Scotland – The Empire of The Kop

Scotland manager outlines Andy Robertson plan after Liverpool defender’s untimely injury blow

Liam Togher — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 07:24:21 +0000

Liverpool have sadly been handed a fresh injury blow towards the tail end of the March international break, with Andy Robertson limping out of Scotland’s defeat to Northern Ireland last night.

While fellow Reds full-back Conor Bradley had the honour of scoring the winning goal (his first for his country), the 30-year-old endured misery on a personal and collective level following his nation’s second loss in five days.

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Our number 26 hobbled off during the first half with ankle damage resulting from a robust challenge from Trai Hume, and his international boss Steve Clarke shared an update on what’ll happen next for the left-back.

The 60-year-old said (via The Athletic): “We’ll assess him. He’ll go back to his club and they’ll assess him. Hopefully, he’s back soon.”

Robertson’s injury was the last thing that Liverpool needed going into a hectic seven-week period during which their fate in the Premier League and Europa League will be determined.

We’ll likely have to wait at least another couple of days before we get an informed hint of a timeline as to how long he may be sidelined, with Jurgen Klopp bound to be asked for an update later this week when he holds his pre-match press conference before the Brighton game on Sunday.

It isn’t just the Reds who suffered in that regard over the international break, either, as Manchester City are left sweating on Kyle Walker and John Stones after they limped out of England’s friendlies against Brazil and Belgium respectively.

If Robertson is to face a few weeks out injured, at least Liverpool have the capable Kostas Tsimikas to come straight in. Unlike his fellow left-back, the 27-year-old won’t be going to Euro 2024 after Greece lost on penalties to Georgia in their play-off yesterday.

Fingers crossed that the upcoming scan on the Scot’s ankle problem shows no major damage, and that he’ll be back playing for LFC sooner rather than later.

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(Video) Worst nightmare: Liverpool stalwart limps off with international injury; could derail title charge

Peter Kenny Jones — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 21:47:24 +0000

Liverpool fans were dreading the international break ahead of the inevitable injury that would come our way and there’s no surprise to see it’s happened again.

Footage of Andy Robertson limping off the pitch for Scotland will be worrying Jurgen Klopp as much as any supporters at this point.

BBC Sport Scotland reported: ‘Andy Robertson exited the pitch with what appeared to be an ankle injury’, which will be of great concern.

Let’s hope it’s nothing too serious and that we can rely on Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas to fill any possible void left at left-back.

You can watch footage of Robertson courtesy of Viaplay (via @girlfden on X):

pic.twitter.com/O8AKvWZjGf

— Chris DeBrabander (@Chris_DeBrab) March 26, 2024

pic.twitter.com/WRHtGMKD8f

— el media (@girlfden) March 26, 2024

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(Video) ‘Slowly but surely’: Robertson provides positive injury update as he eyes Liverpool comeback

Peter Kenny Jones — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 10:11:41 +0000

Andy Robertson was injured during the last international break and now we’ve received our first update from the player, after his shoulder surgery.

Speaking with Viaplay Sports, the captain of Scotland said: “Yeah, getting there, slowly but surely. Surgery was a success, which was the main thing, no complications from it.

“So far, so good. I think I’m about three weeks since my surgery now, so everything is progressing well. Just bit by bit, got to take it week by week.

“Everything has gone well up to this point and hopefully that continues and then hopefully before we know it I’ll be back on the grass.”

Asked about a possible return date, the left-back said: “I’ve not looked that far ahead yet [to a possible return date]. I’m just trying to take it week by week.

“I’m trying to not get frustrated, I’m not the best [when] injured. I’m trying to just take small wins every single week.

“I don’t want to put a game in mind and then I don’t make it or I come back before then. I’m just taking it slowly but surely just now, and then there’ll be a time to start pushing it – and when that comes, I’ll try to get on the pitch as quickly as I can.”

It’s not an update which outlines exactly when we will see the 29-year-old on the pitch again but does seem to imply some positivity.

