2023 Euro stage game March squad and line up

[the snudge]

I'd liked to have seen Lewis Morgan as his goal scoring and assist stats are strong but it's a fairly predictable squad. Hopefully the lack of game time for some has them raring to go and prove a point. 

[PrestersKTID]

Can't really complain about that. Taylor unfortunate to miss out but he's still third choice even if Tierney isn't getting games at arsenal.

Brown probably only included for continuity. Fraser would offer more but he's lost his goodwill with Clarke, needs to be playing to get selected.

Assume he'll cap Gunn asap otherwise what was the point in persuading him, he's probably slightly better than the other options.

something like following i'd expect

Gunn

Hickey Hendry Hanley Tierney Robertson

--------Mctominay Mcgregor

Mcginn------------- Armstrong 

-----------Adams

 

Gilmour can swap for one of the holders

Armstrong for christie

Adams for dykes

 

[Distant Doonhamer]

On 11/03/2023 at 14:03, Pie Of The Month said:

Dykes back and starting for QPR.

 

Starting again for QPR tonight.

[Gordopolis]

1 hour ago, Distant Doonhamer said:

Starting again for QPR tonight.

Got an assist so far...

...but QPR are getting rifled 4-1!

[immcinto]

8 hours ago, Lyle Lanley said:

No Shankland or Nisbet ahead of Jacob Brown  

Or McBurnie. Has he burnt his bridges?

[Donathan]

v Cyprus

Gunn

Hickey-Hendry-Porteous-Robertson

McTominay-McGregor

Armstrong-McGinn-Christie

Dykes

 

v Spain

Gunn

Hendry-Hanley-Tierney

Hickey-Gilmour-McTominay-McGregor-Robertson

McGinn

Adams

[Ro Sham Bo]

The fact folk are getting worked up about Nisbet and Shankland not making the squad tells us everything there is to know about our woes up front. 

 

[lubo_blaha]

21 minutes ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

The fact folk are getting worked up about Nisbet and Shankland not making the squad tells us everything there is to know about our woes up front. 

 

Seen a lot of calls for them, Nisbet hasn’t started a game for nearly two months and Shankland has missed the last two games through injury. 

Hayden Hackney is another name doing the rounds, have many people in Scotland actually been watching him recently?

If some of the shouts I’ve heard are all we have to worry about then our squads in a pretty good place.

 

[Jacky1990]

Anyone suggesting a Dykes-Adams partnership clearly hasnt seen those two play up front together. They get in each others way. It has to be one or the other with Christie and McGinn in behind. 

Adams all day for me, although Dykes is a good option off the bench.

[2426255]

13 hours ago, accies1874 said:

Cooper is the surprise inclusion and Taylor is the surprise exclusion which tells you what you need to know about the squad - tried and tested. 

Greg Taylor has been left out because he is nursing a minor injury and the logic used to make that decision is reasonable in my view. 

Quote

I've had a chat with Greg. It's really a Celtic issue more than for me to comment on. He's carrying a little injury. He'll probably benefit from a rest rather than coming away with the national team. Celtic should elaborate on that a little bit. We're well covered in all the positions. We're not too bad at left back. (Kieran) Tierney and (Andy) Robertson do okay. Young Josh Doig is in the under-21s if we want to go deeper into that position. Aaron Hickey can play left or right.

Steve Clarke 

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/23386684.celtic-issue-behind-greg-taylors-scotland-squad-omission-revealed/

[craigkillie]

8 hours ago, Jacky1990 said:

Anyone suggesting a Dykes-Adams partnership clearly hasnt seen those two play up front together. They get in each others way. It has to be one or the other with Christie and McGinn in behind. 

Adams all day for me, although Dykes is a good option off the bench.

They have worked well together on several occasions for Scotland - England in the Euros, Austria away and Israel at home are the ones that come to mind.

[Donathan]

58 minutes ago, craigkillie said:

They have worked well together on several occasions for Scotland - England in the Euros, Austria away and Israel at home are the ones that come to mind.

Yep, and we’re a disaster against Croatia and particularly the playoff SF defeat to Ukraine.

 

I think there’s a lot of revisionist history on the pairing. It’s worked well in places and not in others.

 

My pet theory is that it works well in games where we can either dominate possession even with one fewer man in midfield (e.g., home games against lower ranked opposition), or in games where we don’t expect much of the ball anyway and are looking to counter (e.g., Wembley), but it doesn’t work at all well in home games against relatively evenly matched teams where we need the extra man in midfield to avoid getting overrun. In those games we need the tracking back ability of Ryan Christie.

