Callum McGregor

Sure, and Abildgaard could’ve done the same, but a natural DM stands at less of a risk of doing it than a career CM like Callum (and I do remember he’s played wide too, but it’s been clear for ages that his best position is 8).
Anyway, the fact that DMs might occasionally do the same doesn’t mean that McGregor’s best suited there or that we wouldn’t see even better from him further up. We bought a DM for a reason.

 

I don’t think we have the same control in midfield without somebody like McGregor pulling the strings further back, so suppose it depends what you want. If you want to allow the other team to play more, and attempt to destroy it and counter or if you want us on the front foot.

 

It doesn’t need to be either/or.

You’re assuming (quite against what some Kazan fans and Danes were saying when we signed him) that Abildgaard can’t or won’t use the ball well and ‘pull the strings’. I genuinely don’t think Ange would have signed him if he couldn’t.

He’ll have limitations in some way, and we’ve yet to see him, but it appears that he may be the type to balance traditional DM attributes with a bit of technique and vision too.

In Europe, I think McGregor would offer so much more in that 8 area with one of Hatate and O’Riley, with the other to come off the bench. Think he’d help us keep the ball further up the park.

 

I would be extremely surprised and * delighted if he has the same level of ability on the ball as McGregor.

 

Not saying he has mate, but if he can use it decently, that should keep us on the front foot, especially with Callum in front, dropping occasionally to link between Abildgaard* and Hatate/O’Riley.

*What a basturt of a name that is to type regularly btw.

 

Although he's the captain, it doesn't sit well with me that he's basically Ange's version of Broony, i.e. undroppable when his performances are sub-par.

For me he shouldn't be playing the advanced role if Hatate and O'Riley are fit. He's not as good as them in that position.

Poor showing from him today but he'll get off lightly because he's Callum McGregor.

 

Gets a free ride because he is a scott in my opinion. Quite franky he has had so much opportunity and was allowed to play centre mid for too long today. Not creative enough or good enough of a finisher to play center mid in these formations.

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If we are wanting To go an extra level in Europe etc. We need to move on from him. Good player at this level

 

Dreadful today.

Maybe it's his lack of height but when he goes up for the ball he actually does more harm than good.

I remember him scoring an OG at the Bigotdome from a pointless header, a feat he nearly repeated two weeks ago v Huns when he was the only player on the park to actually test Joe Hart.

Again today a totally erratic header leads to all sorts of problems at the second goal.

He makes far too many erratic mistakes like this and of course he was guilty of lunging into a needles tackle v Shaktar which led to their goal on Wednesday.

 

Free ride my hole, it’s Scot as well.

Aye he was * the day but * me it’s an off day at the office for him.

* behave yerself.

 

Honest question which game has he played well in over the last 18 months? He is a passenger most weeks and every time he goes into the center mid you can kiss goodbye the chance of a goal.

More good misses than a hot wives club.

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You are * at it.

Get tae *.

 

Free ride for being a Scot, pure *. Look at the stick Ralston, Taylor, Turnbull, Welsh and Forrest have gotten over the years. To be fair McGregor gets quite a bit too.

 

Walloper.

 

He’s not a scott, he’s a McGregor.

 

Im not happy that was turgid.

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His form has been much better under Ange, there's no doubt about it. He was good last season, was he my POTY? No. But he was an important cog in our machine.

With that being said, he does avoid criticism more often than not when he's not been good enough. When you point that out you get jumped on and people telling you he's our best player and the best player in Scotland etc. That's blatantly not true, but it gets repeated time and time again from the majority of our fans.

 

Clueless.

 

He had a poor game but so did the 10 guys around him. He'll bounce back.

 

He avoids criticism by rarely being poor, more players should try it. He's had exactly two poor games in a row and here he is being criticised so there you go.

He is a very good 8 but has been playing as a 6 for over a year now so was effectively playing out of position for most of that first half. But yes not near good enough today along with all of our squad.

The decision to start Mooy today screwed us before we started because he offered no pace or creativity at 8 but when they realised and switched him to 6 and moved McGregor forward the game was already running away from us and Mooy's limitations were just as much of an issue as out CDM as they were when he was AM.