Let’s hope that the former Hull City defender is back soon and that we can use his return as an attack on as much silverware as possible, later on in this campaign.

You can watch Robertson’s comments via @ViaplaySportsUK on X:

@ScotlandNT skipper Andy Robertson joins us to discuss his recovery from injury, tonight's game, the UEFA Euro qualifying campaign and next summer's Finals

"Everyone you talk to is either going to Germany or watching it!"#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/rtYwkgEy5s

— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) November 19, 2023

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Andy Robertson shows his class with Scotland message despite injury

Peter Kenny Jones — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 20:06:06 +0000

Andy Robertson may well be facing surgery because of the shoulder injury he picked up on international duty and in what must be a terrible situation, our left-back has shown his class once again.

Taking to his social media, the captain of his nation posted:

Nothing more than you deserve!! What a man @liamm_kelly https://t.co/m3XTJTejvj

— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) October 17, 2023

It’s great to see how seriously the defender takes his role as captain, as this shows great leadership to be able to send such a message even at a traumatic time.

We all know that Kostas Tsimikas is an able deputy but given the amount of games in the league and cups, we need to be able to rotate in his position and that could lead Jurgen Klopp to a selection headache.

It will either mean a dip into the academy or a rotation of playing someone out of position, either a Stefan Bajcetic push back out in a defensive role or we could see Joe Gomez pushed over there.

It’ll be an interesting proposition and we could even see Luke Chambers given a chance in the times when the boss needs to rotate his team.

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‘Only a matter of time’ – Charlie Adam believes Liverpool gem is set for major career milestone

Liam Togher — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 18:48:42 +0000

Charlie Adam believes that one Liverpool youngster isn’t far away from being given a senior international debut.

Following Scotland’s qualification for Euro 2024 with two matches to spare, there have been calls for Ben Doak to be included in Steve Clarke’s squad for those games next month, having looked very impressive for his club since the summer.

The former Anfield midfielder believes that the 17-year-old’s cause has been helped by the profile of playing for a club of LFC’s stature and wouldn’t be shocked to see him getting the call-up in November.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport, Adam said of the teenager: “Everybody at Liverpool loves him. He is energetic. He’s direct and it’s only a matter of time before Steve will pick him. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in the squad. If he wasn’t playing for Liverpool, would he be in the squad?”

It shows just how much Doak has caught the eye that, after just eight senior appearances for Liverpool amounting to just under 200 minutes (Transfermarkt), he’s been talked up as a possible debutant for a Scotland team who were among the first seven nations to qualify for Euro 2024.

Clarke’s side having already secured their place at the finals might give the 60-year-old the luxury of experimentation for the November double header, with a view to seeing if any wildcards can burst through to put their hand up for a seat on the plane to Germany next summer.

Whether he believes the Anfield youngster is ready for a senior debut in a month’s time is another matter, but the 17-year-old hasn’t looked out of place among Jurgen Klopp’s side when he’s featured in recent weeks.

If Doak wins a first senior Scotland cap against either Georgia or Norway, it’d cap a phenomenal 2023 for a gifted young footballer with an incredibly high ceiling.

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Steve Clarke’s comments hint at how long Liverpool might have to cope without Andy Robertson

Liam Togher — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 18:07:26 +0000

Steve Clarke has appeared to hint at how long Liverpool might be without Andy Robertson due to his shoulder injury.

The Reds left-back was forced out of Scotland’s 2-0 defeat in Spain last Thursday and is set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Although no formal timeline has yet been placed on how long he’ll be out of action, the 29-year-old’s national team coach may have given some indication judging by comments he made ahead of their friendly against France on Tuesday night.

When asked whether Robertson would be back for Scotland’s final two Euro 2024 qualifiers in mid-November, Clarke replied (via Liverpool Echo): “If he’s fit for next month, it’s great. If he’s not fit for next month then hopefully he’ll be fit as soon as possible for his club.”

Clarke seems hopeful of having his captain back for the double header against Georgia and Norway in a month’s time, although he also seemed open to the possibility of Robertson missing those two games.

