Stefan Scougall

[BushBlade]

I think this situation is a consequence of chopping and changing managers regularly. Some of the squad (Baxter, Scougall etc) are suited to 451/433 but others (Sharp/Sammon etc) seem more suited to 442 meaning we're not ideally set up for either.

The fact that players at this level are incomplete footballers also means that whatever system you play, it seems like certain players aren't "good enough" to play it. Some say Basham isn't good enough to play 442. Yet at this level, I don't think you would find a better 2 man midfield than Basham and a fit James Wallace.

Which in turn is due to a lack of football knowledge above manager level. We have no overriding philosophy of what we are as a club, what kind of players we should sign, how we should play, who should be the manager and who might replace him if he leaves.

I've been banging on about this on BM for years now. Look at Swansea, they're so we'll run behind the scenes that they can change managers regularly and you barely notice. From Jackett (or arguably Flynn) onwards they have maintained a consistency to their approach. We bounce around like a fucking pinball, reactively not proactively, hoping that we'll just hit lucky, like a little kid with too many toys 'ooh Danny Wilson, he did something good once, ooh look Davey Weir, he's new and exciting with fresh ideas, not like that old school Danny Wilson, hey let's give Morgs a go, he's done a coaching course, wow we've got a Clough, he's bound to be good, ooh new Nigel; is he charismatic or mental? Who knows, jumpers for goalposts isn't it?

 

[BushBlade]

3-5-2:

Back: Edgar, Collins, McGahey, Alcock, Harris, Basham, Kennedy

Middle wide: Flynn, Ryce, Adams, Done, Harris, Freeman.
maybe Alcock and Freeman in the defensive role.

Up front: Sharp, Sammon, McNulty, Done, Adams.

We are crying out for a central midfield ball winner/ organiser, bit like Doyle.

You've just named our squad.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

If it was 352 I think it would have to be something like

---------------------------------Howard

----------------Edgar---------Collins-----Kennedy

Flynn--------------------------Basham-----------------Freeman
-----------------------Baxter-------------Reed

------------------------Sharp----------Sammon


Could put Done or adams in for Sharp or Sammon but I don't think they could play the wide roles well because of the defensive responsibility involved.

I think the side would lack pace. It addresses some isses as it gives us 3 in midfield and 2 up front but it's a very demanding job for the wing backs.

 

[Woodwardfan]

You've just named our squad.

I thought you asked whether we had the players for 3-5-2 and there they are with cover in all positions.

In 4-4-2 we don't have the central 2 in midfield.
In 4-3-3 we don't have pace at the back when playing higher upfield.
As I said above, with current players we can man 3-5-2 and 4-5-1.

Anyway if we sign a couple of players in key positions we'll have more options.

 

[Smirth]

Does anyone know why he's still here? He's been totally anonymous now since the FA Cup semi final 19 months ago and I'm personally sick of him stealing a wage. His mate McNulty, who has contributed far more than Scougall in that same time period, has been sent out so why not him?

His latest offering from the bench on Saturday saw him come off the bench, have zero impact on the game, look totally disinterested as he has done all season, and helped us lose momentum at a time we were looking dangerous after scoring. Admittedly Adkins must take some of the blame for that as I couldn't understand why he took off JCR who was playing quite well and actually running at the opposition which few others do.

 

[SwissBlade]

Does anyone know why he's still here? He's been totally anonymous now since the FA Cup semi final 19 months ago and I'm personally sick of him stealing a wage. His mate McNulty, who has contributed far more than Scougall in that same time period, has been sent out so why not him?

His latest offering from the bench on Saturday saw him come off the bench, have zero impact on the game, look totally disinterested as he has done all season, and helped us lose momentum at a time we were looking dangerous after scoring. Admittedly Adkins must take some of the blame for that as I couldn't understand why he took off JCR who was playing quite well and actually running at the opposition which few others do.

Scougall has basically lost his position. I think that first season he mostly played in behind the striker, picking up loose balls and going forward.

If I'm correct the striker was most Baxter or Porter. So the ball would drop to Scougall a lot.

Now we play with two strikers or one/ three then firstly Scougall has lost that role, it doesn't exist anymore in the way we play. Even with one up top we seem to play three deeper central midfielders.

