Al B

Im away to Gran Canaria on Saturday morning, I don't care.

Had to give it to Dom Thomas for his impact on the game and the players around him, as much as his own contribution. Special mention to Louis Moult, who whilst not a superstar striker is full of desire and effort, and has never once hidden or given up a ball that's there to chase. Has enough quality to score double figures for the season. Also to Kennedy who showed enough on his first start that there is a good centre half in him that's worth developing.

I don't disagree mate, it definitely did as far as I'm concerned. Familiarity may be a factor given they grew up in the same side, but this is where I'd say Ya Bezzer's previous point about being able to slot straight in comes in to play. Jack Leitch has been training with this squad as long as most others have, and much longer than some. Familiarity shouldn't be a problem. For me it's a good example of why this game isn't as simple as "player X isn't effective = change player X". We need to look at the reasons behind why player X isn't effective and address those because if you don't, then replacing him with player Y just means that player Y won't be able effective either...how long have we bemoaned ineffective substitutions? It's not always because the player coming on isn't doing it, it's because it's just changing the plaster without stopping the bleeding. As pretty much everyone has mentioned, Thomas worked harder, did his job and offered more reliable options, as did Scott McDonald. You know where they will be, you know the areas of the park they will attack and when, you can read when to support them, when to run off them, and it's that knowledge and predictability of what players will do, that made such a difference. It made much more of a difference to the effectiveness of the centre of the midfield than subbing Leitch would have. The hard thing is, that when it clicks for our wide men they are unplayable...the unfortunate thing is that by the time we find out it's not one of those times, we're already 20 mins into a game. Of course, the main turnaround was that East Fife were dead on their feet after 90 whereas we still had some in the tank, but that's a whole other issue. (Although one I believe we wouldn't have needed in order to get out of jail, had the above problems been addressed on the tactics board and in training).

I take your point and don't disagree entirely, but there has to be a point where the two meet, and you have to look at the differing responsibilities between the two players you mentioned. Dom Thomas has the luxury of being able to try the things that can end up turning a game around, because of the position of the park he is generally trying them. His style as a player and also his role in the side comes with a lot more freedom to express. He has the talent in that area that makes it worth it due to his success rate, but also the times when it doesn't come off aren't too much of a problem. Jack Leitch's ability and responsibility doesn't allow him that freedom. Talent aside, even purely the area of the park he finds himself in, doesn't lend itself to the same options Dom has in terms of changing a game. He can't take as many risks as the downsides of it not coming off are higher, and also if you try to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and lead in the middle of the park, you need the other players to follow. Dom's position doesn't require that. Particularly in games like last night, Keith Lasley should come off the park with no voice left, as he should be spending the game talking: "Hold it here Jack, keep my line" "Press on Jack I'll sit" "Drop in behind me Leitchy, I'll press" "Foot on the ball Jack, slow it down" etc...etc... Now I'm sure he does to the best of his ability, but the problem is that 80% of the game Jack Leitch won't be able to hear a single word Keith Lasley says, as Las is wide left battling for the ball....wide right battling for the ball....on the edge of the box battling for the ball....back on our own by-line battling for the ball.... That's all well and good and it's admirable that he puts such a shift in, but it just means two things. Firstly that the players in those positions aren't doing their job properly, leaving Keith running around all over the place making challenges. Secondly if he's all over the place, then he isn't in the middle of the park....leaving us unbelievably light there for too much of the game. Invariably that leaves us either being completely over-run in midfield, or missing it out completely and firing the ball over the top. Exactly what we are seeing just now, and the reason we are struggling so badly. The other thing is that, yes, Jack Leitch is making poor decisions here and there, and his distribution has been patchy, and again I take your point about young players having to have the balls to step up and take control. But when he gets the ball, look at his options. He has two wide men either side of him who, for all their occasional talent, don't have the discipline or consistency to be predictable. One of my biggest frustrations is the amount of times we have the ball in the middle of the park, the central midfielder is looking to play the ball ahead of Marvin or Lionel, and they don't go....they are screaming for it to feet. Then the next time we have the ball in the middle of the park and we look to play it in to feet and they are off...screaming that they need it ahead of them. That 2 seconds it takes to check is often 2 seconds more than you have in central midfield. There has to be a consistency, and again back to playing as a unit, with more predictability in areas of the field where we can make things happen. Added to that, ahead of him he has an isolated front man who, for all his hard work and endevour, doesn't run in behind, so it's knocking it in to him and then more often just receiving a return pass before having to look wide....see above point. His final option is to play it backwards, which im generally not critical of if it's used to retain possession in a patient game, but in our side it goes back to a centre half who tries to hit Moult with it....see above. Or goes to a full back who launches it up the wing into an area where the hope a wide man will win a foot-race. See above. This isn't strictly a defence of Jack Leitch by the way (although he played so it's him im defending in this case), this applies to whoever is playing in there beside Lasley. It's a problem that stems from the side not playing as a unit. Watching Aberdeen in our game, every single player in their side knows that when they have the ball, player X will be here, player Y will be here, player Z will make a run here. They all know that when they don't have the ball and they see player X move here, I have to tuck in here and in turn player Y will press, or drop or whatever. With that type of discipline, it's easy for a young player to step in and take control of a game that isn't going well...we saw it when we played them in fact. They didn't win that game because they played well, or even played better than us. They won that game because every player knew what they should be doing in any given situation. They knew what they players around them would be doing, and they stuck to it.

