Steve Clarke - What did O'Donnell do wrong?

The least any of our players is exposed to game time and possible injury, the better. It is - when it comes to Scotland - as simple as that, for me at least, and for the best part of 2 or 3 decades.

The disrespect shown to us and our players from the SFA and its chosen coaches has been and is baffling. The level of mediocrity that has been sustained during this period at coaching, and truth be told, team level is quite unparalelled. Hence, if they play, I check our our lads perform (no matter which country) and that`s that.
 
As a “new age” right back (particularly when playing specifically as a wing-back) O’Donnells ability to produce in the final third is equally important as preventing attacks in his own defensive third.

On both counts, O’Donnell is quite simply pïsh!
 
He’s hardly going to hang his own player out to dry in the press, during a tournament, is he?

I’m not convinced O’Donnell will start on Friday but he might still be required at some stage, whether that be against England or Croatia.

It’ll be about keeping his confidence up as I’m sure O’Donnell knows he didn’t play well, neither did the majority of his teammates too btw.
It's one thing not to throw him under the bus and it's another to actively say he did what was asked of him and imply he played well if you analyse his performance.
 
I must have missed him giving the ball way 9 times in the first 25 miles, tackling his own player, offering nothing going forward to the point teammates were deliberately choosing not to pass to him and being slow to get out and stop the cross which led to the first goal.

Aside from that, he was great.
 
Clarke is bereft of tactical know how. He's in his comfort zone now. Setting up his team as difficult to beat, and that's it. It's all he knows, and as Scotland manager, against these good teams in Euro 2020, it's Kilmarnock all over again. 5-3-2 with all the justification for doing it he needs. That's what we'll get against England, and England will beat Scotland easily.
Clarke probably explored every avenue to have a plastic pitch installed at Hampden. In his mind it'll be the only thing that went wrong with preparations.
 
Really? You honestly think most of the team are shit?

We’ve got players that are starters for their clubs in the EPL, championship and playing in Europe with rangers and Celtic

Don’t want to overstate how good they are but there’s a decent group of players there that a good manager would get more out of

The only real weaknesses I see are at CB and Striker, also taking into account Tierney gets shoe-horned in
Weve got a better squad on paper than many of the teams at this tournament.

Not only is Clarke incapable of getting the best out of them as individuals, he is trying to fit them into a style that very few of them play during the club season to accommodate his own extremely limited Killie-style capability.

Its painful to see.
 
The fact that he's aware of the opinions, means that O'Donnell is also aware. He will be a nervous wreck come Friday and will be targeted from the first minute.

His team selection was absolutely shocking, but I genuinely feel even just the one tweak of playing Patterson would have changed the game completely - the wee man would have run riot down that side.
 
O'Donnell played a part in both Czech goals.

I'll ignore him running into Christie, offering generally nothing and hesitating in taking a simple throw in every time as he's completely out his depth.

First goal - he hesitated in closing down the cross, you can see the Czech player make a run - but instead of heading out to stop this immediately, he takes a split second look behind him and then runs out - that split second was crucial as would have closed down the cross if he showed some urgency.

Second goal - Hendry took a shot - the clever option would have been to play in the RWB down the right, however if you look at the point of Hendry getting possession SOD is 10 yards behind and not in view of Hendry. There is no way that if that passage of play happened on the left that Robertson would be so far out of view and out of possession, and likewise as Patterson is far more rounded and can actually show intent in going forward, he would have been there and provided an out ball down the wing.


solely responsible for both goals? no - but he could have done a lot better. And whilst Marshall can take blame for the second - you can point to good saves he made. SOD offered and contributed nothing.
 
So what you're saying is that O'Donnell would put in better performances than Patterson?

I didn't say that. Like I did say, it might not be the best thing for Patterson himself for him to play in this game. I expect Scotland to lose, perhaps heavily, no matter who Clarke picks. It could damage young Patterson's confidence if he's on the wrong end of a hiding. He should play in other Scotland games in the future.
 
Agreed.

I understand the clamour for Gilmour to start but I understand we actually have decent players in front of him who all have more experience and play at a good level. I can half understand the logic behind not flinging him right in.

O'Donnell is another kettle of fish altogether though. He's just genuinely garbage. You have a young fullback who's better than him already and has experience of playing at a high level in European Football for Rangers this season. If you want to go more attacking, then put Forrest in ahead of O'Donnell as well and I won't argue with it. There's no legitimate excuse for O'Donnell to start. None.
If it was a young guy like Ferguson or Porteous, while I still wouldn't agree with it, you could maybe get the logic of potential, plays for at least a top 6 side.

