2018'19 Game 6: Aberdeen (A) Saturday 22nd September 2018

[Lobey_Dosser]

This was always going to be a tough week but should the trips to Tynecastle and Rugby Park go to form, the Livi game could prove to a crunch game for Robinson. He rightly deserve lots of credit for turning round our cup form but he’s managed to build a team that doesn’t score goals. 

[DEWELL]

I just have an awfull feeling we're going to lose all 3 of these games probably 1-0.

[dinnae-punt-it]

11 minutes ago, Lobey_Dosser said:

This was always going to be a tough week but should the trips to Tynecastle and Rugby Park go to form, the Livi game could prove to a crunch game for Robinson. He rightly deserve lots of credit for turning round our cup form but he’s managed to build a team that doesn’t score goals. 

At Oldham and Motherwell.......what’s the definition of stupidity again?

[gee]

Frustrating as squad wise we’re possibly just one or two quality additions away from being able to compete with top six teams?

Would have thought the budget would have been there for a Greg Stewart, Tony Watt calibre of signing. 

[steelboy]

1 hour ago, milo said:

The mainstream media don’t care so it’s not even on their radar and the in house guys are unlikely to throw Robinson any hard balls but I’d love to hear where the decision to ignore the glaring deficiencies in the starting 11 and sign players purely for the bench care from.

Why this was ever signed off as an approved strategy is incredible.

Burrows knows the questions being asked. And has a platform to answer....

[Scarecrow]

1 hour ago, Yorkyred said:

At team we have just knocked out of the cup.

Miller was still in charge when we knocked them out the cup.

Holt has went in there and got them playing a similar style to last season.

[steelboy]

21 minutes ago, gee said:

Frustrating as squad wise we’re possibly just one or two quality additions away from being able to compete with top six teams?

Would have thought the budget would have been there for a Greg Stewart, Tony Watt calibre of signing. 

Sammon+Grimshaw+Donnelly+Newell+Gordon surely equals a decent striker.

[grizzlyg]

I see Cadds is now scapegoat number one......why do some folk always have a player to have a go at?...... questions need to be asked about Robbo....how many times do we perform well in the first half.......like Hartley and Main Robbo talks a good game but not delivering

[milo]

1 hour ago, gee said:

Frustrating as squad wise we’re possibly just one or two quality additions away from being able to compete with top six teams?

Would have thought the budget would have been there for a Greg Stewart, Tony Watt calibre of signing. 

That would’ve meant strengthening the starting 11.....

[GazzyB]

I really like Robinson, and he has earned himself a lot of time to sort us out, but we MUST sign better. Connor Sammon is probably one of the most athletic players we've had at the club in recent years, not only is he a unit but he is absolutely rapid, but at the same time he is utterly utterly dreadful. When you add Newell and Petra to the list of shite strikers we've signed, it's obvious what we need to do; recruit a lot better!

 

I've seen us a couple of times over the past few weeks, and with Bigi coming to form we are no longer a long ball team, we actually try and play football, but there's fuck all end product and it's down to the poor quality of signings.

 

Also the criticism of Cadden is justified, and just because someone points out that he's not very good doesn't make him "scapegoat number one".

[Yorkyred]

2 minutes ago, GazzyB said:

I really like Robinson, and he has earned himself a lot of time to sort us out, but we MUST sign better. Connor Sammon is probably one of the most athletic players we've had at the club in recent years, not only is he a unit but he is absolutely rapid, but at the same time he is utterly utterly dreadful. When you add Newell and Petra to the list of shite strikers we've signed, it's obvious what we need to do; recruit a lot better!

 

I've seen us a couple of times over the past few weeks, and with Bigi coming to form we are no longer a long ball team, we actually try and play football, but there's fuck all end product and it's down to the poor quality of signings.

 

Also the criticism of Cadden is justified, and just because someone points out that he's not very good doesn't make him "scapegoat number one".

Given the money to sign better ?

[grizzlyg]

21 minutes ago, GazzyB said:

I really like Robinson, and he has earned himself a lot of time to sort us out, but we MUST sign better. Connor Sammon is probably one of the most athletic players we've had at the club in recent years, not only is he a unit but he is absolutely rapid, but at the same time he is utterly utterly dreadful. When you add Newell and Petra to the list of shite strikers we've signed, it's obvious what we need to do; recruit a lot better!

 

I've seen us a couple of times over the past few weeks, and with Bigi coming to form we are no longer a long ball team, we actually try and play football, but there's fuck all end product and it's down to the poor quality of signings.

 

Also the criticism of Cadden is justified, and just because someone points out that he's not very good doesn't make him "scapegoat number one".