That's effectively what I mean by him being hung out to dry. At this stage of his development there should be strong players around him helping his positioning at this level, but there arent...he's either watching the ball fly over his head, or chasing it. His distribution has been patchy but when he has the ball at his feet and looks up, he has literally no options...he's either forced to play the wrong pass as no-one is showing for it, or he has to just knock it back the way...which is fine as an option, but not if it's the ONLY option. I'm not saying I don't agree with your judgement of him tonight, but you must surely have seen the difference in his game once he had Thomas and McDonald on the park, who actually worked WITH him as opposed to him having literally nothing to work from? It's true that there's no link between the back 4 and the midfield, and no link between the midfield and the front men, but our problems start wayyyyyyyy before that's even relevant. There is no area of the field which operates as a solid and disciplined unit, and without that it's impossible to even think about a link. We generally look like 11 guys who are superb at 5-a-side, then try to play a full size game the same way and can't figure out why it doesn't work.

Numbers 8, 10 and 11 for East Fife were fantastic tonight, with number 9 being outstanding...head and shoulders above everyone on the park. Louis Laing will wake up in the middle of a field tonight with no clue how he got there. Absolutely turned inside out the whole game, but particularly a 20 minute spell in the first half where he just couldn't work out if it was Tuesday or sandwiches. Kennedy showed there is definitely some promise there, read the game reasonably well positioning was generally good, was strong and got to the ball first on a number of occasions. Any flaws tonight were due to him having to carry the whole back-line on his first start. Moult will never be considered the most talented striker in the league, but that guy works his ass off and chases and runs and just keeps going. Couple of goals for him now and I think he's better than our tactics are allowing him to be. Has guts though, and wants to win, which is good enough for me...especially at the moment. Jack Leitch is being hung out to dry by the game flying over the top of his head and missing out the middle of the park completely. He's too good a player to spend 80 minutes trying to win the ball back after we've lost possession cheaply. Dom Thomas needs to start every game. Wants to win games and has the talent to make it happen. Should be given a percentage of everyones win bonus from tonight as he's the reason they have it. I am unsure what tasted weirder, the pies or the brown sauce. As a combo though it was strangely satisfying.

You're describing an employee being bullied by their superior at work though, do you seriously think that's a possibility here? If you don't then it's completely irrelevant. We're talking about an employee not liking or not agreeing with a manager and the way things are done. If anyone in that position ever ends up being someones boss then they will get the chance to put their own methods in place, but for now you're an employee and the boss wants things done a certain way...get on with it or go somewhere else.

I'd love to be able to vary my performance at work depending on whether or not I liked my boss at the time.

However unnecessary it was, being injured in a challenge that left one guy with a broken leg and the other needing an operation hardly constitutes "being made of chocolate".

Heard the manager on the radio on the way home. He said he was annoyed that he had to sacrifice a wide man, but we weren't getting a grip of the middle of the park so felt he had to.

If they are anything like everyone else then I very much doubt they would get in your car anyway, due to you being a massive tit.

He's done brilliantly at United and deserves his shot at the higher level with Brighton. Will do his Scotland chances no harm at all, and i'd imagine international eyes will be there fairly often anyway to keep an eye on Jack Harper's progress, so he's certainly in the right place if that's his ambition. Sheffield United's Player of the Year, Players Player of the Year, Goal of The Season, and a reasonable money move up the leagues. Has to be up there with our most successful Fir Park products, and hopefully will be heavily used by the club as an example to our young players and transfer targets of what can happen with the right attitude and hard work. Potentially also shuts the lid on the Murphy/Goodwillie debate that has rumbled on for 10 years.

I don't think that description sounds anything like Connor Grant at all. The games he got in the middle of the park he was all quick feet and dropping shoulders to go past players, throwing in a few flicks and tricks here and there. Very close to Dom Thomas in style.

Yeah I had 20 quid on PSV. You know your luck is out when your bet loses to a goal from the last kick of the game. Which is a back-heel reverse volley. From 12 yards out. By the keeper. Betfair account should get cancelled after that.

Pretty much word for word what I said when Gary Kenneth got capped!

Ooft, you would be all over that revision like a rash if someone else had said it!

I think we'll skoosh it. 4-1.

Fraser Kerr grabbing a goal! O.G. though.

Fraser Kerr.

Fraser Kerr.

Fraser Kerr.

There is also the issue of the high level of utter brain donors who would bawl and scream and shout at the dog when he didn't gracefully catch it mid-backflip. I have family in Perth who summed up McFadden in a nutshell. They said: "Every 5 or 6 games or so, he'd be the best player i've ever seen for 10 minutes"

No helmet needed, its just getting a bit like people who still throw a ball for their 15 year old dog, in the hope that he'll spring after it like he used to. Every time he gets dragged out in the hope he'll do something he cant anymore, it changes what they are remembered for. Let it lie...he isn't old in real terms, but his physiology is.

I also seem to remember neither of them were anywhere close to being his fault...sold out by the defence im sure?

Teckle!