SteelmaninOZ Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 Here we go again we should be good enough for the win here yes? COYW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJC Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 Nope, another defeat here I reckon. Without Gordon at the back that leaves us light and we will struggle. SO’D and Halliday will start again and offer nothing as usual and Miller will be our main hope of getting something. 2-0 home win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pretzel Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 Dundee United have been enjoying some great form this season, they had the wee blip in September where they lost twice on the bounce to Rainjurs and ourselves. They also managed to score quite a few late goals which saw them rescue a point at Killie and pick up a win against Hibernian before losing to Aberdeen on Saturday with a late goal themselves. Wednesday will be a tough task but I fancy us to take something from the game. It'll be interesting to see how we line up, I'd assume Casey will come in for Gordon and maybe even a debut for Koutrombus if Kaletas is injured. It's not like Kettlewell to make wholesale changes but I can see him bringing Robinson back into the side and maybe even Seddon just to keep it fresh for Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 A crucial game for us and we must avoid defeat at all costs. We don't want to go on a run of at least 3 defeats. The league is very, very tight this year and we can't afford to rack up a string of losses. Its also important that we score, as thats now 2, on the bounce, goalless performances. Available personnel will be even more limited than normal, with Watt and Gordon now unavailable, and Kaleta injured. I assume that Casey will come back in. Midfield will again be a huge problem, both defensively and offensively and that will put the defence under pressure from the off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewarkfanclub Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 Plenty of scope for changes to freshen things up with an eye on Sunday. I presume Halliday plays the semi final so I would rest him as I dont think his legs will manage 3 tough games in a week. Id pair Davor and Miller and put Sparrow in alongside for legs. He was very good yesterday and is young enough to handle it. Id bring Koutroumbis in and keep SOD Balmer Casey. Blaney is an option but wouldnt be my favoured one. Id start Stama to give him more minutes but sub him again after 60 to protect him for the final. The final call is whether we play Seddon and push Wilson up into midfield or persever with Robinson? Personally Id give Seddon a run out and keep Robinson as the Stama replacement. Ox SOD Balmer Casey Johnny K Seddon Miller Davor Sparrow Wilson Stama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 The table is beginning to tighten up now so we really need something from this game to keep us ticking over. However the lack of quality in the squad is really starting to be exposed and there's no doubt that Kettlewell will start Davor despite the fact that he's hauled him off early for being useless in so many recent games. Hopefully Kaleta is fit. Looking at our options bringing in Tavares rather than a centre mid on deadline was incredibly stupid. I'd like to hear Kettlewell talk his way around that one. We might need another Q&A soon so that old boy can put another rocket up his arse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewarkfanclub Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 20 minutes ago, steelboy said: The table is beginning to tighten up now so we really need something from this game to keep us ticking over. However the lack of quality in the squad is really starting to be exposed and there's no doubt that Kettlewell will start Davor despite the fact that he's hauled him off early for being useless in so many recent games. Hopefully Kaleta is fit. Looking at our options bringing in Tavares rather than a centre mid on deadline was incredibly stupid. I'd like to hear Kettlewell talk his way around that one. We might need another Q&A soon so that old boy can put another rocket up his arse. How do you know he didnt try and get a centre mid? Quite possible he couldnt find one that was good enough that was willing to come. Not sure I would have signed Tavares with Maswanhise already in the building. But he isnt the worst option to have to bring on if you need to change things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewarkfanclub Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 33 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said: Plenty of scope for changes to freshen things up with an eye on Sunday. I presume Halliday plays the semi final so I would rest him as I dont think his legs will manage 3 tough games in a week. Id pair Davor and Miller and put Sparrow in alongside for legs. He was very good yesterday and is young enough to handle it. Id bring Koutroumbis in and keep SOD Balmer Casey. Blaney is an option but wouldnt be my favoured one. Id start Stama to give him more minutes but sub him again after 60 to protect him for the final. The final call is whether we play Seddon and push Wilson up into midfield or persever with Robinson? Personally Id give Seddon a run out and keep Robinson as the Stama replacement. Ox SOD Balmer Casey Johnny K Seddon Miller Davor Sparrow Wilson Stama Its actually something I regularly forget about when picking starting 11s is that Tavares and/or Maswanhise are options for midfield. Probably because SK rarely favours them from the start. But obviously we could play Seddon and rest Wilson altogether and put one of the wingers on in front of Seddon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orinoco Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 Given how lackluster we are after international breaks, we need to be playing out strongest team at every opportunity. Every game is important. The amount of breaks now is mental. Then we play catch up at the worst time of the year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texanwellfan Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 Even if we get beat in this one we will still be in 5th spot, barring a heavy defeat and others winning by a large margin. So not a total disaster but as has been mentioned, the league will become very compressed, so getting a point or three will help us maintain what gap there is. A win would be excellent and see us leapfrog Utd into 4th spot. As we go through the season and get our long term injured back we may reap the benefits of having a large squad to get us through a long hard season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 2 hours ago, Orinoco said: Given how lackluster we are after international breaks, we need to be playing out strongest team at every opportunity. Every game is important. The amount of breaks now is mental. Then we play catch up at the worst time of the year. I don't think the break had anything to do with it. The Steve Clarke wannabe manager decided that pumping long balls forward against Dundee would be a winning strategy. The performance was down him alone. The reality is we have one decent player in midfield and none up front. The opposition know this and can nullify us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yodo Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 