On that basis, it seems eminently possible that the 29-year-old could miss Liverpool’s seven matches in the intervening period, including the Merseyside derby on Saturday and the two Europa League clashes against Toulouse.

If the Scotland skipper is fit enough to represent his country next month, though, it’d offer Jurgen Klopp a huge boost ahead of our first match following that international break, the visit to Manchester City on 25 November.

In the meantime, the Reds look set to depend on Kostas Tsimikas to fill the left-back role, with Neil Jones suggesting that 19-year-old Luke Chambers could possibly start in Europe or the Carabao Cup during Robertson’s time in the treatment room.

Whoever is trusted in that position will need to step up so that the Scotsman’s absence isn’t too damaging to Liverpool’s early season momentum, which had been checked by the dropped points to Tottenham and Brighton.

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Andy Robertson’s 8-word social media post had one Liverpool teammate leaping into the replies

Liam Togher — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 12:13:43 +0000

Andy Robertson had one of his Liverpool teammates jumping into the replies of the Scotland captain’s latest Instagram post.

The 29-year-old suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder in his country’s 2-0 defeat to Spain last Thursday, in which case he could be sidelined for as long as four months (90min).

However, the left-back and his international colleagues had reason to celebrate three days later as La Roja’s 1-0 win over Norway confirmed both their place and Scotland’s at the finals of Euro 2024.

Robertson took to Instagram to revel in qualification for the tournament, posting a series of photos along with the caption: “What a special group!!! SEE YOU IN GERMANY”.

His Liverpool teammate Cody Gakpo was prominent among the replies, leaving clapping and fire emojis to register his congratulations to the Scotsman.

It was a lovely touch by the Dutchman to congratulate his club colleague following the aforementioned body blow, and even with the capable Kostas Tsimikas ready to step in, it’s nonetheless a big blow for the Reds to have the 29-year-old ruled out for the foreseeable future.

At least Scotland’s qualification quickly put a smile back on Robertson’s face following his injury setback, with our number 26 becoming the third Liverpool player in recent days to be bound for Euro 2024, with Ibrahima Konate and Diogo Jota also now able to start planning for Germany in eight months’ time.

Congratulations to the three of them – just don’t get injured at the tournament next summer, please!

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(Video) Ben Doak brought down after outrageous skill; calmly dispatches penalty

Peter Kenny Jones — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 07:17:51 +0000

Ben Doak was handed the start for Scotland Under-21s against Hungary and rewarded manager Billy Stark with another brilliant performance and a key involvement for one goal in the game.

After a great start from the young Scots, the 17-year-old was found on the right wing where he proceeded to drive into the opposition box and skip past one defender.

With another rushing in on him, the former Celtic teenager then dropped his shoulder again before being hacked down inside the box for a stone wall penalty.

Taking the responsibility himself, our No.50 rolled the ball into the bottom left corner and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way whilst he did so.

You can watch the foul on Doak (from 41:33) and his goal (from 42:45) via Scotland National Team on YouTube:

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(Video) “He’ll go back” – Steve Clarke confirms Andy Robertson return to Liverpool after shoulder injury

Peter Kenny Jones — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:27:41 +0000

Andy Robertson dreamed that Scotland’s game against Spain would be the one where he helped his nation book a place for EURO 2024 but instead it ended in a 2-0 defeat and a shoulder injury.

Speaking after the game, manager Steve Clarke provided an update: “Obviously he’s hurt his shoulder. We’ll have a look, obviously he’ll go back to his club.

“It always seems to happen when you lose one player in a position, so we lose Kieran [Tierney] off the left side… Andy’s picked up a shoulder injury, so we’ll see how it is.

“We’ll see how it settles down and hopefully he’s good for his club as quickly as possible and he’s ready to help us in November.”

It seems clear that our left-back won’t be featuring in his nation’s next match, with confirmation there that he’ll be sent back to Merseyside because of the injury that he’s sustained.

This will place his participation in the upcoming Merseyside Derby in serious doubt too and that will be a huge worry for Jurgen Klopp, given the fixtures we have on the horizon.

