Tartan Blood

I don't think many level headed people here are suggesting wholesale changes. However, there is one that has been forced upon us - Che Adams. Secondly, 2021's best player, Grant Hanley, is now available. Those 2 players create a debate, whether you like it or not. Ideally McTominay would be pushed into midfield and we play 1 striker, meaning no one needs to be sacrificed from Israel. However, that is a bit of an unnecessary negative lineup against the Faroes. Playing a back 5 with 3 holding midfielders might hinder our attacking prowess. Our "strongest" team against the Faroes isn't the "strongest" team versus Denmark, for example. Tactics and personnel change based on opponents. Clarke knows this, and I trust him to pick the best 11 for this game.

No one that I know of. We will be in a seriously dire situation if not a single new viable striker emerges in the next 7 years though. You never know, it could be a known player e.g Shankland, Watt, Stewart, McBurnie. None of them sound very appealing right now, but crazier things have happened.

Apologies, I misinterpreted what you said. You're absolutely right. If Adams' injury turns out worse than expected and Dykes gets a yellow tomorrow, we only really have Nisbet left against Moldova! He needs more than token minutes. I'm a little bit torn on who to play tomorrow. The heroes against Israel deserve a start, but we also need to think longer term about utilising the squad properly. By the sounds of Clarke's press conference, he is going to make a few changes. Hopefully nothing too extreme though.

What makes you say that? Dykes is only 2 years older. Adams is only 1 year older. By the time Dykes and Adams are spent, surely some more striking options will have come along. I do rate Nisbet though, and would be more than happy if he surpassed the other 2, but this dearth of striking options wont last another 5-7 years.

He's a rare breed of footballer where when you see him beside you, it gives you the confidence that you can win games. Sorry to reference Celtic, but Sutton, I think it was, said no matter who you were playing, if Larsson was there, you had the belief you could get a result. I genuinely think Gilmour has brought that to the team. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious.

I'm not having a go at McTominay. Far from it. I just said I'd rather have him in midfield. He has some strong qualities that work well in our back 5 system. "Get away with it" was probably the wrong phrase to use, because I think he could excel against the Faroes and others at RCB. My thoughts are more along the lines of, we have Hanley and Hendry, who are 2 top class defenders. As well as Cooper and McKenna, who aren't far behind. When we are up against elite attackers, I'd feel more comfortable with a back 3 of Hendry, Hanley and Tierney. McTominay can sit in front of them in midfield. The dillemma is who to leave out. McGregor is really the only one that could make way.

I think that honour still goes to McFadden for me. In a Scotland jersey only (before anyone starts talking about his club form). Bit too early to say that for Gilmour, but the signs are that it could well be true within a year or two. Last night was his best game. If he plays like that every game, he'll surpass McFadden quickly.

I said exactly this in another post. It's amazing how divisive opinions are on McTominay. Before last night it seemed like the majority wanted him in a back 3 (I didn't). Now there is talk of him being benched. McGregor is probably the only player that could be dropped, but it would be very harsh on him as well. We'll probably get away with him in a back 3 versus the Faroes, but we won't against a lot of other opponents. So, if the intention isn't to play him there long term, I'd rather he was removed from the defence and allow some partnerships to form.

I think against top tier teams, we'll need to be playing both Hendry and Hanley in the back 3. So games against the likes of the Faroes and Moldova would be a good time to let them gel more. You're right, on paper, you'd expect McTominay to be one of the first names on the teamsheet in midfield. If it weren't for the emergence of Gilmour, and McGregor's renaissance, it would be pretty straight forward. It's a good conundrum to have. We have dillemmas in just about every position these days.

Adams did alright in spells, but he is essentially doing the same job as Dykes. Which seems like a bit of a waste when you have a lot of attacking flair sitting on the bench. I like Nisbet, but I'd rather have Christie or Fraser starting.

McTominay staying in the back 3 will be absolutely fine against the Faroes, but I'm really not a fan of him playing there long term. Does Hendry deserve to be dropped more than McTominay? It's a really tough call.

Adams came off injured, so I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't start. But you might be right. I'd be more than happy to see the exact same 11.

To be honest, if it weren't for McTominay's last minute winner, I'd probably have said he should be on the bench. But after those heroics I think he deserves a game in his natural position. Ideally, we'd be playing Gilmour, McTominay, McGregor and McGinn in midfield, but that doesn't work in our 532 system. Our squad depth has almost become a hindrance!

I'm not resting him, I'm rotating him. The last few months, McGregor has been a totally different player. He's been a man possessed since the Euros. I'd happily see him in the starting 11. But I would also like to see McTominay and Gilmour in the midfield together.

I agree with this, but I'd keep both Gilmour and Patterson in the team. If the intention is to have them as first team players for the next decade, we want to give them as much game time as possible. Patterson especially, because he looked a bit hesitant to get forward at times last night, so we need to beat that out of him. Faroes would be a perfect game for him to boost his confidence. Gordon Hendry Hanley Tierney Patterson Robertson McTominay Gilmour McGinn Dykes Christie

Yes. Which is why he is on a tightrope and not already ruled out.

Exactly. We are creating a settled team. The more games we keep them together the better. A couple of tweeks is fine, but wholesale changes would be counterproductive and potentially suicide against a Faroes that are far better than they are credited with. Goals have been a big issue up until last night, so let's add more to the tally. McGinn is only 2 goals away from being in our top 10 goalscorers of all time! Dykes is on a scoring streak, so we definitely want to keep that going as well.

Spot on. That was the pinnacle of footballing entertainment. Of course there were mistakes, but they are all human beings, and if we produced a faultless display then that would take a bit of the excitement out of the game. I'll take multiple errors every game if it results in that spectacle!

They absolutely were class. Arguably our 4 best players really stepped up to the mark tonight! I have no problem with the odd mistakes Patterson made, that's natural. But there were a few times where he had a wide open space to run into but chose the safe option. You can see when he attacks, exciting things happen. Once he gets the bravery to go at teams more often, he'll be talked about the same way those other guys are. I sadly wasn't at the game, but that was pure entertainment. That's what football is all about!

I'm guessing you mean Robertson, and, yes, he has. With maybe the exception of Hanley. But anyone watching the game tonight would surely see why he is our captain and has amassed 50 caps. I'm so happy for him getting a couple of assists to boost his stats as well. He is our one inarguable World Class player.

Diasgree. Gilmour has joined Robertson on the same planet. And quite a few orbitting, ready to land. Every time we upgrade a position, it makes games like this possible. Patterson will (hopefully) show he is the next upgrade. No disrespect to their predecessors, but the team seems to be getting stronger and stronger every few months right now.

Is it even worth mentioning Gilmour? Does it go without saying how phenomenal he was? What an immense talent. He was everywhere. I'm calling it now, he'll end up with one of our highest caps tallies. Right alongside Robertson, who was also incredible tonight. 2 very deserved assists for him.

2021 alone is going to be the inspiration for a whole new wave of talent. I'm certain of it.

I'm struggling to think of a better game of football. That had everything!

I'm quite surprised at how many people are championing a Dykes-Adams partnership since it has basically never worked. They have nice interlink play and seem to have a good understanding, but that has almost never translated into goals. (With 1 or 2 exceptions) As others have said, the times we have been most successful against Israel is when we are playing 2 out-and-out wingers high up the pitch. I'm not suggesting we change the formation (because I don't think Clarke will do that) but we should have at least 1 of Christie or Fraser starting and given license to roam.