Squad face October game

[JS_FFC]

Tierney should be back in the squad if available but we should no longer be fitting the formation around him. We need to plan on the assumption that he will miss more games than he’s available for.

 

I’d probably play him at RB. He was alright there under Strachan. I know that was a number of years ago but surely he’s better than Ralston.

[Skyline Drifter]

1 hour ago, RandomGuy. said:

Aye. It's hard to take his discussion around Dykes seriously, even if he's correct, because you know there's a heavy bias driving his thoughts.

At the end of the day people can think what they like, I don't think I'm especially biased about him, I'd have been far more biased about Stephen Dobbie for instance, but there's undeniably an element of it.

I've gone back to look at various stats since Che Adams joined the squad in March 2021.

Since Adams declared for Scotland we have played 44 matches and at least one of them has been available for every one. They've remarkably managed to dovetail injuries to the extent they've never both been unavailable at the same time. The only game in all that time neither has featured in was the pre-Euros friendly against Finland. Dykes was injured and Adams not fully fit sat as an unused sub as Shankland started and Conway came on.

Lyndon Dykes has started 22 of those 44 games. He's started 22 of the 33  he was available for. He's scored 7 goals in that period (9 in total for Scotland). Che Adams has started 25 of those 44 games. He's started 25 of the 34 he's been available for. He's scored 6 goals in that period. Their ratio of starts to availability is very similar.

There have been 22 times both have been in the same squad. They started together on 7 occasions, though the last of them was in the ill fated WC Playoff v Ukraine in June 2022. Clarke hasn't gone with two forwards since. Dykes has been picked ahead of Adams 6 times. Adams has been picked ahead of Dykes 8 times. And there was one game (v Netherlands in March) that neither started despite both being in the squad. Roughly speaking then that's about one third each for one or other or both starting.

Conclusions with any merit either way are difficult from that. It's statistically a coin flip which one Clarke goes with. For the first 12 games after Adams declared, they both started in 6 of them, Dykes started 3 ahead of Adams, Adams started 2 ahead of Dykes and one Adams was unavailable for. The 9 games following that one or other was unavailable for 7 of them and they'd a start each in the other two.

From Sept 22 to present is the last 23 games. One or other was unavailable for 13 of those. Of the 10 both were available for, Adams was preferred to Dykes in 6 of them (both Ukraine Nations League, both Cyprus Euro qualifiers, and the England and France friendlies). Dykes was preferred to Adams in 3 of them (Rep of Ireland home Nations League, Spain away in the Euro qualifiers and the Northern Ireland friendly). Neither started v Finland as noted above.

To be fair there isn't the tendency for Clarke to prefer Dykes in the bigger games that I thought there was without having checked. I don't actually think there's all that much evidence that he prefers one to the other at all, appears very much horses for courses. I suspect he's ruled out starting them together having not done it since June 2022.

Our biggest results in those 44 games were probably Spain home (Dykes started), Norway away (Dykes started), Denmark home (Adams started), Switzerland draw in Euros (Adams started), England draw in Euros (Dykes started), perhaps Ukraine away in Nations League (Adams started but that game was largely a 90 minute rearguard action). Dykes also started the 'glorious' defeat in Spain. That's probably swayed my opinion that Dykes has played the bigger games, but even that's not all that obvious when you look at it statistically.

All that said, I'd stand by the opinion that Adams hasn't had a good game for Scotland since Denmark home in November 2021. He's scored twice since then, one in Armenia in a rout and the late cameo volley in Gibraltar. Dykes has only scored three in that period also (two as a sub v Ukraine in the Nations League and that crucial one in Oslo). However, one of the supposed big benefits of Adams is he's a better goalscorer than Dykes, whose strengths aren't necessarily in scoring goals himself. For me if Adams isn't scoring he doesn't really justify being picked ahead of Dykes as Dykes brings more to the party in terms of linking play, occupying defenders, defending set pieces, etc than Adams ever does. Dykes performances against Poland and in particular Portugal were better than anything we've seen from Adams in a long time and I still think the notion that Adams is our first pick if both are fit for the next squad is nonsense.

