Jamie Mackie - He is not skillfull enough we don't need work horses with hardly any technical ability
Craig Mackail-Smith - Has been rubbish in the championship he has never played well for Scotland he was dross in the game he scored in the goal just masked this.
Barry Robson - 34 years old well past it and playing in Canada should never be included again
Don Cowie - 29 years old already and isn't technically good enough to start maybe a decent squad player
James McArthur - Same as Cowie isn't good enough to start but decent backup defensive midfielder
Ryan Stevenson - Should never have been called up
Murray Davidson - Isn't good enough on the ball, he doesn't even stand out in the SPL never mind Internationally
Craig Conway - Isn't even a regular starter for Cardiff
Chris Maguire - can't get a game for Derby
Dross like the above should not be in the squad the players that actually seem to play well in the championship get ignored for inferior players Chris Burke and Ross McCormack have easily outshone Conway, Cowie, Mackail-Smith and Mackie this season. While Scott Allan was Man Of The Match for Portsmouth on his debut and was excellent for Scotland U-21 tonight when he came on but he has no chance of being selected because of the moron Peter Houston.
We NEED to start using our youth players more not washed up journemen playing in the English lower leagues. The current crop of youth players seem technically excellent.
Ideally the team within a few years will be this
McGregor
Hutton Caldwell Berra Bardsley
Morrison Fletcher Adam
Forrest Fletcher Naismith
With Forrest and Naismith dropping into make a midfield 5 when the opposition have the ball they can both swap wings aswell to stop man marking. Levein should put his ego in check and give Fletcher a call Miller is getting older.
With maybe Ness taking over for Adam eventually
With Wilson and Hanley/Perry taking over for Caldwell and Berra
With Allan taking over for Morrison or Fletcher
Crap Players playing for Scotland
posted on 29/2/12
Any team with Berra and Caldewell as cb is going to get hammered no matter who is in front of them. Bring back Nigel Quashie
posted on 29/2/12
Don't see the need for such a negative article.
Firstly Mackail Smith has done very well for Brighton this season. Mackie has done well for Scotland in his few appearances.
You slate 7 or 8 players, and mention 2 who could be called up instead. And another who is injured(Naismith) and another who has exiled himself.
I don't like Levein but this is ridiculous. If we try and play nice football and use our 'technical ability' we will get beat. We need our hardworking players.
Fletcher who you want up front hasn't got the balls to ask Levein to play. If he doesn't want to play for us, he can do one. While I don't like Levein, his hand was forced with a lot of the players he had to play.
posted on 1/3/12
Renegade
I agree with the op on Robson,Cowie,Davidson,conway and Mcguire tho,they are either past it or not good enough,hopefully start using some of the younger lads in the full team,ie Rhodes,Russel,Mckail Smith,Allan etc.Also playing Caldwell and Berra is just asking for trouble, tho not sure we have many options there would play Mulgrew as CB over they 2 any day of the week.
posted on 1/3/12
I understand the point but at the moment they are the best we have.
Scott Allan hasn't even started 10 games. Mackay Steven not even been a regular for a full season. Russel's only really been considered an automatic pick for Dundee United this season.
Mulgrew has been playing cb for Celtic for what a year? Caldwell was POTY in Scotland not that long ago, captain of a Premier League club.
Who else are we going to play Gary Kenneth? Stephen McManus? Aye very good.
Levein has at least given guys like Hanley and Wilson a chance. But it's no going to do them any good if they aren't ready to be playing and then get slated as they would by our fans.
posted on 1/3/12
Craig Mackail-Smith - 33 Apperances - 8 Goals - That is not good by any stretch of the imagination and he is 28 years old so is no youngster, Martinm Russel is also 26/27 so he is not a youngster either.
Fletcher has said it was a mix up and he only asked to be not included for one Scotland friendly at the request of his club manager he said he is just waiting for a call from Levein and he will play.
Note I said in team within a few years Naismith should be back for next season hopefully so should Ness and Fletcher.
As for not qualifiying by playing technical players we have been trying to qualify for years without technical players and we have failed if we were qualifying then I would agree with you but we aren't. Technical football is what wins games this hoof ball we play in Scotland is outdated and has proven to be innefective in modern football. We have decent attacking players coming through we should play to their strengths not sit back and defend especially like Timinator said with Berra and Caldwell at the back. Hopefully Wilson, Hanley & Perry can progress well and over take them but under the current managment it doesn't look likley that they would drop Caldwell or Berra.
posted on 1/3/12
Fletcher has said it was a mix up? He's no said it to the man that matters, he knows if he calls Levein he's back in the squad. He hasn't, end of. If he wants to play he could.
Why do you say the current management wouldn't play Hanley or Wilson? Perry? He's no even forced his way into our side.
Levein is the one that has given Wilson 5 caps, despite him not playing at club level. Levein has already given Hanley a few caps despite having only made a handful of appearances at the time. Levein is giving young guys like Forrest, Bannan, Mcarthur a chance.
Aye so what technically gifted players have we not played that we should have? What great talents have recently been robbed of an international career?
I could possibly agree on Burke. But even then he was hounded out of the SPL for not being good enough and was hampered by injuries.
posted on 24/3/12
Steven Fletcher should not get near a Scotland squad unless HE gets his ego in check. He's the one that refused to play, end off. I could understand his frustration if he was the EPL or La Liga top scorer but truth is he's very average and has a below average scoring record anywhere he's played. Jordan Rhodes will be a better player.
Allan???what, has he even played 20 pro games??? why would he get anywhere near an international side?
I actually quite like Jamie Mackie, he looks like he can provide spark up front and his ego will fit in the ground.
Berra is getting better I must say, I wasn't a fan but he's growing on me. Caldwell on the other hand is and always has been a total imposter, it's a national tragedy that he has the amount caps that he does and him getting the armband in the last game was a disgrace.
Burke I like, I liked him at Rangers, I don't think he was ever given enough support after his injuries. To be fair though I don't think he's any better than Forrest or Morrison.
My ideal team would be:
McGregor/Gordon - Not bothered too much which keeper starts there both more than reliable.
Bardsley - Hutton for me has lost it, not good enough any more, Bardsley has more than earned a run in his preferred position.
Webster - If fit I'd play him, was quality before all his injuries and is still miles better than Caldwell
Berra - improving with age and again, no-one better at the moment, hopefully Danny Wilson can get in the Liverpool team eventually or at least move to a half decent EPL side and challenge at CB.
Wallace/Mulgrew - Whoever is on best form out of these two for me. Both slightly questionable on consistency but both are naturally left footed and deliver a good cross. Mulgrew good for FKs too.
Morrison - Solid, consistent and works his socks off.
Fletcher - Pics himself, class act.
Adam - Can be inconsistent but one of our most technically gifted player simply can't be left out. Can always be hooked if having a mare.
Naismith - Great link man that can drift into all sorts of positions and a decent finisher too.
Forrest - Runs all day and can take a man on, something we've missed for some time, also a goal threat.
Rhodes - Goal machine, plain and simple. Not sure he's totally ready yet but as much as I like Kenny Miller he doesn't get enough simple goals. Rhodes is scoring for fun, regardless of the level he's currently at he is going to play at the top. I would get him in now.
So
-------------McGregor/Gordon------------
Bardsley--Webster--Berra--Mulgrew/Wallace
-------------------Fletcher----------------
---------Morrison-------Adam------------
Forrest----------------------------Naismith
----------------Rhodes-------------------