El Grew Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 As somebody posted above we are absolutely dire to watch. Having watched Cooper, Russell, Davidson et al I find it really painful watching this current lot. When were behind against Partick Robinson brought Bigirimana on and he bossed the rest of the game and might have won and the same thing happened against Hibs in midweek. Why can't we start with creative players instead of waiting until the game is beyond us. Carl McHugh is not a midfield player as he is far too slow to play there. He should be playing in the back 4 where he was when he first came to us and was a standout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullane Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Today is a day to put down to poor performances from a number of individuals. I'm amazed to come home and see positive comments about McHugh. The reason he needs to close down and break up opposition play so much is he keeps giving them the ball. (Was it his Maw who picked MOTM today?) Maybe Motherwell fans classify hard grafters like Colin O'Neill, Scott Leitch and Keith Lasley as great midfielders. But its passing, running and shooting we need to see more of from the middle of the park. Bigirimana must be wondering what he needs to do to get a start. Tanner's poor first touch and lack of pace today rendered him useless. Since Hendrie was ignored by his new team mates, then took a head knock, I think he should be excused. Two pluses I take from today. Ciftci lasted 90 minutes and broke his duck. Dunne put in a performance that was on a par with Aldred and Ciftci. I thought Archibald had Cadden sussed before kick off and he was completely nullified by the left back. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dossertillidie Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 We're crying out for creativity just now so with Frear being injured and Cadden being nursed carefully I'd like to see a starting slot for MacLean somewhere. He may not be the answer and I'm not saying he definitely will be but we do need his type of player to add something a wee bit different to our play. We are in the midst of a very tough schedule just now with Hibs last night, Partick on Saturday, St Johnstone on Tuesday and Dundee the following Saturday. There's no way we'll win all three. Given our injuries just now Robbo will have to rotate the squad a bit but how he'll manage our only two "fit" strikers I haven't a clue. Have to agree with your point re Mclean He is the one player that likes to carry the ball forward away from danger and into dangerous areas Massive gap evident between midlfield linking with the two up top. Hence these long balls we keep playing Kipre was the one player today taking the ball and carrying it forward playing into feet. Something Id love to see a central midfield player do with the other being more defensive Our wing back system really doesnt allow us to see the best of Caden and frear in an attacking sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swami Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Utter utter pish no plan A and definitely no planB hoof it up the park hope for the best I mean, obviously this dude is a complete rocket and seems to be about eight years old, but this is spot on. Dreadful stuff to watch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middleeastdave Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Is Hartley injured?There is a very strong rumour he will be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_P Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 I'm left with a mixture of relief and delight at getting something but at the same time a little bit underwhelmed. It seemed a positive looking line up and we started quite brightly but our performance very quickly dipped and it became grim viewing. I thought we always had the edge but as Thistle illustrated with the headed opportunity that seemed easier to head in, than head over, an accident was always waiting to happen. If Main had been to put in that chip over Cerny (whom I seem to dislike more and more with each game I see him in) towards the end of the first half it might have injected us with some confidence and belief but sadly it wasn't quite high enough out of Cerny's reach. A very disappointing goal to lose. Carson seemed in two minds and nobody in the defence seemed to go for the ball with any conviction at all. Again you would have to credit the team for digging their way back into it. There's a question to be asked as why it took us so long to show the intensity we did in the last half an hour or so but there was absolutely no question the equaliser was the very least we deserved from the game. Pleased to see Nadir get off the mark. Credit to Dunne for his part in the goal but the finish was trademark Cifti. That kind of finish was everything you hoped you would get when we signed him. Hopefully it will be the first of many. Unfortunately we couldn't go on and get the winner but obviously one point is better than none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggischomper Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Good to see you've given both him and yourself plenty of time to come to that conclusion. 45 minutes, not bad. Usually he's made his mind up who's pish before the ink is dry on the contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Thistle successfully shitfested that game. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Thistle successfully shitfested that game. Agreed, they were playing for a point from the get go and contributed virtually nothing to the game in an attacking sense and once they had the lead their time wasting was ridiculous. A special mention for the referee, his performance, especially in the second half, was quite unbelievable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropy Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Giving Hendrie 45 minutes was fine, the manager can now choose when to use him. Cifti seemed to show a lot of strength turning with a defender hanging off him and slotted the goal with power. Remember when the manager said Kipre could be playing in the Premier League and we laughed........