Stefan Scougall

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bricktop

bricktop

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Where is it going wrong for this lad.

When we initially signed him he looked like the best signing we had made in years. Excellent on the ball, ghosted past defenders like they wasn't there, weighed in with a few goals and looked like the real deal.

Nearly 2 years later he hardly features, and looks like he is playing at a level or two above his ability. It's a real shame he hasn't kicked on, but apart from one injury last season I can't see why it hasn't happened for him.

Any ideas?
 

brownie said:
Where is it going wrong for this lad.

When we initially signed him he looked like the best signing we had made in years. Excellent on the ball, ghosted past defenders like they wasn't there, weighed in with a few goals and looked like the real deal.

Nearly 2 years later he hardly features, and looks like he is playing at a level or two above his ability. It's a real shame he hasn't kicked on, but apart from one injury last season I can't see why it hasn't happened for him.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Culmination of things - injury, confidence, he doesn't seem to have a natural position (neither a winger or a central midfielder for me) and due to the latter and the fact we now play 4-4-2 it doesn't really do him any favours.

If we moved to a 4-3-3 he would have more chance of staking a claim for one of the 3 midfield slots.
 
I honestly think that Clough's crazy rotation system in which players could have a great game and then be left out the next game had a detrimental effect on a good few of our players. His theory was that it would make them hungry and what it more whenever they pulled on the shirt but in my opinion it did nothing but impact form and make players unhappy.

Of course injuries don't help players but a large percentage of performance is mental and I think a good few players were left scratching their heads last year wondering what they had done wrong when in the grand scheme of things it was simply Cloughs failed "grand master plan".
 
Ricky said:
Lack of hunger, IMO.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with that. When he first came he looked so up for it and keen to impress. Since then, he's not looked anything like as interested.
 
The_Green_Man said:
I honestly think that Clough's crazy rotation system in which players could have a great game and then be left out the next game had a detrimental effect on a good few of our players. His theory was that it would make them hungry and what it more whenever they pulled on the shirt but in my opinion it did nothing but impact form and make players unhappy.

Of course injuries don't help players but a large percentage of performance is mental and I think a good few players were left scratching their heads last year wondering what they had done wrong when in the grand scheme of things it was simply Cloughs failed "grand master plan".
Click to expand...

It always seemed to me as though Scougall was one of Clough's favourites. He played him whenever he was fit and even played him when he wasn't fit, such as the Bristol game on the opening day last season.
 
brownie said:
Where is it going wrong for this lad.

When we initially signed him he looked like the best signing we had made in years. Excellent on the ball, ghosted past defenders like they wasn't there, weighed in with a few goals and looked like the real deal.

Nearly 2 years later he hardly features, and looks like he is playing at a level or two above his ability. It's a real shame he hasn't kicked on, but apart from one injury last season I can't see why it hasn't happened for him.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
It's a real pity I agree.

Loved his energy and the obvious passion he brought to the team, a real breath of fresh air - remember his 'full on' performance against Hull at Wembley, he was outstanding.

Don't know what's happened to the lad, confidence, fitness - have opponents worked him out?

One hing for sure, he appeared to be better playing off and around Doyle
 
longinthe toothblade said:
It's a real pity I agree.

Loved his energy and the obvious passion he brought to the team, a real breath of fresh air - remember his 'full on' performance against Hull at Wembley, he was outstanding.

Don't know what's happened to the lad, confidence, fitness - have opponents worked him out?

One hing for sure, he appeared to be better playing off and around Doyle
Click to expand...

And that just abouts nails one of the weaknesses we have still to solve. A midfield enforcer or general is a priority, and then perhaps Scoogs would thrive again. The fella has whatever it takes, but at the moment his light is clearly under some type of bushel and he's underwhelming, as opposed to the terrier we saw at Wembley who was fearless. If that chemistry in midfield is resolved we might have rediscovered a player of quality.
 
Adkins is playing 4-4-2 and it doesn't suit Scougall or Baxter for that matter.

Scougall has a marvellous surge on accepting the ball and shoots past his first player - then he just passes it sideways out wide as though it's a hot potato.

He's a "No.10" and will fight with Baxter if we ever play one!! Otherwise he's too lightweight and limited defensively for 4-4-2.

If Adkins doesn't sign new players on loan by the end of this month I reckon he will change formation. He has been very ambitious, even foolhardy playing 4-4-2 without the two key central midfielders but I admire him for it. Certain players have to step up to the plate to make it work. We miss Doyle.

I reckon we'll have a new central midfielder and a central defender by the end of this month. Hope Kennedy gets his chance before long though.
 
Nowt to do with Baxter then?
Never mind, I'm sure many will keep cuddling Scoogs.
 
