This season?

[Kmcalpin]

Well so far its been a season of 2 halves. A great start uo to the end of 2021 but diabolical since then. We're still only a point off 4th and outside the top 6 on goal difference, albeit thats poor. We're 12 points above the play off spot.  Thats down to our great start. Our winless run continues and of our 3 remaining games to the split, I can only see us pick up 1 point (St Mirren at home) if our form continues.  Unless we have a change in fortune, there's little chance of a top 6 finish now. Whats of more concern to me is now finishing above the bottom 2. We don't want to go in to the post split fixtures on a poor run of form with the bottom clubs fired up, as they will be.  You'd think our points cushion can't be overhauled but thats not a given. The longer this poor run continues the worse it will get.  Maybe I'm a bit pessimistic?

For me a 7th spot finish will represent success  ie finishing higher than last year. That would be slight progress. If we don't achieve that then serious questions need to be asked. 

[joewarkfanclub]

I dont think there has been much difference between the first half of the season and the second.  We maybe had a little more of an edge about us before the break and were far more clinical in taking our chances which gave us a foothold in games and probably maintained confidence in the players, but some of the football was still turgid stuff. There were games where it was a little more entertaining, the first game of the season v Hibs and the first Aberdeen game springs to mind. Was Tony Watt the difference? Hard to tell, but losing our best player didnt help, albeit his continued good form couldnt be guaranteed had the club blocked his move. 

The next few weeks are huge for the club and for GA. Beat Hibs and get to a Cup semi final, regardless of our league form should see him safe. Lose, but win a couple of games to secure top 6 and a crack at Europe likewise. Lose to Hibs and fail to win any of the last 3 games end up bottom 6 and it could be a different story as the fan pressure will build.

I dont think we are in danger of the drop as its hard to see Dundee or St Johnstone winning 4 games between now and the end of the season. But I would prefer not to have to take that chance.

Its now down to GA and the players.

[Yorkyred]

The difference has been Watt. We’ve had a run of games where we would have picked up points if he’d been playing, I’ve no doubt about that. But the standard off football this season from just about everyone has been awful with the best game been the opener against a Hibs who also look as bad as us these days, how Aberdeen can be so poor with their budget is also baffling.

[wellsince75]

pre season was ugly - we struggled against lower league teams.  From there we managed to be well organised and win games - our luck was always going to run out.

In the midst of all this we extended GAs contract which most were delighted with.  Majority happy when we're winning irrespective of how awful we are to watch.

Personally I'd like to see good counter attacking teams who can at least pass the ball and move forwards and backwards as a team.  GA isn't the man for that style but he's the one in charge and results speak volumes. 

 

[MJC]

2 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

The difference has been Watt. 

And that is the answer to the question of the difference between the first half of the season and the second.

In the corresponding fixtures of our last two home games from the first half of the season where we beat Dundee 1-0 and Ross County 2-1, Watt scored the winner in both of those games. He also won us a point at both Perth and Easter Road and won the game for us against Dundee Utd at Fir Park. 
 

We weren’t great in the first half of the season, certainly not any better than we currently are but the difference between then and now is that we no longer have Watt to bail us out.

[Kmcalpin]

2 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

The difference has been Watt.

There have been some other factors but essentially you're right Yorky. We need a bit of nous up front and someone who can hold play up and link up with others. He was worth a goal a game which makes all the difference in a tight contest. Where GA has gone wrong is not planning properly for him moving on given that we knew he was unsettled for months.

[wellwell91]

40 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

There have been some other factors but essentially you're right Yorky. We need a bit of nous up front and someone who can hold play up and link up with others. He was worth a goal a game which makes all the difference in a tight contest. Where GA has gone wrong is not planning properly for him moving on given that we knew he was unsettled for months.

Heard this from a few people re a replacement for Tony Watt could someone please come up with some names of players within our budget that we should have been making offers for in a January transfer window. You can put them on a fag packet if you can come up with any !!!!! 