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middleeastdave Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Hendrie took a head knock early clearing a ball for a corner inside the six yard box I think he was snookered at the time and didn't have a rest or get the rub of the green, anyway cue the next game and hope he improves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinjy Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Fine margins decide games. If Ciftis effort early on had gone in and not hit Cerny on the leg and Mains lob had gone in we would have won easily. Apart from a brilliant block by Dunne they never looked like scoring in the first half. We have a shot blocked on the line they go right up the park get a free kick and our defence shuts off and it's 0-1. Thought the back three were great with Kipre the pick of them. Cadden continues to disappoint. His crosses never get past the first man. There is no creativity in our midfield especially when Tanner is having an off day. As for Thistle what a horrible club. Time wasting from the start which became laughable after they went ahead. Not helped by a weak ref. Football is supposed to be entertaining and for one team to actively try to stifle that is a disgrace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dosser Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 As somebody posted above we are absolutely dire to watch. Having watched Cooper, Russell, Davidson et al I find it really painful watching this current lot. When were behind against Partick Robinson brought Bigirimana on and he bossed the rest of the game and might have won and the same thing happened against Hibs in midweek. Why can't we start with creative players instead of waiting until the game is beyond us. Carl McHugh is not a midfield player as he is far too slow to play there. He should be playing in the back 4 where he was when he first came to us and was a standout. Pretty much. The manager seems obsessed with the 60 Minute Shitfest approach which is supposed to subdue/awe the opposition until we bring on our "more creative" players. Bigirimana may be ponderous at times but he can pick a pass and Frear needs better service now he seems fit again. Couldn't we just start with them and see where that takes us? His master plan is not doing Cadden any favours: he's regressing weekly. At present we are one dimensional and most other teams can stifle us quite effectively. The only good points about today were that Ciftci scored and we never gave up fighting. Regarding Thistle's timewasting and the referee: it's all been said. *Grinds teeth* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacol Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 I thought mchugh was excellent defensively today, granted he was slow in moving the ball on but so was Campbell. Not sure who left Doolan free for their goal if it was mchugh then I will take it all back I believe it was Cadden who was caught ball watching. Robinson was going ballistic at him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 I didn't bother going to today because you know exactly what you are getting. It's the same shite every week. Yeah, it's why a lot of people don't bother coming on to these forums any more either. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropy Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 For the goal the ball seemed to sail over three defenders in a line, I think one of them jumped, the ball sailed on to an unmarked centre forward who is his clubs top scorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2/6 tae get in Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Been wondering why McLean has not been given a chance this season. Played well and showed mature attitude before he was injured last season and that seemed to put him out of the picture. Cadden should be showing more after all the chances he 's had. Today he did nothing to justify being selected for Tuesday . Mc Hugh shows weekly that he should be in defence and although he played well today for a change Dunne cannot pass to save himself. Rotten game further spoiled by some incredibly inept refereeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellowell Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 At their goal thought Campbell should have stopped guy on half way line before leaving Tait no option but to take him out . After that was even worse so all in all shocking goal to lose . Only 1 team though played to win today and that was us Thistles tactics today were shocking and a half decent referee would have clamped down on it but unfortunate you dont get them in Scotland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebsbarmyarmy Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 The offside goal is marginal to say the least. The linesman couldnt put his flag up any quicker all day. Honestly dont know what we have done to upset Scottish referees but we really get a fucking shit end of the stick. The overall performance was down right shocking. If thats the young up and coming Star in Scottish refs then we are fucked. Partick are actually an utterly shit team to watch, from the style of play to the blatant time wasting. Plus Archibald is just an utter cock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dossertillidie Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Cant understand why we dont have 2 players edge of box for every corner Without fail the ball gets noded out then battered up the park from the edge of the box with no one there to challenge for it Oh and Cedric kipre will get us our biggest transfer fee to date in 6-12months time, no doubt about it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underboyleheating Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Anyone know how many Thistle fans were there today? I didn’t hear the announcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dezz Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Anyone know how many Thistle fans were there today? I didnt hear the announcement. Pretty sure it was announced as 711 over the tannoy. Definitely just over the 700 mark. A decent following to be fair. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 We deserved the draw as did Thistle. The game was pretty turgid and turned out much as I expected. In the current circumstances I have no problem in principle with the way we play but the problem is that we don't have the players to do it. Apart from the first 5 and last 20 minutes Thistle bossed and dominated midfield. However they didn't get much on target. We came close a good few times. We were solid defensively with Aldred, Dunne and Kipre all very impressive. Kipre was my MOTM. Up front Main, one miss apart, and Ciftci did as much as could be expected of them against two giant defenders. Our problem was midfield yet again. Cadden didn't look fully fit and as our only real outball Thistle had done their homework. He struggled to compete against the pocket dynamo Dumbaya. Right wing back just isn't his position. Tanner didn't perform and Hendry didn't contribute much. However it was in the middle that we really struggled aginst much bigger and aggressive opponents. For long spells Osman and company simply outbattled us. They won 50/50 challenges and most second balls. McHugh had a poor game with his distribution especially bad today; he was also dilatory on the ball. Young Campbell was good in patches but found his bigger opponents just too much to handle. I wasn't looking for for us to outplay Thistle today but I had hoped we could compete and battle with them but we just didn't for long spells. That was one of our strengths earlier in the season but other sides seem to be bigger and more aggressive these days. Again we lacked any pace and creativity in midfield. I felt sorry for Ciftci and Main as therir main source of ammunition was either short balls with their backs to goal or high balls which they had no chance of winning. Neither are tall enough for this kind of football. We have to find room for the likes of Frear, who should have started today, Bigi or MacLean. I'm afraid the in fashion 3-5-2 formation just doesn't suit a few of our players. Unlike others on here I had no problem with Thistle's theatrics and time wasting. Thats how they play and it worked for them, although the media won't like me saying that. What I do have a problem with was the referee who let them off with it. Cerny should have been given a friendly warning early on and if he persisted then he should've been awarded a yellow card and a promise of a red card to follow. Simples. Overall the referee and his assistants were shocking and inconsistent in the extreme. Undoubtedly they influenced the nature of the game. On TV evidence, Osman was very very lucky not to see red for his assault on Alan Campbell. Anyway onto the next game and another draw might be on the cards, unless Robbo revises his gameplan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzyB Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Didn't listen to the game and just watched the highlights there. Can see why Robinson is angry, Cadden absolutely nowhere near his man. Shocking decision for both the Thistle yellow card and the disallowed goal for Main. Also Petra's got to absolutely fling himself at that cross from Frear at the end. Glad we didn't lose but we need to find a win from somewhere soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 As I see it, the problem with our midfield is as follows.. Early in the season, we played three workers in the midfield (invariably McHugh, Rose and Campbell). This allowed us to compete but the lack of creativity was less of an issue because we had an in form Bowman dragging defenders all over the place leaving space for Moult. And Moult could get us a goal out of nothing. Think of the last goal against Aberdeen in the league cup, the second goal in the semi final, his goal against Hearts. Were those goals 'created' for Moult? In the absence of Moult or another striker who can pull a goal of nowhere, we are now generally only playing two workers and Tanner. I like Tanner (although he had a poor game today) but he's not going to do the dirty work that a Rose might do. Basically I feel that the problem is not Campbell or McHugh but the fact that they are generally playing against three central midfielders. When players are of a broadly similar ability (as most SPL players are), numbers generally win the day. So what's the solution? Could Bigirimana or MacLean be the third midfielder in place of Tanner offering creativity and a degree of defensive work that isn't Tanner's strength. Could Cadden play more centrally as he did a couple of seasons ago under McGhee in a asymmetrical 442? Then he played with Pearson and Lasley in the middle, occasionally breaking into wider areas when we attacked. Johnson played wide, allowing us to still play two up front. As others have said, the 352 doesn't suit the attacking players in our squad. Tanner, Cadden and Frear don't really benefit from this system and we're not getting the best out of them in this shape. Maybe as Ciftci gets fitter, he'll start to pull goals out of nowhere as Moult did earlier this season and Robinson will be able to go back to his three 'battlers' in the middle of the park. Again not great to watch but it might be relatively successful. Depressing that it might be better for us to ditch our more creative players in favour of workers. A sad indictment on Scottish football... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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