Scotland V Norway

[Clyde1998]

2 minutes ago, Scot1 said:

I thought Patterson was good, put a lovely ball in for Brown who missed it. I thought Patterson was good in possession. The problem was down our left side, Taylor. 

I think he's more of a right midfielder than a right back with the attributes he's got. Unfortunately, most sides don't play with traditional right midfielders anymore - only what amounts to wide strikers. He certainly needs to develop defensively.

[Scot1]

1 minute ago, BryanBlessed said:

Not definitely tonight but I think he's a pretty poor defender. Decent going forward, though. I agree on Taylor.

I don’t think he is a poor defender, I think he’s still got to get more experience. Hickey is the better defender at the moment. But Patterson is better going forward. 

[StirlingEgg]

1 minute ago, duncan II said:

Clarke was forced into a couple of changes. He's also in the position of using this game to try a couple of things that are probably not first choice options. What a great position to have been in, especially given the lack of friendly options there will be. And it was a draw, not a defeat. Under the various circumstances, I'm happy. I think people are overreacting a bit. 🙂

Yes the Norway pundit is speaking passionately on our behalf about being at the tournament. He's been quite magnanimous and admitted he's jealous. Puts a bit of perspective on it all. 

[ProudScot]

Taylor was mince. Every goal they scored was getting in behind our left side. 

Brown, Taylor & Clark surely have shown they aren’t international quality tonight.

Fair play to Armstrong, he was very good. And his goal was excellent, all through his own hard work.

I love what Steve Clarke has done and we are in a very good place. I do think he needs a plan B and some selection calls are very odd. Brown tonight for example.

McLean left wing for 45 mins and right wing for 25 was tbh mental. Pick wingers in the squad! 

[Scot1]

4 minutes ago, Clyde1998 said:

I think he's more of a right midfielder than a right back with the attributes he's got. Unfortunately, most sides don't play with traditional right midfielders anymore - only what amounts to wide strikers. He certainly needs to develop defensively.

I think he’ll be an excellent full back, wing back in a few years. I prefer him to Hickey as a wing back because he offers more going forward. Hickey probably the better full back at the moment though 

[BryanBlessed]

I thought when Billy Gilmour starting getting regular game time, that he'd be a nailed-on starter. It seems that isn't going to happen. I'd be a bit annoyed if I were Shankland.

 

It seemed like a good opportunity to use players who have to prove themselves before the Euros. In that respect I can understand starting Brown but I can't understand replacing him with Dykes and not Shankland. Ferguson should have started too.

[Scot1]

4 minutes ago, BryanBlessed said:

I thought when Billy Gilmour starting getting regular game time, that he'd be a nailed-on starter. It seems that isn't going to happen. I'd be a bit annoyed if I were Shankland.

 

It seemed like a good opportunity to use players who have to prove themselves before the Euros. In that respect I can understand starting Brown but I can't understand replacing him with Dykes and not Shankland. Ferguson should have started too.

I don’t know how many times Clarke needs to play Taylor before he realises he’s not good enough. 

[BryanBlessed]

2 minutes ago, Scot1 said:

I don’t know how many times Clarke needs to play Taylor before he realises he’s not good enough. 

How proven is Josh Doig?

[exile]

So glad we didn't need a win to qualify. Imagine going into the last 5 mins 3-2 in the lead, and then...

[aaid]

14 minutes ago, ProudScot said:

McLean left wing for 45 mins and right wing for 25 was tbh mental. Pick wingers in the squad! 

Which wingers would you include?

[Orraloon]

I'm pretty sure I have never before watched a Scotland game where we are drawing with a few minutes to go, and desperately hoping that we don't score. 😂

Pot 3 will do me fine, thank you very much.

[Orraloon]

3 minutes ago, exile said:

So glad we didn't need a win to qualify. Imagine going into the last 5 mins 3-2 in the lead, and then...

That was the old Scotland. We've got things under control now. 😉

[romanticscot]

1 minute ago, aaid said:

Which wingers would you include?

Isn't Lewis Morgan a winger?  Ryan Fraser...I know..I know but he is a winger and Ryan Gauld can play as a left winger. 

[RDFH64]

8 minutes ago, BryanBlessed said:

How proven is Josh Doig?

How proven is Taylor, 100% proven nowhere near good enough!!!

[noctonjock]

If I was josh Doig I'd be thinking what do I have to do to get a game cause the guy in front of me is shite . 

