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partickthedog

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  1. Here's some footage of Dools' first half of Thistle goals. Been quite a few more since. Some smashing goals in there.

     

     

    Part 2

     

    Thank you for that. So many great goals I had forgotten. Again surprising number of headers and frequent use of the deliberately heavy first touch to take defenders out of the game. Has someone done, or can someone do, a Part 3?

  2. I will never forget the day of Dools' debut. 10th January 2009 at Inverness. It will forever stare at me out of the paper copy of my driving licence. Daughter's hockey match in Glasgow delayed finish meant late start to the drive north and over eagerness to make up time on the A9. Got there for the start (Kris came on as a sub), but the inevitable letter arrived a few days later. Only time I have emerged from a cup tie with 3 points.

     

    Even Julius Caesar in his dying breath paid tribute to Kris Doolan. As the terminal blows rained upon him he gasped "Eighty two, ya beauty". So I can do nothing less. Here is my Dools Hall of Fame, a Golden Dozen in reverse order. There are so many magic moments, I have had to resort to dubious tactics to shoehorn a few more in. Even then there is no space for his Grand Slam against Stirling Albion, the goals against Falkirk that kickstarted our promotion campaign and his recent fine strike against Inverness at Firhill. No doubt there are others I have forgotten. I am relying on memory here and have not re-checked any of the details. So please forgive any inaccuracies below.

     

    12) Dummy against Hibs. The only one which does not involve Dools scoring. Fine team move. Low cross from the right. Kris moves towards the ball drawing the defence to him. However, showing tremendous awareness he lets the ball run past him to the better placed Chris Erskine who lashes into the net from the edge of the box.

     

    11) Typical touch at Tannadice. In our recent game against Dundee United, Kris had one half chance at best and he made the most of it.The deftest of touches to control, the quickest of swivels and the ball has been directed into the corner of the net before any of the posse of defenders around him can get near.

     

    10) Headers against St Mirren at Firhill. Dools scores more headed goals than many of us realise, not on account of his height, but due to perfect timing and movement. Pinpoint crosses from Higgy at the south end and Stevie Lawless at the north end are duly despatched.

     

    9) Double double against Killie. 4 this season so far and counting, all instructive examples of the strikers' art of being in the right place at the right time, losing the defenders and directing the ball well away from the keeper. The first two when we just could not score and the second two when the goals were free flowing.

     

    8) Last Minute Winners. From close in at Cappielow, sliding in at the back post, and from far out on the final game of the season at Firhill against Queen of the South, with a lob volley. Flashes of genius to enliven dull days.

     

    7) Rescuing Points at Raith. Twice Dools does it for us at Kirkcaldy, grabbing vital draws from games when the team was not at its best. The second was particularly important in preserving our unbeaten record and keeping us ahead of Dunfermline in the promotion race.

     

    6) Double at Dingwall. This is when I began to realise we had a special player on our hands. The McCall promotion push had faltered with a dismal home defeat to Clyde. A difficult midweek fixture away to Ross County produced a comfortable and welcome victory with two clinical finishes from Kris. Good chances both but not easy. Confidently and efficiently taken and you just knew he was never going to miss. Was this where the trademark Doooooooooolan chant and finger point began to emerge?

     

    5) Heavy First Touches. One of Kris' supreme skills is the featherlight first touch, taming the most unruly high ball on his toe. Yet sometimes he can use a deliberately heavy first touch to re-direct the path of the ball, eliminate the defence and create space for the shot. Two supreme examples in consecutive weeks in our first season in the Premier, away at Inverness and at home against Celtic.

     

    4) Last Minute Drama at the Ramsden. If we had enjoyed better fortune in the penalty shoot out, this one might have been top of the list. A goal down and a man down with seconds remaining in extra time, who else but Dools is there to snatch the equaliser and send the fans into raptures.