You can't blame Clough anymore as he isn't here. No. You have to look at the player. He or has had just as much chance of a first team spot as anyone else?
 

In my opinion we need to build a team around him instead of baxter. We built our team around him and murph when we first got scougall. At the moment in this formation he can only play out wide when he is a natural number 10
 
I agree with Woody. He's not suited to a 442 unless he can reinvent himself as a wide player.
His best position is probably as a ten but we don't do that at the moment.

And he's far too easy to pick up and throw.
 
In a 4-4-2 system you can't carry midfielders. Any decent team that plays this system doesn't play players like Scougall in the middle without a proper anchor.

There needs to be a good holding midfielder in the team in order for players like him to be effective, and not detrimental to the team, or has has been said a midfield of 3 to spread the workload.

In a 4-4-2 it's just not practical to play Scougall or Baxter. If we had a Sergio Busquets or Claude Makelele type player in the team to play alongside one of them, it'd be different. Basham can't play that role.
 
SteveBlade said:
In a 4-4-2 system you can't carry midfielders. Any decent team that plays this system doesn't play players like Scougall in the middle without a proper anchor.

There needs to be a good holding midfielder in the team in order for players like him to be effective, and not detrimental to the team, or has has been said a midfield of 3 to spread the workload.

In a 4-4-2 it's just not practical to play Scougall or Baxter. If we had a Sergio Busquets or Claude Makelele type player in the team to play alongside one of them, it'd be different. Basham can't play that role.
Click to expand...

In his defence he's not really been given a chance in a 4-4-2. I think he's more than mobile enough to get up and down the pitch, more so than Reed.
 
I don't think this division suits 4-4-2 ,too many superfit headless chickens who will stop you playing. Scougall and Reed either side of a ball player (Baxter possibly if he will work) would work with Done Sharp and Sammon up front. Flynn and JCR to come on ,Basham at centre back with Edgar.
 
Baxter has bags more talent than Scougall. How many assists/goals did Scougall get last season? Yet he runs around a lot so the Kop love him. Send him out on loan with a view to selling him in January. After a promising start he now looks like a conference U18 player at best.
 
Rodley said:
In his defence he's not really been given a chance in a 4-4-2. I think he's more than mobile enough to get up and down the pitch, more so than Reed.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree but to be honest I don't think we should be playing any one of Baxter, Reed or Scougall next to Bash in a two man midfield. We get overrun almost every game when we do that and with Scougall in there it'd be the same again. We have to go with three in the middle with what we have at the moment.
 
ziggy4001 said:
Baxter has bags more talent than Scougall. How many assists/goals did Scougall get last season? Yet he runs around a lot so the Kop love him. Send him out on loan with a view to selling him in January. After a promising start he now looks like a conference U18 player at best.
Click to expand...
Running about is quite an important part of being a footballer.
 
brownie said:
Where is it going wrong for this lad.

When we initially signed him he looked like the best signing we had made in years. Excellent on the ball, ghosted past defenders like they wasn't there, weighed in with a few goals and looked like the real deal.

Nearly 2 years later he hardly features, and looks like he is playing at a level or two above his ability. It's a real shame he hasn't kicked on, but apart from one injury last season I can't see why it hasn't happened for him.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I think it was the injury last season which obviously kept him out of the side and he struggled to make his way back in when he was eventually fit. Scougal and Reed are also quite similar and its difficult to find them a position in a 4-4-2 as others have said because of his size and lack of physical presence.

For me, Scougal and perhaps Reed both need to play in behind the lone striker, but now we have Billy, Adams, Done and Sammon, i think he (they) are having to fight it out in midfield.

I know many don't like him, but the central midfield is Baxter plus a. n. other. I don't think Basham is suited to play alongside Baxter, I'd rather have Basham and Edgar/ Kennedy at centre half.

Ideally we need James Wallace fit, or a player like him, whilst Wallace isn't fit, surely that means that Scougall or Reed should be looking to take over from Basham alongside Baxter and forcing Adams into slotting Basham in the back four.
 
I don't think he's good enough and would be looking to move him on.

I don't see aggressive ball winning, telling passes or a goal threat. He harries well but just doesn't influence a game enough for me.

I wouldn't play him wide and I want us to strengthen our central midfield. I don't see a role for him and we need to start moving people on the periphery on.
 

We have a team of players bought to play in a 4-5-1 formation and we are playing 4-4-2 because Clough didn't get us promoted and we didn't score enough. So we either replace a few players and stick with 4-4-2 which won't happen soon or revert to 4-5-1 which in my opinion won't happen soon as it will be an admission of poor judgement. Or we stick it out and hope the likes of Baxter, Scougill and the full backs can adapt. Let's hope it clicks soon. We are getting kicked off the park or out run at the moment . I'd be interested in Bergens point of view on this
 
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