O'Donnell has just played back to back seasons for the team that finished 8th in the SPFL. There's no point in really analysing his performances he should just never be near football matches of this level.

It's no different to playing Michael Gardyne or Brian Easton etc.

Genuinely astonishing stuff.
 
Really? You honestly think most of the team are shit?

We’ve got players that are starters for their clubs in the EPL, championship and playing in Europe with rangers and Celtic

Don’t want to overstate how good they are but there’s a decent group of players there that a good manager would get more out of

The only real weaknesses I see are at CB and Striker, also taking into account Tierney gets shoe-horned in

Shit is a strong word.

Robertson is clearly a very good modern wingback. McTominay didnt get his Man Utd contract in a Christmas cracker. Add in McGinn, Armstrong, Fraser, Adams - all top flight EPL players. Cooper at the back too. And Tierney when he's fit. Hanley was part of the Norwich team that got promoted.

But they dont really have matching skillsets. There's a massive amount of overlap. Its feast or famine and we either have a few good players for the same position or no good players for other ones. So our teams struggle because we don't have the players to play a proper tactical game. We're trying to ask players to do things that they're just not capable of.
 
Weve got a better squad on paper than many of the teams at this tournament.

Not only is Clarke incapable of getting the best out of them as individuals, he is trying to fit them into a style that very few of them play during the club season to accommodate his own extremely limited Killie-style capability.

Its painful to see.

I honestly think we could play a variation of 433/4231 and cause teams problems

McGinn/McTominey/Armstrong/Fleck all start for EPL teams and don’t look out of place. Gilmours been getting games for Chelsea

Fraser’s a decent EPL player, Christie/Forrest have played at European level and can cause issues

I have no clue why Clarke doesn’t trust these players enough to play more expansive football
 
Blinkered nonsense. It means he'll play against England. Even fans of other teams are questioning why Patterson isn't starting.
I really don't want to see young Patterson playing on Friday but knowing O'Donnel would get ripped a new one, it would suit Clarkes green agenda to have Patterson carrying a large part of the blame.
 
As the debate regarding the berth rages on, Jack – and whilst we must stress the Rangers midfielder was only having a laugh – revealed that O’Donnell is sarcastically referred to as the “teacher’s pet” on Scotland duties.

“Stephen O’Donnell at Motherwell worked with Steve Clarke at Kilmarnock when he was manager there,” said Jack.


“So SOD – which is his nickname – is the teacher’s pet, every day he’s over at the gaffer or at the staff table. So I’d definitely say him.”
100% O'Donnell is Clarke's booze supplier
 
And did anyone have the stones to point out his utter failure to close down the cross at the first goal or why he chose to jump out the way of the cross?
 
Shit is a strong word.

Robertson is clearly a very good modern wingback. McTominay didnt get his Man Utd contract in a Christmas cracker. Add in McGinn, Armstrong, Fraser, Adams - all top flight EPL players. Cooper at the back too. And Tierney when he's fit. Hanley was part of the Norwich team that got promoted.

But they dont really have matching skillsets. There's a massive amount of overlap. Its feast or famine and we either have a few good players for the same position or no good players for other ones. So our teams struggle because we don't have the players to play a proper tactical game. We're trying to ask players to do things that they're just not capable of.

Re your second paragraph, that’s because of the tactics they try and play. We have the players that allow for a more expansive formation

If you can’t fit Armstrong, mcginn, mctominey, mcgregor, tierney into the starting team then so be it
 
What a lot of bollocks.... the system he plays with wingbacks means that his job is to both attack and defend.

O’Donnell can’t do either of them and will get ripped apart by England on Friday

There is the problem.

Stevie Clarke sees that position as a defensive role - even with 3 centre backs - and not an attacking role which Gerrard uses to great effect at Rangers in a system with 2 centre backs.

O Donnell didn't make many mistakes - I don't think many players made many errors - and I would say he is a solid defender at League level.

At this level he contributes nothing in an attacking sense or has the class or speed of thought to make a noticeable impact.

Clarke senses the pressure to play Patterson - he will resist doing this.
 
Shit is a strong word.

Robertson is clearly a very good modern wingback. McTominay didnt get his Man Utd contract in a Christmas cracker. Add in McGinn, Armstrong, Fraser, Adams - all top flight EPL players. Cooper at the back too. And Tierney when he's fit. Hanley was part of the Norwich team that got promoted.

