Ross McCormack has scored around half the goals that cardiff have scored in the league this season. More than Iwelumo has. Fair enough a few of them have came from the spot but you cant question his ability. I think he has just got a hamstring injury but surely he would be worth a go when fit again. Deadly from set-pieces and looking more of a complete player since he signed for cardiff this season.

He's certainly more worthy of a place in the squad than the likes of David Clarkson.

He's banging them in for fun in the Championship, But so was Chris Iwelumo when we called him up.

too short.

Commented on him in a few threads. Definatly worth a shot. Him and Fletcher to start next game up front.

if john potter and scott cuthbert can handle fletcher any half decent international defence will too.

Who are Argentina?

Iwelumo also should definitely be in the next squad.

Even our defence can handle him FFS! I don't think Fletcher's good enough, yet. I'd definitely have McCormack ahead of him, Clarkson and Iwelumo.

McCormack and Iwelumo r definetely good enough to play for Scotland IMO

Big man, wee man combination up top maybe?????

Nail. Head. Hit.

Would still have Fletcher in the Full Scotland squad, played well against Norway.

Link

Steve Claridge gives his scouting opinion to help the Scotland cause. It sounds as though he's worth a shout for the next squad.

Starting Ross McCormack and (the even more remarkably mediocre) Steven Fletcher together would be portentous to a disaster.

McCormack's definitely a good shout, but isn't he injured just now? I can't see him being fit for Argentina, but Holland in a possibility for him if he keeps banging in the goals.

If fit, Miller and McFadden will start.

I'd still have Iwelumo in, McCormack deserves a shot also.

Would like to see the back of James Morrison as as well.

He certainly is according to the media

McCormack and Iwelumo up top

The Iwelumo - McCormack combination is the answer to Scotland's current strike force shambles. With the exception of McFadden, they both play at a higher level than any of Scotland's other options and currently carry a combined goal tally of 19 so far this season.

For Burley not to field this pairing, he should be sacked.

Along with McFadden being right off form, was dropped the other week by B'ham but only re-called back to the starting line up due to a late injury. Without wanting to contradict myself, he (McFadden) is our most talented player, however he should not be picked for previous performances as he is way off his game at the moment. Would rather have two strikers who are playing on a regular basis, scoring and full of confidence, as well as playing at a good standard.

Always like a little and large combination, So would be McCormack (if fit) with Iwelumo /Fletcher. Despite Iwelumo's miss v Norway, I thought him and Fletcher looked fairly useful

Suggestions for McCormack and Iwelumo to lead the attack just highlights the lack of talent currently available to Burley. If Strachan remains at Celtic next season, I expect to see one or both at the club.

Anyway, does anyone remember Kenny Deuchar being touted for a call-up a few years back?!

No, no, no.

Squad yes, starting place no.

So McCormack and Iwelumo lack talent but good enough to play for the mighty Tic?

Deary me

He's the new Kaka, get him in the squad.

Iwelumo was good apart from THAT miss.

Fletcher is the third best striker Hibs have. I still haven't got over the shock of seeing him getting stripped for the Norway match. Get him tae..!

Friendlies are the time for trying out new players/tactics/partnerships, so if McCormack is fit I don't see why we don't give him a shot, him and Iwelumo deserve to be in the squad based on current form. We already know fine well what Miller and McFadden can (or more realistically can't ) do, so we won't learn anything, and Miller will probably pull out anyway.

Of course playing a team like the Argies isn't exactly the ideal situation to be trying out new personnel, and building confidence, just like throwing a debutante into completely unknown territory in a crucial match. Still in George and Gordon we trust...

Problem Burley has is that he cannot really drop McFadden, he will be slaughtered if he does and we fail to win the game in question. Yes he isn't playng often / is out of form, but he never played regularly at Everton for the last few years either and still produced some excellent form for scotland. People are far too quick to sharpen the knifes.

Iwelumo played well against Norway (miss aside) and gives us an option we dont have, and i McCormack continues to fire the goals in he should also be called up in the place of clarkson who isn't as good as the other options we have available.

