We have composed a list of players that we think should be seen as surplus to requirements for Steve Clarke.
The baw is burst complety for some of these players (see picture above)
Who Is In The Squad?
First of lets have a look at the list of players that are currently in the Scotland sqaud.
Goalkeepers:
David Marshall
Jonathan McLaughlin
Craig Gordon
Defenders:
Stephen O’Donnel, Andrew Robertson, Liam Cooper, Grant Hanley, Liam Palmer, Kieran Tiernay, Scott Mckenna, Declan Gallagher, Greg Taylor, Andrew Considine
Midfielders:
Callum Mcgregor, Scott Mctominay, John Mcginn, Stuart Armstrong, Kenny Mclean, Ryan Christie, Ryan Jack
Strikers:
Ryan Fraser, Callum Paterson, Oliver Mcburnie, Oliver Burke, Lyndon Dykes, Leigh Griffiths, Lawrence Shankland
There is some names there that i think we can agree that we’d like to see more of and some players… not so much.
Below is the names of the players I’d like to see Steve Clarke take out of the team.
Oliver Mcburnie
When he was first called up to the Scotland team most fans were intrigued and had high hopes for Mcburnie to do well.
Especially since Mcburnie played in the English Premier League for Sheffield United who at the time were doing pretty well and managed to finish 9th in the table last season.
Scotland fans are also losing patience with the striker as he has played five times for his country and is yet to score a goal.
So in total he has scored one goal in a total of 21 games.
Those stats are pretty brutal and are pretty hard to defend against… Unlike Mcburnie’s goal scoring ability
Callum Patterson
Just hearing his name probably gives you flashbacks of his grinning face as the minutes ticked down to dreaded penalties.
His moustache never helped matters, it only confirmed my thoughts that he had been sent as a mischevious trickster with his only ambition being to break Scotland fans hearts.
In case you are unaware he was subbed on near the end of the game against Serbia, I guess Steve Clarke’s thinking was that he could maybe help with tired legs and is good in the air. Well wouldn’t you know Serbia scored an equaliser (in the air) soon after he was subbed on and albeit it wasn’t Patterson’s fault he was infuriating to watch.
As the minutes ticked down in extra time to the dreaded penalty shoot out Patterson half jogged around the pitch. He looked more tired than his teammates, despite only just being subbed on the pitch!
If nothing else he was a source of amusement as I sighed and thought all hope was lost.
The only credit i can give him is that he never took a penalty.
Lawrence Shankland
Okay so this one is perhaps slightly unfair as he hasn’t really had a proper chance with the Scotland team.
Currently he has played three games for Scotland and scored once which is not bad going especially when you think about Oliver Mcburnie’s stat above.
The thing that lets him down is his current form for dundee united this season, he has played 23 times for Dundee United and only scored 5 times.
In his 2019/20 season he had 26 games and 24 goals, which is a phenomenal stat. Although he was playing in the championship.
Hopefully he is just taking some time to adjust to the Scottish Premiership and will get back to his scoring ways.
Jon McLaughlin
I think we can agree that this choice is the most obvious for who should be dropped from the current team.
McLaughlin hasn’t really had any game time recently and although he is third choice keeper behind both David Marshall and Craig Gordon there is better options out there to bring in.
Taking McLaughlin out of the team would create space for another experienced goal keeper that is actually playing week in and week out.
Steve Clarke might also opt for bringing in a goalie with potential for future Scotland squads.
Liam Palmer
This choice was quite difficult as Palmer isn’t necessarily a bad player its just that he’s being played out of position.
He usually plays in midfield for his team Sheffield Wednesday but is being selected at right back for Scotland where he hasn’t performed well.
At the moment Stephen O’Donnel is Scotland’s first choice right back.
If Steve Clarke is keeping him in the team to play him in his natural position (Defensive Mid) then it would be interesting to keep him in the squad to see how he gets on.
However if he is continued to be used as a back up to the Stephen O’Donnel I think he should be dropped as there are better options at right back out there.
Who Should Replace Them?
Jon Mclaughlin – Out
Alan Mcgregor – In
Alan Mcgregor has been in great form with Rangers this season and deserves an inclusion into the squad.
Lawrence Shankland – Out
Kevin Nisbet – In
They are both young talented strikers but Kevin Nisbet has been in much better form this season.
Liam Palmer – Out
Aaron Hickey – In
Aaron Hickey has shown in the past he can play well at right back and has the potential to be a real star for Scotland.
Callum Patterson – Out
Ryan Gauld – In
Ryan Gauld has been in outstanding form this season and would offer more in midfield than Patterson currently does.
Oliver Mcburnie – Out
Billy Gilmour – In
We already have plenty of strikers, Mctominay is also listed as a midfielder but is being used as a defender so adding another midfielder makes sense.
Thanks for reading.
What did you make of our list, were we too harsh?
Let us know below.