[Londonwell]

I would personally have Christie in our starting 11 every game. He seems to get some stick but I think he’s a vital player for us. 

[Elgin Macca]

29 minutes ago, Donathan said:

Yep, and we’re a disaster against Croatia and particularly the playoff SF defeat to Ukraine.

 

I think there’s a lot of revisionist history on the pairing. It’s worked well in places and not in others.

 

My pet theory is that it works well in games where we can either dominate possession even with one fewer man in midfield (e.g., home games against lower ranked opposition), or in games where we don’t expect much of the ball anyway and are looking to counter (e.g., Wembley), but it doesn’t work at all well in home games against relatively evenly matched teams where we need the extra man in midfield to avoid getting overrun. In those games we need the tracking back ability of Ryan Christie.

I always feel we look a lot more balanced with the 2 attacking midfielders playing off the 1 striker. For me that would be christie,Mcginn,Adams. Although Ferguson seems to be playing in a more advanced role for Bologna and playing regular/well so may come into contention.

[Fuctifano]

I saw Bologna vs Monza in person a few weeks back and Ferguson was playing either up front or as a false nine , he was certainly the most advanced central player- until Arnautovic came on when he dropped back to attacking midfield. I think he could be decent in the latter role.

[Bing.McCrosby]

13 minutes ago, Donathan said:

Yep, and we’re a disaster against Croatia and particularly the playoff SF defeat to Ukraine.

 

I think there’s a lot of revisionist history on the pairing. It’s worked well in places and not in others.

 

My pet theory is that it works well in games where we can either dominate possession even with one fewer man in midfield (e.g., home games against lower ranked opposition), or in games where we don’t expect much of the ball anyway and are looking to counter (e.g., Wembley), but it doesn’t work at all well in home games against relatively evenly matched teams where we need the extra man in midfield to avoid getting overrun. In those games we need the tracking back ability of Ryan Christie.

Dykes just isn't ever going to be a good international striker, im not sure why people try and pretend otherwise. Hes ok to come off the bench and rough things up and give us a natural target. But if hes starting a game with him then its an issue.

Hes our second best option after Adams, but hes miles behind him.

[Donathan]

1 minute ago, BingMcCrosby said:

Dykes just isn't ever going to be a good international striker, im not sure why people try and pretend otherwise. Hes ok to come off the bench and rough things up and give us a natural target. But if hes starting a game with him then its an issue.

Hes our second best option after Adams, but hes miles behind him.

8 in 26 is a decent record for us. Dykes is fine as a target man and the only reason he’d lose that role is if Ross Stewart was to establish himself as a better option. 
 

 

Adams is great in games where we want to play a counter attacking game due to his speed and ability to hold up the ball. 

[craigkillie]

Dykes scored in four consecutive qualifiers, three of them winners, and has 8 in 26 for Scotland overall. He's very obviously not as good as Adams as a player, but he's more likely to score goals.

Just to put his goalscoring figure into context, the only Scotland players this century who have more are Miller, McFadden, McGinn, (Steven) Fletcher and Naismith, and he'll likely overtake the latter two in fewer caps.

[Bing.McCrosby]

Just now, Donathan said:

8 in 26 is a decent record for us. Dykes is fine as a target man and the only reason he’d lose that role is if Ross Stewart was to establish himself as a better option. 
 

 

Adams is great in games where we want to play a counter attacking game due to his speed and ability to hold up the ball. 

Yeah it is, I dont have an issue with him. He gives 100% which is all that you can ask for.

I just think technically he's miles off it. And out of his depth against the better teams. Hes our 2nd best at the moment tho, so it is what it is.

[2426255]

22 minutes ago, Fuctifano said:

I saw Bologna vs Monza in person a few weeks back and Ferguson was playing either up front or as a false nine , he was certainly the most advanced central player- until Arnautovic came on when he dropped back to attacking midfield. I think he could be decent in the latter role.

I initially thought we looked short in attacking midfield options.

• The obvious ones are Ryan Christie, Stuart Armstrong and John McGinn.
• Kenny McLean and Callum McGregor have performed that role sporadically throughout Steve Clarke's reign.
• Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson have more attacking midfield roles at their clubs.
• Andy Robertson was deployed in an attacking midfield role in the 2nd half away to Turkey so we might see that again.

We have a number of central midfielders for only two matches with Callum McGregor, Scott McTominay, Ryan Jack, Kenny McLean, Billy Gilmour and Lewis Ferguson (6) so perhaps some of those players might be deployed in slightly different roles. The flexibility in the squad is very helpful and it allows us to streamline it nicely.