 Obviously not  going  to be too harsh on our manager but to not give Doig a single minute when Taylor was at fault for 3 of the last 5 conceded then questions need to be asked 

[ThistleWhistle]

It meant the square route of fuck all essentially tonight but if it wasn't for that final minutes in Oslo this and Thursday could have been calamitous.

Injury played a massive part but goal keeper and upfront are more obvious an issue than even just a week ago.  Brown isn't international class and doesn't score goals - that Dykes came on and actually did worse is troubling.

I like 4 at the back but that isn't the defence to try it with.  That Patterson looked arguably the best defensively is again troubling.  

I'd have gone 5-3-2 to see if Shankland off Dykes is an option.  It would also be handy to have a wild card raw as fuck like Doak throw on for a bit of excitement (like Bobb) whereas we trialed a 31 year old on the wing who couldn't get near Bobb to help out and we seemed to have no idea how to do it all game - he's playing reserve football and shouldn't be ripping international players a new arsehole.

Ultimately no damage done and fantastic achievement.  Questions can rightly be asked of the manager though on tactics and selection this week outside of the injuries.  I'd also say if we're whoring out caps to England C players we need to focus away from wingers.  

[Caledonian Craig]

On my way home now. We were punished for some dire defending in the first half but we improved in the second half. We did learn a few things though like for third back-up at left-back we need to look at other options. I was giving Taylor praise before these matches whilst others  did say he wasn't up to it. I now concur I was wrong. Also we need to look to other goalkeeping optionsbas we cannot tely on Clark sadly. Brown I would cut some slack as he got no service. The positives were McGinn, Armstrong, Patterson and McTominay.

We could have done with a win but in all honesty Norway deserved the draw.

[Tartan blood]

It's unfortunate to say, but that was the one big chance Brown, Clark and Taylor had to force their way into the reckoning. I don't think any of them will be going to Germany if we have everyone available.

McLean is probably not a starter, but I'd happily see him in the 23 man squad. I'd not have said that 6 months ago.

Ferguson got quite a lot of minutes the last 2 games. I might be in the minority here, but I don't think he showed enough to justify a start just yet.

 

[todd]

John Mcginns post match interview, my wife put me right, I swear he said, when  asked who's idea the T shirts were, he said "it's those eejits at the SFA" Turns out he said, it's either Adidas or the SFA 😁

[Scot1]

10 minutes ago, romanticscot said:

Isn't Lewis Morgan a winger?  Ryan Fraser...I know..I know but he is a winger and Ryan Gauld can play as a left winger. 

Or he could’ve played Ferguson , the guy who’s doing well in Serie A ahead of McLean in either McTominay position and pushed McTominay further up or where McLean ended up on the right. Clarke you need to play the best players available not your favourites

[bigfingers]

8 minutes ago, Tartan blood said:

It's unfortunate to say, but that was the one big chance Brown, Clark and Taylor had to force their way into the reckoning. I don't think any of them will be going to Germany if we have everyone available.

McLean is probably not a starter, but I'd happily see him in the 23 man squad. I'd not have said that 6 months ago.

Ferguson got quite a lot of minutes the last 2 games. I might be in the minority here, but I don't think he showed enough to justify a start just yet.

 

6 months ago when he scored the winner against Norway??

[bigfingers]

Chucking wingers into the squad ain’t gonna solve much. We need Hickey, Robbo, KT and Gunn back for the Euros or we are fcuked. 

[Tartan blood]

Just now, bigfingers said:

6 months ago when he scored the winner against Norway??

I meant just before he did that haha. Since then, he's proven he deserves to be a core member of the squad. Same goes for Porteous. Given a chance and taken it.

23 really isn't a lot. Clarke is going to have to be brutal with his selection. We've also got to think about people like Fraser, Turnbull, Stewart and Doak, whose club form could force them into the reckoning as well.

I think Clarke will have learned a lot tonight. It may actually make the cull for the Euros easier.

[ProudScot]

28 minutes ago, aaid said:

Which wingers would you include?

Well Norway had a guy at a top English club who plays mainly premier league 2 matches and the odd 1st team game and he was brilliant tonight. We could’ve done the same with Ben Doak for example. We certainly could have done better than lumping a 31 year old squad player who is a cm out there I think 

[Scot1]

3 minutes ago, bigfingers said:

Chucking wingers into the squad ain’t gonna solve much. We need Hickey, Robbo, KT and Gunn back for the Euros or we are fcuked. 

And I’d put in Doak, drop Brown.