Bardsley (Sunderland),Christophe Berra (Wolves), Gary Caldwell (Wigan), Stephen Crainey (Blackpool), Grant Hanley (Blackburn), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Stephen McManus (Middlesbrough), Steven Whittaker (Rangers)

  • Midfielders:ย Charlie Adam (Liverpool), Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), Don Cowie (Cardiff), Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Darren Fletcher (Manย Utd), James Forrest (Celtic), James Morrison (West Brom), Barry Robson (Middlesbrough), Danny Swanson (Dundee Utd)

  • Forwards:ย David Goodwillie (Blackburn), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton), Kenny Miller (Cardiff), Steven Naismith (Rangers), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United)

How many of those players would get into our squad now (outwith the goalkeepers and assuming no-one is injured)? Probably Fletcher, maybe Miller or Naismith due to our relatively limited striking options right now (although that attack is grim) and maybe Adam.

Really makes me think about how realistic was it to expect to get into the play-offs with this squad - always easier in hindsight though (and we perhaps should've still got into those play-offs despite everything). This squad and the one in the OP seem to be fairly typical of our options in the 2000s and 2010s.

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11 minutes ago, Clyde1998 said:

Looking at the last squad from the Euro 2012 qualifiers (Liechtenstein and Spain away):

  • Goalkeepers:ย Matt Gilks (Blackpool), David Marshall (Cardiff), Allan McGregor (Rangers)

  • Defenders:ย Phil Bardsley (Sunderland),Christophe Berra (Wolves), Gary Caldwell (Wigan), Stephen Crainey (Blackpool), Grant Hanley (Blackburn), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Stephen McManus (Middlesbrough), Steven Whittaker (Rangers)

  • Midfielders:ย Charlie Adam (Liverpool), Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), Don Cowie (Cardiff), Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Darren Fletcher (Manย Utd), James Forrest (Celtic), James Morrison (West Brom), Barry Robson (Middlesbrough), Danny Swanson (Dundee Utd)

  • Forwards:ย David Goodwillie (Blackburn), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton), Kenny Miller (Cardiff), Steven Naismith (Rangers), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United)

How many of those players would get into our squad now (outwith the goalkeepers and assuming no-one is injured)? Probably Fletcher, maybe Miller or Naismith due to our relatively limited striking options right now (although that attack is grim) and maybe Adam.

Really makes me think about how realistic was it to expect to get into the play-offs with this squad - always easier in hindsight though (and we perhaps should've still got into those play-offs despite everything). This squad and the one in the OP seem to be fairly typical of our options in the 2000s and 2010s.

Hanley would because he currently is in our squad when fit. As you say all three keepers would be ahead of our current No 2 keeper. I would say Bardsley or Hutton as well although they wouldn't be first pick for the team. But nobody else apart from the ones you have mentioned.

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1 minute ago, Orraloon said:

Hanley would because he currently is in our squad when fit. As you say all three keepers would be ahead of our current No 2 keeper. I would say Bardsley or Hutton as well although they wouldn't be first pick for the team. But nobody else apart from the ones you have mentioned.

I'm not sure if Hanley at the ability he was at the time would get in the current squad; I think he would've been about 19 at the time and I'm not sure he was playing regularly for Blackburn until latter in that season. I don't think he started a competitive international game until Strachan was manager.

I can't remember what the standard of Hutton at this stage of his career, at his peak he'd be a definite in the squad. Bothย  right-backs were more experienced that any of our current right-back options, which could be an advantage in important matches; perhaps at least one would be ahead of Ralston.

Either way, it shows how far we've come in just over a decade.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 10/11/2022 at 12:41 PM, Clyde1998 said:

Looking at the last squad from the Euro 2012 qualifiers (Liechtenstein and Spain away):

  • Goalkeepers:ย Matt Gilks (Blackpool), David Marshall (Cardiff), Allan McGregor (Rangers)

  • Defenders:ย Phil Bardsley (Sunderland),Christophe Berra (Wolves), Gary Caldwell (Wigan), Stephen Crainey (Blackpool), Grant Hanley (Blackburn), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Stephen McManus (Middlesbrough), Steven Whittaker (Rangers)

  • Midfielders:ย Charlie Adam (Liverpool), Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), Don Cowie (Cardiff), Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Darren Fletcher (Manย Utd), James Forrest (Celtic), James Morrison (West Brom), Barry Robson (Middlesbrough), Danny Swanson (Dundee Utd)

  • Forwards:ย David Goodwillie (Blackburn), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton), Kenny Miller (Cardiff), Steven Naismith (Rangers), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United)

How many of those players would get into our squad now (outwith the goalkeepers and assuming no-one is injured)? Probably Fletcher, maybe Miller or Naismith due to our relatively limited striking options right now (although that attack is grim) and maybe Adam.

Really makes me think about how realistic was it to expect to get into the play-offs with this squad - always easier in hindsight though (and we perhaps should've still got into those play-offs despite everything). This squad and the one in the OP seem to be fairly typical of our options in the 2000s and 2010s.

Berra and Caldwell were EPL players at that point in time (I think) so possibly them too but the likes of Stephen Crainey, Don Cowie, Danny Swanson - nae chance!

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On 10/11/2022 at 1:12 PM, Clyde1998 said:

I'm not sure if Hanley at the ability he was at the time would get in the current squad; I think he would've been about 19 at the time and I'm not sure he was playing regularly for Blackburn until latter in that season. I don't think he started a competitive international game until Strachan was manager.

I can't remember what the standard of Hutton at this stage of his career, at his peak he'd be a definite in the squad. Bothย  right-backs were more experienced that any of our current right-back options, which could be an advantage in important matches; perhaps at least one would be ahead of Ralston.

Either way, it shows how far we've come in just over a decade.

I canโ€™t remember Hutton being involved directly in any goals for Scotland, for all his bombing forward did any of his crosses lead to any goals, if he did I must have missed them.

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2 hours ago, RDFH64 said:

I canโ€™t remember Hutton being involved directly in any goals for Scotland, for all his bombing forward did any of his crosses lead to any goals, if he did I must have missed them.

Transfermarkt has him down for four assists:

Iceland (home 2009)

Six counties (away 2011)

England (away 2013)

Gibraltar (away 2015)

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10 minutes ago, ErsatzThistle said:

Transfermarkt has him down for four assists:

Iceland (home 2009)

Six counties (away 2011)

England (away 2013)

Gibraltar (away 2015)

Nae much for all his caps, always thought he looked better than he was.

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/5/2022 at 6:20 AM, Squirrelhumper said:

His half arsed block for the 1st goal still annoys me.ย 

Some trip that though, one of the best atmostphere's i've heard at an away game.ย 

aside from WC 90 games ; and friendlies in USA & Mexico , away support at San Siro was likely best i've seen (even though we were never at the races ) am sure some will think Sweden in Genoa was better

thats only six away games ive been too i think ; WC 2026 in N.America may be next chance .....

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