MONDAY JURY
1 Steve Clarke isn’t hitting the panic button but what are the concerns about Scotland’s recent winless streak?
It’s not the kind of habit Clarke would have wanted to slip into ahead of this summer’s tournament. But he has time – and a cleverly handpicked list of fixtures – to get Scotland back on a winning streak before the finals.
The goals against are a huge concern. Add that to a lack of a proven scorer and, yes, it’s enough to crank the pre-Euros jitters up a notch. Yet the quality of our play between the two boxes against Netherlands still gives real hope.
Confidence, momentum, conceding too many goals and lack of squad depth. It’s only 81 days until that mouthwatering Munich opener and Steve Clarke will need to get his squad back in the game.
Conceding 18 goals in six matches is a worry, regardless of the context of the games. Clarke needs to get us back to being solid, while the emphasis will be on scoring in the remaining friendlies. There’s food for thought but no need to panic.
2 Who gets the nod up front against Northern Ireland tomorrow night?
Lawrence Shankland deserved his chance to grab the shirt against the Dutch but it’ll be either Che Adams or Lyndon Dykes who leads the line this time around. Clarke may even give them 45 minutes each.
I’d love to see Shankland get another go. Apart from missing his big opportunity he linked play well. Problem is Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams need minutes and the likelihood is those two will share it with Adams starting.
Shankland deserves another chance to show what he can do. Yes, he missed that one big opportunity that came his way but his overall play was good and the Hearts hitman should be given a crack at Hampden.
It’s worth another look at Shankland. We know what Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes can do but this is another good opportunity for the Hearts man to find his feet at this level.
3 What about the other big decisions in terms of Clarke’s team selection for Hampden this week?
This side is getting very close to picking itself apart from the obvious question over which striker is the best qualified for the job. But the manager may want to assess some of his options tomorrow night.
The midfield has earned the right to start again meaning only the make-up of the back three could be changed. Liam Cooper hasn’t been starting for Leeds but John Souttar deserves a shot, perhaps in place of Jack Hendry.
Steve Clarke could do worse than give Craig Gordon a runout between the sticks just to assess him again in Scotland colours and Lewis Ferguson should also get a short from the start after his 20 minutes in Amsterdam.
Any option of tinkering went out the window in the last 10 minutes in Amsterdam as Scotland now badly need a win, and that means a full strength side. It would be nice to see Ferguson getting more minutes though.
4 Are Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United in danger of blowing their bid to win the Championship and avoid the promotion play-offs?
They’ve been wobbling for weeks now and, given what’s at stake, that has to be a major concern. Goodwin’s squad has more than enough talent to get the job done. The question is, do United have the bottle?
Absolutely. Their results are all over the place and the pressure is mounting. This weekend’s clash with Raith Rovers at Tannadice is the match of the day in Scotland and could go a long way to deciding the title.
Real danger. Confidence is shot at Tannadice and you have to fancy Raith when they meet on Saturday. Ian Murray reckons the Terrors are rattled which is why they cut the Fifers ticket allocation – and he might have a point.
Alarm bells are ringing at Tannadice and the real problem they have is playing at home is no longer an advantage with supporters on the turn. This Rovers clash at the weekend is absolutely massive.