[texanwellfan]

8 minutes ago, wellwell91 said:

Heard this from a few people re a replacement for Tony Watt could someone please come up with some names of players within our budget that we should have been making offers for in a January transfer window. You can put them on a fag packet if you can come up with any !!!!! 

Should just have kept him 

[GazzyB]

I don't often have a go at our board but they have royally fucked us by letting Watt go for 100 grand. There are rumours that he was unhappy and wanted away, but it shoulda been a case of "too fuckin bad".

[bobbybingo]

1 hour ago, wellwell91 said:

Heard this from a few people re a replacement for Tony Watt could someone please come up with some names of players within our budget that we should have been making offers for in a January transfer window. You can put them on a fag packet if you can come up with any !!!!! 

Isn't somebody getting paid to do that?

[wellwell91]

26 minutes ago, GazzyB said:

I don't often have a go at our board but they have royally fucked us by letting Watt go for 100 grand. There are rumours that he was unhappy and wanted away, but it shoulda been a case of "too fuckin bad".

Not if he says up yours and goes through the motions and doesn’t try a feck  … … then we’re £100 grand and 6 months wages down 

Caught between devil and the deep blue sea … … no win situation  … … don’t think he’s set the heather on fire at United 

[joewarkfanclub]

27 minutes ago, wellwell91 said:

Not if he says up yours and goes through the motions and doesn’t try a feck  … … then we’re £100 grand and 6 months wages down 

Caught between devil and the deep blue sea … … no win situation  … … don’t think he’s set the heather on fire at United 

He was also out injured yesterday. Dont know how long for, but these things can also happen....

[texanwellfan]

32 minutes ago, wellwell91 said:

Not if he says up yours and goes through the motions and doesn’t try a feck  … … then we’re £100 grand and 6 months wages down 

Caught between devil and the deep blue sea … … no win situation  … … don’t think he’s set the heather on fire at United 

Didn’t work out so good either way

[GazzyB]

1 hour ago, wellwell91 said:

Not if he says up yours and goes through the motions and doesn’t try a feck  … … then we’re £100 grand and 6 months wages down 

Caught between devil and the deep blue sea … … no win situation  … … don’t think he’s set the heather on fire at United 

This is true, but he could also have stayed and played well and got us a few extra points here and there. We will never know. 

[ropy]

1 hour ago, wellwell91 said:

Not if he says up yours and goes through the motions and doesn’t try a feck  … … then we’re £100 grand and 6 months wages down 

Caught between devil and the deep blue sea … … no win situation  … … don’t think he’s set the heather on fire at United 

He would have been in a huff for two weeks then he would have got on with things, he wouldn’t want to extend this impression of him being a slacker, he had dispensed with that in the previous year.

[GazzyB]

And also he likely gets a wedge in goal/assist/win bonuses he’d be doing himself out of if he is shite. 

[wellwell91]

7 minutes ago, ropy said:

He would have been in a huff for two weeks then he would have got on with things, he wouldn’t want to extend this impression of him being a slacker, he had dispensed with that in the previous year.

WHY… …  he had already got his contract with Dundee United he had nothing to prove and would want to stay injury free 

[David]

3 hours ago, texanwellfan said:

Should just have kept him 

Don't you remember the reaction when he signed for United? A lot of our fanbase couldn't wait to get him out the door.

[Welldaft Mk1]

7 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said:

The next few weeks are huge for the club and for GA. Beat Hibs and get to a Cup semi final, regardless of our league form should see him safe. Lose, but win a couple of games to secure top 6 and a crack at Europe likewise. Lose to Hibs and fail to win any of the last 3 games end up bottom 6 and it could be a different story as the fan pressure will build.

I dont think we are in danger of the drop as its hard to see Dundee or St Johnstone winning 4 games between now and the end of the season. But I would prefer not to have to take that chance.

Its now down to GA and the players.

We will be safe from bottom two spots. 

As for Top 6 and the cup I think even with our current form both are 50/50 for successful outcome. 

