First of I want to put it out there that I like Strachan as Scotland manager. He's passionate, he's positive and he says the right things.

However it dismays me that he can continue to overlook Graeme Shinnie when he's clearly been the best Scottish left back in the country this season. We're in the middle of 2 friendlies which are perfect for trying out new players in the squad. Yet he hasn't even been mooted, despite some excellent performances, especially in recent weeks. Yet a player who hasn't played Scottish top flight football for a year and a half gets in every time simply because of who he plays for. (Note- Lee Wallace is playing well from what I've heard. But he should be able to coast it against plumbers, chippies and sparky's anyway).

It's even worse now that Mulgrew is out and Hanley is very doubtful for the Norway game. This probably means a full back like Whittaker or Martin partnering Greer.
Shinnie has even shown this season that he's very apt on the opposite side and the way he talks about it shows he has a class attitude "It's just like playing left back only on your weaker foot" (said in a very nonchalant manner).

He plays for the team 2nd in Scotland. He's been ever present and good all season. He keeps improving.


is it just me or if he was playing for Hibs, Hearts, Dundee Utd and yet in the league positions they are in now, he'd have more chance of a look in?

Agreed all

I don't have a problem with Rangers players being in the squad, even though they are in a lower division. SPL is worse than the EPL/ECL for instance but it shouldn't stop a good player getting in.  Likewise, no problem with Kenny Miller playing a Canadian club.  Diamonds in the rough and all that.

 

That said, Shinnie deserves a chance.

Yes - second that.  One of the things I've noticed in recent games is how well he and Watkins work together.  Watkins covering  allows Shinnie to push forward to the box with devastating effect.  As a pair, they are a real handful for any left-sided defence, as the Hibs game showed when they were slicing through time and again like a knife through butter.  So I'm not sure I would alter the balance of the team and put Shinnie back to left back.

Of course, Graeme would deserve to be in the squad. As you, iamthecaptain1, I think if he was playing for another club like Hibernian or Dundee United, he would have had his chance for a long time. I don't know why when somebody plays for Inverness (or for St Johnstone in the case of Stevie May), it's very hard for him to be called.

Mulgrew, Whittaker and Wallace are better left backs. Shinnie is still young though and if he continues in the way he is going I have no doubt he'll get his chance.

Wallace hasn't really played at all that much higher a level, save a few European games. and that was more than 2 years ago. Is he that much better? You can only base it on old information really.

I just don't think a player can stay sharp competitively, playing semi pro players then step it up for international level. If you remember the Macedonia game Wallace was on the pitch less than 2 minutes, with a free header in his own box, weakly heads down straight to an opposition player, who passes, they score. In SPFL league 1 he'd probably get away with that. Not at international level. At league 1 level, he's not being tested. Therefore he shall stagnate I feel.

I tweet bbc sport sound on Saturday and they brought up my tweet. I asked the very question why is one of the best left/right backs being overlooked?

As per usual graham 'I'll eat my hat' spiers basically said he had no chance playing for a diddy team like us. (Even though a shinnie got called up!)

That's how we are viewed.

Let's win the league cup, get a final in Scottish cup and 2/3 in league then we can shove that fecking proverbial hat downs spiers' throat!!

Mulgrew, Whittaker and Wallace are better left backs. Shinnie is still young though and if he continues in the way he is going I have no doubt he'll get his chance.

And Bardsley is better than them all.  But Shinnie does deserve a call up to be part of the wider squad IMO.

 

Anyone else think Mulgrew is absolutely exceptional in that defensive midfield role?  For years, he was a player in search of a position.  I can't remember a player in the last, ooh, 15 years or so, that's looked so comfortable in that role.  Looks even better than Paul Lambert and he won the European Cup (or whatever it's called next week).

FFS Kris Boyd get's a shout, hope for Shane Sutherland yet.

I was discussing this a few weeks ago with my brother. We weren't discussing him not getting picked because he plays for us but the fact he was a regular for the Scotland U21s and even captained them if I'm remembering correctly. Why is is that a few players are regulars for the U21s then don't step up to the full team, without the bridge between the 2 surely the work of the youth coaches is being wasted?

The senior starting XI on Friday night seemed to be 27 / 28 ish in age. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen Strachan take the same approach Iceland did, taking their youngsters through as a group - Shinnie included. (Along with Ryan Gauld who is a prospect.)

Nah, Berti Vogts tried that.  We only saved face when Walter Smith brought in experience alongside youth.

I don't understand that Motherwells Stevie Hammell is always getting a call up (if a replacement is needed) when he is playing terrible ATM and never gets praise by the press when Shinnie is always getting praise, from what I hear, from the national press and he never gets called up, how does that work? He's definitely deserved atleast 10 call ups when Stevie Hammell has but of course Shinnie has got nothing...

The Stevie Hammel debate pretty much backs up the fact, that play down south and you've more chance of being looked at.

Alas Spiers, as much as I hate to say it, has it right. The lowlanders look at us as a novelty at times. Wee Caley thistle.So patronising.

I don't understand that Motherwells Stevie Hammell is always getting a call up (if a replacement is needed)

 

I've always believed that there are certain players who get these late call-ups simply because they live near Glasgow airport.

Good to see John Hughes talking-up Graeme Shinnie's prospects of a Scotland call-up. Can't help feeling that if Andrew Robertson was our left-back, he would be over-looked.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26292307

Could it not be that he has been played out of his best position fer the majority of this season ?

Could it not be that he has been played out of his best position fer the majority of this season ?

And when he has been played out of position, whether right back or midfield, he is usually one of the best players on the field. If he was to be picked for Scotland, Strachan would have a great utility player to cover 2 or 3 positions. Which would be handy to have at least on subs bench. But I don't see it happening until Strachan finds out that a team called Inverness Caledonian Thistle are playing in the top league, are top six, are in 1/4finals of Scottish Cup and in the final of the other major cup competition in the country that he is the manager of.

 

I don't understand that Motherwells Stevie Hammell is always getting a call up (if a replacement is needed)

 

I've always believed that there are certain players who get these late call-ups simply because they live near Glasgow airport.

 

 

Perhaps they don't know Inverness has a very nice airport, with good connections to many places!!!

Mulgrew, Whittaker and Wallace are better left backs. Shinnie is still young though and if he continues in the way he is going I have no doubt he'll get his chance.

 

Wallace is absolute rubbish and Whittaker isnt even a left back. Shinnie has been pushing for a call up and any that arrives will be long overdue. 

Mulgrew nearly always plays defensive mid for Scotland as well.

It's baffling how a raw 19 year old, who has looked I'll admit, can get in ahead of someone who over 3-4 seasons has got better and better and is now capable of numerous positions and this despite having his career put on hold by serious illness.

I'm a big supporter of the national team and hate all these gripes from fans of whatever club complaining that their player has not been selected.

But in this case I really do think Graeme really does deserve a cap.  Certainly ahead of the young chap at Dundee United.

 

On a similar note, what is it with united, why is there always one of their players in the squad when there are normally much better and more valid options elsewhere, whether within Scotland or not.  I blame Levein for that as well.  Assh01e!  Glad he never got the managers job here! 

Strachan has no interest in any teams players in the SPFL apart from Celtic!

As for Rangers players! What a joke

As for Rangers players! What a joke

 

You mean just in general right?

On the subject of call-ups, Billy is again in the NI squad and will be heading out to Cyprus next week. Another well earned cap beckons, but on this occasion I'd kind of prefer he was getting a wee rest!