Bop Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 4-4-2 for me. Pearson and Lasley in central midfield with Frear and Ainsworth on the wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderpig Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 4-4-2 for me. Pearson and Lasley in central midfield with Frear and Ainsworth on the wings. Playing with 2 wide men is a luxury we vant afford. we need a strong midfield so if mcHugh is going to play at centre half with Hennighan then i would have Pearson, Lucas and Lasley ( ideally as i think he is done he should be nowhere near the team but needs must as there are no options). We have not seen much of Frear but he looks like he has some pace so i would give him the nod over Ainsworth, who so far this season has been crap any time he has played. We need every player to give 100% effort from now on if we are to avoid the bottom 2 league places and Ainsworth does not do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 The ball seems to get held up a bit on even the best plastic pitches, so having players try and run with it doesn't always work. It's another reason I'm not a big fan of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daver Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 I didn't think Frear looked particularly fast, more the type of player who likes to keep the ball close to his feet and use quickness of foot to try to beat a man. May suit the plastic pitch more but I don't think he's ready to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Right, but it's the keeping ball close to feet on the plastic that seems to often be a problem as it gets held up and stuck slightly behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underboyleheating Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Afraid I cant think of any defensive combination we can assemble from the squad we have that isnt utter guff. A draw at very best at Rugby park is all I think we can get. I would bite your hand, head, leg and arms off for a draw. Anything is better than getting thrashed at will by another SPFL team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 I would bite your hand, head, leg and arms off for a draw. Anything is better than getting thrashed at will by another SPFL team. You've jinxed us now. We'll be 3 up with 90 seconds to go and end up hanging on for a 3 - 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underboyleheating Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 You've jinxed us now. We'll be 3 up with 90 seconds to go and end up hanging on for a 3 - 3. I’ll take that, the state we are in a point is better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropy Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 If an in form ICT rampage through a complacent Celtic team then the only way is up for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underboyleheating Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 If an in form ICT rampage through a complacent Celtic team then the only way is up for us. You just know it will happen. However, we are the masters of our own fate and it's time the players started playing as if their lives depended upon it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 If we beat the teams around us before the split, and after the split if necessary, ICT can do what they like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burn_Broomfield Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Hearts not doing us any favours tonight. Hopefully Celtic can bang a few more in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Hearts not doing us any favours tonight. Hopefully Celtic can bang a few more in.What is quite alarming is that Dundee and Hearts, both sides that beat us pretty easily, are losing to teams we'd hope to drag back into the relegation battle. Add Hamilton's win last night over a team that embarrassed us, it really gives an indication of how bad our form has been... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milo Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 What is quite alarming is that Dundee and Hearts, both sides that beat us pretty easily, are losing to teams we'd hope to drag back into the relegation battle. Add Hamilton's win last night over a team that embarrassed us, it really gives an indication of how bad our form has been... Indeed. We've been absolutely howling all season. We need a reaction on Saturday like never before. If we don't get one then the ball is truly on the slates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebsbarmyarmy Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Don't forget to add we got pumped off ICT 3-0 at home also.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmsd Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Even bigger game now due to all results tonight must not lose game !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobey_Dosser Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 So that's 6 of the bottom 7 teams now had a win against the top teams in the last 10 days. Struggling to recall a spell where so many results have went against in such a short space of time. Fail to get a result against Killie and we are in real bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 The players really need to get the finger out now. Results really going against us tonight and last night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropy Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Every result has been against us since last Friday 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Every result has been against us since last Friday Except the Inverness one tonight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 What is quite alarming is that Dundee and Hearts, both sides that beat us pretty easily, are losing to teams we'd hope to drag back into the relegation battle. Add Hamilton's win last night over a team that embarrassed us, it really gives an indication of how bad our form has been... What irks about that is that the teams that have beat them we've consistently picked up points against. Indeed to take Thistle & County as examples we've a draw and a win against the former and two wins and a draw against the latter. Add Accies to the list and we've a win and a draw there as well. So you've got sides that we've beaten, comfortably at times, going and picking up points against sides that we essentially seemed to write off getting results against. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 What irks about that is that the teams that have beat them we've consistently picked up points against. Indeed to take Thistle & County as examples we've a draw and a win against the former and two wins and a draw against the latter. Add Accies to the list and we've a win and a draw there as well. So you've got sides that we've beaten, comfortably at times, going and picking up points against sides that we essentially seemed to write off getting results against. Very much so. On paper we are a slightly better side than our league position would suggest, but thats not to say we're too good for the drop. To me that suggests the team hasn't been playing to its potential and it gives me modest optimism that things will improve with a new manager. In short what I'm saying is that mark McGhee may not have been getting the best from the squad for whatever reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villageman Posted March 2, 2017 Report Share Posted March 2, 2017 Suppose it might be wrong thread but I watched the Thistle v Hearts game on Alba Sunday night and Hearts were absolutely terrible. In fact I thought they were worse than us on Saturday. For me the only reason only two goals were lost was that Thistle were not a great deal better. Other teams seem to have the ability to grind out results when not playing well, we don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted March 2, 2017 Report Share Posted March 2, 2017 I think other sides have the ability to dig in and fight and scrap for 90 minutes. They can get in opponents faces, harry and hassle them. So far we haven't shown much ability to do this. We tend to sit off teams and allow them the time and space to showcase whatever talents they have. This has to change. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted March 2, 2017 Report Share Posted March 2, 2017 I think other sides have the ability to dig in and fight and scrap for 90 minutes. They can get in opponents faces, harry and hassle them. So far we haven't shown much ability to do this. We tend to sit off teams and allow then m the time and space to showcase whatever talents they have. This has to change. I'd agree with that to a point though at the same time coming back to 1-1 with 10 men against Accies showed an ability to dig in and play to get a result same with the wins in Inverness and Dingwall. Neither were particularly vintage performances but they were about grinding out, and getting, a result. It's an understatement to say that we're not a good side defensively. McFadden has picked up on it on numerous occasions pointing out that it's been individual mistakes that have been costing us goals. For me that's the crux of it. You can look back through the entire season from Samson dropping the ball against St Johnstone, Hammell passing the ball straight to Erskine against Thistle, Lasley giving the ball away on the edge of his box against Hearts at 0-0 instead of just launching it out the park, Samson, Heneghan & Tait against Aberdeen at FP, McManus against Rangers, Jules against Hearts and that's before we even get to the 7-2 & 5-1 games. The season has been an unmitigated failure defensively and the fact that it hasn't been addressed is damning. The thing about individual mistakes like these is that it's not about ability. It's about concentration, communication and simply being switched on enough to make good decisions. That is ultimately on the shoulders of the individual players concerned though by extension begs the question as to why our default tactic against the sides in the top 4 has been to sit in and try to be "difficult to break down" when it's been patently obvious all season that we are anything but "difficult to break down". If nothing else I'd hope that the new manager whoever it may be is able to view the squad with a fresh pair of eyes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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