Just my opinion. I feel some of the criticism of Cadds OTT but hey it's all about opinions... COYW

[ropy]

Ach, we’re a cup team

[wellowell]

Anybody at the game comment on hand ball on line from Aldred header near the end 

[ropy]

Never saw it

[ropy]

Disappointing game but two weeks in a row where there was nothing between the teams other than one incident, sadly that is all it takes and in neither game were we a goal threat.

[Kmcalpin]

Am I right in thinking that the game turned into a physical battle in which we came off second best? 

[The African]

I suppose this was fairly predictable. Aberdeen away is never easy and although another defeat is disappointing, it is hardly unexpected.

To answer the question as to why we did not strengthen the starting line up from last season,, we finished seventh and reached two cup finals. The starting eleven probably looked okay. Our lack of depth cost us last season, so an obvious one to have a go at. Dare I say it, also something that we could achieve within our budget?

The more important question to address now is are we just a little unlucky, or are we genuinely poor? You can point to injuries and refereeing decisions, but I am beginning to think that we are going to be in for a struggle this season. I have said from day one that I thought that we would struggle for goals, and have seen little to change my mind on this. For us, recruiting forwards is always going to be a gamble. The money to buy in a proven goal scorer does not exist at a club of our financial stature. Also throw in the fact that our manager's preferred style of play and team set up is heavily geared towards the defensive, and anyone playing up front for us is going to struggle to contribute.

All is not lost though. It isn't as if we are in a league filled with quality teams. We have a number of decent players and  they are backed up by several honest professionals who can do a job at this level. Get more than half of them playing well and we will be alright for another year. Might not be pretty to watch though.

[Welldaft Mk1]

As to Ya Bezzer post. Those stats are not great for the league form.  No getting away from it....

But yet again he fails to (as if on purpose) take into account cup games. Yes the league is our bread and butter (bloody awful saying) but you cannot judge a Manager on league games alone. 

Cup games bring in much needed revenue and give us fans a high and to be fair we Well fans have always put a lot of stock in cup games.....well apart from Ya Bezzer.  Do us a favour YB redo the stats above for the 3 managers and include cup games and let’s see what that looks like for Robinson. Go on - you know you don’t want too. 

Our recruitment on our budget has been bloody decent and yielded 3 season in a row with £1m+ in transfer income. Of course mistakes will be made. But I think it is harsh in the extreme to complain about recruitment since Robbo became our Manager. 

We have more than held our own v Hearts and Aberdeen and a little bit of luck could have seen different results. 

I accept we have a struggle on our hands at the moment and we are creating very little with little or no final result. This keeps up and it will become a bigger concern. In the past however we have managed to get back on track. Hopefully we will do so again. 

 

[Andy_P]

I think concern is understandable.  There is of course a sense that for some the last couple of results have been seized upon almost gleefully for the opportunity to sniff blood in (the vain) hope for change but concern at the losses and the way we've gone down with a relative whimper I think is perfectly understandable.

I do think we've come on from the last "crisis" though and my own concern isn't perhaps as great as it was pre-Livingston.  Outwith Hibs each of our defeats have been by a single goal and could all conceivably have ended up as draws.  By no stretch of the imagination have we been outclassed by Hamilton, Hearts or Aberdeen but for a bit a of a worldly, a defensive howler and a shot from McHugh about six inches too high then we could easily be sitting with just a single defeat to our name.  Were we on a run such as Dundee are on and losing every game or going down by two's and three's like St Mirren then that would be altogether more worrying. It's not going to take a massive leap for those kind of defeats to become draws.

We've also come on a little bit from the style being utilised at the beginning of the season albeit there has been a real lack of creativity in the last couple of games.    Robinson can't be criticised for Tanner being injured but there is a question to be asked over the balance of the squad when Frear for example finds himself starting on the right hand side because we really don't have any other attacking options when Cadden isn't starting.

The question was posed yesterday about where our standing is. I tend to think we're not a million miles from where we're going to be.  Realistically there was there only ever going to be one top half spot up for grabs and we'd be somewhere between sixth and tenth.  I don't see that we have enough about us at this point in time to be challenging for the top half but I do think that there is enough in us, and enough improvement in us, that we shouldn't be worrying about eleventh or twelfth.

Robinson's summer plans of looking to boost positions 12-18 appears to be a stick being used each time we lose to beat him with.  I still think the principle is fairly sound albeit that has to be qualified considerably be stating obviously that it's only going to work if you have the right players to be your next in line. But I can't see that notion of trying to reduce the drop off between your first choice and those who may have to come in is that crazy an idea, nor that it's that daft a thought that knowing said next-in-line is breathing down someones neck for a place isn't going to drive the current incumbent on.  As yet admittedly those brought in haven't quite had that desired effect but I can see at least what he's trying to achieve.