[RandomGuy.]

9 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

At the end of the day people can think what they like, I don't think I'm especially biased about him, I'd have been far more biased about Stephen Dobbie for instance, but there's undeniably an element of it.

I've gone back to look at various stats since Che Adams joined the squad in March 2021.

Since Adams declared for Scotland we have played 44 matches and at least one of them has been available for every one. They've remarkably managed to dovetail injuries to the extent they've never both been unavailable at the same time. The only game in all that time neither has featured in was the pre-Euros friendly against Finland. Dykes was injured and Adams not fully fit sat as an unused sub as Shankland started and Conway came on.

Lyndon Dykes has started 22 of those 44 games. He's started 22 of the 33  he was available for. He's scored 7 goals in that period (9 in total for Scotland). Che Adams has started 25 of those 44 games. He's started 25 of the 34 he's been available for. He's scored 6 goals in that period. Their ratio of starts to availability is very similar.

There have been 22 times both have been in the same squad. They started together on 7 occasions, though the last of them was in the ill fated WC Playoff v Ukraine in June 2022. Clarke hasn't gone with two forwards since. Dykes has been picked ahead of Adams 6 times. Adams has been picked ahead of Dykes 8 times. And there was one game (v Netherlands in March) that neither started despite both being in the squad. Roughly speaking then that's about one third each for one or other or both starting.

Conclusions with any merit either way are difficult from that. It's statistically a coin flip which one Clarke goes with. For the first 12 games after Adams declared, they both started in 6 of them, Dykes started 3 ahead of Adams, Adams started 2 ahead of Dykes and one Adams was unavailable for. The 9 games following that one or other was unavailable for 7 of them and they'd a start each in the other two.

From Sept 22 to present is the last 23 games. One or other was unavailable for 13 of those. Of the 10 both were available for, Adams was preferred to Dykes in 6 of them (both Ukraine Nations League, both Cyprus Euro qualifiers, and the England and France friendlies). Dykes was preferred to Adams in 3 of them (Rep of Ireland home Nations League, Spain away in the Euro qualifiers and the Northern Ireland friendly). Neither started v Finland as noted above.

To be fair there isn't the tendency for Clarke to prefer Dykes in the bigger games that I thought there was without having checked. I don't actually think there's all that much evidence that he prefers one to the other at all, appears very much horses for courses. I suspect he's ruled out starting them together having not done it since June 2022.

Our biggest results in those 44 games were probably Spain home (Dykes started), Norway away (Dykes started), Denmark home (Adams started), Switzerland draw in Euros (Adams started), England draw in Euros (Dykes started), perhaps Ukraine away in Nations League (Adams started but that game was largely a 90 minute rearguard action). Dykes also started the 'glorious' defeat in Spain. That's probably swayed my opinion that Dykes has played the bigger games, but even that's not all that obvious when you look at it statistically.

All that said, I'd stand by the opinion that Adams hasn't had a good game for Scotland since Denmark home in November 2021. He's scored twice since then, one in Armenia in a rout and the late cameo volley in Gibraltar. Dykes has only scored three in that period also (two as a sub v Ukraine in the Nations League and that crucial one in Oslo). However, one of the supposed big benefits of Adams is he's a better goalscorer than Dykes, whose strengths aren't necessarily in scoring goals himself. For me if Adams isn't scoring he doesn't really justify being picked ahead of Dykes as Dykes brings more to the party in terms of linking play, occupying defenders, defending set pieces, etc than Adams ever does. Dykes performances against Poland and in particular Portugal were better than anything we've seen from Adams in a long time and I still think the notion that Adams is our first pick if both are fit for the next squad is nonsense.

[PSJ.84]

Sales schedule email arrived earlier.
 

Allocation of 3,931, so should be no problem getting tickets. 

Edited Wednesday at 16:42 by PSJ.84

[Pie Of The Month]

Really decent allocation, don't think there's much chance of it selling out since we didn't take near that to Lisbon which was easier to get to.

