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Not posted on here in a while but needed a bit of a vent. Overriding feeling is total disappointment and disillusionment. Have seen us play at hampden several times now. Win and nothing else matters. Lose and I've come away with several emotions - annoyed with refs, individual errors, or in the case of the 2018 SC final, just that we lost to a better team. But yesterday was the first time I've come away thinking what is the f**king point. Rangers didn't win that game, we lost it. Say what you like about budgets, this, that the next... valid if rangers play in a way that merits a final spot. Did they?? Continually use these excuses and we are there to make up the numbers, not compete. Can't fault the players for effort, but instructions given to them and the way we set out to compete was pathetic. Out of possession, we stood off and let them have the ball. Rangers are not operating as a good team just now, so we needed to get on top of them. Don't do that, and they still have good individual players who will eventually carve something out given time and space. In possession there was no strategy for ball retention. It was almost always a lump up the park and hope something happens. Bread and butter for souttar and balogun, who dealt with it all day with absolutely nothing else to think about - I don't even remember us winning a header in their half and no one near our strikers to compete for the second ball or shut rangers down when they won it, and it just ended up coming back at us. I wasn't best pleased with our approach first half, but somehow find ourselves 1 up, fans are on their back, they are low in confidence - all boxes ticked so far. Now, a 15 min break for a calm down, reset, recharge and we had 45 mins to simply not let certain individuals play, but it was more of the same and the managers strategy of riding our luck ran out. I do like Kettlewell on the whole, but the way we set out was all wrong and once our luck ran out we needed a change in approach to win that game and it never happened. I can't help thinking had stephen robinson been in charge, the way he sets up to play the OF, we win yesterday. Mentions for kaleta who was excellent and wilson who conducted himself admirably for a young lad playing out of position. Wilson has gone under the radar IMO with the hype around lennon, but hoping he continues to progress and apply himself the way he has been.

As i've said that's down to a core of managers who are happy to spoil games and hope to grab something then go on the BBC and insult the intelligence of anyone who actually saw the game. Kettlewell, Robinson, Goodwin, Gray and McInnes are all killing this league.

The fact that this discussion is even happening while we're sitting 5th with a four-point lead and a game in hand over the team in 6th spot, and fresh off a cup semi-final loss to Rangers is absolutely wild. I see that the usual suspects are moving the goalposts like crazy. They can't complain about us not challenging for top six or a decent cup run, because we're getting that at the moment. It requires some creative thinking and mental gymnastics to keep the narrative going at this stage. So, what are we getting instead? Chat like "shitebag, idiot & donkey," and vague patter about possession percentages, bravery, identity and other intangible nonsense. It all can be summed up as follows:

Nicholson had one serious injury before he signed for us. Should we never sign any player who has been previously injured? Paton literally got studs raked down the back of his achilles v Clyde. So how do you prevent that? Mcginn is 34. But has played over 400 senior games. He is an experienced pro with no significant injury history and most would agree he has been one of our best players for the past 2 seasons and we missed him big time on Sunday. I will give you Callachan, but Im thinking he was a stocking filler and therefore a cheap option as we knew Nicholson and Slattery wouldnt be back in the short term. Players also undergo medicals and are monitored by our medical team on a weekly basis. Are they shite too? Or is it just the stresses and strains put on professional players these days due to fixture schedules result in increasing numbers of injuries due to the pace of the modern game?

Excellent counterargument with some insightful expansion on your detailed thoughts and expertise. BTW, it was Gent that said SK made him a better player. In the same interview he talks about how it was a difficult time for him shortly after he joined us because his Dad died that October, but I'm sure you think that wouldn't have had any impact on his initial development with us.

On our league position - right now it’s very healthy and if this continues then there’s little argument on the manager . The purpose of finishing higher and higher is to get more money and then in turn improve the team/player standard and the club - that’s where the debate can really start at the end of this season when we see the league position against the balance sheet. Whether the happy clappy brigade want to admit it or not the standard on show and the product on the pitch is dreadful to watch but that is a lot down to the how the manager sets the team up. It’s a fine balance of course but yesterday for me and the lack of any standard does stop people coming to fir park. Not many of the extra 4k at the game yesterday will be back anytime soon. Apart from the occasion itself there’s next to nothing to bring them back - a defensive team - a team with no style - hoofball - zero entertainment - a team chasing shadows with no out ball - a team that couldn’t force a save out an opposition goalkeeper with one real chance in 90 minutes - a team with players that jog rather than sprint 5 minutes after they come on - a team with a manager who chooses his own deluded take on proceedings As I said at the top now’s not the time to judge a manager fully , the end of the season is but even the most claret and amber tinted glass wearing happy clappy must see that set ups and performances like yesterday won’t tap into this fan base people at the club and the full society board keep harping on about. We the fans filled the allocation yesterday backed the team and we got zero entertainment and a manger in my opinion who didn’t know how to beat the poorest new rangers team in their history - that mainly due to poor signings and a naivety of what a proper performance never mind the result could have done to attract the floating fan back for more. Pass marks so far for league position but yesterday an epic fail to bolster our fans back to Fir Park rhetoric that’s being pushed by many inside the club/society

Just like to point out we're sitting joint fourth in the league and got knocked out in the semi final of the league cup by a team with probably 50 times our budget. Its not all bad

It was completely predictable that Callachan and Nicholson would be crocks. Paton is on his third significant injury since he arrived. McGinn is 34. The manager is to blame for wasting so much of our budget on these guys.

