Stephen hasn’t put a foot wrong but Patterson is an outstanding talent and he MUST start.. that’s just the truth
Teen Nathan is ready and has to get nod for the Israel clash
EVERY now and then I hear a player come away with something that gives me a wee chuckle.
I have a wee laugh to myself because I think back to the times I’d have said something similar and expected the world to believe me too.
You know the kind of stuff, when someone is desperately trying to toe the party line and tick all the professional boxes. But he’s kidding no one.
“We’re only focused on what we’ve got to do on the pitch. What happens elsewhere is outwith our control”.
You can smell the bulls*** from 100 miles away.
Trust me on this one, if you’re playing in a massive game and relying on someone else to do you a turn somewhere else, you can’t help but allow your mind to drift – even when you’re out there in the heat of the battle.
I’ve been in that position plenty of times and on a couple of very famous occasions, in particular.
And even though you know you should concentrate on your own game, it’s impossible not to think about how the other lot are getting on.
Players might try their best to pretend differently but they’re only human after all.
And it can be a horrible position to be in knowing your fate is not in your own hands, worried that a win might not be enough if you also need to throw a double six when you get into the dressing room.
Which is why I’m so excited for the Scotland lads now they are in complete control of their own World Cup destiny.
Beat Israel at Hampden tomorrow – and follow that up with wins over the Faroe Islands plus Moldova – and they are guaranteed a place in the play-offs for Qatar.
If they had been offered that very scenario when the group was drawn, they’d have ripped your right arm off for it.
It’s unusual for any Scotland side to be facing such a straight forward position at this end of a qualification campaign and that’s testimony to all the hard work Steve Clarke and his players have put in over these last two years.
Put it this way, right now it all comes down to the next 90 minutes against the Israelis. Nothing else matters. And as pleased as the manager must be feeling with the job he has done to get us this far, he’ll have one or two major decisions spinning around inside his head when it hits the pillow tonight.
Let’s get one thing straight. Clarke has done a fantastic job in building this side and I’d say he’s now got it down to a fine art. He knows his best XI, he’s got the formation nailed down and his players understand exactly what is expected of them. That’s more than half the battle when it comes to international football.
The last performance in Austria was all the proof anyone required to agree Clarke’s Scotland deserve to be taken seriously again on the global stage.
And now we need more of the same.
He went with both Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes in Vienna a month ago and it seems obvious to me that we look much better with two out-and-out strikers up top.
Yes, sometimes it’s a manager’s job to assess the opposition and choose your own team accordingly. That’s what coaching is all about.
But even so, I’d be utterly amazed if he didn’t pick both of them again against Israel because they make us far more dangerous when they’re teamed up together in attack.
In fact, if truth be told, the team pretty much picks itself.
Craig Gordon in goals behind a back three of Scott McTominay, Jack Hendry and Kieran Tierney.
Obviously Andy Robertson at left-back and, for me, Nathan Patterson on the right. I’ll explain why in a minute.
In midfield, Billy Gilmour and Callum McGregor sitting deep with John McGinn let off the leash a little further up the pitch.
Then Adams and big Lyndon leading the line.
Now I know that’s harsh on Stephen O’Donnell because he’s been brilliant for Scotland and he was outstanding against the Austrians. This is
the one that will be troubling Clarke the most. I have to be honest, O’Donnell has hardly put a foot wrong since breaking into the Scotland side.
But, without being sentimental about it, we’ve got to put our hands on our hearts and admit Patterson is an outstanding young talent with a big Scotland career ahead of him.
Listen, maybe if the 19-year-old hadn’t got 90 minutes under his belt against Hibs last Sunday it might have been easier to put up a case for sticking with O’Donnell.
But Patterson has played his way in at the right time. It wasn’t the best I’ve seen him play but what a ball he put in for Kemar Roofe’s equaliser.
And that’s the sort of quality which can change games at any level. What Patterson adds in an attacking sense is massively important. But I’ve also seen a huge improvement in what he does defensively. Trust me, this kid is ready.
The only other big question for Clarke, with McTominay back, is who replaces Grant Hanley in the middle of his back three. For me, it has to be Hendry.
This boy’s story is incredible, A youngster who couldn’t make the breakthrough at Celtic, went on loan to Australia and ended up doing his cruciate on the other side of the world. At that point, his career was all over the place.
So he takes a wild punt on a move to Belgium, produces top form, gets back in the Scotland squad and a move to a club in the Champions League. Then, last week, he faces PSG and doesn’t give Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe a sniff. What’s not to love about that?
As much as anything else, Hendry has shown he’s got balls and that’s why he’d be my choice tomorrow night.
But it’s Scotland’s midfield that gives me the most confidence of all. In Gilmour, McGregor and McGinn, we’ve got a bit of everything. If these guys are on their game, they will have too much for a really good Israeli side to handle. This is the most confident I’ve felt going into any of the recent games against them.
Then it’s off to the f ***** g Faroes but let’s leave that nightmare for next week.