Steve Clarke - What did O'Donnell do wrong?

I watched the game on Monday with (amongst others) a Motherwell fan. Even he couldn’t defend O’Donnell. You know it’s bad when you’re own clubs fans don’t bother.
 
Just realised Clarke thinks he is playing Football Manager and has set his team up with an asymmetrical 4-4-1-1. O'Donnell at RB with 3 CBs and Robertson at LWB with 3 CMs, an AMC and a ST
 
The full pub cheered when he was taken off. Him getting in the way of Christie’s dribble was a highlight. He was guff and we’ve no chance if he persists with him
 
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I will admit I wrote him off before the game partially due to my bias wanting Patterson to play. However, I did (as most did) analyse the game throughout as Clarke asks and he was woeful. You do not see a single Scotland fan defending him. Even those who hate Rangers and therefore don't want Patterson to play want Forrest as RWB moving forward rather than O’Donnell.
 
reallyruff said:
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?
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Exactly, he clearly did something wrong. He never came out quick enough to block or put pressure on the guy hitting the cross.
 
We need width from our full backs, Robertson gave it but o donnell didn't, when forest came on straight away he was attacking. If you want o donnell to defend then play a flat back 4 if you want to play a 5 then they need to get forward.

I've not been through uefa coaching badges like clarke so I'm guessing I'm wrong
 
Manager defends his player. Hardly a shock. We're liable to be on the defensive much of the time on Friday. Maybe it's better the experienced O'Donnell plays rather than throwing an inexperienced teenager into that very difficult situation.
 
He's right in a way as O'Donnell didnt do much wrong defensively, but I don't think that's enough at international level.

At that level you need to be comfortable with the ball and going forward as well.
 
He's a 0-0 and maybe scrape a goal manager. So no surprise he's happy with the O'donnell as a get in the way, no frills type defender.

To score goals and have any chance qualify , we need an attacking threat. England and Croatia will double up on Robertson after seeing the first game. We desperately need an additional threat up front.

But it will be more of the same. Maybe bring on a couple of forwards at 0-2 when the game is over ......
 
Like every Scotland manager before him! Sticks with the old guard! We will be down 3-0 on Friday 85 min and he will put on Gilmour or Paterson
 
Not really surprising to be honest. If doesn't defend him(wink wink) then he has to admit he was wrong in picking him
 
I suppose killing any attack and being so pish that his own teammates don't want to pass him the ball isn't enough. Shows you just how negative a manager Clarke is. Playing 3 central defenders, has McTominay in the Jack role and he's more worried about how the wing back hasn't had chance after chance created down his side when the Czechs were the one team you could realistically beat in the group. 20 caps for O'Donnell and he might get to 40 if Clarke is the manager long term.
 
JayDee said:
Manager defends his player. Hardly a shock. We're liable to be on the defensive much of the time on Friday. Maybe it's better the experienced O'Donnell plays rather than throwing an inexperienced teenager into that very difficult situation.
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The experience of playing for Partick Thistle, Luton Town, Kilmarnock & Motherwell aye? He is absolutely chronic and no amount of experience at basement level will change that.

If Graham Alexander phoned us up tomorrow and asked to swap O'Donnell for Patterson what do you think Gerrard would say?
 
Absolutely clueless than man. Unfortunately he will probably now defiantly play Stephen O’Donnell.
 
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.
 
vinnie said:
“Stephen’s first job is to be a defender”. So why play him a WB with a back 3???

Unimaginative twat.
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Yeh that was quite revealing. Never mind the fact he has 3 centre backs behind him and is our only width on the right hand side.
 
Sterling is getting larger pockets made in his shorts for Friday night. O'Donnell's International career ends on Friday night if Sterling or Foden are on it.
 
Plissken said:
The experience of playing for Partick Thistle, Luton Town, Kilmarnock & Motherwell aye? He is absolutely chronic and no amount of experience at basement level will change that.

If Graham Alexander phoned us up tomorrow and asked to swap O'Donnell for Patterson what do you think Gerrard would say?
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Might give him a laugh. But that's not the question here. Fans often want players from their club to get picked for their national side but it's not necessarily the best thing for a young, inexperienced player - or for the national side.
 
CumbrianBear said:
Stephens first job is a defender and yet you played him as an attacking wing back to provide creativity?
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Exactly. That’s the full back roll in a 5 man defence. Unless of course you’re going all out defence, which we shouldn’t have been against a similar standard team.
 
What did he do wrong?

- Took the safe, easy option everytime he recieved the bal. This included 40 yard passes back to the GK.
- Offered zero threat down the right hand side which allowed Czech to double up on AR in the second half and nullify him
- The Christie incident
- Not getting out to close down their winger quick enough for the first goal

There will be more, thats off the top of my head.

That kind of statement reminds me of when folk on here used to defend Halliday & Flanagan with “he didn’t make any mistakes”, when its not about a clear and obvious error, its about so much more. Difference is he isn’t some guy on a forum, he is the NT manager.

Dinosaur.
 
Starting to sound like Craig Brown after getting soundly pumped, which usually went something like this.....

”Now people seem to forget this, but in the 2nd half we had 14 thrown ins within the opposition half, which is the most thrown ins the opposition have conceded in their half than in their last 3 home games”.

Yawn. Win or GTF.
 
Uncle Albert said:
It's one of the most ridiculous selections I've ever seen in football, it really is.

It's the equivalent of England persisting in picking a Bristol City player or something.

Scotland does not have a massive talent pool but they have far better than O'Donnell.
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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.
 
Clarke made numerous mistakes with his line up and is now trying to justify it by finding excuses about how much their left back attacked rather than admitting his blindspots were his undoing. O’Donnell only makes the squad because of the lack of right backs available a year ago now Patterson is clearly the best Scottish right back and should be playing. Even the st Johnstone right wing back would be better than O’Donnell
 
brain said:
Yeh that was quite revealing. Never mind the fact he has 3 centre backs behind him and is our only width on the right hand side.
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Someone said in the H&H hot mic watch along before the game “Clarke is going to Kilmarnock the shit out of this”. He was spot on! That’s the problem, a national team manager who’s only occasion of setting up his own system was that Kilmarnock team.

The SFA get what they deserve.
 
Plissken said:
I'd go as far to say that O'Donnell is the worst footballer at the tournament.
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I'd go as far as to say that no other national manager would pick him in a squad., I said clarke needed punted on Monday and I meant it, he's turning us into a laughing stock but who cares he's playing his mates. The man is a stubborn idiot.
 
The fuckwit has played forwards in the right wing back role such as Forrest and Fraser.

Why did he do that when the main purpose of that role is defence?

Scotland are fucked with this clown.
 
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