Hibs are missing 9 players and although a few could be back Boyle has left and Nisbet is out for the rest of the season. That is like losing two Tony Watts. They are struggling to score. I know we will help them to rectify that…..

For the league we have easiest 3 games apart from maybe one other. Ross County for example play Hearts, Aberdeen and Celtic iirc. Our GD does not help but I think a win and a draw may be enough - 40 points. 

We have been poor last two games but there is really not much in these games.  You have to hope, nay pray we can get the rub of the green and or a dubious decision in our favour. Surely we have to score 1st in one of these remaining games. 

[Kmcalpin]

1 hour ago, Welldaft Mk1 said:

Surely we have to score 1st in one of these remaining games. 

That is critical to our game plan Iain, as we are set up to be a counterattacking team. Lose the first goal as we have done in our last 2 games and we haven't a clue how to break teams down when they park their buses. 

[texanwellfan]

3 hours ago, Welldaft Mk1 said:

We will be safe from bottom two spots. 

As for Top 6 and the cup I think even with our current form both are 50/50 for successful outcome. 

Hibs are missing 9 players and although a few could be back Boyle has left and Nisbet is out for the rest of the season. That is like losing two Tony Watts. They are struggling to score. I know we will help them to rectify that…..

For the league we have easiest 3 games apart from maybe one other. Ross County for example play Hearts, Aberdeen and Celtic iirc. Our GD does not help but I think a win and a draw may be enough - 40 points. 

We have been poor last two games but there is really not much in these games.  You have to hope, nay pray we can get the rub of the green and or a dubious decision in our favour. Surely we have to score 1st in one of these remaining games. 

That’s what Is so frustrating  we don’t have to improve that much and we would be sailing home all happy and singing.  We just got 1 point out of 6 but if you look at stats you wonder how that happened. Of course we know it is stupid individual mistakes giving up goals and some ineffective unimaginative attacking and midfield play.    I do think that GA’s tactics of long ball after long ball make it harder for the players to perform well but basic stuff like controlling and simple 10 yard passing is down to the players

[Benson]

On 3/6/2022 at 10:29 AM, wellsince75 said:

pre season was ugly - we struggled against lower league teams.  From there we managed to be well organised and win games - our luck was always going to run out.

In the midst of all this we extended GAs contract which most were delighted with.  Majority happy when we're winning irrespective of how awful we are to watch.

Personally I'd like to see good counter attacking teams who can at least pass the ball and move forwards and backwards as a team.  GA isn't the man for that style but he's the one in charge and results speak volumes. 

 

Knew we were going to struggle at some point,we were being played off the park by lower league teams,pass and move doesn't seem to be in the training schedule 

[santheman]

The papers are waxing lyrical about how competitive the League is outside the Old Firm whereas I look at it as "fear football" with teams set up not to lose rather than try to win games which is not conducive to silky football.

Yes it's competitive with no meaningless games but by Christ it's mind numbingly boring and looks like continuing in that vein for the foreseeable future.

 

[grumpy]

2 hours ago, santheman said:

The papers are waxing lyrical about how competitive the League is outside the Old Firm whereas I look at it as "fear football" with teams set up not to lose rather than try to win games which is not conducive to silky football.

Yes it's competitive with no meaningless games but by Christ it's mind numbingly boring and looks like continuing in that vein for the foreseeable future.

 

The problem with the League can be traced back to 1976 in my opinion, and the demise of Scottish football generally. Unfortunately the Genie won't go back in the bottle, and for as long as the TV companies are desperate for four bigot fests a season,  this league format is what we are stuck with. 

[Yorkyred]

3 hours ago, santheman said:

The papers are waxing lyrical about how competitive the League is outside the Old Firm whereas I look at it as "fear football" with teams set up not to lose rather than try to win games which is not conducive to silky football.

Yes it's competitive with no meaningless games but by Christ it's mind numbingly boring and looks like continuing in that vein for the foreseeable future.

 

It’s not competitive at all, it’s two teams miles better than everyone else. But the papers are obsessed with the old firm regardless and can’t see how damaging they are to Scottish football.