I think it is a fair comment. Our most talented player is looking very poor at Birmingham at the moment and could never quite cut it in the EPL. We are punching well above our weight.

It's a bit extreme (and more than a little harsh) to suggest that James McFadden is a more talented footballer than Barry Ferguson.

It's not really that extreme at all, it's likely to be a popular opinion (albeit one I don't agree with )

Of course to suggest he's more talented than Darren Fletcher is ridiculous

I think most supporters, if they actually thought about it, would realise that Barry Ferguson is more talented than James McFadden.

Let's not discuss the ephemeral talent of Darren Fletcher, I don't think I could last another half dozen pages .

Barry Ferguson and Fletcher are better players. But McFadden has the most skill, flair and most likely to unlock a opposition's defence. Hmmm could probably do with re-wording all this and thinking before I type, But I hope you know what I am getting at

edit* I hope I am wrong, but I fear Ferguson will retire at the end of this World Cup campaign. Time for Fletcher (who has the abilty) to finally stamp his authority in a Scotland match. Hopefully an extended run in Man Utd's 1st team and a wee bit more self belief will see him finally become the player he has been hyped up to be.

I think McFadden is capable of doing things on a football pitch that Ferguson never would/could. In terms of raw ability I may well consider him "more talented". McFadden is potentially a match winner who might do something special, which is not really something you'd say of Ferguson.

That said, McFadden doesn't exactly do the things he's "capable of" consistently - Ferguson is consistently a good performer and an influential one at that. I think it's a shame he didn't stay in England longer as I really believed he could flourish as a player down there and achieve more than he can in Scotland.

That is what I was trying to say

Fletcher can't dictate the play which Ferguson does, he's a different type of player. He doesn't have what it takes to play that role. I expect people to laugh at me for this, but our main midfielder when Ferguson goes will be Scott Brown. Brown is more the kind of player to dictate the play than Fletcher.

Fletcher bugs me. He's been crap for Scotland, but is playing really well for Man Utd. It's odd.

I totally disagree with the view expressed in the first sentence. I've seen Ferguson score wonderful goals, a few demonstrating technical ability beyond anything I've seen from McFadden.
Ferguson is also certainly capable of producing something special to change a match, a relatively recent example being his overhead kick against Hearts in the league cup semi final of last season.

Was that when he controlled it with his arm.

Trying to make a judgement on who the better player is between Ferguson and McFadden is nonsense as they are both different kind of players

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH.

It was a clear swipe at one Gordon Strachan.

Yep, that's the one. Although, to be fair, I don't think he was looking at the ball when he "controlled" it .

It's certainly difficult to compare them in terms of their usefulness to the team (because they have separate roles) but comparing traits which are shared between them (such as technical ability) is a viable way to determine who is the more talented player in an individual sense.

Injured.

Garry O'Connor is banging in goals for Birmingham at the top end of the championship as well and has more international pedigree than McCormack and Iwelumo.

i dont think so. Fletcher was a team of very talented players around him and i think that it gives them confidence to play better compared to Scotland. Also that he is still not a big player at man u and doesnt show alot of leadership qualities on the park. With Scotland, there is alot more expectation, more focus on him to take it upon himself to be one of the bigger players on the park for them. Until he starts to show a bit more responsibility on the park, he will rarely dictate matches in the way that we all believe that he can.

Craig Gordon is Scotland's most talented player by a clear distance. Ferguson is the next best we have although he doesn't grab enough games by the scruff of the neck like he does for Rangers. Fletcher hasn't done anything for Scotland in about 2 years.

As for McFadden, I thought he'd matured from the "Billy-big-time" cockiness, he developed under Berti where he wasn't matching this with good performances, but after France I think he's started to believe the hype again. One fluke wonder-goal doesn't justify his iconic status when the fact is he can't get a game for Birmingham City.

Or Alan Hutton, Craig Gordon and Darren Fletcher.

I'd get him in the squad, he's poppin in the goals at Cardiff and good un's at that, he's better than Iwelumo

Nobody believes Fletcher will dictate games for club or country. That doesn't make him a bad player, far from it, but he will never dictate a game in the same way as Ferguson or previously McCallister did.