The role for Scougall now is either out wide, where he's naturally shite and in central midfield (sitting deeper than he likes) where he's also shite.

The hope for Scougall is that Adkins decides to play one of Wallace/ Hammond/ Coutts deep and then Reed/ Scougall would sit higher up they pitch or the box 2 box role with Baxter/ Cuvelier having the freedom to play the ball around.

However, as we all know, every single one of those mentioned has question marks. So Adkins, quite rightly hasn't sent Scougall on loan yet. One thing is sure in my mind, Scougall is not a winger

 

[sitwell]

Does anyone know why he's still here? He's been totally anonymous now since the FA Cup semi final 19 months ago and I'm personally sick of him stealing a wage. His mate McNulty, who has contributed far more than Scougall in that same time period, has been sent out so why not him?

His latest offering from the bench on Saturday saw him come off the bench, have zero impact on the game, look totally disinterested as he has done all season, and helped us lose momentum at a time we were looking dangerous after scoring. Admittedly Adkins must take some of the blame for that as I couldn't understand why he took off JCR who was playing quite well and actually running at the opposition which few others do.

Adkins has been generally shit at making subs so far ,not Scougalls fault ,and hes hardly stealing a wage if he doesn't get selected.

 

[Harry's Game]

Scougall was rubbish last season as well, which I am pretty sure wasn't down to Adkins.

 

[Smirth]

Adkins has been generally shit at making subs so far ,not Scougalls fault ,and hes hardly stealing a wage if he doesn't get selected.

I agree on Adkins subs. Scougall however has hardly taken his chance and shown anything like enough to warrant selection the times he has been picked. It doesn't help him that he looks to me as though he'd rather be anywhere else but on a football pitch whenever he does play. He seems to enjoy the footballer's lifestyle though, just a shame his performances don't match. If he doesn't up his game soon he will very soon be back in lower league Scottish football.

 

[Ricky]

I don't think he has anywhere near the same hunger as he had when he first arrived. He's scored in a semi final at Wembley, how can it get any better than that for him? He's been on a decent wage for a while now and his sole focus seems to be next summer's holiday with his "super amazing person" girlfriend. Like many others in our squad, he seems to have given up hope of things ever getting any better for him in football and is just waiting for his contract to end rather than busting a gut to carve out a better future for himself.

 

[Rodley]

I don't think he has anywhere near the same hunger as he had when he first arrived. He's scored in a semi final at Wembley, how can it get any better than that for him? He's been on a decent wage for a while now and his sole focus seems to be next summer's holiday with his "super amazing person" girlfriend. Like many others in our squad, he seems to have given up hope of things ever getting any better for him in football and is just waiting for his contract to end rather than busting a gut to carve out a better future for himself.

He's not someone who I would question his attitude. All of the above is conjecture. And he's into his missus? Jesus what next?! I thought the problem was seeing our players out on the pull.

 

[sitwell]

I don't think he has anywhere near the same hunger as he had when he first arrived. He's scored in a semi final at Wembley, how can it get any better than that for him? He's been on a decent wage for a while now and his sole focus seems to be next summer's holiday with his "super amazing person" girlfriend. Like many others in our squad, he seems to have given up hope of things ever getting any better for him in football and is just waiting for his contract to end rather than busting a gut to carve out a better future for himself.

Why follow someone on twitter if you have a problem with him talking about his girlfriend ,his twitter feed is not just for you ,he has family and friends ,that post is bizarre. Why would just wait his contract to end if he is on such a decent wage ?

 

[awblade]

I have been saying for the last few weeks that Scougall needs to be playing much more. I don't even think he has been very good for a long time, but he is our only midfielder that looks to drive forward and into the box when we have the ball. All the others seem to prefer sitting back. We should be showing more than we are doing to go for the win and he would help in that aspect

 

[Balham]

I don't think he has anywhere near the same hunger as he had when he first arrived. He's scored in a semi final at Wembley, how can it get any better than that for him? He's been on a decent wage for a while now and his sole focus seems to be next summer's holiday with his "super amazing person" girlfriend. Like many others in our squad, he seems to have given up hope of things ever getting any better for him in football and is just waiting for his contract to end rather than busting a gut to carve out a better future for himself.

