Squad face October game

[Chripper]

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/scotland-game-set-to-be-shown-for-free-tv-4804823

 

[Theroadlesstravelled]

The squad is shite. Clarke's hard on for picking his best buddies is actually tiresome now.

Gordon was clearly done the last time he got called up. What's he doing there? Getting the tea in?

Forrest, Ralston, Hanley, Porteous are absolutely shite. They don't even start at club level.

[No_Problemo]

3 hours ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

The squad is shite. Clarke's hard on for picking his best buddies is actually tiresome now.

Gordon was clearly done the last time he got called up. What's he doing there? Getting the tea in?

Forrest, Ralston, Hanley, Porteous are absolutely shite. They don't even start at club level.

Who exactly are you picking instead of Ralston, Hanley, Porteous and Gordon?

[lubo_blaha]

7 hours ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

The squad is shite. Clarke's hard on for picking his best buddies is actually tiresome now.

Gordon was clearly done the last time he got called up. What's he doing there? Getting the tea in?

Forrest, Ralston, Hanley, Porteous are absolutely shite. They don't even start at club level.

If he’d picked McCrorie, Clark or Kelly instead of Gordon then you’d be asking why he was picking someone not playing at club level. Can’t win.

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

No, he really can't.

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

18 hours ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

The squad is shite. Clarke's hard on for picking his best buddies is actually tiresome now.

Gordon was clearly done the last time he got called up. What's he doing there? Getting the tea in?

Forrest, Ralston, Hanley, Porteous are absolutely shite. They don't even start at club level.

Of all the managers we’ve had in the last few decades, SC deserves this criticism the least. Very few players haven’t been given a chance, and those who haven’t been good enough or who have aged have been moved on.

We have an injury ravaged squad, and two u21 games with a lot riding on them. Literally the only alternatives we have are uncapped players in the u21s, or seriously scraping from obscurity uncapped players from various minor leagues.

I’ve issues with his tactics and game selections, but his squads rarely miss the mark. The squad isn’t good, but that’s not because a better one is being ignored.

[Dislocated Boy]

On 01/10/2024 at 12:48, accies1874 said:

I'm surprised that Armstrong hasn't been recalled, and I'd have called up Fraser but that name tends to throw up "fun" discussions. 

On 01/10/2024 at 14:03, No_Problemo said:

Previously, I was on the side of Clarke not having an issue with Fraser - but it is blatantly clear that he does at this point. 

Like @No_Problemo, I always aired on the side of "Clarke has no issue with him" but I'm starting to think that's now not true. In a squad that's back in development phase and a player who, we all know has ability and is playing regularly at a high level, you'd probably expect Fraser to be there before an Old Firm bench warmer nearing the end of his career in Forrest. On ability alone, I would like to see Fraser in, but I do know he's obviously a divisive character.

On 01/10/2024 at 16:46, Anonymous Spider said:

Weirdly, not that bothered about McGinn not being involved - the midfield might even be a bit more balanced and we can let McTominay be the all action guy.

I'm kind of in the same boat now. Listen we all love McGinn, and his back story, but in a Scotland jersey, have we been seeing this best for the last few years....i'm not sure we have. 

[Butters Scotch]

1 hour ago, Dislocated Boy said:

Like @No_Problemo, I always aired on the side of "Clarke has no issue with him" but I'm starting to think that's now not true. In a squad that's back in development phase and a player who, we all know has ability and is playing regularly at a high level, you'd probably expect Fraser to be there before an Old Firm bench warmer nearing the end of his career in Forrest. On ability alone, I would like to see Fraser in, but I do know he's obviously a divisive character.

I'm kind of in the same boat now. Listen we all love McGinn, and his back story, but in a Scotland jersey, have we been seeing this best for the last few years....i'm not sure we have. 

Genuinely not sure how anyone can not see there being some kind of rift between Fraser and Clarke, it is abundantly clear going by his squad selections and it has been going on for a while now.

In the case of McGinn, for me it's a case of be careful what you wish for. He's one of our few players that can grab us or create a goal out of nothing and is integral to the system we play under Clarke as is Dykes. Both of them help get the ball to stick near the top end, get the team up the pitch, win crucial free kicks in good areas etc.

Any replacement will be a downgrade IMO as you will have some plodder taking his place currently. Maybe once Ferguson returns from injury then that will give us a quality option to replace McGinn with. 

 

 

[TeeMan]

3 minutes ago, Butters Scotch said:

In the case of McGinn, for me it's a case of be careful what you wish for. He's one of our few players that can grab us or create a goal out of nothing and is integral to the system we play under Clarke as is Dykes. Both of them help get the ball to stick near the top end, get the team up the pitch, win crucial free kicks in good areas etc.

 

 

This. Without McGinn Dykes becomes even more vital just to get us up the pitch and have someone to play off.

Someone mentioned in another thread that McGinn looked particularly good with an overlapping right back and you can easily make a case that his perceived drop off in form has been since we lost that threat. That and the fact he looked knackered at the end of last season.

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

22 minutes ago, TeeMan said:

This. Without McGinn Dykes becomes even more vital just to get us up the pitch and have someone to play off.

Someone mentioned in another thread that McGinn looked particularly good with an overlapping right back and you can easily make a case that his perceived drop off in form has been since we lost that threat. That and the fact he looked knackered at the end of last season.

I’m willing to argue that losing Hickey was the single most damaging loss we could have had. Losing Patterson in top of it completely neutered us as a team.

As you say, it’s not just the solidity and attacking presence you lose on the right, but the impact it has on everyone else. McGinn loses out, and Robertson loses space as teams don’t focus on our right wing when Ralston is the alternative. No doubt plenty of other impacts elsewhere too.