Scotland v Cyprus and Spain Squad discussion

[thesaint]

Just noticed that 1st and 2nd division and highland league games are being played at the same time as the Cyprus game next Saturday. Is that not unusual for games in Scotland being played at the same time as the International. Remember games starting and finishing before the Scotland game or starting after but didn't think they played at the same time. 

[scotlad]

6 hours ago, Tartan blood said:

 I wonder if it's residual bitterness from what Celtic did last time. I.e not release Taylor, Ralston, Turnbull and McGregor because they "needed" them for a friendly. That would be unfair on the players though. 

Maybe Clarke is just trying narrow down his core group that will be together for a long time. A smaller squad means it's more intimate. No disrespect to Taylor, Shankland, McRorie etc, but they more than likely would just be flashes in the pan before they are replaced with something better.

Callum McGregor is the only Celtic player I'd have in the Scotland squad just now, if everyone's fit.

Well, I'd have some of their other players too, if they were eligible to play for Scotland, but you know what I mean!

Edited March 18, 2023 by scotlad

[Diamond Scot]

22 hours ago, thesaint said:

Also the Celtic boss said Taylor was fit for Scotland. Seems a bit odd that these two players were declared fit by their managers but not by Clarke. It's usually works the other way round with club managers withdrawing their players as unfit. Odd.

Interpreting Anges comments I take it that Taylor is carrying an injury but could still play / be managed through the games. Ange said the rehab info is sent to the national setups and then its for the manager to decide. So I think Clarke has probably thought its in the players best interests to rehab rather than train and most likely not play.

[thesaint]

Paterson not involved in Everton game. So he will be coming into our games cold. When did he last play for Everton?Wonder how he is considered fit enough to be included but not the likes of Shankland or Nisbet?

[todd]

3 hours ago, scotlad said:

Callum McGregor is the only Celtic player I'd have in the Scotland squad just now, if everyone's fit.

Well, I'd have some of their other players too, if they were eligible to play for Scotland, but you know what I mean!

Yep, bit of a dearth of Scottish players playing for them.  Everyone singing Anges' praises but, personally, I wish he'd fuck off!

Edited March 18, 2023 by todd

[DAVIDB46]

2 hours ago, Diamond Scot said:

Interpreting Anges comments I take it that Taylor is carrying an injury but could still play / be managed through the games. Ange said the rehab info is sent to the national setups and then its for the manager to decide. So I think Clarke has probably thought its in the players best interests to rehab rather than train and most likely not play.

No way should players be allowed to use international fixtures for building up fitness for club level .

we aren’t the fittest national team in the world and looks like we are going to carry lots of players who have little playing time anyway without allowing injured players to play. 

[Diamond Scot]

Just now, DAVIDB46 said:

No way should players be allowed to use international fixtures for building up fitness for club level .

we aren’t the fittest national team in the world and looks like we are going to carry lots of players who have little playing time anyway without allowing injured players to play. 

I think its more recovering from an injury rather than building up fitness. Would we really want to play Taylor if he was carrying a knock?

He is 3rd choice LB, possibly 4th so highly unlikely to feature. Whats the point of him strughling through training sessions, possibly having to sit them out, taking injections etc. 

Would be different if it was a starter but not a squad player.

[ceudmilefailte]

17 minutes ago, Diamond Scot said:

I think its more recovering from an injury rather than building up fitness. Would we really want to play Taylor if he was carrying a knock?

He is 3rd choice LB, possibly 4th so highly unlikely to feature. Whats the point of him strughling through training sessions, possibly having to sit them out, taking injections etc. 

Would be different if it was a starter but not a squad player.

Exactly, how many left backs do we need? 

[Kirk]

3 hours ago, todd said:

Yep, bit of a dearth of Scottish players playing for them.  Everyone singing Anges' praises but, personally, I wish he'd fuck off!

Aye would be shite to miss out on the great football Celtic have been playing. Get someone in that's going to play dull boring football and bring the Scottish League back down

 

[todd]

19 minutes ago, Kirk said:

Aye would be shite to miss out on the great football Celtic have been playing. Get someone in that's going to play dull boring football and bring the Scottish League back down

 

Yeah, he's been just great for 'Scottish' football

Edited March 18, 2023 by todd

[dan cake]

4 minutes ago, todd said:

Yeah, he's been just great for 'Scottish' football

😆

[Kirk]

1 hour ago, todd said:

Yeah, he's been just great for 'Scottish' football

He has, the football on offer to watch has been much better.

Young players at Celtic although not playing much first team will be reaping the benefits of watching and training with the first team. Ideally yes they would play more Scottish players but at the end of the day maybe they're just not good enough and football is about winning.

[Third Lanark]

22 hours ago, thesaint said:

Maybe,but at least Shankland is having a good spell just now(which is when it matters)scoring goals which is more than can be said for the forwards included in the squad. Frightening lack of recent goals by any of them. Think Shankland or Nisbet could at least have been on the bench to provide an option if we are struggling. No fire power on the bench in this squad at all. 

Sorry but Shankland's goals are coming against very average SPL defences. We really could do with a prolific scorer in the English Championship.

[thesaint]

2 hours ago, Third Lanark said:

Sorry but Shankland's goals are coming against very average SPL defences. We really could do with a prolific scorer in the English Championship. 

Maybe, but he is scoring goals and am sure he feels he can score anytime he plays at the moment. Confidence is very important in a striker. Don't know where Jacob Brown's confidence will come from. Is hardly on a hot streak with Stoke. Can see no reason for him being in the squad ahead of Shankland. Hope i' m wrong and hope he knocks in a goal or two over the next couple of games. 

