Mark McGhee has cited a conversation nine months ago to explain Leigh Griffiths omission from the Scotland team.
Back to back defeats from Georgia and Germany have almost ended Scotland’s hopes of reaching their first finals tournament since 1998 despite the European Championships being expanded to include 24 countries.
Iceland were one of the first countries to book their place in France with Wales and Northern Ireland almost certain to qualify with two matches left to play.
Scotland trail Ireland by four points going into the last two matches with the selection of Steven Fletcher attracting criticism from the normally docile Tartan Army.
The Sunderland man has scored six times for Sunderland over the last 13 months, during 2015 since getting a regular place in the Celtic side Griffiths has scored 25 goals. Away to Georgia the Celtic striker was given a 20 minute outing while he watched from the bench as Derby County’s Chris Martin was sent on to join Fletcher against the Germans.
Yesterday, looking back at a disastrous four day spell for Scotland, McGhee said: “Leigh is an option and has become more of an option this season. We’ve been impressed with the work Celtic have done.
“I saw him a while ago and some of the things they were asking him to do were right. He wasn’t doing them. I remember speaking to Chris McCart at Celtic last Christmas about Leigh and made an observation that every time the ball was coming towards the box Leigh was running away.
“He was either running to the back post or if it came to one place, he’d be at another. They seem to have reversed that. He’s running towards where the ball is going and finding himself in better areas with better scoring positions.
“At some point we’ll benefit but at this point Gordon judged Fletcher is still ahead of him. But he’s getting closer.
“Fletcher not getting a goal is not the be all and end all. We need a goal and if Fletcher keeps the ball and gets us a goal some other way that’s fine.
“If Fletcher could get more goals that would be great for him and great for us but I don’t think we should get hung up on that because he does make a contribution and if you are talking about guys like Kris Boyd or Jordan Rhodes, they are fantastic finishers but they might not link play the way Fletch would, or even Chris, to get us up the field and keep possession.
“He’ll make a huge contribution without scoring goals, so we shouldn’t get too carried away.”
Other than the victory over the laughable Gibraltar side Scotland have scored eight goals in seven qualifiers.
Before strikers can score goals the team need to have the ball. Germany were able to hold onto the ball for 3 to 5 minuets. Scotland just kicked the ball up the field giving the ball back to Germany,
Is that a round-about way of saying “we were wrong” but can’t admit it?!
And the sad part is…
McGhee gets paid for talking bollocks.
What a joke.
McGhee`s now talking the same guff that all the Scottish managers talk when they have left out a Celtic player and after the event know they were wrong. What a load twaddle.!! Crawl back into your burrow McGhee and stay there. Another case of ex Celtic player doing his “jobsworth”. Makes me sick when these people know what goes on and still wont speak out. Provan — Nicholas — Walker — to name one or two who always have a kick at Celtic whenever they can just too keep their jobs and write what their paymasters tell them too write…!!!
Fletcher is a better option up front against quality opposition. Wee Lee a better finisher
Fletcher doesnt hold onto the ball, he doesn’t score and he doesn’t assist either. A total waste of a jersey. I nearly browned my trouser when I heard we might be signing him.
What a load of bollocks, who the hell is Martin , absolute shit, Griffiths is by far the best striker we have and should have been given the nod before him, tactics were wrong, for god sake we were playing at home at least have a go, boring and predictable, rather lose by 5 goals than watch that pish.
Griff would have scored our 2 best chances against Georgia that fell to Fletch. Furthermore I believe his pace and dribbling would have had a bigger impact against a physically strong German defense. Although playing kick and chase as the German TV called it. Would most likely suit a world class target man, if we only had one.
“if fletch could get the ball ,if fletch could score a goal ” news flash McGhee ,Fletch had the f***in ball and couldn’t f***in score ,end of …