Conway, Doak, Barron and Johnston: Who's on Scotland's plane to Germany?

okay ladies and gentlemen things are getting real we are three weeks folks three weeks away from Germany two weeks from the warm-up uh friendlies and just days away from the squad being announced I can't any wait uh here to add some more excitement other than my own is H The Tartan scarfs Gordon shik how are you doing Gordon I'm good I'm good as as you so eloquently put there yeah this things are getting very very very real um I've yeah I've been I've been buying the magazines I've got the 442 got the sticker album I've got some match match Attack cards I don't know what they are I don't know what you do with them I know that I've got a shiny John mcin one so yeah things are just getting very exciting and there's no no amount of Euros content I can I can I can't consume at this stage oh my God yeah you you are sounding very much like Laura Brandon who found the Scottish edition of 442 wasn't it Laura oh I had to get it sent to me yeah I couldn't get it down here can get did you get a we care package for like some tight scin No actually that's a good point no that's a good point my mom just sent me the magazine didn't get any tat SCS with it maybe that's coming next so Gordon we are days away from the squad being announced but have you got your ticket for Germany are you heading I do yes I will be I'll be out there H in a couple of capacities but I will be there for the for the game against Hungary H so the third game because I thought of any game I could go to I thought the third game you know obviously touching Woods touching all the wood that you know if that's the game that in our 150 years that we've been at this International football game if that's the game that takes us to The Knockout stage for the first time ever that is just a moment of history that you just you just you can't you can't beat you can't top that so yeah H yeah that's the that's the one I'll be at in person for him well Don't Touch Too Much Wood um but Gordon is it's one of those this squad being an announcement we are absolutely riddled with injuries Laura has been keeping us up to dat every week um and it seems a little bit Doom and Gloom but are you hopeful that we've got a squad that can do something really really special on to be fair right I get bad news every week I don't I don't attempt fit here but it seems like everyone seems to have come through the last day of the Premier League season in England I was checking out all the different players seems like everyone played the full game or came off you know quite typically around 86 minutes nothing to there's been no worrying news that has came out yet so for the first time in a few weeks I don't think there is a lot of bad news to give right now oh that's good how about you g yeah absolutely look I look I will I will be completely candid that you know a few weeks back I think it was that that Saturday when we all thought that Momin had blown his knee out I was very much in the doest of Doom and Gloom at that stage thinking this is just this is this is getting intolerable with how many injuries were we're we're racking up here and especially when you think about a guy like Scott no one deserves to be there more and no one has done more to get us there to so for him to come on as a sub to salvage a one-1 draw against Burnley and then potentially have his Euros ruined that just felt like the cruestv and they all seem actually kind of okay now I mean in terms of what you'd think is Steve Clark's established first 11 it's really only now Aaron hickey who it seems like hasn't has lost his his battle with injury but other than that I think we're actually looking all right and what about Laura what about the likes of um the lad at St Gratz ex-mother player do you think he's in with a shout Max Johnston that's it I think he's an outside shout he they look he plays it he can play right back so with hickey being ruled out which I just want kind of not hickey one's strange right he hasn't played since October but this was a hamstring injury and I know you can bad hamstring injuries but this seems like a particularly bad one he's been back in training for quite a while now but it just feels like Thomas Frank keeps saying oh know he's back in training but we're not going to see him back playing anytime soon I feel there's some question marks here over what is actually wrong um and why is it taking so long for the recovery period but in saying that because he's now out we're we're looking for right backs we've got Nathan Patterson who's still a major doubt he's also got a hamstring injury it's not clear yet whether he'll make it or not you've got Anthony rson looks like the obvious one just now that's going to get picked to the squad and then it's question marks after that there's there's a few boys that have been mentioned Max Johnson like he's he he was included for the sore I think it was France friendly he sat bench for um so he's he's in Steve Clark's mind he won the league at the weekend with st grats last minute winner as well to to go top of the Austrian Bundesliga so and they also won the cup as well a few weeks back so things are happening we're all getting distracted by Gordon's wonderful black cat right now which I think is has to be the perfect doen for