Albania vs Scotland

[craigkillie]

4 minutes ago, Meadow_Jock said:

Hendry is not good enough, and should never have been ahead of Bates once, let alone twice.

Enthusiasm aside, it's hard to see what McBurnie's purpose is (it certainly isn't goals) yet he's a regular feature in the squad, whilst Harper isn't given the slightest of chances however many of our scant array of strikers pussy out.

I have no problem with these guys not being picked in the long run, I have a problem with none of them being tried whilst the same bunch of auld-boys club huddies are reselected repeatedly.

You have identified Hendry and McBurnie as "auld-boys club huddies" - both of them made their Scotland debut this year. In fact, in the original squad the only players with more than 10 caps were McGregor, Gordon, Robertson, Mulgrew, Tierney, Forrest, Fletcher and Phillips, which isn't a lot of guys being "reselected repeatedly".

McBurnie and Harper are about the same age, and McBurnie has had a far more successful career to date in terms of goals and games played. Harper has only started playing regular first-team football this season, and has only scored two senior goals in his entire career. He's also injured right now.

[Monkey Tennis]

12 hours ago, Meadow_Jock said:

One of the biggest positives of yesterday's massacre was the enforced inclusion of Bates.

Not because he was particularly outstanding, but more because he should now serve as a constant rusty-haired reminder that the likes of Harper, Henderson, Gauld et al shouldn't necessarily be ignored just because they've had the temerity to move to countries which speak a different language.

I've done some research, and it turns out that a number of the world's best teams don't write players off on this basis. Who fucking knew?

What nonsense.

There's no evidence whatever that foreign based players of the required standard have been getting overlooked on that basis.

[HoBNob]

I did wonder if McCleish was bring on McTominay to give him some match fitness ahead of starting him on Tuesday? Will just wait and see I suppose. 

My main worry is that we were absolutely rinsed down the right hand side against Israel last time and all the threat seemed to be coming that way aswell last night. 

[Scotty Tunbridge]

I did wonder if McCleish was bring on McTominay to give him some match fitness ahead of starting him on Tuesday? Will just wait and see I suppose.

 

Or in the real world it’s just because Armstrong did a power of running in the position he was playing and the game was over so it keeps him fitter for Tuesday... oh and Mctominay is the best option on the bench to replace him.

[JamesP_81]

Was refreshing seeing the team not just be a young team on paper but play like a young team without a spine of auld hands to remind the youngsters that it's actually Scotland and not to get carried away trying anything adventurous. Some of the runs and interplay between forrest fraser and Christie was immense and definitely think that fletcher is the perfect foil with the 3 of them buzzing around him. No reason why our midfield can't be the most solid in our league.

[FullTimePint]

I think after some messing around, the coaching team may actually have stumbled on to a decent formation/style of play for us. As has been said, the middle three were outstanding, the backline looked robust enough (i actually didnt think Paterson played that badly, you can see he is there to be a unit to win the knockdowns on the long diagonals to feed the front 5, i thought it worked well), and we limited Albania to huffing and puffing a midfield battle.

I shuddered when i saw Fletcher up front for us, as for me he is now one of those player i inexplicably don't like in a Scotland jersey, as is James Forrest, but both i thought had fine games. If we take Griffiths out of the picture, then we probably arent blessed with a clinical 1 chance 1 goal type of striker, so the tactic of using the CF as the link up man for midfield runners is probably the best way forward. It gives us a decent amount of options, as weirdly attacking midfield/wingers we have a few that can slot into the squad. I think McGregor and Armstrong anchoring is the most solid we have looked.

I agree to an extent that we still aren't getting the best out of Robertson in an attacking sense, but i actually think that most of the system/formation issues have been around trying to get the best out of him going forward. Most games Scotland won't dominate possession in the same way Liverpool will, so long as he is robust as part of that back 4 then that should allow a bite more freedom to the midfield to go and create, then i am happy with that.

[sick boy]

On 18/11/2018 at 01:17, Valhalla said:

Some difference when you have midfielders who actually have skill and composure, McGregor and Christie, compared to haddy’s like McGinn and MacDonald. 

Tierney at RB, Griffiths upfront and we have the makings of a good team. 

 

 

Still salty about not signing McGinn? Easily our best defensive midfielder that also has a lot to offer going forward also.

[Coooombe]

58 minutes ago, sick boy said:

Still salty about not signing McGinn? Easily our best defensive midfielder that also has a lot to offer going forward also.

Chasing the ball about like a madman is a useful trait in some scenarios, but it would give me the absolute fear if it was the anchor in our midfield that was doing it. There's definitely a place for McGinn in the squad but there's no way I'd have him as our main defensive midfielder - or in the team at all unless there is someone miles more disciplined that will sit in there beside him.  

[Valhalla]

1 hour ago, sick boy said:

Still salty about not signing McGinn? Easily our best defensive midfielder that also has a lot to offer going forward also.

