No Shinnie or Christie???

 

Wtf Strachan.

 

I agree we should keep the same team who should've beaten England but bringing in Whittaker and excluding them?

 

Nuts

Late to the party but Sportsound from Monday night is a great listen, you can get the recording through the BBC website.  Listened to it yesterday and the debate with Michael Stewart, Tom English and James McFadden was pretty fiery.

 

McFadden did not provide many great answers when questioned about the Scotland formation.

 

Quite like Michael Stewart actually, one of the few pundits who is not scared to say what he thinks but unlike Sutton, Boyd etc he does not do it just to be controversial.

I like Stewart too, but I don't think he got his point across particularly well and he kept having a go at Tom English instead of letting the non-argument go for the betterment of the debate. When English said that he criticised the Robertson/Tierney combo Stewart should have taken his word for that rather than accuse him of saying otherwise. It doesn't help that he has a ridiculously flimsy argument with regard to playing Robertson at left wing.

 

I actually thought McFadden came across a lot better than expected in the face of difficult questioning. I just assumed he'd be thick as shite and unable to put any point across, but he was okay.

Quite like Michael Stewart actually, one of the few pundits who is not scared to say what he thinks but unlike Sutton, Boyd etc he does not do it just to be controversial.

 

"Quite like"?

 

You should try enthusiasm and recognise excellence when you see it. He's the best football pundit I've ever heard in the history of the game.

 

My love affair with him started just over a year ago. I was driving all day from down south and his contributions to the commentary of the Hearts Aberdeen game from Murrayfield were amazing. I've seen way more AFC games under McInnes than he has but he was describing things about our set up and play that taught me lots. You know when you get "situational recognitions" when someone tells us something and we go "absolutely spot on, I KNEW that", well he was describing the limitations of our squad and manager that day brilliantly. His ability to articulate the truth in a football match comes not just from a superior knowledge and experience of the game but from a huge intelligence.

Surprised nobody has commented yet about the 4 in the Scotland squad. Great for the club and I’m a huge fan of Shinnie but he’s not on form, GMS has gone quiet too. Would like to see the partnership of Devlin-mckenna at international level. Delighted mulgrew isn’t available.

Quite a few in the U-21's as well no?  It's funny that Magoo and Timmy strachan leave and suddenly we see dons players getting called up.  It's also funny that Shinnie et al aren't even playing their best football at the moment.

 

As you say, good news for them and the club 

Surprised nobody has commented yet about the 4 in the Scotland squad. Great for the club and I’m a huge fan of Shinnie but he’s not on form, GMS has gone quiet too. Would like to see the partnership of Devlin-mckenna at international level. Delighted mulgrew isn’t available.

 

4 ex Dons in the side as well.

If we go with a back 3 then there should be a chance of Devlin getting a game.....Tierney is bang out of form, he was the weak link in the back 3 against Israel and showed he really isn't cut out to play central defence at international level. However if it's a back 4 then I'd expect it to be McKenna/Hendry in central defence.

Irrespective of the numbers, whatever rigid "formation" the journalists and pundits interpret the manager to be doing, I think McLeish will start McKenna and Devlin. And it's the right decision.

 

Not only does McLeish know the value of playing alongside a familiar partner, these two have been in outstanding recent form. The only reason we've not had a clean sheet for the last three games is Shay having a fuck moment and no way are the Israeli and Albanians going to be a stiffer test than what they've had to deal with, and they've been fantastic in keeping out everything they've faced. Always go with the form horses and keep them together because they're a formidable pairing.

I almost agree.

 

McLeish could just about make me support Scotland again.

 

I'm going to wait until after Albania thump them though.

33 year old Richard Foster bumping his gums this morning about not being called up to Scotland squad because he plays for St Johnstone 

Surprised that McLeish has not tried to get Alan Hutton out of international retirement.  Despite his hun past he has always put in a decent shift for the Scotland team and they could (and have done) do a lot worse than select him.

 

The Ricky Foster story is funny though. 

Surprised that McLeish has not tried to get Alan Hutton out of international retirement.  Despite his hun past he has always put in a decent shift for the Scotland team and they could (and have done) do a lot worse than select him.

 

Surely this just gives McLeish the opportunity to correct his mistakes so far and save face a little. Play a back line of Tierney, Devlin, McKenna and Robertson and use the injury excuse to switch Tierney to right back like Strachan did previously. Still a very strong back 4 with two good attacking full backs.