us that was class so yeah to round up the problem with Max is he's not been playing regularly he he tends to come on as a sub more than he does start games so there may be question marks over just how much experience he's been getting this year or how much sharp he is but he's clearly in St Clark's mind and he is a very very talented young boy so personally I would put him in considering how kind of sparse we are in that position what about um goalkeepers because Angus gun has been between the sticks for quite a while and I think he's done absolutely excellent but he had an absolute shocker for Norwich at the weekend against Leeds the first two goals were absolutely inexcusable but we've also seen Craig Gordon come back for hearts recently too obviously um you know there's rumors that he might not be in the squad maybe he will be in the squad I think he definitely will but what who do you think should be starting uh in between the sticks guys I mean I think look it's guns it's 100% it's it's Angus guns Jersey it's Angus guns gloves he will he will start for Scotland at the Euros I think beyond that I I can't see a world where he doesn't take Craig Gordon I think Craig Gordon has to go I think even just for that continuity the fact that you look at we had mlin Marshall and Gordon at the last Euros I think think that experience like again we speak a lot about the experience that they got in 2021 and that how important that'll be coming into this summer so for that reason alone I think you have to take Ray Gordon because he's been there he's done it he's gone to a major finals so even if he's not there to play as the the voice of advice in Angus guns ear having been to a major finals with Scotland I think is invaluable so I think Gordon definitely goes and then third choice is is is up for grabs I think we'll see four named in the squads on Wednesday um because this it's 26 man sore that goes to Germany but yeah I mean we saw was at Hungary last week named like a 38 man squad yeah so I think we who we'll see named this week coming isn't clear indication yet of who will actually go in a couple weeks time because we've also got the two friendlies coming up so I fly expect all four Keepers to be in on Wednesday but the rules aren't actually this clear I don't know if Gordon you can clear this up for me the rules say that in the 26 man squad it will be three keep ERS named it doesn't say a minimum or maximum of three so to me that implies you can only pick three but it's not 100% clear on if you can actually up that to four yeah I'm pretty I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure it has to be three three three seems to be again I I was trying to do my digging as well and I I was looking into the last H squads for the last euros and there was actually plenty of teams actually that ended up having four goalkeepers in their squads but that was only because one got injured and had to drop out and then they were allowed to replace a goer the one player you can replace yeah the one position you can replace you're you're absolutely right so the the squad that gets announced on Wednesday does not have to be 26 man it can be more than that and then they can cut down so for example like Germany currently have four goalkeepers in their squad and they're expect I think they named the 27 man squad so they'll presumably cut one of them by the time it gets to the tournament I think it's the seventh of June that the final squads have to be submitted yeah in saying that though Steve Clark won't test any of them will play both and we'll be none the wiser over which one he's going to drop is it not better to have a wider pool of people especially maybe given our circumstances who players like Max Johnson who don't have any International experience or very limited International experience can be invited along and and just get that experience anyway Steve Clark can get a look at them there might be players that have been looking sharper fresher in May um that compared to some of the other people that might be Shing for the squad who actually look really tired or just a bit off form or whatever and also is it maybe easier sending home say 10 or 12 players from a squad rather than like two or three is that not quite heartbreaking is it maybe easier if there's a big group of guys that know that they're not going to make the final Squad and head home i' I'd only respond to that by thinking the more that go the less one to one time coaches have with players so you'll so the the Main Stays of the squad you know they'll they'll be all right but anyone who's on the periphery coaches might want to focus on them a little bit more rather than having to focus on five other guys that may be in that vine for that position or whatever so the smaller the squad is the tighter it is and the more and less distraction there can be too that that would be my own thinking cap from a coaching point of view with all those coaching badges that I have and Scotland setups have been involved in who do you think who think are on on the outside who's on outside chance do you think for for the whole Squad yeah there's a lot of talk about Conor Baron from Aberdine could be selected which I think is really interesting scored one of the best goals of the Season as well I think that could be very