The Andy Robertson conundrum

[LiviLion]

4 minutes ago, Detournement said:

I'd like to be looking forward to the World Cup.

Would Robertson have been out drinking 3 days before a Liverpool cup final? No chance. 

He had a complete nightmare in the playoff then dropped out the Nations League which tells you all you need to know. 

 

When was he "out drinking"?

[craigkillie]

He also played in the next two Nations League games.

[Smokerson]

There is no doubt it looked very unprofessional doing that so close to a big game (particularly when there wasn't really much to celebrate) he looked mortal drunk. 

Not sure that would alter my thinking about picking him or playing him again though. People make mistakes and other than that his commitment to playing for scotland has been unquestionable. 

[Detournement]

33 minutes ago, LiviLion said:

When was he "out drinking"?

When he was on the open top bus going through Liverpool standing next to Calvin Harris.

[LiviLion]

Just now, Detournement said:

When he was on the open top bus going through Liverpool standing next to Calvin Harris.

I don't think anyone's ever described a single drink - alcoholic or otherwise - as "out drinking", I was actually starting to wonder if there was another clip I haven't seen.

[Boo Khaki]

Clarke needs to stop trying to shoehorn our second-best LB into the side at the expense of playing everyone else out of position and wasting them. If we had nothing else but five decent strikers to chose from we wouldn't be changing everything to accommodate those, we'd just do the sensible thing and play the best of them and give the rest substitutes appearances, starts when the first choice needs a rest, and pick them when the others are unavailable. 

Robertson is a decent player, but he's neither good enough nor does he play a position that means the entire side is gubbed if he doesn't play. Tierney is better than him, and as much as I rate Tierney as a LB I think the people who are claiming he's a better option at CB than our full-time CB's are delusional. He's easy to beat in the air if you can isolate him, so if you are going to play 3x CB I'd still rather play Tierney at LB and play three actual CB's. It's daft to do this amount of fucking about just to accommodate a player who isn't even our best option at his position in any case.

Ukraine were off the pace last night, but the Scotland performance was still miles more cohesive and controlled than any time we've played similar opposition with the back 3 system, barring perhaps the victory over a totally can't be bothered Denmark side. There's no reason to go straight back to shoehorning Robertson back in if Tierney is fit to play LB in a back four, although I am perfectly at ease with Clarke using the back 3 system when it's appropriate, I just don't think that has to be our permanent 'go to' system by default.

The less said about McTominay at CB the better. Just fucking stop it.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Boo Khaki

[Donathan]

Has Tierney ever played CB in a back four for Scotland or either of his clubs?

 

 

[MarkoRaj]

Tierney at centre back in a 4 is a ludicrous shout

I don't think we've seen the end of the back 3. I do think that the squad is good enough to play whichever formation depending on the opposition. It's good to have options.

It's easy enough to rotate them if we play a 4 anyway since there are always 2 or 3 games during international breaks. Tierney looked knackered towards the end

[Boo Khaki]

1 hour ago, Donathan said:

Has Tierney ever played CB in a back four for Scotland or either of his clubs?

 

 

I don't know if he has, and nor do I care. I have no interest in what he's done at club level as I'm only really concerned with the national side, and from what I've seen of Tierney playing CB he isn't up to it against good sides 'hiding' him by playing him in a three, so playing him as one of a pair would be monumentally stupid.

[Ewan8472]

I believe the , at least , majority opinion is to play K.T. at LCB in a back 4 would be a monumental error

[tree house tam]

9 hours ago, Detournement said:

He'll be remembered as the Scotland captain who went drinking days before a World Cup playoff. 

Just like he and the rest of the squad did after the European qualifier? Aided and pushed on by the whole management team. Amateurish b*****ds, I'd have punted Clarke then.

[Gordopolis]

There is no doubt it looked very unprofessional doing that so close to a big game (particularly when there wasn't really much to celebrate) he looked mortal drunk. 
Not sure that would alter my thinking about picking him or playing him again though. People make mistakes and other than that his commitment to playing for scotland has been unquestionable. 

"Mortal drunk"? Really? He was swigging from a bottle of heer, smiling and waving to the fans
I've been, and seen others, mortal drunk. It's a hell of a lot messier than that.

[Stylish Kid]

11 minutes ago, Gordopolis said:

"Mortal drunk"? Really? He was swigging from a bottle of heer, smiling and waving to the fans
I've been, and seen others, mortal drunk. It's a hell of a lot messier than that.

I have to say that people got a bit over excited about him having had a couple of bottles of beer. Not mortal.

 

He was never photographed sitting on the street eating a kebab....

[Stylish Kid]

Anyway, he should have had his captaincy stripped for promoting an NFT that was very obviously a scheme that only works by taking money from people for no material gain.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Stylish Kid

[Number seven]

Robertson is a better player than Tierney who I thought was average last night.

Tierney ,when fit,always seems have to play to the detriment of the whole team.

[Captain Saintsible]

Robertson straight back in at left wing back replacing Christie with Tierney moving inside in a back 3.

 

[Captain Saintsible]

3 hours ago, Ewan8472 said:

I believe the , at least , majority opinion is to play K.T. at LCB in a back 4 would be a monumental error

Indeed. 
 

Back 3, yes, flat back 4, no

Robertson for Christie if both Robertson and Tierney are available 

[Virtual Insanity]

43 minutes ago, Number seven said:

Robertson is a better player than Tierney who I thought was average last night.

Tierney ,when fit,always seems have to play to the detriment of the whole team.

We've lost 3 out of 21 games under Clarke with Tierney playing. Two of those were relatively meaningless NL games after we'd just qualified for the Euros days before, and 1 was in the Euros to a Modric inspired Croatia. He is absolutely 100% undroppable when fit. Andy Robertson is not.

[Donathan]

8 hours ago, Virtual Insanity said:

We've lost 3 out of 21 games under Clarke with Tierney playing. Two of those were relatively meaningless NL games after we'd just qualified for the Euros days before, and 1 was in the Euros to a Modric inspired Croatia. He is absolutely 100% undroppable when fit. Andy Robertson is not.

IIRC we got beat in Copenhagen with Robertson playing RWB and Tierney playing LWB after a covid outbreak meant we didn’t have either Patterson or O’Donnell. 

[craigkillie]

We've lost 3 out of 21 games under Clarke with Tierney playing. Two of those were relatively meaningless NL games after we'd just qualified for the Euros days before, and 1 was in the Euros to a Modric inspired Croatia. He is absolutely 100% undroppable when fit. Andy Robertson is not.

That stat looks better because he was injured at the start of Clarke's reign when we took some gubbings off Belgium and Russia. I don't think having Tierney available would have made any difference there.

I am a massive Tierney fan, he's probably our best player, but I thought he was no better than fine the other night, he's certainly had many better games for Scotland.