I think there's room for improvement. There's a few players in the team who owe Robinson more than they've been delivering.  I have my concerns that if we don't have any trips to Hampden to look forward to, by comparison to last season, this season will feel a good bit more dull and more of a slog, so in that respect Wednesday is hugely important, but in terms of the league I'm still pretty hopeful of a steady if not spectacular mid-table finish rather than becoming embroiled in a battle to stay up.

[Ya Bezzer!]

5 hours ago, GazzyB said:

I really like Robinson, and he has earned himself a lot of time to sort us out, but we MUST sign better. Connor Sammon is probably one of the most athletic players we've had at the club in recent years, not only is he a unit but he is absolutely rapid, but at the same time he is utterly utterly dreadful. When you add Newell and Petra to the list of shite strikers we've signed, it's obvious what we need to do; recruit a lot better!

 

I've seen us a couple of times over the past few weeks, and with Bigi coming to form we are no longer a long ball team, we actually try and play football, but there's fuck all end product and it's down to the poor quality of signings.

 

Also the criticism of Cadden is justified, and just because someone points out that he's not very good doesn't make him "scapegoat number one".

I agree we haven't signed good strikers - even Main and Bowman, while they have their merits are not prolific goalscorers - but we've also been crying out for a genuine attacking midfielder for ages and it has never been addressed.

Playing Cadden on the right and Tait on the left has not helped either because we are poor in wide areas and delivery into the box is not good enough.

And I also do not believe the team is well coached in terms of attacking play.  Watch a team like Hibs and see how the team attacks as a team with 4 or 5 players all  running into pre-coached positions.  We do not attack in a co-ordinated way.  We are coached as a defensive team who scores off set pieces. 

[superward]

Dreadful game that yesterday to watch.

Early goal conceded was a major probkem and we just didn't have the attacking guile to even look like troubling them. Plenty of possession but turned out very like the Hearts game in that we just couldn't get round them and resorted to long ball which was mopped up.  I wasnt even that overly concerned with them scoring again but we just never looked like troubling them.  The management team need to have a good think and come up with something a bit different as teams know fine well how to play us. 

Overall, I'm not panicking but a slight bit of concern is starting to fleet across the mind. When I saw the fixture list come out I feared it a little bit given the teams we had to face in the first handful of games. Expected losses against Hibs, Hearts, Rangers and Aberdeen but wins against Accies and Dundee. So, we're a couple behind plan for me at the moment. Next 3 games we need to be picking up points which won't be easy but should a better ask given the more comparable squads.

[FirParkCornerExile]

16 hours ago, weeyin said:

Same as last week. Not much between the teams, conceded a soft goal, don't have anyone with sufficient creativty up to top to make chances.

Sadly the fact that Aberdeen were every bit as shite as us offers me little consolation. We should have got a point but all that does is cover up for the fact we are utterly dreadful. No creativity at all ANYWHERE .. Im not gonna single anyone out in particular because again as a team there were failures everywhere. 

[FirParkCornerExile]

16 hours ago, MelvinBragg said:

It was only 1-0 and they're a super bunch of boys. When you compare budgets..

Post match interview bingo. All true statements but doesn't address the fact we're dreadful to watch. Six league games, four we've failed to score in. Questions have to be asked...

100% correct it would make your eyes bleed and your soul despair watching us try to play football.

[Kmcalpin]

11 hours ago, The African said:

 You can point to injuries and refereeing decisions, but I am beginning to think that we are going to be in for a struggle this season. I have said from day one that I thought that we would struggle for goals, and have seen little to change my mind on this. For us, recruiting forwards is always going to be a gamble. The money to buy in a proven goal scorer does not exist at a club of our financial stature. Also throw in the fact that our manager's preferred style of play and team set up is heavily geared towards the defensive, and anyone playing up front for us is going to struggle to contribute.

 

Thats pretty much it for me.  Our first 11 is weaker than last season (no Kipre or Moult) and we have suffered bad injuries.  Strength in depth is better though. Yes, our team is set up defensively and to get results with that you need a couple of players in midfield with pace and a good striker.  It might mean, for a club like ours, that we need to splash out a bit more than normal to land one.  Our strikers do get a hard time.  We need to wait until the first round of fixtures are complete before we take stock but I don't completely buy the "lack of budget" argument.  Sides like Livingson, Accies and St Johnstone are doing better on similar budgets to ours. 

Going back to yesterday's game I see that Hartley has taken some stick for losing his man but for me, the defensive midfield is even more culpable.  We were stting too deep and the Aberdeen player who makes the pass is not put under any pressure by midfielders who stand off, Bigi being but one (not singling out Bigi BTW but he's no defender).   Thats the kind of goal we were losing for years  before Robbo arrived.  Did the players learn nothing from last weekend where Hearts players wouldn't allow us near their box and swarmed like flies around any of our players who had the ball. 

The fixtures haven't been kind to us so far but the next few games are going to be crucial.