interesting to see him in the lineup they tend to bring a few kind of young boys along for experience as well that are kind of B boys almost in final tournaments I wouldn't be too surprised to see someone like that or even Tommy Conway um someone who is Young can do it if turn if we need to turn to them but I doubt they'll get any kind of time to feature who does Tommy play for again Bristol City oh yeah yeah he's he's had he's had a good season scored a lot of goals in the championship scored a couple goals against West Ham in the FA Cup as well still young young player but but he's been through the 21s as well so like the Scotland coaching staff will know him inside out they'll have a lot of reports on him um I think I think certainly like when when you look at what Steve Clark the approach he took for 2021 when the squad got expanded to 26 players he used those extra three slots effectively for guys that were almost Prospect players for the guys that he was investing thinking these are going to be the next Generation let's get them in spend a month with the Scotland Squad which you know no Scotland manager had had had the chance to do for a full generation and a half and see where they go obviously that was turble H Gilmore and Patterson who were all uncapped when they got called up to the euro squads and then they played in the friendlies pre-tournament so I I think I can see going in that direction you know whether it's like you say Tommy Conway Max Johnson and back in training probably back fit Ben do as well I mean I think earlier in the season I felt like he was an absolute shuing to be in the squad you know given how much he was around that Liverpool first team squad obviously been injured hasn't come back to play for Liverpool yet but if he's fit and he's got again in that same way this is a guy that we believe could be a a perspective future star for Scotland I'd take him 100 % i' take him that's interesting that you you know I I totally agree i' I'd love to see Ben H in the in the top Squad but what about someone like James Forest a guy who really hasn't been in this season at all uh but in the last few weeks has uh has totally helped Celtic to the league title with some massive goals key goals key moments is he not someone that could come into this Scotland Squad and I I know there's been question marks on him uh when he has played for Scotland but that experience and that winning mentality is is quite vital for any football player would you agree yeah I don't think there's anything wrong with happan um I personally I've had issues with him in the past because I've always felt like the James Forest we see for Scotland is not the James Forest we see for Celtic they're two very different players and that is so frustrating to watch there times with hen I remember streaming because he wouldn't cross like the halfway line almost and it was like somebody put like a wall up and I don't know if it was like the way that Craig LaVine or Gordon strien had told him to play and and wouldn't want him to get as attacking as he did for Celtic but it was a very frustrating time to watch them and saying that though I remember was the Nations League against it was either Albania or Israel was the first year we played in the Nations league and he had an absolute Stormer of a campaign there I say campaign it was only a couple of games um so he has done well for us I don't know how we'd fit into Steve Clark's system though we don't tend to play Wingers like that um so it would require a change of shape if that's like if that's necessary fine and it means that we're we're versatile um and able to change in terms of what play Team are playing I'm not against it I'm just a little apprehensive about putting him in is there an argument though that say a player like James Forest maybe the argument between um freshness and experience because there's no doubt in that James Forest has a lot of experience and we know what he can bring to a squad but is there maybe something um against the opponents that we've got in our group where bringing in kind of unknown quantities to to these teams they'll find it harder to to know how to play against maybe some of the younger players that have had really good Seasons could be worth having those players in the squad the likes of lenon Miller or David Watson h Connor Baron and set max Johnson that we've already spoken about St grat is is there maybe an argument for taking a couple of these guys just to give us something slightly different and and maybe giving us a bit of an advantage when it comes to substitutions or trying to change games tactically give us a bit of freshness later on in the group stages yes yeah look again I I think I think you are you're absolutely spot on when you say that you know we that we know we know exactly how Steve Clark operates now you know he's had this job for pushing five years now you know and he is very well established in it I think he and you are absolutely spot on that he he absolutely tends to go for the players that he he knows very well um but yeah I I I I think for me you're you're right in that having that fresh option Off the Bench like you said guys that are maybe haven't played that much football this season will mean they they're even more fresh um and again that that's probably where I