QwaarJet Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Assuming all the injury news is bad, here is the team I would expect Marshall Hutton Hanley Martin Robertson Brown McCarthur Ritchie Naismith Maloney Fletcher Grazza, you understand Morrison is suspended? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Assuming all the injury news is bad, here is the team I would expect Marshall Hutton Hanley Martin Robertson Brown McCarthur Ritchie Naismith Maloney Fletcher Grazza, you understand Morrison is suspended? I'd be surprised if this isn't the team, although there is a question mark over Ritchie's position. I'd definitely play him, but has Forrest played his way into a starting position? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAFC. Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Are folk mental suggesting Fletcher up front? He's hopeless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Are folk mental suggesting Fletcher up front? He's hopeless. No, they just see that Fletcher is the best choice we have to save completely changing the way we've played for years now, for the most important game we've played in years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tintax Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 We can hope/pray as much as we want that Strachan will play the likes of Anya and Ritchie, but I'm willing to bet, (quite a considerable amount) it will be exactly the same starting XI that lined up against the Germans, bar maybe D. Fletcher coming in for the suspended Morrison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distant Doonhamer Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 We can hope/pray as much as we want that Strachan will play the likes of Anya and Ritchie, but I'm willing to bet, (quite a considerable amount) it will be exactly the same starting XI that lined up against the Germans, bar maybe D. Fletcher coming in for the suspended Morrison. There will be at least 2 changes to the starting line-up from Germany game given Morrison is suspended and Mulgrew hasn`t played in the last 6 Celtic games and still hasn`t returned to training. I fully expect Marshall, Hutton, Martin, Hanley, Brown, McArthur, Maloney, Naismith and S. Fletcher to start. To me that leaves decision between Robertson and Whittaker at LB. Then one of Ritchie, Anya (if fit) and Forrest for one of the wide positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mizfit Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Graham Dorrans been called up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Why are people so convinced that Steven Fletcher is our best option? If that really is the case, then we're as well just not turning up on Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distant Doonhamer Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Why are people so convinced that Steven Fletcher is our best option? If that really is the case, then we're as well just not turning up on Thursday. I`m not convinced he is our best option. I am convinced he will start on Thursday though. None of the striking options are great in all honesty. I`d rate Naismith as the best but suspect he`ll play off the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Why are people so convinced that Steven Fletcher is our best option? If that really is the case, then we're as well just not turning up on Thursday. Because he is. If we have one strength, it's our midfielders, and playing Steven Fletcher gives them the best chance of getting forward and into the game. Given that none of them are the creative types, playing a forward who doesn't do that as well, and wants the service to funnel to him rather than from him, will not work. If we had a better option, we'd be playing him instead. It really is that simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 forameus, on 05 Oct 2015 - 12:41, said:If we had a better option, we'd be playing him instead. That's just not the case. We're not giving anyone else a chance to be a better option. It's Fletcher or nothing right now, and that's because Strachan has his favourites. Naismith did a fabulous job of towing the line against Croatia and yet he hasn't played the position since. He's our best option there, he can score goals at a decent level, and yet doesn't ever play there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 That's just not the case. We're not giving anyone else a chance to be a better option. It's Fletcher or nothing right now, and that's because Strachan has his favourites. Naismith did a fabulous job of towing the line against Croatia and yet he hasn't played the position since. He's our best option there, he can score goals at a decent level, and yet doesn't ever play there. At least you've not gone down the line of claiming Rhodes to be the savior. I wouldn't be unhappy if Naismith got the nod, but feel he'd be better playing behind Fletcher, rather than instead of. If you think he's our best option, fair enough. Strachan doesn't though, clearly, and up until the Georgia game it was working fine. I don't think our biggest game in years is the time to tentatively test the waters to see if someone might do better there. We need to play to our strengths, and Fletcher is the one that will bring those strengths out the best. Naismith second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Rhodes is unproven, but wouldn't mind seeing him at least get a shot. I don't think Poland is the game for that though. Naismith HAS done better there and thus I reckon he should get the nod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distant Doonhamer Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Just picked this up from the BBC website. Kind of puts our striking options into perspective. Robert Lewandowski's superb goalscoring run continued as Bayern Munich thrashed Borussia Dortmund to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga. Striker Lewandowski, 27, scored twice in the second half to take his tally to 12 goals in the last four games. Mind you nothing to worry about in reality. It`s not as if he`s playing in the "Best League in the World" and obviously Fletcher and Naismith are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordopolis Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 interesting to see we're nose-to-nose with Poland at the bookies - even slight favourites. 33-20 for a Scotland win and 31-20 for a Poland win. The mood in the press and on here it feels more like we're quite heavy underdogs. Also, Anya sat out training today, so it might be best to keep him on the bench. We've seen recently how much less he offers when he's not 100% on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordopolis Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Just picked this up from the BBC website. Kind of puts our striking options into perspective. Robert Lewandowski's superb goalscoring run continued as Bayern Munich thrashed Borussia Dortmund to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga. Striker Lewandowski, 27, scored twice in the second half to take his tally to 12 goals in the last four games. Mind you nothing to worry about in reality. It`s not as if he`s playing in the "Best League in the World" and obviously Fletcher and Naismith are. Big Boaby's tally is impressive (<-something deeply troubling about that statement in an un-football-related way), but the 12 in 4 is a freak run even for him. He's quality, no doubt, but he's 'just' a goal every other game man normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Plus, he's not going to have the likes of Muller, Gotze and Costa providing for him on Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordopolis Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Apparently Hampden will be getting the tail end of Hurricane Joaquin by Thursday night. I feel there's a pun about flag-poles, flying high or hanging limp in there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Moonster Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 If Anya isn't fit I'd rather see Shinnie play left midfield than Forrest. Ritchie would be fine as well but Shinnie is a bit more physical than him and is more likely to cover defensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lichtie23 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 If Anya isn't fit I'd rather see Shinnie play left midfield than Forrest. Ritchie would be fine as well but Shinnie is a bit more physical than him and is more likely to cover defensively. I don't want to see Forrest anywhere near Hampden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.