Agree on both parts. I think we are in a similar position to England now with Southgate where they're both doing stuff their predecessors couldn't and we are afraid to take a risk to be better because there is the chance that a newer and better manager spectacularly fails and we end up being in the same position pre-Clarke/Southgate.
Scotland National Team Discussion
- Thread starter SilentWitness
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Agree on both parts. I think we are in a similar position to England now with Southgate where they're both doing stuff their predecessors couldn't and we are afraid to take a risk to be better because there is the chance that a newer and better manager spectacularly fails and we end up being in the same position pre-Clarke/Southgate.
Agreed. Just hope we can get to the Euros with relatively few injury worries but regardless I'd like to see a change in the next 12 months for World Cup qualifying but there is a big risk.
If we make it out of the groups I think I'd give Clarke another go at the WCQ but if we go out as dismally as we did the last Euros I'd probably look to change it.
Nervous about Germany now, they seem to have got their act together.
For me Clarke was well over-rated up to and around Euro 2020 simply on the basis of qualifying for a tournament. Scraping into a 24-team continental tournament is no real achievement and, had it been a 16 or even 8 team set-up like in previous iterations, we would have been left at home yet again. And we still failed to reach the last 16 even when we did get there. Some individual mistakes and a freak goal granted, but I reckon he got it wrong with McTominay as the no6 against Czech Republic and O'Donnell struggled in both that and the Croatia games, when he really should have embraced the potential of Gilmour and Patterson. So it was basically the same shite as the previous 20 years but presented as a success because we reached a bloated tournament.
To give him his dues, his record in competitive matches since then has been very impressive. He has also resolved the tactical problem presented by having Tierney and Robertson in the same team. We've been poor in recent games though - England, France, Spain, Northern Ireland, Georgia - very little to celebrate in those ties. A lot riding on a respectable showing in the summer.
To give him his dues, his record in competitive matches since then has been very impressive. He has also resolved the tactical problem presented by having Tierney and Robertson in the same team. We've been poor in recent games though - England, France, Spain, Northern Ireland, Georgia - very little to celebrate in those ties. A lot riding on a respectable showing in the summer.
It took me a while to come around to Clarke. I thought he was the same exact manager as we've had over the last 20 years and didn't expect much of him. At the time I was quite annoyed because the talent pool had significantly improved and the manager didn't meet the standard of that talent. But, then he got us qualified for a tournament and backed him for a bit.
But, I think he's peaked with this team now. Nice job with the back to back Euros but, maybe find something different with this current group. Relying on midfielders to be creative and score goals only gets you so far. He's at his limit as both McGinn and McTominey have stopped scoring for him.
Starting XIs are live on UEFA website. United U21 midfielder James Scanlon starts for Gib against Scotland, so he'll be one to watch for United fans.
All our strikers are off this summer to have a nice European trip. McBurnie to Las Palmas and Adams to Torino!
To be fair, if I was a pro I'd move somewhere like that for a couple of seasons 
Wow, it really shows the level eh?
I was thinking about this the other day when there was a discussion about the likes of Rashford, Maddison and Grealish not making the England squad. How far down the list of English players would still make a Scotland squad?
We know guys like Harvey Barnes would probably walk into the team, never mind the squad. But given the likes of Ben Doak made it, even the likes of the young lad going back to Villa Philogene would probably make the team, never mind folk like Madueke and Hudson Odoi that would be certanties.
How far down the list of strikers? Solanke, Calvert-Lewin, Wilson, Nketiah, Abraham, Ings, Welbeck, Armstrong.
Defenders you have guys like Wan Bissaka, Mitchell, Rico Henry, Tarkowski, Chalobah, Tosin, Kilman, Livramento, Walker-Peters, Alfie Doughty that barely even get mentioned for England.
Quite scary the talent that England have that would walk into a Scottish squad.
You're right they have miles better players that can't make their squad that would walk into our 11. Envious AF really.
Pretty much. That shows though how ridiculous it is when people argue that England can't do better as a side when you could have 2 or 3 XIs from a nation that are better than a team that were in the same tournament as them!
Also when that team is the last to beat Spain in a competitive match.