macy37 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Is saying the EPL is better than the SPFL really talking Scotland down? I read Proud Scot's comments to mean he wants Scotland players to be playing at the highest level. To me - that is the champions league and sadly the SPFL champions in recent years have not managed to even reach the group stages. The Scottish co-efficient in recent years has plummeted - it is currently not a great league. Not terrible but not great. Bang on. 100% realist talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASTA Mick Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Goal for Ryan Fraser. Get him in the starting XI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOUBLE A Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Adam not even in the squad. They were open to offers for him apparently. No much chance of a game there now. Think Adam is out with an injury, got taken off last week in the cup game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Return of Yermaw Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 It may not be the best in the world, like Sky says indeed. but... If it isnt a very good league then what the hell does that make the SPL!? :-)) A league that you clearly don't watch or care about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASTA Mick Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Berra gives away a penalty. Needlessly. I wish we had a decent centre-back or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killiefaetheferry Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Agree 100%, at international level keeping possession is vital, he's the best we have at that.This is why Bridcutt is worth a shout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Return of Yermaw Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Bang on. 100% realist talk. Is Johnny Russell a significantly better player now than he was with Dundee Utd? Is Tony Watt now better? Will we see an unbelievable player in Cowie at Hearts that will stand out from the rest of the league? Would Whittaker or Hutton be the best full back in the SPL if they returned? Etc etc. You can be a good player in any league. Dutch players play all over Europe. The Eridevse is weaker than what it once was - I wonder if Dutch fans tune in to the Bundesliga every week at the expense of going to their local team and pray their best players end up playing in the Bundesliga 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Is saying the EPL is better than the SPFL really talking Scotland down? I read Proud Scot's comments to mean he wants Scotland players to be playing at the highest level. To me - that is the champions league and sadly the SPFL champions in recent years have not managed to even reach the group stages. The Scottish co-efficient in recent years has plummeted - it is currently not a great league. Not terrible but not great. They'd have more chance of playing CL if they went elsewhere other than England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 A league that you clearly don't watch or care about. Indeed. Glad I'm not the only person who can see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Berra gives away a penalty. Needlessly. I wish we had a decent centre-back or two. And yet some were suggesting that he should start as part of a three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girvanTA Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 And yet some were suggesting that he should start as part of a three. I did suggest that however if we were to scrutinise every player that we have, then we might as well give up now. Every player we have has made a mistake, some more than others and still are in our first team squad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I did suggest that however if we were to scrutinise every player that we have, then we might as well give up now. Every player we have has made a mistake, some more than others and still are in our first team squad You have two choices when working out which formation to play. You can choose a formation that suits your preferred method of playing and if you don't have the players that can play in that formation you go out and get ones that can. This works best in club football, especially those with large budgets or for national teams that have a larger pool of players to choose from. Alternatively, you can take a long term view and put into place a system of youth development that is designed to produce players who play to that system. If you have a limited pool of players to choose from - either a club with a limited budget or one of the smaller nations, like Scotland - then if you are a clever manager you adopt a formation that works best with the players available to you and this is what Strachan has done. He plays 4-2-3-1 because we are not blessed with huge amounts of talent at centre forward and centre back, whereas we do have relative strength in midfield. We also don't have - I'm prepared to be corrected on this - players who are experienced in playing at wing back and I'd point out that there is a big difference between playing as a full back or playing as wide midfielder, which Ikechi Anya has done, to playing as a wing back. Most teams today play some form of variation of 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 and so they are formations that our players are comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalgety Bay TA Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Most teams today play some form of variation of 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 and so they are formations that our players are comfortable with. And considering the limited time Strachan has with the players, and the fact that squads will have some degree of variation of members from match day to match day, then using a lot of that time fitting our players into 3 in the back formations which the vast majority of them will not be familiar with, is a waste of his and their time IMO. Or rather it could be better spent working to our strengths that we do have. We have tried to adapt the formation at times but you only have to look at the abortion the opening period of the Gibraltar home game was, against very limited opposition, to see the effects of an unfamiliar system on our team. Take that uncertainty into a game v a reasonably decent opponent and we would be ripped a new one. The vast majority of the players play 4231/433 formations, stick with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASTA Mick Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 And yet some were suggesting that he should start as part of a three. I don't think there is much wrong with the suggestion. All our centre-backs are poor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I don't think there is much wrong with the suggestion. All our centre-backs are poor. See above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radian_13 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 The standard of this opening 20 mins (Aberdeen vs Celtic) is shocking!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishedgar Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 It wasn't the fact that we played with a 3 v Gibraltar that was the mistake. Playing 2 attacking full backs in the 3 was! Incidentally, I agree that we should play a back 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 The standard of this opening 20 mins (Aberdeen vs Celtic) is shocking!!Was a poor start. Aberdeen very panicked in possession and resorted to just clearing it. It improved dramatically though. I notice you failed to comment on some of the later excellent play and the 30 yard screamer though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Was a poor start. Aberdeen very panicked in possession and resorted to just clearing it. It improved dramatically though. I notice you failed to comment on some of the later excellent play and the 30 yard screamer though... A thirty yard screamer from an Irishman wouldn't really be for this thread though, Scotland Players in Action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 James McArthur has just tweeted that he's done his ankle ligaments and is out for the season. Not good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 A thirty yard screamer from an Irishman wouldn't really be for this thread though, Scotland Players in Action.He made a comment on the game as a whole. As did I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radian_13 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Was a poor start. Aberdeen very panicked in possession and resorted to just clearing it. It improved dramatically though. I notice you failed to comment on some of the later excellent play and the 30 yard screamer though... Aye the rest of the game was no bad, more of what I was expecting. My comment was just from surprise to how pish the start was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByronLoon1986 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Graeme Shinnie has got to get a start for Scotland IMO.. Never mind this in the squad pish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmcca5 Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 James McArthur is out for the rest of the season with tore ligaments. He and Morrison are big misses for us. IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASTA Mick Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 James McArthur is out for the rest of the season with tore ligaments. He and Morrison are big misses for us. IMHO. We don't have any competitive games so it's a chance for others in friendlies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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