[thesaint]

2 hours ago, Third Lanark said:

Sorry but Shankland's goals are coming against very average SPL defences. We really could do with a prolific scorer in the English Championship.

We have one. McBurnie just scored his 13th of the season. Not bad. Oh i forgot. We are supposed to hate him. 

[Third Lanark]

4 minutes ago, thesaint said:

We have one. McBurnie just scored his 13th of the season. Not bad. Oh i forgot. We are supposed to hate him. 

I don't hate him. But he is committed: he travelled to South America with McLeish when nearly everyone else cried off.

[thesaint]

8 minutes ago, Third Lanark said:

I don't hate him. But he is committed: he travelled to South America with McLeish when nearly everyone else cried off.

Shh. Keep that quite. Commitment to playing for Scotland isn't required on this forum. The opposite in fact. Incredible. 

[ceudmilefailte]

1 hour ago, thesaint said:

We have one. McBurnie just scored his 13th of the season. Not bad. Oh i forgot. We are supposed to hate him. 

Sheffield Utd fans hated him for long enough too. Nice 98th minute clearence to finish the game of today. Major part of his game according to the Sheffield United forum.

Any of our other forwards any good defensively? 

[Tartan Chris]

Dykes is miles off it.

From his good spell around 2019/20 he's been declining for a few years and just coming back off a health issue so I'd question Clarke significantly if he's thrown in from the start for these games. Last 10 minute sub option if a goal down is logical.

In reality it will be Che upfront with all the midfielders behind him. Lewis Ferguson is a goal threat and scored a couple in Serie A so I'd be starting him v Cyprus for sure just to freshen things up with in form player.

McGinn is back in form for Villa so that's a huge plus and we know he's a serious goal threat anyway.

Looking at the Spain squad and it looks miles off what they were putting out a decade ago. They'll endlessly dominate possession so just have to sit in and wait for breaks on counter or get a goal from a set piece. I think it's possible to get a draw from that game so 4 points from opening two would get everyone confident for another success euros qualifying campaign. 

[Tartan Chris]

On 3/14/2023 at 12:59 PM, N4Footsoldier said:

Wasn't aware Paterson was fit, that's a boost.

No real surprises, Clarke has a core nucleus of a squad nowadays similar to any established national team coach ends up with. You could argue there is value in leaving out x player and try to bring in y player etc but for the sake of continuity no complaints.

Only new concern is the form of a lot of the players atm, not to mention existing concerns about depth in defence and attack.

Patterson wasn't on the bench for Everton yesterday so I think that's a huge risk just to chuck him back in. He last played for them on January 3rd.

Hickey is starting regularly for Brentford and they've lost one premier league match since October so it might be a Scottish disease but play in form players in their correct positions perhaps.....

[todd]

5 minutes ago, Tartan Chris said:

Dykes is miles off it.

From his good spell around 2019/20 he's been declining for a few years and just coming back off a health issue so I'd question Clarke significantly if he's thrown in from the start for these games. Last 10 minute sub option if a goal down is logical.

In reality it will be Che upfront with all the midfielders behind him. Lewis Ferguson is a goal threat and scored a couple in Serie A so I'd be starting him v Cyprus for sure just to freshen things up with in form player.

McGinn is back in form for Villa so that's a huge plus and we know he's a serious goal threat anyway.

Looking at the Spain squad and it looks miles off what they were putting out a decade ago. They'll endlessly dominate possession so just have to sit in and wait for breaks on counter or get a goal from a set piece. I think it's possible to get a draw from that game so 4 points from opening two would get everyone confident for another success euros qualifying campaign. 

Another successful euros qualifying campaign?  What since the euro 96 qualifying campaign? 😁

[Tartan Chris]

Well yes qualified for the last euros unless I missed something?

O.k it was through the nations league play off insurance but with Belgium and Russia in the group it was going to be a big ask to finish 2nd especially given start of that McLeish was in charge. Easier group for the World cup pool and 2nd was comfortably secured in the end.

I think this is going to be more difficult. Norway surely got enough about them to have a proper go at qualifying automatically given this is the weakest Spain selection for many years back to front (look at that goal Kepa let in yesterday).

Not beating Cyprus at home would be like 3-0 in Kazakhstan for me, qualification pretty much over at that moment so can't mess up and then try to get a 1-1 v Spain.

Georgia's going to be really difficult aswell as usual with that Napoli wizard they have.

[Tartan Chris]

Oh to have a forward like Evan Ferguson coming through...this lad can finish.

Republic of Ireland finally got a good CF in their ranks again.

[Dodger]

49 minutes ago, Tartan Chris said:

Patterson wasn't on the bench for Everton yesterday so I think that's a huge risk just to chuck him back in. He last played for them on January 3rd.

Hickey is starting regularly for Brentford and they've lost one premier league match since October so it might be a Scottish disease but play in form players in their correct positions perhaps.....

My guess is that Patterson will withdraw from the squad in the next couple of days. 

Could see the same happening with Cooper as well as hasn't played in ages. 

[dan cake]

37 minutes ago, Tartan Chris said:

Not beating Cyprus at home would be like 3-0 in Kazakhstan for me, qualification pretty much over at that moment so can't mess up and then try to get a 1-1 v Spain.

Every game against Cyprus Iv attended we’ve been fortunate to win