     

    3) After the Fog in Fife. Following the Kirkcaldy equaliser mentioned above, Kris had been relatively quiet as Chris Erskine, Stevie Lawless and Steven Craig came to the fore in the scoring charts. Yet cometh the hour, cometh the Doolan. The pressure was on, Morton were points ahead and our games in hand were two awkward encounters with Cowdenbeath at the idiosyncratic stock car racing track. Four goals from Kris inspired two precious victories. Along with Aero's penalty against Hamilton and the Bridge's stunning volley against Airdrie, these were the hard yard goals on cold winter days and nights, and without these we would never have won promotion.

     

    2) Going solo at Easter Road. This has to be Kris' best goal ever. Long ball from defence comes to him with his back to a distant goal far out on the halfway line. An acrobatic back flick wrongfoots the two centre halves and he is away, but with an incredibly long way to go. Kris hares towards the box, showing great pace, keeping control of the ball and staying ahead of his pursuers. A slight change of direction disconcerts the defenders and suddenly Kris is one on one with the keeper. How he retained the balance and poise to dink the ball into the net I will never know. What a goal. A privilege to have seen it.

     

    1) Masterclass against Hamilton. Four classic goals, one a routine striker's finish and the other three displaying supreme quality in all its facets. Another deliberately heavy first touch (see above), a cheeky but classy back heel showing amazing spatial awareness when all other routes to goal were blocked, and one more of these beautifully timed headers.

     

    DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLAN!!!. And there is more to come.....

    • Like 15
  3. Content of this thread is a relief. When I saw the first line I thought that our supine Scottish football authorities were planning to shoehorn this season's Challenge Cup winners (could be Sevco) into the UEFA Cup next season in place of one of the usual qualifiers based on league (ie Premiership) position!

    • Like 1
  4. Thank you for that information,which should also have been on the website. Wasted half an hour being taken right through ticket process several times before strange error message. Even involved an IT colleague! Phoned club. No reply. No call back. Not great customer service! Also not great timing to do this just immediately after saying tickets available for purchase.

     

    But I'll still be there supporting the team!

  5. I appreciate that there is a debate to be had about the application and effectiveness as a winger of David Amoo. What cannot be questioned is his penchant for being in the right place in the penalty box to score with his head. We are only approx 60% through the season and already he has scored 3 headed goals.

     

    TJR and other stattos, when did a Jags player last score more than 3 headed goals in a top league season? If we extend this to lower tiers, I suspect that 1,2 or 3 out of Conrad Balatoni, Steven Craig and Kris Doolan may have achieved this feat in our promotion season 2012-2013. Apart from that, my recollection is that prolific headed scoring is relatively rare, and we may have to go back to such as Martin Hardie to find another example.

  6. Just in regards to a couple of points about should we offer United £50k now rather than wait to the summer.

    Someone said should we be paying relegation rivals that amount of money. It's worth remembering that the one problem United doesn't have just now is finances. They have made several million pounds in the last few years and are prepared to Shell out big money just now on former Manchester United players, Japanese internationals etc. So money is not an issue for them at now, thankfully at present signing these former big names is not working. If it was £50k to killie or Accies who do not have the same spending facilities as United then that may be different.

    The other thing is if we spend say £50k (and I don't think it would be anywhere near as much as that) and he plays a vital part in us staying up and helps us on a cup run (provided he is eligible to play - as don't know if he played for United) then we would have lost a lot more than £50k going down so personally feel spend the money to get him here now if United are willing to let him and if it needs be as much as 50k then so be it

     

    Pretty sure he did play at least part of the game v Airdrie, which would cup-tie him.

  7. Wilson played some good passes but could not be expected to replicate Abdul's presence. Our 2 other more experienced midfielders should have helped him out more. Welsh particularly disappointing.

     

    Christie looked really up for it. Not sure if he should replace Amoo, who at least has a scoring record. Another entry from the bench may be Christie's lot next week as well as he gathers fitness and game time.Was also impressed by Freddie. He had a very poor start to the season, but looks ready to play his part now. He will be determined to take and keep Liam's place. First booking for Liam was harsh, but he was always vulnerable after that, and perhaps Freddie could have been introduced earlier.