 

----------------McGregor-----------------

Tierney---Devlin---McKenna--Robertson

------------McGregor----Armstrong------

-Fraser----------Russell-----------GMS--

----------------Paterson------------------

 

Sorted.

Not a bad shout having Paterson up front, Rico. Would have thought it was mad a few months ago but he is actually doing OK up top for Cardiff. Eck will more than likely go with Fletcher like.

 

Surely got to find a place for McGinn and Forrest though. Cannot see Gaz getting anywhere near the starting line up.

Not a bad shout having Paterson up front, Rico. Would have thought it was mad a few months ago but he is actually doing OK up top for Cardiff. Eck will more than likely go with Fletcher like.

 

Surely got to find a place for McGinn and Forrest though. Cannot see Gaz getting anywhere near the starting line up.

 

Aye, ditch Russell for McGinn and move Armstrong forward. Forrest has been the pishest player in pretty much every Scotland game he's played in. Can't seem to play international fitba for some reason. Paterson better than Fletcher, but I agree that McLeish will probably play him.

Devlin rated doubtful. Injury not yet disclosed.

Now confirmed out. Still no word on what the injury is

EE today

The centre-back was forced to withdraw from Scotland international duty having sustained a foot injury training with Alex McLeish’s squad.

 

Devlin was in contention to earn a debut cap, and start, in the Nations League tie away to Albania tomorrow.

 

However, the Reds now face an edgy wait to discover if the 25-year-old will be fit to face Celtic in the final at Hampden on Sunday December 2.

Stuff International Football

Stuff International Football

 

My interest therein has waned over the years, and accelerated sharply after the Dam ArenA but I'm not quite ready to hand it over for taxidermy yet. It's interesting... a little bit, but as for any passion, that got extinguished a long time ago. Al fucking bania though. If this country can't beat them, throw in the towel.

I would say with a full squad to pick from then yes we should be beating Albania every time. But with all the withdrawals I certainly aint too hopeful.

 

Folk of our vintage remember the 70s and 80s where Scotland always qualified for tournaments (and always made a spectacular Roger Hunt of things once there). Teams like Albania and Israel truly were dross but we have regressed and they have improved in the interim thus levelling the field out.

 

GWT was on Radio Clyde giving an interview earlier. He absolved Devlin from this but came out and actively accused at least 2 of the squad withdrawals of doing so under false pretences. He didn't name names but i took what he said to infer one of them was Tierney.....

Well this has been easy.  Gutted gms didn't get on

I’m more disappointed for devlin. Would have played today. McKenna is established as a regular for the national team now and this was an opportunity for devlin he unfortunately missed. Hopefully he gets another chance soon.

How was the performance?  Four goals and seemed to be by and large, a team on form?

How was the performance?  Four goals and seemed to be by and large, a team on form?

 

Well placed first goal but horribly slow defending. Then a ridiculous red card and game over.

 

The test of a good team is being able to compete with other good teams and consistency in beating up the shite teams.

 

Beating a really shite team reduced to 10 men not the greatest examination paper but should surely give confidence and inspire them to whip Israel (who thrashed an even shitter team a few days ago).

How was the performance?  Four goals and seemed to be by and large, a team on form?

 

Convincing win but achieved on the back of Albania being reduced to 10 men for 70 minutes (red card given correctly for a headbutt on Christie). We had taken the lead with a very good goal 5 minutes earlier but at that point Albania were giving as good as they were getting with the sevco winger Grezda causing Paterson at right back all sorts of problems and with Paterson on an early yellow card.......Grezda copped a booking for diving under a challenge from Paterson late first half still 1-0, replays looked like there was indeed a bit of contact and the ref could have given a penalty and poss red card to Paterson.

 

We then got a penalty on the stroke of half time from a free kick, defender in wall adjudged to have handled....ball clearly struck his arm but it wasn't in an "unnatural" position and I honestly believe 8 out of 10 refs would not have given it.

 

At 2-0 we were then comfortable all second half, added 2 good goals and could (should) have had at least 1 more when McTominay hit top of bar from 12 yards with just keeper to beat.

 

McKenna was steady, had a decent block in first half preventing an on target shot from 6 yards out from possibly giving Albania an equaliser. Didn't look too comfortable (alongside all the defence) on the few times Albania got crosses in from the flanks and was beaten in the air a few times by the Albanian centre forward, eventually picking up a quite unnecessary yellow card mid second half by climbing all over their CF and flattening him in the challenge.