You can pick and choose individual players all you like to suit your narrative. We all can. But you’re also talking about the guy who thinks Robinson is a good target man, that Casey can play anything other than CB, and that Tavares merited an appearance in a cup semi ahead of others. Etc. We let them win yesterday because our donkey manager is (a) hamstrung by his own poor recruitment and (b) a shitebag who set us up to fail. Yesterday was a huge opportunity that won’t come around often in Kettlewell’s career, or for us fans, and he completely fucked it. The sooner he’s gone, the better.

I dont disagree with a lot of your post, but I am starting to get a bit fed up with the Happy Clappy tag as i I dont think its remotely accurate. However, given Im clearly in the group assigned the label I will respond. I havent read a single post by the so called Happy Clappy Brigade that professes to be satisfied with the standard of football entertainment we are being presented with this season. In fact most of us are actually quite critical when its merited. Its just usually done in a constructive manner. Defence of the manager under fire from the usual suspects doesn't mean that you think everything he does its perfect. It just means you apportion some realism to the situation. I would love for us to play more attacking football and be more entertaining, but our league position is good and we got to a cup semi final despite being a limited group of players. This is also the same manager that got 28 goals out of KVV and 15 out of Theo Bair. Anyone really saying large parts of that werent entertaining? I view us being a team / squad in transition at present. Im reasonably happy that our keeper and defence have been upgraded. The next stage has to be midfield, after that I think we will be able to assess more accurately whether any of our strikers are any good ( I personally think Stama will turn out to be a find, and at 22 its probably toi early to right off Robinson, regardless of how critical I have been of him thus far). As you rightly say, the time to judge the manager and his signings are at the end of the season. The fact that this time last year Theo Bair had scored 1 goal should be a lesson for everyone.

Aye ok Scully.

Glory Hunter 🤣

More excuses for the manager typical Well fan outlook . He signed the players at his disposal everybody knew we needed a striker and a holdin midfielder with quality . There is no one to blame except the manager but the fans will probably accept another losing run like last season

I've only been to a handful of games over the past 3 seasons due to personal circumstances...I nearly went yesterday but didn't want anyone calling me a gloryhunter so I sat in the boozer instead

No matter the height of the striker, a ball that he is expected to hold up needs to come in to him below head height in order for him to be able to make it stick. If you're playing it above head height the defender will almost always have the advantage. Firing aerial balls head height and above is an almost impossible task to control and/or hold up. That only works when there is someone to flick the ball on to. We possibly should have recruited players who can play passes lower than 7 feet in the air.

Apart from a cup semi-final and into the top six currently, of course.

Yesterday was disappointing as we didn't perform but I can't go fact any time we lose a game it's poor recruitment, manager is clueless etc etc. We are sitting 5th and had a great midweek win against team nearest us in table. Kettlewell blundered big time with subs Yesterday which I think we all agree on. I also don't see point in having koutrombis on the bench and then don't bring him on when kaleta came off, Casey was so uncomfortable in that role. Our next run of fixtures looks not bad so fingers crossed....COYW

Fair enough! 😆😆😆

You make some good points. But you undermine them with your visceral dislike of the manager. Yesterday wasnt his best day at the office. But he is also the same manager that got us to the semi final and had us sitting 4th in the league (before yesterday) and 3 points behind Rangers. Some of our recruitment doesnt look great (Robinson, Tavares, Watt) but others have shown they have something (Kaleta, Balmer, Gordon, Seddon, Maswanhise, Stama). I dont think the tactics were intended to be negative, but they turned out that way as Rangers turned up and played some decent football in midfield. I will give you the substutions, as they were honking. But Im not sure Watt and Moses would have altered the outcome.

How many times has this been written? There has to come a point where people accept that he’s just not that capable a manager. A good coach, maybe, but nothing more.

Spot on San. Week after week we see aerial balls shelled up to a 6' striker on his own up against towering 6'3" central defenders with the inevitable outcome. Nothing sticks. Despite signing a plethora of strikers in the summer they just don't fit together. Some just aren't good enough. Poor recruitment. If we must play a lone striker then surely we should have recruited someone who can play in that role.

Aye but one has a cool as fuk haircut and it isn’t Tony

Watt is a fat lazy bastard and Tavares is a skinny lazy bastard.

What about the guy on loan from Hibs , what has he done exactly to get on in a cup semi final. He really looked as if he couldn’t be arsed and was just going thru the motions. They can have him back as soon as possible.

We absolutely shat it. Our second half performance was terrible, absolutely turgid the basics not even being done right the odd time we got forward no one’s there to take a pass or to relieve pressure on any of our forward players so disjointed. When rangers had the ball at points we would have 4-5 players not marking or trying to cut off passing lanes. We beat ourselves. Shambles today. That being said our players and manager did well to get us to this stage of the cup I’m just disappointed we didn’t give a better account of ourselves over the 90 minutes but Kaleta is a baller and has had consistent pass marks from me for the last 3 games. Wilson equited himself well today I thought.

Ah , you’re just an old fart. Keep up with the young uns , breath in the dangerous fumes it puts hairs on your chest and brings tears to your eyes.

I think donkey is a bit harsh. Yes he got things wrong today but he is certainly not that bad. Our league position tells you that. I certainly ain't a happy clapper but some of the criticism in my opinion goes OTT

Pull your nose out of his hole. Kettlewell wouldn’t know a good idea if it landed on his knee.

Kettlewell frustrates me at times but certainly not a clown but yes he got subs wrong today. He needs to realise that Robinson isn't going to be the next Theo Bair. We are sitting 4th in league so you know what it ain't all bad. And sorry and it's just my opinion but sooner we ban flares from football the better, walking to game with flares wafting in my face and then the flares in stadium have no place at football.

Alternative take - Gent wasn't first team ready when he arrived and Kettlewell coached him into that form over those 6 months.