You can watch Steve Clarke’s comments on Andy Robertson (from 4:52) via Viaplay Sports UK on YouTube:

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‘What’s going through his mind…’ – Liverpool man savaged over ‘error’ on international duty

Liam Togher — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 11:13:36 +0000

One Liverpool player ended up on the receiving end of criticism over a costly mistake on international duty on Tuesday night.

During Scotland’s 1-3 defeat against England at Hampden Park, Andy Robertson’s attempt to clear his lines went badly awry as he succeeded only in giving the ball straight to Jude Bellingham, who gratefully accepted the gift to put the visitors 2-0 ahead in the first half.

Willie Miller was on punditry duty for BBC Sportsound and he didn’t mince his words when it came to what he thought of the left-back’s unfortunate moment.

The ex-Scotland defender said: “Robertson knows he’s made an error. He’s got the ball under control. I don’t know what’s going through his mind as he passes it to Bellingham. He’s just froze and set it up so easily.”

It was indeed a major faux pas for a player of Robertson’s quality and experience, albeit an uncharacteristic one from the Liverpool full-back.

Luckily, it came in a friendly clash and not a competitive game where qualification for a major tournament could’ve been on the line, and his Scotland side are very well placed to secure their passage to the finals of Euro 2024 next summer.

The 29-year-old’s error might’ve had Reds fans alarmed, but at least it didn’t happen to him for his club in a crucial fixture – and hopefully it never will.

Robertson will naturally be disappointed on a personal level by inadvertently setting up Bellingham’s goal last night, but the Liverpool man will quickly put it behind him and switch his focus to continuing our strong start to the season when we visit Wolves on Saturday.

A commanding performance at Molineux would be the best way to get the mistake in Glasgow out of his system.

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(Video) Robertson on the ‘unfortunate’ standing he now has in the Scotland squad

Peter Kenny Jones — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 09:22:27 +0000

Andy Robertson is the proud captain of Scotland but he’s not fully happy with his current role within the dressing room, as he explained in a recent interview with Ally McCoist.

Speaking on Channel 4, our No.26 said: “When you look at the squad, we’ve got a lot of quality, but we’ve also got lads that have got no fear and I think a lot of that [is because] we’ve got a good mix of experienced heads, which unfortunately I come under that category now!

“And the young players coming through… the experienced lads are so desperate to get [into] tournaments”.

Time waits for no man but at 29-years-old, the left-back still has plenty of time to impress on the pitch before his inevitable retirement will follow in several years time.

We all want to have the former Hull City man in our squad for as long as possible but it seems that thoughts of life after football are slowing seeping into his mind.

You can watch Robertson’s comments on Scotland via @C4Sport on X:

What has made @ScotlandNT so successful recently? #C4Football | #SCOvENG pic.twitter.com/gTOf3JWo3X

— Channel 4 Sport (@C4Sport) September 12, 2023

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(Video) Liverpool fans will rejoice as Robertson cross causes Maguire own goal

Peter Kenny Jones — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 20:25:00 +0000

Andy Robertson is the proud captain of Scotland and the chance to lead his side out at Hampden for his nation’s 150th anniversary game against England, will no doubt be a moment he’ll never forget.

Despite a poor first-half in the game for our left-back, where he managed to lay the ball on a plate for Jude Bellingham to fire home, he came back with avengence in the second 45.

Our No.26 found himself in the unusual position of the right-wing and he then used his right foot to fire a dangerous ball into the box.

It was Manchester United’s Harry Maguire who was first to reach the cross, although he diverted past his own goalkeeper and opened the door for the Scots to get a foothold back in the match.

You can watch the Robertson cross and Maguire’s own goal via @C4Sport on X:

A HUGE moment for Scotland as they are back in the game! This is one for Harry Maguire to forget #C4Football | #SCOvENG pic.twitter.com/pvdPN9a3dc

— Channel 4 Sport (@C4Sport) September 12, 2023

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(Video) Ben Doak’s electric display for Scotland U21s shows what a special talent Liverpool have

Liam Togher — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 08:52:43 +0000

With each passing performance, Liverpool’s acquisition of Ben Doak from Celtic 18 months ago for just £600,000 looks increasingly like daylight robbery.

