HuttonDressedAsLahm Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 1 hour ago, 2426255 said: Just a few words from Clarke indicating that the Nations League will possibly/probably see an element of squad regeneration. Speaking about players not being selected suggesting they should be patient and not give up hope with Lewis Morgan being an example of that. https://www.thenational.scot/sport/24371905.steve-clarke-sends-ryan-gauld-message-lewis-morgan-scotland-call/ Seems sensible. With the caveat that players seem to be able to play at a higher level for longer, we would be seeing the likes of Jack, McLean and Armstrong turning 33 early next year; Cooper and Forrest turning 33 in August. We're a long way short of having to make sweeping changes, but a gradual adjustment into WCQ, and then into the next Euros is going to be necessary. For the next Euros in 2028 our current core players would be aged (those born in July/August I've +1): - Gunn 32 - Robertson 34; Tierney 31; Taylor 30 - Hickey 26; Patterson 26 - Porteous 29; Hendry 33; McKenna 31; Souttar 31 - McGinn 33; McTominay 31; McGregor 35; Gilmour 27; Ferguson 29 - Adams 32; Shankland 33; Dykes 32 For those on the peripheral - Doak 22; Doig 26; Brown 30; Nisbet 31; Conway 25; Morgan 31 So, with that in mind we need to prioritise cover at centre half, an actual back up to Gunn, another centre mid or two, new strikers, and wingers to complement Doak. Not a huge overhaul by any means. If we were to qualify for a home tournament, then it could be a swansong for the likes of Robertson and McGinn - or not, depending on how their bodies are. Someone like Robertson might well be able to continue longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS_FFC Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Interesting fact I just learned. Liam Kelly is exactly one day younger than Angus Gunn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS_FFC Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Anyway, I think looking at the age profile of the squad a lot of the depth options are very much on the back nine of their international careers now. The starting XI itself has a nice mix of youth and experience, but I think this tournament could see the end of the international careers of Grant Hanley, Liam Cooper, Kenny McLean, Ryan Jack and Stuart Armstrong. Some of them might explicitly announce their retirement after the euros, whilst some of the others might just be phased out in the way that David Marshall and Stephen O’Donnell were last time. I also don’t expect James Forrest to have much of a role going forward, but he’s not really a core member of the squad now either and is just in now due to injuries. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS_FFC Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Didn’t realise we’ve got the oldest squad in Germany. Doesnt help that our injured players are 24, 21, 22, 28 and 18 tbf. Would be even older if Gordon had been selected though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butters Scotch Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 26 minutes ago, JS_FFC said: Didn’t realise we’ve got the oldest squad in Germany. Doesnt help that our injured players are 24, 21, 22, 28 and 18 tbf. Would be even older if Gordon had been selected though. Some of our players who are 27 or over are playing some of the best football of their careers to be fair (McGinn, McGregor, Christie, McTominay, Dykes, Adams) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2426255 Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 46 minutes ago, JS_FFC said: Didn’t realise we’ve got the oldest squad in Germany. Doesnt help that our injured players are 24, 21, 22, 28 and 18 tbf. Would be even older if Gordon had been selected though. We do, but it's been addressed and Clarke has suggested the squad will be refreshed in the next period. It's maybe the oldest, but not old is the way I'd look at it mostly. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS_FFC Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Just now, 2426255 said: We do, but it's been addressed and Clarke has suggested the squad will be refreshed in the next period. It's maybe the oldest, but not old is the way I'd look at it mostly. I’m fairly confident we won’t have the oldest starting XI in our first match compared to other teams in the competition. Our “oldest squad” is partly due to injuries to a lot of the younger players and partly because a lot of the backups are over 30 (Clark 31, Cooper 32, Armstrong 32, Jack 32, McLean 32, Forrest 32) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chripper Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 (edited) Gleaming the squad: Gordon, Hanley, Cooper, Jack, Forrest, McLean and Armstrong will all be fazed out in the upcoming years. Some (Gordon, Jack and Cooper) sooner than the others. Which means Clarke must start promoting u21 players rather sharpish. I can see the likes of Conway, Doak, Barron, etc, making the permanent step up after the Euros. It would be nice for a keeper, a centerback, a winger and a striker to burst onto the scene next season. Edited June 8 by SlayerX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS_FFC Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Gordon not making the euros effectively means he’s already “phased out” IMO. I expect Gunn, Clark and Kelly to be the keepers until someone better emerges. Barron is an oven ready replacement for Jack. Do we have another young CDM coming through as McLean is 32 as well? CB we’ve still got Hendry, Porteous, Souttar, McKenna and Tierney in their primes. Is young Leon King at Rangers any good? Doak replaces Armstrong. Forrest I’m not so worried about replacing as he’s only there due to an injury crisis anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedingums Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 22 minutes ago, JS_FFC said: Barron is an oven ready replacement for Jack. Do we have another young CDM coming through as McLean is 32 as well? Lennon Miller could possibly end up becoming that guy. Before that, though, I think Marc Leonard has the potential. He had a brilliant season in League One this year with several Championship clubs after him. If he does well at that level next season then he’d be in contention. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chripper Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 In central midfield the outstanding candidates are Miller and Barron. Watson and Cameron. Watson scored a better against Italy in the u19 European championship in March. Back in 98 Craig Brown brought a few youngsters along as "hamper boys" (Kieran McAnespie, Paul Gallacher, Mark Burchill and Darren Young*) to train with the squad. Steve Clarke should have done the same with the aforementioned players. *Just shows how poor the quality of kids there were in 98. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigkillie Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 17 hours ago, JS_FFC said: Barron is an oven ready replacement for Jack. I am simply not seeing this. He is more similar in style to Lewis Ferguson, and I don't think he is nearly as good either. Don't think he's remotely ready to be playing for Scotland. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS_FFC Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 39 minutes ago, craigkillie said: I am simply not seeing this. He is more similar in style to Lewis Ferguson, and I don't think he is nearly as good either. Don't think he's remotely ready to be playing for Scotland. Who do you think comes into the squad at CM then? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigkillie Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 I don't think there are any central midfielders right now who can feel aggrieved not to be in the squad, there are lots of promising ones, including those playing domestically right now, but I don't think any are outstanding right now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butters Scotch Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 19 hours ago, JS_FFC said: Gordon not making the euros effectively means he’s already “phased out” IMO. I expect Gunn, Clark and Kelly to be the keepers until someone better emerges. Barron is an oven ready replacement for Jack. Do we have another young CDM coming through as McLean is 32 as well? CB we’ve still got Hendry, Porteous, Souttar, McKenna and Tierney in their primes. Is young Leon King at Rangers any good? Doak replaces Armstrong. Forrest I’m not so worried about replacing as he’s only there due to an injury crisis anyway. It's too early to say regarding Barron IMO, he still needs a lot of developing before he comes close to competing with the current midfielders. Hopefully he moves to a Serie A type league. That goes for the rest of the SPFL players, players are not tested enough in this league. Out of the young guys at the moment, there is only Doak, Conway, Doig, Johnston that will either be certain squad members right now for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS_FFC Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 38 minutes ago, craigkillie said: I don't think there are any central midfielders right now who can feel aggrieved not to be in the squad, there are lots of promising ones, including those playing domestically right now, but I don't think any are outstanding right now. It's not about who's aggrieved not to be in now, it's about who replaces Jack and possibly McLean in the nations league and beyond. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chripper Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 3 minutes ago, JS_FFC said: It's not about who's aggrieved not to be in now, it's about who replaces Jack and possibly McLean in the nations league and beyond. Agreed. I'm sure once Euro 24 finishes Clarke, and a few players retire, Clarke will begin drafting up a list of names. Barron should have been on the plane to Germany, though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigkillie Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 1 hour ago, JS_FFC said: It's not about who's aggrieved not to be in now, it's about who replaces Jack and possibly McLean in the nations league and beyond. They're only going to be replaced if there are actually players worth replacing them with though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewanandmoreagain Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 23 hours ago, craigkillie said: They're only going to be replaced if there are actually players worth replacing them with though. They might not be able to continue playing , and therefore have to be replaced On 09/06/2024 at 15:12, Butters Scotch said: It's too early to say regarding Barron IMO, he still needs a lot of developing before he comes close to competing with the current midfielders. Hopefully he moves to a Serie A type league. That goes for the rest of the SPFL players, players are not tested enough in this league. Out of the young guys at the moment, there is only Doak, Conway, Doig, Johnston that will either be certain squad members right now for me. How old is Stewart ( ? ) at Southampton ? Hopefully he recovers fully from his injury ! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewanandmoreagain Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 On 08/06/2024 at 19:37, JS_FFC said: Gordon not making the euros effectively means he’s already “phased out” IMO. I expect Gunn, Clark and Kelly to be the keepers until someone better emerges. Barron is an oven ready replacement for Jack. Do we have another young CDM coming through as McLean is 32 as well? CB we’ve still got Hendry, Porteous, Souttar, McKenna and Tierney in their primes. Is young Leon King at Rangers any good? Pre this month's friendlies I thought the u 21 s defence was doing well 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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