But they dont really have matching skillsets. There's a massive amount of overlap. Its feast or famine and we either have a few good players for the same position or no good players for other ones. So our teams struggle because we don't have the players to play a proper tactical game. We're trying to ask players to do things that they're just not capable of.

McLaughlin

Hanley Cooper Tierney
Patterson Robertson

McTominay Gilmour
McGinn

Armstrong
Adams

A good manager makes this team a regular feature at tournaments, probably gets them into the knockout rounds fairly handily and has them playing a decent brand of football. There's absolutely no excuses. Many other countries have just the same problems and actually do better with less capable squads.
 
Agreed, ironically he was the man outside Hendry when he took the shot that should never have been. Don't think I'd jump on the condemnation of that selection by Hendry given that was his option.
If he is going down the first duty of defence line then where was O'Donnell for the second goal? Shot from just inside the Scotland half on the right side, you know the part where the right back usually defends.
He was played as a WB not a FB and he was sh*te both going forward and defending. Clarke defending the indefensible. He will end up in the East end of Glasgow.
 
Agreed, ironically he was the man outside Hendry when he took the shot that should never have been. Don't think I'd jump on the condemnation of that selection by Hendry given that was his option.
You could see all match plenty of times when his teammates clearly did not want to pass him the ball. If he doesn't have their trust on the pitch he shouldn't be playing.
 
I can think of a great chance in the first half that came down our right side with O'Donnell totally at sea.

Pretty sure it was Schick who got the shot off in the end and it took a good save by Marshall to keep it out. For the manager to omit that or be oblivious to it is concerning .
 
He’s hardly going to hang his own player out to dry in the press, during a tournament, is he?

I’m not convinced O’Donnell will start on Friday but he might still be required at some stage, whether that be against England or Croatia.

It’ll be about keeping his confidence up as I’m sure O’Donnell knows he didn’t play well, neither did the majority of his teammates too btw.

It's not just the manager though, the whole Scottish media has been almost condescending towards supporters and patronising to the players.
 
That just about seals the deal that Patterson won't get any minutes in the next two games. Clarke is clearly in full on 'don't back down, double down' mode.

Good experience for the lad but maybe for the best if he isn't directly associated with a team heading for 0 points and 0 goals, can come back fresh to a team who appreciates his talents over absolute jobbers like O'Donnell.
I don’t want Patterson associated with these losers .
 
Typical Scottish response, lets check for what he didn’t do wrong rather than what he did right.


What did he offer the team ? nothing ! he is a donkey.


2 minutes in he kicked it out for a thrown in when nobody was near him.

He then bodychecked Christie when running into the box.

He never got out to stop the cross for the first goal and he put one cross in the full game.



Pathetic.
He also mis-controlled the ball another few times.

Usually goes for the easy sideways pass.

Patterson is a better player altogether but he's still young and inexperienced.

In two minds whether I'd want Patterson playing against England. Think it might be a more backs to the wall defender needed against England so that points to O'Donnell, but also need to be more dangerous going forward so that points to Patterson.

Also if Patterson has a good game against England then offers will start to come in upwards of the Keiran Tierney money so might be hard to keep him at Rangers in the longer term.
 
A wing back should provide width and threat going forward be capable of passing forward

odonel can do none of that

the guy is a cart horse with zero footballing ability

he could never score the goal Patterson scored in Europe he hasn’t the pace skill or game no how

Clarke is fucking dinosaur
 
He also mis-controlled the ball another few times.

Usually goes for the easy sideways pass.

Patterson is a better player altogether but he's still young and inexperienced.

In two minds whether I'd want Patterson playing against England. Think it might be a more backs to the wall defender needed against England so that points to O'Donnell, but also need to be more dangerous going forward so that points to Patterson.

Also if Patterson has a good game against England then offers will start to come in upwards of the Keiran Tierney money so might be hard to keep him at Rangers in the longer term.

Is that such a bad thing? he aint going to get Tav's place.
 
Its amazing how gormless you can get when we we have patterson and forrest who can all operate with plenty of pace down the right side and he plays o fucking donnell.
 
So, you can play absolutely shi*e, offer the square route of fu** all to the game in any sense, but as long as you didn't make a glaring error that led to a goal then you've done a good job????

Absolute dinosaur, justifying why he will show blind loyalty by playing him against England. He's a journeyman level player that that would struggle to get a game for San Marino.
 
Wasn't O'Donnell also the player who was slow to shutdown the cross for the first goal? Failed in his first duty then, no?
He actually tucked in, maybe because the midfielder hadn’t covered the space, before seeing the extra man which, agai, wasn’t picked up from midfield.
A tactical disaster that first goal.
 
