[Archived] Jordan Rhodes

[G Somerset Rover]

Well deserved! Let's hope the twonk Strachan gives him some minutes against the dead rubber of Gibraltar.

[K-Hod]

Well deserved! Let's hope the twonk Strachan gives him some minutes against the dead rubber of Gibraltar.

Seems like he won't pick him out of some self-important stubbornness, in any case Scotland haven't qualified (again). The Scottish fans using the population argument, the same argument smashed to pieces by little old Northern Ireland's qualification

[DE.]

Well deserved! Let's hope the twonk Strachan gives him some minutes against the dead rubber of Gibraltar.

Hope he doesn't tbh, wouldn't want him to risk any injury against a group of amateurs.

I saw the Scottish fans bemeoaning their bad luck last night, but it wasn't bad luck that produced a truly pathetic performance against Georgia last month. If they'd got a result there then they'd still be in with a shot now. Scotland have been architects of their own downfall.

[joey_big_nose]

Seems like he won't pick him out of some self-important stubbornness, in any case Scotland haven't qualified (again). The Scottish fans using the population argument, the same argument smashed to pieces by little old Northern Ireland's qualification

And Wales. Scotland just haven't produced any decent players for twenty five years don't know why.

That said NI have no decent players and they managed it.

Don't really blame Strachan for not picking him. I wouldnt have picked him either for the national team until the last couple of months.

[Mattyblue]

And Iceland...

Hope JR stays on the bench, don't need some part timer breaking his leg.

[K-Hod]

And Wales. Scotland just haven't produced any decent players for twenty five years don't know why.

That said NI have no decent players and they managed it.

Don't really blame Strachan for not picking him. I wouldnt have picked him either for the national team until the last couple of months.

NI also lost a few players to the Republic as well (but that's another matter entirely).

[DE.]

They do have big Corry marshalling the midfield

[Tom]

Absolutely deserved. Nobody can have a single qualm with him.

He had his flaws and he's seemed to work on them and is looking a complete striker at the moment, see it could be done!

Well done Rhodes and the coaching staff!

[K-Hod]

They do have big Corry marshalling the midfield

I wonder if NI have the Yaya/Kolo chant for Corry and Jonny Evans?

[TeamGB-11]

Bump

[windymiller7]

I wonder if NI have the Yaya/Kolo chant for Corry and Jonny Evans?

Yes they do. Heard them singing it the other week.

[G Somerset Rover]

Hope he doesn't tbh, wouldn't want him to risk any injury against a group of amateurs.

I saw the Scottish fans bemeoaning their bad luck last night, but it wasn't bad luck that produced a truly pathetic performance against Georgia last month. If they'd got a result there then they'd still be in with a shot now. Scotland have been architects of their own downfall.

Granted it would keep him fit, but I just think it would be a great boost to his confidence if he got some game time, and even a goal. It's helping absolutely nobody right now with him going away with Scotland to never get game time.

[K-Hod]

It seems like Strachan is only keeping him out of the team because of his own stubbornness, but I may be wrong.

[Tom]

Bump

Stop doing that it's not needed.

[TeamGB-11]

Stop doing that it's not needed.

Sorry if its annoying, its my smartphone. I'd have to scroll through loads of pages otherwise..

[DE.]

Granted it would keep him fit, but I just think it would be a great boost to his confidence if he got some game time, and even a goal. It's helping absolutely nobody right now with him going away with Scotland to never get game time.

As far as Rovers are concerned, he seems to have plenty of confidence at the moment anyway. Not sure scoring against a team of amateurs in a glorified friendly is going to make much difference. I think Strachan will probably play him, but I'd rather the risk wasn't taken. Can you imagine if he gets injured against f'ing Gibraltar?

[Amo]

Call it selfish but I hope our players play as little international football as possible. Rovers come first and foremost. We might have a lot of players but the strength in depth is lacking, especially on the goalscorer front. Strachan is doing us a favour snubbing Rhodes.

[joey_big_nose]

Sorry if its annoying, its my smartphone. I'd have to scroll through loads of pages otherwise..