I still think that that Ben O's the one that I would just love to see in the squad because I think especially for the fans as well you know you think you're talking about the last 10 15 minutes of a game you know especially if it's going to be hot out there in Germany you know we've had a a tough game and you know to have a guy that can come on with that sort of pace and directness who just certainly in the games I've seen him play in the Europa League and in and in in like League Cup games in England he just has no fear whatsoever as to the players he's coming up against and he will run at anybody so um he he's certainly the one that I would like to see come on and and change the game um I and and again to to what I was saying earlier he certainly played more minutes this season than I think Billy Gilmore played in the season before he went to the last euros would you take Forest Gordon I think I think I think Forest is a good shout I think he is again you know he's he's he's someone who's come into come into a really good runner form at the end of the season he he's a known quantity we know what we're going to get from him I I know he's played some games potentially at right wing back for Scotland in the past I I think if if hickey and Patterson were fit and available and in the squad I think there's no chance that James Forest would be speaking about James Forest right now but just that big gaping hole in in that right side of our defense it does beg the question and I think the options that we've spoken about with other guys ralston's only got a handful of caps Max Johnson's been in a squad but you know it hasn't really played for us James forest does have a lot of caps he's got a lot of experience so maybe he's the one that they turn to yeah well I'm so excited to see what the squad is I'm so excited to see Germany uh lose 5- nil to Scotland on the opening day that's just like it's just like 98 all over again what is it with Scotland and Opening Ceremonies e they turn up in their kills oh that' be nice hope so you can see Steve Clark and a kill not a chance I don't know I actually could do you know I thought it was weird I watched um Man City getting the Premier League trophy and when Pep Guardiola came out in his Man City strip and I thought it was a really weird thing to see managers strips it was just something didn't sit right with me so I can't imagine Steve Clark in a strip but I could imagine him in a a kilt it would be nice Steve Clark and a kilt a kilt Finn you for it 100% yeah well in fact Gordon you you'll be in are you going to wear a Kil for the whole tournament um no I don't think so I don't think so I'll be because I'm I'm sort of going to be out there partly in a working capacity partly in a fan capacity so yeah I'll have to sort of uh we we're two hats we're two hats that means you can't do too much drinking then either what a shame what a shame Squad no I I think kils are for match day yeah and then you can like put a strip in between and stuff with shorts or something back how every day is a bit much would you take anything that isn't Scotland related on your trip oh yeah I'm definitely doing that yeah I don't but then I personally I don't really like wearing strips in hot weather so yeah it's uncomfortable I did say this in the last podcast but do you know what my problem's going to be for the Euros guys because I'm going out to America so I'm going out to America to cover the cup of America so I've not even properly digested what the time difference difference I mean I mean that's amazing that that's an amazing gig to get so that's class but yeah does that mean that you can also work then watch the games and just not sleep I mean that's not good for my health but I'm Scottish [Laughter] where about are you going to be based in America you on the East Coast or the West Coast I'm everywhere so I'll be I'm doing the opening ceremony in Miami or Atlanta um but I'll be in Atlanta some point then New Jersey then over to I think San Francisco then Las Vegas and then back to Miami slightly easier when you're on the uh on the East Coast for for kickoffs it's actually really good because you basically roll out of bed say like 7:00 a.m. and there's a game if it's if it's close to lunch time or just after so yeah I think you might be all right for a couple of the uh the well the best thing is the best thing is I'm going out with like a heavy Scottish crew as well so we're all in the same sort of boat so it's going to be a good laugh I think you'll be you you'll be okay actually because obviously all of our games are the late kickoff in the group stage so so they'll be potentially like midafternoon for you if you're on the East Coast or in the morning on the west coast yeah and I haven't double checked if we are on our actually I fly out the day after the opening day so I will see as I beat Germany I love the thought of you slaving storting around somewhere in like New Jersey at like 3 pm um I trying to find a bar that not only shows the game but is serving tenants on draft as well absolutely raing because you can't find somewh that's got it I love that now that you're going to a different continent during this time and then fins actually coming home during this time I know so we're never going to be in the same cont at the same time [Music]