Streets of Raith

I understand your point of view. The argument would be that it is not an orthodox centre back role, and we don't presently have a like for like replacement when Tierney is injured. Mclean as a natural midfielder would potentially be the next best option there. We probably wouldn't start him there, but if Tierney cramped up in extra time of a knockout round, it would be better to have at least tried it first.

Hopefully over the two friendlies we get to see some things that we actually need to learn about our options, regardless of any changes to the XI at the Euros. 1) Shankland getting a start up front in more or the less the strongest team. 2) Ferguson getting a chance in the McGinn role. 3) McLean playing the Tierney role at LCB, based on his stint there for Norwich.

I haven't read the thread, but I'm really glad it's Clarke who picks the team and not the diddies on here.

Now let's sign up Easton and get Tiffoney on loan for the hattrick!

Clark Porto Hendry Cooper Taylor Gilmour McGregor McGinn McTominay Ferguson Dykes

Yeah, solid for 60 mins.

Impact injury to his foot.

Ryan Jack was phenomenal in the playoff vs Serbia away. Had earned his start for the finals at that point. Unfortunately some people have short memories and even smaller brains.

Gunn Porteous Hanley Tierney Hickey McTom McGregor Robbo McGinn Ferguson Adams Robbo and Hickey staying wide, Ferguson and McGinn arriving into the box.

As a counterpoint to everything going on in this bomb scare of a thread - Brighton's recruitment has been so fantastic that they have signed all these young players no one has heard of before (Mitoma, Mac Allistair, Caicedo and Ferguson all having breakout seasons) and yet Gilmour is a write off? I think it's more likely than not that he is in the right club to develop a young player, but will just need to bide his time a little longer.

No, this is a misunderstanding of what Brighton are doing. Bissouma was allowed to move on precisely because they knew they had Caicedo waiting in the wings. He had proved he was up to the required level in the final quarter of last season. Gilmour has been purchased as someone they can develop over time and he will be eventually be given the minutes to do so.

A bit of perspective; Alexis Mac Allister is now the fulcrum of Brighton's midfield, but it has taken him 4 seasons to arrive at this point: 22/23: 10 of 10 starts (Age 23) 21/22: 22 of 38 starts (22) 20/12: 9 of 38 starts (21) 19/20: 4 of 38 starts (20) I'd suggest that Gilmour is probably in the 10-20 range this season, and that's fine.

Any criticism of McLean for last night needs to get in the sea imo. His primary function was to double up on Yarmolenko when he looked to cut back in, which he did well enough.

Absolutely agree that consistency is key with us. Cant see that particular narrative being a thing though; Hanley is the oldest outfielder at 30.

I wonder if the Modric thread on Zagorski Strukli & Rakija is like this?

I mean, believe that if you will, but the midfield selection for the last two games suggests completely the contrary and that Gilmour needs to get out of there asap.

You can tell when someone is lucky enough not to have experienced a significant ligament injury. I've torn my ACL and even after surgery the ligament can never be as strong as before. Obviously professional athletes will do an incredible amount of strength and conditioning to every other muscle to compensate, but the ligament itself will always have a weakness. The common procedure is to remove a string from your hamstring in order to graft the torn parts of the ACL together. So that presents another issue. God knows what they have had to do to someone like Vaughan who has had multiple operations. Can't keep doing that. There is also the factor of muscle wastage from inactivity, which results in lots of wee niggles that slow down the process. The idea that you can avoid doing your ACL again by doing less football-like training is a fantasy; you need to be doing all the in-match actions in order to get back that level of muscular strength for a professional playing comeback. I really hope that Vaughan can get to a point where he can continue to play (at any level) without a reoccurrence, I thought he would pack it in after the last one. Great determination on his part.

You can tell when someone is lucky enough not to have experienced a significant ligament injury. I've torn my ACL and even after surgery the ligament can never be as strong as before. Obviously professional athletes will do an incredible amount of strength and conditioning to every other muscle to compensate, but the ligament itself will always have a weakness. The common procedure is to remove a string from your hamstring in order to graft the torn parts of the ACL together. So that presents another issue. God knows what they have had to do to someone like Vaughan who has had multiple operations. Can't keep doing that. There is also the factor of muscle wastage from inactivity, which results in lots of wee niggles that slow down the process. The idea that you can avoid doing your ACL again by doing less football-like training is a fantasy; you need to be doing all the in-match actions in order to get back that level of muscular strength for a professional playing comeback. I really hope that Vaughan can get to a point where he can continue to play (at any level) without a reoccurrence, I thought he would pack it in after the last one. Great determination on his part.

Or the OF bias.

Not to mention a dominant performance vs Poland where they got a dodgy VARless penalty gets a "meh", and an open game of two halves vs Austria where we could have scored more gets spun in a negative fashion. Fitting his agenda around the facts.

Adams is our best striker by a country mile. People who can't see that shouldn't be allowed an opinion on anything to do with football.

When did Litmanen play for Celtic?

At this stage I'm more inclined to think that he has been asked and is not bothered about playing for Scotland.

The biggest problem McTominay has faced in his club career is that he not a pivot player; he is not a passing metronome and recycling possession is not his biggest strength. This has often been compounded by the fact he is often forced to play with another midfield partner who is also unsuited to that role in Fred or Pogba. He's an athletic player that needs to be allowed to cover all areas of the midfield. He is a good third man runner, but there is no space for that role in United current midfield composition. It's similar in the way that we would all consider it a waste to ask John McGinn to sit back all game.

Yeah RLC has played everything from number 10 to centre back in his sporadic appearances for Chelsea. It's comparing apples and oranges a bit.