We might have a big squad but we don’t have any quality in it apart from about 3or 4 players. The signings in the summer have now come back to haunt us a case of Quantity over quality . Hopefully we can dig a result out on Wednesday and give us a boost for Sunday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orinoco Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 1 hour ago, steelboy said: I don't think the break had anything to do with it. The Steve Clarke wannabe manager decided that pumping long balls forward against Dundee would be a winning strategy. The performance was down him alone. The reality is we have one decent player in midfield and none up front. The opposition know this and can nullify us. I don't disagree about our tactics versus Dundee, but that was a typical post break performance. We lacked energy, sharpness and were sloppy in possession. Makes you wonder what they are doing in training during each break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzlyg Posted October 28 Report Share Posted October 28 Team could do with freshening up but too many changes not wise either. I would rest Halliday as certain he will start on Sunday, would also be tempted to save Stama for Sunday but our options not great, I remain to be convinced about Robinson and Moses ain't a long striker, maybe with Watt or Maswanhise in front 2 could be option. If Kaleta not fit move SOD to RWB and bring Blaney into defence alongside Casey and Balmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderpig Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 9 hours ago, grizzlyg said: Team could do with freshening up but too many changes not wise either. I would rest Halliday as certain he will start on Sunday, would also be tempted to save Stama for Sunday but our options not great, I remain to be convinced about Robinson and Moses ain't a long striker, maybe with Watt or Maswanhise in front 2 could be option. If Kaleta not fit move SOD to RWB and bring Blaney into defence alongside Casey and Balmer Will Watt be eligible to play, is he not just on loan from Dundee United or did we sign him? For me our best front pairing would be Stama and Ebiye, I'd also be starting Maswanhise and Kaleta if fit to give us some pace down the wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzlyg Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 1 hour ago, Spiderpig said: Will Watt be eligible to play, is he not just on loan from Dundee United or did we sign him? For me our best front pairing would be Stama and Ebiye, I'd also be starting Maswanhise and Kaleta if fit to give us some pace down the wings. DOH!! you are right, Watt ineligible as is on loan. Stama and Ebiye a good shout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewarkfanclub Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 20 hours ago, steelboy said: I don't think the break had anything to do with it. The Steve Clarke wannabe manager decided that pumping long balls forward against Dundee would be a winning strategy. The performance was down him alone. The reality is we have one decent player in midfield and none up front. The opposition know this and can nullify us. Have you decided Stama is shite already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellfan Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 22 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said: Have you decided Stama is shite already? Stama may be decent, but the way he’s mostly been deployed by Kettlewell so far has rendered him ineffective as a striker. It seems to me that he needs to play as part of a front 2 or 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzlyg Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 44 minutes ago, wellfan said: Stama may be decent, but the way he’s mostly been deployed by Kettlewell so far has rendered him ineffective as a striker. It seems to me that he needs to play as part of a front 2 or 3. I think there is a player there, the problem is the formation as none of our strikers are used to the lone striker role. Note to SK......not all strikers can be converted like you did with Bair. I sometimes feel he thinks he can transform every striker into the Loan role. A strikers main job is to score goals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewelllfan Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 Personally I'd go with this Ox SOD Balmer Casey Kaleta Sparrow Halliday Miller Seddon Robinson Ebiye Rests a couple of players for the Semi and allows others to build sharpness. That line-up also gives us a box presence which we've been missing for most of the season. Alternativley you play 343 and bring in Maswanhise and Taveres and drop Robinson and Halliday/Sparrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 On 10/28/2024 at 9:39 AM, joewarkfanclub said: Plenty of scope for changes to freshen things up with an eye on Sunday. I wouldn't be surprised to see at least a couple of changes, especially considering the game on Sunday. As the Sky Sports pundits kept banging on about when mentioning Celtic, going up against a side with more resources and better players can be tiring for players. The exact same thing applies to our players after the weekend. Particularly in that second half, we were run ragged. A few changes for tomorrow and hopefully we will be fresher for the game at the weekend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 2 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said: Have you decided Stama is shite already? He's been ineffective apart from one set piece move. He's got a decent awareness compared to Robinson but I haven't seen any attributes that suggest he's going to be a regular goal scorer never mind justify his price tag. He's quite a small guy, no pace and hasn't shown any sort of skill. He might be a good finisher but will he get chances in this league? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelmaninOZ Posted October 29 Author Report Share Posted October 29 The other one says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzlyg Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 1 minute ago, steelboy said: He's been ineffective apart from one set piece move. He's got a decent awareness compared to Robinson but I haven't seen any attributes that suggest he's going to be a regular goal scorer never mind justify his price tag. He's quite a small guy, no pace and hasn't shown any sort of skill. He might be a good finisher but will he get chances in this league? You need to bear in mind he has moved from other side of the world and had injury issues so it takes time to settle and adjust to the league. Give him at least 6 months and hopefully he can show why we shelled out a fee. I know it's the same old record but look at Bair last season, his transformation after a few months was remarkable 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted October 29 Report Share Posted October 29 Aye the jury is still out but it's not looking great on the evidence. We seemed to have paid good money to sign a guy from a weaker league with no idea how to use him. I get the impression that we believe whatever agents tell us about players we are signing from abroad. Ross McCormack came back from Australia in horrific condition and we still signed him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.