Shit is a strong word.

Robertson is clearly a very good modern wingback. McTominay didnt get his Man Utd contract in a Christmas cracker. Add in McGinn, Armstrong, Fraser, Adams - all top flight EPL players. Cooper at the back too. And Tierney when he's fit. Hanley was part of the Norwich team that got promoted.

But they dont really have matching skillsets. There's a massive amount of overlap. Its feast or famine and we either have a few good players for the same position or no good players for other ones. So our teams struggle because we don't have the players to play a proper tactical game. We're trying to ask players to do things that they're just not capable of.
I don't agree you about where the problem lies with tactics. It's not the players. It's Clarke. He's terrible tactically. He knows one way to play, and that's it. All the players are capable of doing what he asks. Even O'Donnell. That's why Clarke is happy with him. O'Donnell did what Clarke asked of him. Take no risks, don't get caught up the park, defend in numbers.
Scotland could comfortably play a 4-2-3-1, but Clarke is not capable of playing to win the match.
 
Proof that Steve Clark is a compulsive liar. Completely incapable of giving an honest assessment.

The fact he deflected from his team getting battered by what daft big bad fans were name calling tells you all you need to know about the measure of him.

Nobody can excuse that performance, from backheeling the ball out of play when needing basic control on the touchline, to tackling his own players at the opponents box. The fact his own teammates didn't pass to him each time he was open spoke volumes.

Don't mind a manager sticking up for a player, but when he's knowingly pish, got a better replacement, you pick him anyway out of loyalty and he has a shocker, in a massive tournament - it's just loser Scotland mentality all over.
 
Was he not playing wing back, so I wouldn't solely place his role down as being a defender. He is there it support the midfield and attack. He did neither. He gifted possession away, tripped over the ball, clattered his own player because he forgot Christie is left footed and will always cut inside.

He is a basic right back who he tried to play as wing back. He didn't have the skill, technique or intelligence to play that role. We were impotent down the right.
 
Clarke proving he has the blinkers on trying to defend O’Donnell as most people can see O’Donnell is out of his depth at that level

Patterson scored in EL groups and is a better option despite his age and lack of first team games

He has excelled in U21’s with Rangers and proved he has the mentality to deal with big games

If the neverhasbeen Clarke wants to persist with O’Donnell let him crack on and Marshall too

If they play the same team v England they will get pumped

Clarke is a desperado and won’t admit he picked the wrong team
 
So, you can play absolutely shi*e, offer the square route of fu** all to the game in any sense, but as long as you didn't make a glaring error that led to a goal then you've done a good job????

Absolute dinosaur, justifying why he will show blind loyalty by playing him against England. He's a journeyman level player that that would struggle to get a game for San Marino.
I'd say tackling his own man (christie) while hes in a good attacking position is a glaring error.
 
A right wing backs first job is to defend?

Sums the lady's front bottom up

fuckin clueless

Our wing backs should be our two biggest attacking threats outside the striker
 
Is that such a bad thing? he aint going to get Tav's place.
I think it would be terrible to lose such a good young Scottish player without getting a few memorable years from watching him. Losing Billy Gilmore who could easily have been the next Barry Ferguson was a sore one, and wouldn't want the same to happen with Patterson.
 
Re your second paragraph, that’s because of the tactics they try and play. We have the players that allow for a more expansive formation

If you can’t fit Armstrong, mcginn, mctominey, mcgregor, tierney into the starting team then so be it

We don't.

Patterson may well become a very good rightback in the fullness of time. Right now he isnt ready for the England game, although he could have coped against the Czechs just fine. The only other player for that position is Stephen O'Donnell as the other right sided options arent defensively sound. A big difference from our left side where we've got Robertson as first choice and Tierney very capable of playing there.

Middle of the park? Gilmour may be the dynamic, attacking midfielder we need but who do we have around him? A combination of guys with the same kind if skillsets - lots of energy, a bit of dig but a lack of composure and football intelligence. It makes the omission of Ryan Gauld on the back of a very good season in Portugal even more frustrating because he could have given the Scottish midfield something different.

Attacking wide players? The whole reason we're playing 3-5-2 is because at a national level we don't have anybody who can play the wide roles in the same way that the Rangers front 3 do. Fraser and Adams would be a better front pairing than Dykes and Adams for their movement, but who would that 3rd attacker be in a modern 4-3-3 formation?

Scotland have competent players clustered around the same few positions and gaps in the squad that restrict how the team can play.
 
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