McGinn isn’t a defensive midfielder. 

 

If you think McGinn is a better player than McGregor though  you don’t have a clue about football.   

[sick boy]

1 hour ago, Valhalla said:

McGinn isn’t a defensive midfielder. 

 

If you think McGinn is a better player than McGregor though  you don’t have a clue about football.   

McGinn > Mcgregor 

To say John McGinn has no skill is laughable 

 

[sick boy]

1 hour ago, Valhalla said:

McGinn isn’t a defensive midfielder. 

 

If you think McGinn is a better player than McGregor though  you don’t have a clue about football.   

Just need to read most of your posts to see your clear bias mate

 

[Valhalla]

29 minutes ago, sick boy said:

Just need to read most of your posts to see your clear bias mate

 

What bias?

 

I’ve got about about 4 posts and hadn’t mentioned either McGregor or McGinn in any of them. 

 

Very good posting a gif of a goal. I’m sure there’s probably a gif of Callum Paterson making a good tackle, it doesn’t mean he’s Baresi. 

[The Moonster]

6 hours ago, FullTimePint said:

I think after some messing around, the coaching team may actually have stumbled on to a decent formation/style of play for us. As has been said, the middle three were outstanding, the backline looked robust enough (i actually didnt think Paterson played that badly, you can see he is there to be a unit to win the knockdowns on the long diagonals to feed the front 5, i thought it worked well), and we limited Albania to huffing and puffing a midfield battle.

I shuddered when i saw Fletcher up front for us, as for me he is now one of those player i inexplicably don't like in a Scotland jersey, as is James Forrest, but both i thought had fine games. If we take Griffiths out of the picture, then we probably arent blessed with a clinical 1 chance 1 goal type of striker, so the tactic of using the CF as the link up man for midfield runners is probably the best way forward. It gives us a decent amount of options, as weirdly attacking midfield/wingers we have a few that can slot into the squad. I think McGregor and Armstrong anchoring is the most solid we have looked.

I agree to an extent that we still aren't getting the best out of Robertson in an attacking sense, but i actually think that most of the system/formation issues have been around trying to get the best out of him going forward. Most games Scotland won't dominate possession in the same way Liverpool will, so long as he is robust as part of that back 4 then that should allow a bite more freedom to the midfield to go and create, then i am happy with that.

Agree with much of your post aside from the first line in bold - I would argue that after some experimental stumbling around with 3-5-2/3-6-1 we've reverted back to the formation which saw us perform best previously. We just look so much more comfortable in the 4-5-1 (or 4-2-3-1 if you want to call it that), even when some players are playing out of position we still hold our shape much better in that formation. For me it's now about getting people fit and building the team around the younger guys we have.

I didn't bother coming on here during the game and I haven't bothered reading the rest of the thread but I sincerely hope all the "wen's Fraser gonnae drop oot?" c***s got it absolutely stinking when he plumped that first in the bottom corner.  I would be disappointed in P&B otherwise.

[Savage Henry]

Just need to read most of your posts to see your clear bias mate
 

He’s expressing a preference for one player over another. That’s literally impossible to do without bias.

[sick boy]

4 minutes ago, Savage Henry said:

He’s expressing a preference for one player over another. That’s literally impossible to do without bias.

I mean for Celtic, even claiming in recent times we should have Neil Lennon appointed in place of McLeish

[Barney Rubble]

On 18/11/2018 at 11:18, LinkinFighter said:

Albania were at the last Euros and possibly won a game whilst there. It was a great result for us to beat them home and away.

No possibly about it. They beat Romania 1-0.

Whereas Scotland have been posted missing at the finals of every major tournament this century to date.

[Barney Rubble]

On 18/11/2018 at 14:37, Gordopolis said:

IIRC Israel's greatest threat was down their left (our right), so it might be worth anchoring that position a bit more solidly. Is Shinnie a more defensively sound option than Paterson? I dunno. 

If Shinnie is brought in he should be forced to shave off his beard but keep a tache tho.

P.S. I see that tool Mavraj is saying it was Ryan Christie's fault that he got sent off because Christie made him angry 

The logic that underpins the history of Albanian blood feuds.

[Gordopolis]

27 minutes ago, Barney Rubble said:

The logic that underpins the history of Albanian blood feuds.

And childrens' rationale for their temper tantrums

[King Kebab]

The logic that underpins the history of Albanian blood feuds.

This raises the idea that Christie is now at war with Mavraj as is their families, I'm going to assume the Christies don't know this and Ryan is going to have to watch his back for the rest of his life, somebody should tell him, don't want to read about any assassination attempts or drive by shootings when he's just innocently popping into the chip shop for his King Rib supper or suchlike!!! 

 

These sort of things usually carry on down the generations, has he got kids???

There could be a movie in this!!!

 

[red23]

20 hours ago, D.A.F.C said:

If Paterson can act as a big oaf battering ram upfront

Of course he can, he played for hearts.