Get Tapatalk, that allows you to jump around threads easier. Or alternatively in your browser when you come onto the messagebaord click on the box top right and click "mark all as read" then you will be taken to the end of a thread, rather than where you last read up to.

[Tom]

Sorry if its annoying, its my smartphone. I'd have to scroll through loads of pages otherwise..

A fair enough that makes sense

Its frustrating on a smartphone when that happens

[Blue blood]

And Wales. Scotland just haven't produced any decent players for twenty five years don't know why.

That said NI have no decent players and they managed it.

Don't really blame Strachan for not picking him. I wouldnt have picked him either for the national team until the last couple of months.

Yeah no idea why this is.

Have other teams caught up? Has the quality of Scottish players dropped? I mean take when Rovers had a few players in the squad - Hendry, Gally and McKinley - only Hendry was international class (though the other two remain some of my favourite ever players) but are the current crop weaker than those guys? I'm not too sure the gulf is that big.

Also with 24 teams qualifying (a stupid thing imo) most half decent nations should qualify.

[A cup of beans]

Scotland say he's injured, apparently.

EDIT.. BBC SPORT.. one of 5 to withdraw from the squad.

Could he withdraw for any other reason, than an injury?

[joey_big_nose]

Yeah no idea why this is.

Have other teams caught up? Has the quality of Scottish players dropped? I mean take when Rovers had a few players in the squad - Hendry, Gally and McKinley - only Hendry was international class (though the other two remain some of my favourite ever players) but are the current crop weaker than those guys? I'm not too sure the gulf is that big.

Also with 24 teams qualifying (a stupid thing imo) most half decent nations should qualify.

The team Hendry was in was a poor one also (though they did qualify in 96 and 98). Last good Scotland team was the eighties one with Souness, Dalgleish and Hansen. Since those three retired the quality Scotland have produced has been appalling. But when you are reduced to saying your two best international players of the last 25 years have been Barry Ferguson (just not that good a player) and Darren Ferguson (very good player but serious injury problems) you are in trouble. Theyve had some other okay players - McCallister, Hendry and McCoist but its really not been great.

In the same period Wales (a country half the populatiom of Scotland) produced four outstanding performers - Bale, Giggs, Ramsey and Bellamy. The republic at least turned up Duff and Robbie Keane, and while no other world class players have produced better overall quality than Scotland.

Scotland have just been terrible, same in the rugby. Really sad to see. It's clearly not a population thing, there are issues at the grassroots.

[Salgado Is Still A Hero]

We just don't have the right set-up for it. Too much emphasis on physical attributes and not technical ones at youth level, oversized pitches, outdated coaching methods etc etc. Last season a Real Madrid youth player wasn't called up to the under 19s squad because he was "too small".

Problems in society as well with youth players drinking too much and not eating healthy enough. Hard to get out of that culture. The population aspect is still a big factor but it hasn't stopped countries like Uruguay and Croatia from being good.

We're a decent side under Strachan we're just lacking that one quality attacking player who can make the difference in tight games. Poland have Lewandowski, Slovakia have Hamsik, Iceland have Sigurddson, Macedonia have Pandev etc but we have no one at that level.

And we have no decent strikers either. But if we can't beat teams like Georgia, we don't deserve to qualify for tournaments anyway.

As for Rhodes, I'm all for him being given another chance in the side as Steven Fletcher might be able to hold the ball up well sometimes but he offers nothing else.

[joey_big_nose]

I agree, from an organisation and work rate point of view Scotland are fine. But as you say one or two quality players would make all the difference.

I love Scotland, both my folks are Scottish and I lived in Edinburgh for five years, the emergence of a Scottish Bale or Duff would be fantastic. But it just seems that it's a long way off.

Regarding the drinking and diet - is it really that much better in Wales?

[Salgado Is Still A Hero]

Probably not tbh. I don't really think it's much of an excuse anyway. I couldn't really tell you exactly why we haven't produced any top quality players in recent times.

A potential one is Ryan Gauld who's now at Sporting Lisbon so it will be interesting to see how his career develops.

As I say, losing against Georgia is inexcuseable and cost us the chance of qualifying but we always get a tough group. It's just we always have at least one slip up and that ends up costing us.