The 17-year-old impressed many observers with his performances in pre-season and, having featured for the final few minutes against Chelsea in the Reds’ Premier League opener, he started for Scotland under-21s in a European Championships qualifier against their Spain counterparts.

The Spaniards were runners-up at the continental finals this summer, narrowly losing out to England, but they’ll be glad to see the back of the LFC starlet after an electric performance last night.

As shown in a video compilation doing the rounds on social media, Doak gave his opponents nightmares, frequently jinking away from them with deft turns or surging dribbles and bamboozling them with some neat footwork.

His battling qualities were also on display as he regularly tracked back to try and win possession for his team, matching his phenomenal skill level with a work rate which’ll delight coaches, teammates and supporters.

The teenager’s performance was hailed by Scotland under-21 boss Scot Gemmill as ‘exceptional‘, and he showed yet again that Liverpool have a very special talent who seems to have an incredibly high ceiling.

You can view some of Doak’s highlights from last night below, via @bkup394270 on Twitter/X:

pic.twitter.com/tHnT0B95Pi

— bkup (@bkup394270) September 11, 2023

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Scotland U21 manager’s comments on Ben Doak will have Liverpool fans purring with excitement

Liam Togher — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 07:54:26 +0000

Liverpool fans’ excitement about Ben Doak may have shot up even further based on his performance for Scotland under-21s on Monday night, and his manager’s post-match comments.

Although his side were narrowly beaten by European under-21 runners-up Spain, the 17-year-old bamboozled the Spanish defence with some breathtaking skill during the first half.

The Reds youngster was singled out for praise afterwards by his coach Scot Gemmill, who promised that we didn’t even see the forward at his optimum in last night’s clash.

As per Daily Record, the Scotland under-21 boss said: “It was an exceptional performance from Ben Doak. I would even add that’s there more to come from him. He’s not fully match fit at the moment because of his limited minutes as he is playing for such a good club.

“Imagine a fully-fit Ben Doak! I thought it was a really top performance and hopefully everyone saw that.”

Having shown a few promising cameos at Liverpool last term, the 17-year-old caught the eye in pre-season with some dazzling displays, putting himself firmly in the frame for plenty of first-team opportunities over the coming months.

He was given 13 minutes towards the end of the 1-1 draw at Chelsea a month ago, but as Gemmill says, he mightn’t even have been operating at his peak last night as he’s still only getting sporadic game-time at Anfield.

That didn’t stop Doak from causing the Spain defence some real headaches, though, and for the Scotland under-21 boss to proclaim that ‘there’s more to come’ from the Reds teenager will whip up a frenzy of excitement over the levels the youngster could yet reach.

He could be in line to feature throughout Liverpool’s Europa League group campaign, which begins next week away to LASK Linz, a competitive level of football which should tell us more about where he’s at with his development.

Once he gets more regular minutes under his belt and stays free from injury, we can expect this gifted youngster’s star to keep rising. How far it could ascend is anyone’s guess; it’s going to be a lot of fun finding out the answer.

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(Image) Robertson models 150th anniversary celebration Scotland shirt ahead of heritage match

Peter Kenny Jones — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:20:40 +0000

Andy Robertson is the proud captain of Scotland and ahead of a historic match for his nation, the left-back has been modelling a special shirt that’s been commissioned for the game.

Images shared on scottishfa.co.uk showed both Harry Kane and our No.26 posing in the shirts that will be used in the warm-up for the game that’s being billed as 150th anniversary heritage match.

To mark the historic nature of the fixture, both captains visited the West of Scotland Cricket Club – the site of the first ever international match.

Those who appreciate their history will be happy to see this occasion being marked and let’s hope that our man can make his impact on the occasion.

You can view the image of Robertson and Kane via scottishfa.co.uk:

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