The Scottish Sun is the latest to make ‘the Celtic captain’ Callum McGregor their scapegoat for Scotland’s failure in Germany.
Let’s be frank, Scotland were a total shambles at the Euro 2024, there is no getting away from that. Each and every player let themselves down when we know that they were capable of so much more.
I include our very own Callum McGregor in that, but he seems to the only one who is taking the full blunt of the criticism from pundits and supporters alike. Callum was far from the worst midfielder, in fact there’s an argument that he probably was the best of a poor bunch.
The Scottish Sun today even asked if it was time Callum McGregor retired from international duty! Robert Grieve who writes for the paper suggested that maybe it was time for Callum to step aside and let someone younger take the mantle.
Could Celtic captain Callum McGregor have played his last game for Scotland?
@robert.grieve on the players who could make way for fresh talent
Go Ballistic:
🖥️ https://t.co/DGfhucjPxG
📺 https://t.co/scqRLBjbHV pic.twitter.com/jJ22rREqkd— Scottish Sun Sport (@scotsunsport) June 24, 2024
Really, At only 31? To be fair to Robert he also spoke of the likes of Kenny McLean and James Forrest calling it a day, but Callum? He’s still got a lot to contribute to both club and country.
Why didn’t he include the likes of soon to be 30 year old John McGinn or 30 year old Andy Robertson who were as equally or even more disappointing despite their high profile experience down south in the so-called best league in the world.
I think we all know why. Robert and his tabloid newspaper like the rest of the country are wanting a scapegoat, and who better than the man who is captain of Celtic Football club? Sells papers to their core audience.
On the James Forrest side of things, there’s every reason why Jamesy should call it a day from the Scotland squad after being foolishly ignored by Steve Clarke despite his form, class, goal threat and experience.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Clarke’s tactics were pish , start with him and get a new man at the helm . Not one player gets any points because they were garbish .
“Scottish media”?? You only mentioned the Sun paper. Poor article to say the least.
The latest, maybe Just an Ordinary Bhoy has seen others ahead of that and assumed everyone else had too? Poor comment, but it’s all about opinions.
Does this count?
https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/john-mcginn-was-having-go-29416288
When team performances were as poor as the Scottish team produced, then the buck stops with the manager, as simple as that.
I don’t watch many Scottish matches, and I couldn’t understand why Clark was persistent with sticking with a team formation, that clearly wasn’t working?
Clark seemed to have fallen into the trap, that many international managers can do, with trying to set a team up with getting the best available players on the pitch at the same time?
Yet it was like trying to fit square pegs into round holes?
Haven’t a clue what Clark was thinking, about trying to play a must win game, without any real width available to even create chances for Scotland?
Let alone trying to convert full backs into wing backs, when they don’t play such a role at club level?
That was a feature throughout the team within the tournament, I get that players may need to adapt, from club to maybe a different role for the team at international level, but to that degree, within the team?
As for the subs used?
They were making no sense whatsoever, and looking like the players were just as confused as the tartan army by them imo?
Still believe that if Scotland were set up properly, even in the same as our Celtic team, or even a 4231, with using James Forrest, then the required result could have been achieved last night imo?
The Scottish media are nothing but scum cheerleaders, and will always remain so.
Yet how much have the scum actually provided towards the playing squad of the national team?
And for many years now?
There anti Celtic agenda is nothing but pathetic and bullshit, and trying to make calmac the scapegoat? only confirms just how much these shitehawks are still hurting at seeing our captain remain as a winner, and will be regarded as so, forever more within our support.
Couldn’t care less what any of the SMSM say, as I stopped giving them time many moons ago.
Regarding our Euro performances….Ot could be reasonably argued that Clark has a lot of credit in the bank with 2 back to back qualifications.
However, and this is only my opinion….It could also be even more so argued that due to the quality that we have available, that most average managers could’ve got us qualified. He sets up not to get beat, but when we do get a goal against us, he doesn’t seem to understand the urgency to change things to an attacking format. CalMac, along with at least 6 others, will be retiring from internationals soon, so who’s coming through to save the day and could or does Clark have the ability to get through another qualifications, or has he simply lucked out during his tenure??
If he does call it a day now, he will probably be classes as some sort of hero for getting us to our first tournament since 98’. Then who comes in?? Looking at the players coming through the ranks, would the job appeal to a higher standard or manager, or would they just be a stop gap scapegoat until the next wave of decent players develop, only for someone else to come in and take the glory. Similar to Vogts’s tenure. He definitely made mistakes, but I’m not sure any manager could’ve got a tune out of the players we had around at that time.
Personally, I think Clark will stay until after the World Cup, and then retire from international football, alongside the biggest chunk of the current team. Time will tell….
Not one player should be singled out as a scapegoat, regardless of their club. We win as a team and we lose as a team.
As we’re only spectators now, I would rather be reading about new signings arriving at Celtic Park to take us to the next level, and not unlike “we’re on the March with Ally’s / Stevie’s army”, get over optimistic about getting through the group stages in European football.
HAIL HAIL
KEEP THE FAITH🍀🍀
Agree completely, what manager would select Ryan Jack for his squad who has been released by therangers .
The guy is never a half decent player never mind an international player