On current form his United contract is way better than anything he'd get elsewhere. Why not "bust a gut" to earn an extension?

BBB's opinion: Scougall is a decent player technically but he can't play in a 4-4-2 and particularly not in League One.

 

[Ricky]

I don't follow him on Twitter but whenever I have read his posts the only thing he seems focussed on is his next holiday.

For me he just typifies the unprofessional mentality infecting our squad. Sign for Sheff Utd, get a decent contract, relax and enjoy the easy life, knowing it's never going to get any better for you. Granted a lot of this is just the impression I get but a lot of the impressions I've had in recent times have turned out to be absolutely spot on.

Regarding contracts, it's as though their (justified) total lack of belief in their ability outweighs any desire to better themselves. They're losers.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Scougall has basically lost his position. I think that first season he mostly played in behind the striker, picking up loose balls and going forward.

If I'm correct the striker was most Baxter or Porter. So the ball would drop to Scougall a lot.

Now we play with two strikers or one/ three then firstly Scougall has lost that role, it doesn't exist anymore in the way we play. Even with one up top we seem to play three deeper central midfielders.

The role for Scougall now is either out wide, where he's naturally shite and in central midfield (sitting deeper than he likes) where he's also shite.

The hope for Scougall is that Adkins decides to play one of Wallace/ Hammond/ Coutts deep and then Reed/ Scougall would sit higher up they pitch or the box 2 box role with Baxter/ Cuvelier having the freedom to play the ball around.

However, as we all know, every single one of those mentioned has question marks. So Adkins, quite rightly hasn't sent Scougall on loan yet. One thing is sure in my mind, Scougall is not a winger

Our successful formation under Clough had Doyle holding, flanked by Coady and Scougall in box to box roles, both aiming to get into the box on a regular basis:



In Adkins' 4-4-2 Scougall is not asked to play as a winger, but encouraged to drift infield to try and find "pockets of space" between the opposition defence and midfield. Width is then supposed to come from the full back behind him. I agree he's more suited to Clough's 4-1-4-1 formation.

 

[Bergen Blade]

I have been saying for the last few weeks that Scougall needs to be playing much more. I don't even think he has been very good for a long time, but he is our only midfielder that looks to drive forward and into the box when we have the ball. All the others seem to prefer sitting back. We should be showing more than we are doing to go for the win and he would help in that aspect

Our record when Scougall has started this season is 5 wins, 2 draws, 0 defeats.

 

[Deadbat]

Our record when Scougall has started this season is 5 wins, 2 draws, 0 defeats.

The league games he has played in, he was one of our worst players. I would say we won in despite of him. Granted did not see JPT games.

 

[Bergen Blade]

The league games he has played in, he was one of our worst players. I would say we won in despite of him. Granted did not see JPT games.

His best games have been Morecambe and Notts County. I thought we were on the right track when Adkins switched to 4-3-3 in the latter game, which he kept for the win vs Rochdale and the unlucky draw at Oldham. Scougall added much needed pressing, energy and movement, although there were still tweaks that were required. Then we switched to 4-4-2 for the Fleetwood game and have started with that since, with little success. The wins vs very poor opposition (Fleetwood and Worcester) has not convinced me the current approach will be successful.

 

[Revolution]

Our record when Scougall has started this season is 5 wins, 2 draws, 0 defeats.

2 of those wins are cup games against lower league or non league opposition.

His league record is 4 starts with 3 wins and a draw. He was subbed at half time in one of the wins (Rochdale) and after 19 mins in another (Peterborough).

He laid on the goal at Oldham, and was our poorest player against Chesterfield.

His contribution to our league season has been minimal.

 

[TarquinDelouche]

I don't follow him on Twitter but whenever I have read his posts the only thing he seems focussed on is his next holiday.

For me he just typifies the unprofessional mentality infecting our squad. Sign for Sheff Utd, get a decent contract, relax and enjoy the easy life, knowing it's never going to get any better for you. Granted a lot of this is just the impression I get but a lot of the impressions I've had in recent times have turned out to be absolutely spot on.

Regarding contracts, it's as though their (justified) total lack of belief in their ability outweighs any desire to better themselves. They're losers.

