Apologies, and a Pre-Match Czech-Up

First, as much as I hate to start things off with an apology, I do regret going so long between posts. The Scotland NT is my first and foremost football loyalty, but my other blogging responsibilities (the podcast, weekend editor at The Offside, blogging Romania for the Euros, etc) have kept me pretty busy this month.

Now, though, there are some things to talk about, namely tomorrow’s friendly with the Czech Republic. Luckily for the Czechs, they’ll be hosting this one, so there should be no worries about locating the place. Considering that they mixed up Lithuania and Latvia, the team might end up Ireland rather than at Hampden if we were hosting the fixture.

Petr Cech and the 23-man Czech roster for Euro 2008 will be using this match as their last pre-tournament warmup, and will be serious about their form, so make no mistake - Prague is going to be a very tough trip. It is made much more difficult (shocker!) by the decision of no fewer than six players to take themselves off of George Burley’s roster, including James McFadden, Kris Boyd AND Steven Fletcher. Since we’re likely to start only a single striker, the Scottish standard 4-5-1 should be in full effect. I’d like to see more of a 4-1-4-1, with Paul Hartley in behind the midfielders, like so:

—————— Gordon ——————
Naysmith — McManus — Caldwell — McNaughton
—————– Hartley —————–
Maloney — Fletcher — Robson — Morrison
————— Miller ————–

We’ll see what Georgie boy has up his sleeve for this one, but it does look like, whatever else happens, we will see some new faces. James Morrison from West Brom is sure to feature, and, like it says above, likely to start. I for one will be praying that he is the answer to our continuing woes at the winger position. If not, Gavin Rae is waiting in the wings for another chance to prove himself. The bench is going to be a mixed bag, with Russell Anderson providing the same experience that served Burley well off the pine in the Croatia match, and the Motherwell strike duo of David Clarkson and Ross McCormack are anxious to prove that their third place finish was no fluke.

As promised, after Kenny Miller got us that fine goal to rescue a point against Croatia, I’m putting aside my Kenny Miller apathy, and I’m four-square behind him as the starter, especially without McFadden and Boyd as options. Without Steven Fletcher, who I would have called the best young option for a sub, Clarkson might be the best replacement if Kenny doesn’t do the business. But I expect the biggest difficulties to be much farther back. We will really miss Alan Hutton in this match, not only for his solid defensive play at right back, but also his runs and creativity in putting together attacking moves. Kevin McNaughton is somewhat of an unknown quantity, and we’ll just have to wait and see if he can step up on the day. If he can, the left back position is still very much in the air for World Cup qualifiers, and that’s a nice carrot to dangle. Barry Robson should get his first start, and he’s in quite good form, so between him and Champions League winner Darren Fletcher, I’m not too concerned about the center of midfield. Again, the wings are still an issue. Shaun Maloney has his moments, but he’s just not a natural winger. He’s a converted forward, and I don’t think he’s a great fit on the wing. McManus, who will get his second captaincy, and in my opinion is starting to earn it on a more permanent basis, will partner up with Gary Caldwell in the central defense, and those are two very solid backs that know each other perfectly. It’s the right and left backs that worry me, not the centres.

Good luck to Scotland, of course, and once again, as hungry as Burley might be for his first win, a draw in Prague would hardly be a bad result for a depleted team against a team like the Czechs. They have a fantastic keeper, if nothing else, and I expect that we will need quite a few chances to get one by him. My prediction is another 1-1, with Barry Robson doing the deed this time for Scotland.

Give em hell, boys. Alba Gu Brath.

UPDATE: Setanta Broadband will be showing this match, which means I will actually get to watch it from the comfort of my own home, a rare joy for a Scotland fan marooned on the west coast of North America. Kickoff may be 8:30am my time, but still, thanks Setanta.