[Ludo *1]

McFadden is an excellent player, but it has to be said, he is overrated by us Scots.

[arab-tam]

Ludo *1, on 15 January 2012 - 19:49, said:

McFadden is an excellent player, but it has to be said, he is overrated by us Scots.

James McFadden contribution to our national team is underrated. Some of his goals and performances in the dark blue of his country have been staggering.

Granted, he isn't a wold class player, but, a little like David Healey, he seems to try/perform better for his national team.

[Gordopolis]

arab-tam, on 15 January 2012 - 22:43, said:

James McFadden contribution to our national team is underrated. Some of his goals and performances in the dark blue of his country have been staggering.

Granted, he isn't a wold class player, but, a little like David Healey, he seems to try/perform better for his national team.

Yeah, his reputation as a Scotland player (maverick, game changing goalscorer) is really at odds with his club reputation (journeyman championship/premiership utility midfielder/forward).

Don't know why this is, but it's hard to overrate a guy who has been THE standout player in the dark blue for the last ten years.

I just hope he's not finished. Although he's probably still got a few months of subs appearances and reserve games before he's right again, I've got this awful feeling that he'll be tired/slow looking (I know he was never a speed merchant) and not quite the same player. That would be a crying shame because it feels like he's only had half of his Scotland career so far and the boy was born to play in a major tourney. Reminds me of Healy or Zlatko Zahovic in this respect:
http://en.wikipedia....ko_Zahovi%C4%8D

'mon the fadster!

[Savage Henry]

Gordopolis, on 16 January 2012 - 08:48, said:

Yeah, his reputation as a Scotland player (maverick, game changing goalscorer) is really at odds with his club reputation (journeyman championship/premiership utility midfielder/forward).

Don't know why this is, but it's hard to overrate a guy who has been THE standout player in the dark blue for the last ten years.

I just hope he's not finished. Although he's probably still got a few months of subs appearances and reserve games before he's right again, I've got this awful feeling that he'll be tired/slow looking (I know he was never a speed merchant) and not quite the same player. That would be a crying shame because it feels like he's only had half of his Scotland career so far and the boy was born to play in a major tourney. Reminds me of Healy or Zlatko Zahovic in this respect:
http://en.wikipedia....ko_Zahovi%C4%8D

'mon the fadster!

There's so much wrong with that post it's not real.

[Hercy]

Savage Henry, on 16 January 2012 - 09:14, said:

There's so much wrong with that post it's not real.

Aye its nice that you have corrected him with your well thought out response.

[Gordopolis]

Savage Henry, on 16 January 2012 - 09:14, said:

There's so much wrong with that post it's not real.

Ah, of course, now that you've said that i can clearly see that I'm totally wrong. What a numpty I am, laying out my reasoning to back up my statements when i could just have said 'I'm right, so there'

[Big River]

honestrae95, on 15 January 2012 - 18:37, said:

Fletcher will be the most noticeable absence when the Qualifiers come along (if hes not fit by then) he is critisised a lot but he is Scotlands playmaker. Charlie Adam is a good player, but not a 'replacement' for Fletch. Sorry, but i honestly think without Fletch we wont qualify. As for the goalkeeper debate, Gordon is much better. Don't get me wrong, McGregor is good, but no more. McFadden was a great player and would get in the squad if he was completely fit, but he is getting older. Still that goal against France will always send shivers down my spine!

Absolutely. We can cope without Gordon at the moment even though he is the better keeper, and whilst McFadden is/was a special player for Scotland he would only merit a place on the bench as an impact player if he was fully fit just now IMO. Fletcher's contribution is underrated by quite a lot of Scots ("he's good for Man U but shit for Scotland" is just one of the ludicrous statements I've heard from punters) and unless Adam and Bannan really come on to a game for us then we will miss him hugely.

[Aufc]

Bobby Skidmarks, on 29 December 2011 - 13:10, said:

Nonsense. He was the best performer we had at International level for years.

If he gets back playing regularly, i'd have him back in the squad no problem.

Come on now mate. Faddy is a great player when he wants to be. He is capable of things which no other player in the scotland squad can do. However, there are times where he is like a man down. I would not say he has been our best performer for years. Aye he has scored some cracking goals but is very inconsistent.

However, I do agree that I would definately have him in the squad, although, not as a starter.

[mattydfc]

McFadden must be the single most overrated player in Scottish footballing history.

[Gordopolis]

Aufc, on 16 January 2012 - 14:12, said:

However, there are times where he is like a man down. Aye he has scored some cracking goals but is very inconsistent.

Not disagreeing that he is inconsistent

Aufc, on 16 January 2012 - 14:12, said:

I would not say he has been our best performer for years.

Then who has? If you compact down all the good performances by any one player since 2002, McFadden wins it by a head for me. Miller maybe not too far behind, but there is nobody else in the last ten years that has done for Scotland what McFadden has done. He was the shining light in the Vogts era, a star in the McLeish and Smith era, then everything and everyone went to sh*t in the Burley era (and I honestly think we're still recovering from that, especially confidence-wise) and admittedly he hasn't done anything of note for club or country since that one blip of a wonder goal against Macedonia due to injury, lack of form and Scotland being generally toothless.


I agree he needs to show his worth to even get back in the squad, but I disagree with the casual dismissal of his importance over the last decade.

[bkay]

Must be one of the few who don't rate high that highly. He'd struggle to get in the team now.