Two quick questions:

1) Do you only talk about your job when using social media?
2) Do you honestly think that mid-table League One is what these professional footballers consider "as good as it gets"?

 

[Ben_1982]

He'd be one of the first outta the door for me. Not lived Upto his potential he showed his first half season, whether that's down to him or injuries I don't know but get rid

 

[Smirth]

You can twist statistics whichever what you like really. Even though our win record when Scougall starts is good it doesn't alter the fact that he has offered exceptionally little for 19 months now. For an attack minded player his goals and assists ratio is dreadfully poor.

Put up or shut up time for him, but whenever I see him play now he's a shadow of the player who arrived in January 2014 and he looks very disinterested. When the going gets tough he is one of the first to hide.

 

[Ricky]

Two quick questions:

1) Do you only talk about your job when using social media?
2) Do you honestly think that mid-table League One is what these professional footballers consider "as good as it gets"?

1) I don't expect them to only talk about their job.
2) No, I think Sheffield United and the contracts they're on is as good as it gets - that could be said about so many of the squad.

 

[Smirth]

2) No, I think Sheffield United and the contracts they're on is as good as it gets - that could be said about so many of the squad.

You're bang on with that one. At this stage in their careers that can be said for:

Jay McEveley
Michael Higdon
Marc McNulty
Stefan Scougall
Bob Harris
Mark Howard
James Wallace
Ryan Flynn
Neill Collins (as epitomised by him not moving on last season when clearly out of NC's plans)
Martyn Woolford
Jamal Campbell-Ryce
Craig Alcock
Paul Coutts
Callum McFadzean
Florent Cuvelier

 

[Bergen Blade]

2 of those wins are cup games against lower league or non league opposition.

His league record is 4 starts with 3 wins and a draw. He was subbed at half time in one of the wins (Rochdale) and after 19 mins in another (Peterborough).

He laid on the goal at Oldham, and was our poorest player against Chesterfield.

His contribution to our league season has been minimal.

We were winning when he went off injured in those two games. Not saying it was solely down to him, but you shouldn't dismiss his impact either. He's got some of the qualities that we are very much lacking at the minute. Scougall can't chase on his own though. Against Walsall there were a few times where he closed them down well, but when the ball was played sideways there was nobody who kept a similar pressure on the next man, meaning it was a bit in vain. Bottom line, I think getting aggression, running and work rate into our midfield is key to getting more out of our attacking players, and Scougall is one of the individuals that can help with that, although it would probably also imply a formation change.

 

[Revolution]

We were winning when he went off injured in those two games. Not saying it was solely down to him, but you shouldn't dismiss his impact either. He's got some of the qualities that we are very much lacking at the minute. Scougall can't chase on his own though. Against Walsall there were a few times where he closed them down well, but when the ball was played sideways there was nobody who kept a similar pressure on the next man, meaning it was a bit in vain. Bottom line, I think getting aggression, running and work rate into our midfield is key to getting more out of our attacking players, and Scougall is one of the individuals that can help with that, although it would probably also imply a formation change.

I know we've had this debate before, but the Scougal l see:

- is very easy to knock off the ball
- rarely wins the ball
- can't shoot
- has an appalling first touch
- doesn't get involved
- can't play on the wing or in a midfield 2

From what I read on here, many people agree with this appraisal

He hasn't played well 2 games running for 18 months and the only way you can get him in the team is to play a less attacking formation.

What we lack from our midfield is pace, creativity and a physical presence - oh and goals. He has none of these things.

 

[Bergen Blade]

I know we've had this debate before, but the Scougal l see:

- is very easy to knock off the ball - he is very lightweight, agree, we need to try create space for him to be effective.
- rarely wins the ball - a chain is only as strong as the weakest link, in a athletic and aggressive Scougall's pressing is very good and will help us win the ball, rather than our current welcome-to-our-half, feel-free-to-make-a-pass-or-have-a-shot-approach.
- can't shoot - agree, he needs to get into the box to finish
- has an appalling first touch - debatable, on form he's shown that his touch is good, but again a higher tempo game would suit him better
- doesn't get involved - unlike who? - Think he's a busy player in well balanced side.
- can't play on the wing or in a midfield 2 - I agree 4-3-3 with one holding player is the best formation for him. I wouldn't play him centrally in a 4-4-2.