Rousseau

Someone said on Twitter, younger fans will not know who Rossiter is!

Benefits of a DoF.

Imagine a McGinn-Docherty midfield pairing, though...

I'm really not expecting Murty to be appointed. I don't think he was ever going to get the job -- unless he won the League, or something similar!

I'm disappointed to say -- who wants Pete agreeing with them... -- but I can't get past his record elsewhere. He has a style, but the only place he's been able to implement it is Ajax, who already played a similar style. We're not Ajax. In general, Dutch coaches are stuck on one particular style; they've not progressed as football on the whole has changed. Spanish and German styles are now better. There's a reason The Netherlands have failed to qualify for major tournaments recently -- the only one they did well in Van Gaal had them playing ultra-defesively in a 3-5-2; to reach the 2010 World Cup Final. He's got the prestige, and he has got that 'big'club' style that we need. I'm not sure FdB is the way to go.

I like McGinn, as a footballer anyway, but not at £5M. We're better waiting for him to sign for some Championship club, fail, then pick him up for a £1M.

It's ironic that we have an abundance of central midfield players, yet we have few wingers, so the diamond suits us, but the wingers we do have (Murphy and Candeias) are arguably our best players.

I agree. Perhaps I wasn't clear. I don't see us adopting the Ajax way of dropping their FBs back into the back-three, because, as you say, our Full-backs are too important and too attacking to do that -- Ajax have centre-backs playing at full-back because of their usual rotation policy, of playing players in a variety of positions. I thought perhaps starting as a 3-4-3, with McCrorie in defence; and with our full-backs deployed high and wide. Then with McCrorie pushing forward into midfield to create a 4-3-3, the Full-backs are perhaps a tad more defensively organised, but it'd be similar to what they do now; I don't see the role of our Wing-backs changing. I don't see that switch as being a problem, as we do that now, in a lot of respects. I think the wingers are the issue: can they play narrower, a la Liverpool? And then widen as and when required? I think it just creates a greater midfield superiority in terms of numbers; it's needed at times. Switching between a two- and three-man midfield has its benefits. It would also allow us to get the most out of McCrorie. I was just thinking about where his best role is, and thought, why does it have to be either/or?

There's a young Ajax player, de Ligt, that plays provisionally as a CB in their 4-3-3, but then at times pushes into Midfield to create a 3-4-3; he's equally comfortable in both positions. It allows Ajax to switch formation mid-game to suit the circumstances of the moment. This young man is instrumental; he's 18. It's a joy to watch how this kid pushes up, usually with the ball at his feet dribbling past a player, then the Full-backs acknowledge it and drop back to create a back-three. McCrorie has the potential to do similar. I'm not sure what his best position is? Although it does require more defensive Full-backs, that can move back to create a back-three when De Ligt moves forward; I'm not sure we have that. Wallace has experience of playing in a back-three, however briefly. I suppose we could start with a back-three, with McCrorie there, in a 3-4-3, then he can push forward to create a 4-3-3, with our Full-backs creating a normal back-four?

What do I know? All hail Big Eck!

Phillips is not a striker; that's mental!

He has been off the boil, but generally the Goss-Docherty partnership has worked well.

I doubt we'll be changing to a back three any time soon, so someone's going to miss out. A month ago I'd have been hard pressed to omit him from Midfield, but Docherty-Goss have been doing very well. It's now our defence that needs to be strengthened. I don't think he's quite there yet to be a main-stay at CB, but he won't be if he doesn't play. Playing beside Alves can only help.

Great news! Where does he play?

Surely his record at Preston suggests he is a 'flop' there? You're correct that it doesn't work out for some players at certain clubs, and that we can't rule anyone out from one spell. I was ambivalent about signing him when he played for Motherwell, but I'd certainly take him if we can get him for a decent price; there is probably more chance of that now he's left Scotland.

Not really 'new' per se, but a coming together of several rules implemented throughout Europe. The Italian Leagues have had the 12 subs for ages. The 4th sub in Extra time has been trialled too.

He still does play. I think he's captain of Genk?

50+1 Rule in Germany is a principled approach that has reaped dividends (no pun intended), but it requires a German Football League directive. It's a way of protecting the clubs from misrule, but limits their ability to tap into their commercial potential, outwith a few exceptions. https://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/Bundesliga/german-soccer-rules-50-1-fifty-plus-one-explained-466583.jsp

McDiarmid Park? I gather it was only moved to Hampden to accommodate us?

McBurnie did quite well for Scotland last night. Nothing special, but he looks to be a good hold-up player, linking well with those around him. He never really got a sniff at goal, though.

Perhaps there is a reason he's only had 212 minutes, though?

I was intrigued by the formation, 5-4-1 (or 5-2-3), but we just played it the same as any other formation; dependent on merely getting the ball wide, with 'full-back' and winger combining to get a cross in. Do we really not know how to play any other way? Contrast that with Costa Rica, who played the exact same, building-up through the back, interchanges, one-twos throughout the team, and getting in-behind. Their goal was very well worked. Costa Rica have a smaller population than us and they have better tactical awareness and better technical players. I've always been a fan of Bryan Ruiz; elegant player. It's going to take a major cultural change to move on from this crap. Night and day with the Germany-Spain match. Germany were stuck in the past for a while there and made a conscious decision to change; they're now bearing the fruits of that with some delightful, dynamic, moving through the lines, play; the movement is just terrific.