[Skyline Drifter]

3 hours ago, Pie Of The Month said:

Really decent allocation, don't think there's much chance of it selling out since we didn't take near that to Lisbon which was easier to get to.

Mmm. I wasn't going to go but now QoS have no game that weekend and we're relatively certain to get tickets, and I can probably get in and out without missing much if any school for junior..............................

[Skyline Drifter]

Having a look at options. Anyone been to Zagreb before? What is it like? Safe enough with a 14 year old in tow? 

Pest of a place to get to. No direct flights from Scotland or Northern England I could see on a basic search. Lunchtime Friday from Glasow via Frankfurt returning late on Sunday is one option. Or teatime Friday from Newcastle via Amsterdam returning early sunday. Both roughly £1,100 return for two of us. I'd rather fly Newcastle and he'd get half day extea in school but we wouldnt get to Zagreb till near midnight Friday and need to fly at about 6am Sunday both of which are rubbish. Glasgow looks the better bet. 

Appear to be plenty decent hotels at about £150 a night in the centre, a 10 min Uber from the ground. 

[PSJ.84]

Not sure if Edinburgh is any use for you or not, but you’ll get Edinburgh-Stansted-Zagreb, leaving just after lunchtime and arriving before 9pm for £170ish. Zagreb-Milan-Edinburgh, leaving Sunday lunchtime and getting back at 7pm for £200. 

[Skyline Drifter]

1 hour ago, PSJ.84 said:

Not sure if Edinburgh is any use for you or not, but you’ll get Edinburgh-Stansted-Zagreb, leaving just after lunchtime and arriving before 9pm for £170ish. Zagreb-Milan-Edinburgh, leaving Sunday lunchtime and getting back at 7pm for £200. 

Thanks I'll have a look. Must have missed thar one. Edinburgh would be even better. 

Edit - still cant see this. What airline?

Edited Thursday at 04:25 by Skyline Drifter

[PSJ.84]

33 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

Thanks I'll have a look. Must have missed thar one. Edinburgh would be even better. 

Edit - still cant see this. What airline?

EasyJet then Ryanair on the way out and both Ryanair on the way back - unfortunately. 

[Skyline Drifter]

3 hours ago, PSJ.84 said:

EasyJet then Ryanair on the way out and both Ryanair on the way back - unfortunately. 

Thanks

I can see the Easyjet flight on their website but it's not coming up as an option on a round trip via Sky Scanner. However, there is an entire round trip on Ryanair using the three of the same planes and a different flight to Stansted leaving Edinburgh at 2:30pm on the Friday. It's coming in at £942 for the two of us which is about £100 cheaper than I had to be fair. Slightly more circuitous route.

I'll have a think about it over the weekend. It's still going to end up costing me more than £1,500 for a two night trip and ultimately we'll see next to bugger all of Zagreb. Arrive 9pm Friday night. Game 6pm Saturday. Depart again lunchtime on the Sunday. Might not have a chance for an away game again for a while though. Prices will likely go up before I decide too I guess.

Edited Thursday at 08:30 by Skyline Drifter

[JS_FFC]

Andrew Irving off the bench for West Ham today for his debut. With Ferguson and possibly McGinn now injured and CalMac retired, he can’t be far off being the next central midfield call up. 

[craigkillie]

I forgot he had a loan spell at Falkirk.

[Butters Scotch]

On 21/09/2024 at 18:23, JS_FFC said:

Andrew Irving off the bench for West Ham today for his debut. With Ferguson and possibly McGinn now injured and CalMac retired, he can’t be far off being the next central midfield call up. 

Is he actually any good? 

Looked to be a defensive midfielder type player v Chelsea, sitting back at the base of the midfield making simple passes. Managed to get a semi decent shot off at edge of the box though that he kept down well but didn't trouble the goalie

[Pie Of The Month]

 

Croatia squad announced. I quite like the idea of a stand by list being made public, it would contribute at least a couple more pages of arguments every time the squad comes out.