  8. Not sure from a footballing perspective it would be good for Banzo though I'm sure if he was just looking for a heftier pay packet then Aberdeen would be a good move .

    Going to Aberdeen playing against the same players he has done for the past 2 seasons is hardly going to make him a better player.

    I've got no doubt he could easily play at championship level down south with his technique and ability.

    Once again I'm hugely disappointed we're probably not going to get a transfer fee for someone we've developed for the last 5 years, the board and management have got to get players' contracts sorted out instead of letting players run down their deals, in my opinion Stuart Bannigan is easily in the £500k bracket so some club is going to get an absolute bargain.

     

    Contracts are not something the board and management can sort out unilaterally. It takes two to tango and when the other party does not want to sign (perhaps on advice whether good or bad) and prefers to run the deal down, there is not much the club can do.

    • Like 1
  9.  

    LAW 12 - FOULS AND MISCONDUCT

     

    Direct free kick

    A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following seven offences in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:

    • kicks or attempts to kick an opponent

    • trips or attempts to trip an opponent

    • jumps at an opponent

    • charges an opponent

    • strikes or attempts to strike an opponent

    • pushes an opponent

    tackles an opponent

     

    A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following three offences:

    • holds an opponent

    • spits at an opponent

    • handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)

     

    A direct free kick is taken from the place where the offence occurred (see Law 13 - Position of free kick).

     

    Penalty kick

    A penalty kick is awarded if any of the above ten offences is committed by a player inside his own penalty area, irrespective of the position of the ball, provided it is in play.

     

    What's wrong with tackling an opponent? One of the most important skills in the game.

  10. Anyway we defended dam well.

     

    Are nuts generally an ingredient of the modern fruitcake?

    Has anyone ever scientifically assessed the level of sound judgement an owl possesses?

     

    Always more questions than answers.

     

    As the discussion is about dam building by beavers, I thought I would log in.

     

    Tomas "the Cat" Cerny would be feline quite relaxed in the company of lions.

     

    Returning to topic, I was afraid to make any comment about Cerny during the game in case I jinxed him, so I will break my silence now. He caught every single cross ball, many of which were contested (apart from one where he was fouled, but still cleared the box with his punch) and clung on to every low shot. If you were to re-run the tapes of Sportscene and Match of the Day for the past few weeks, I think that you would be surprised at the number of goals conceded where the keeper fails to clutch a low hard shot on a slippery pitch and the striker nips in to score. Tomas never allows that opportunity to arise. A totally reliable keeper. If it can be saved, he will save it.

     

    Seabo and Liam deserve special mention for the efficiency and occasional bravery of their defending. Whether this was comparable to rodents or carnivores, it was impressive and inspiring, and they certainly got their teeth into it.

     

    A shout out to Muzzy as well. Even when he was fouled and pushed off the pitch in the far corner while shepherding the ball out (he is such a good shepherd, I hope somebody found a nativity play for him), he managed to keep one leg back over the bye line while being treated so that the game was held up for a couple of minutes and the building Aberdeen momentum was dissipated. I was amazed that the referee did not roll him off. He really riled the home team and their support. Marvellous stuff!

     

    No failures anywhere in the Jags ranks. Edwards' selection was a surprise, but he did well, especially in the first half, and could be useful at Parkhead.

    • Like 1
  11. You need to change your formation to suit your opponents. When Pogba came on against celtic earlier in the season you could see how much it unsettled there defence. He would be uneffective playing himself up front though and by having doolan play off him we could get some joy. Our record against celtic since we got promoted has been poor, but we need to have someone up front who can hold the ball up and take the pressure off or else it will just keep coming back at us. I dont think dropping Amoo for him will be a great loss either.

     

    Amoo was a lot better last night and put in a good shift for the team (apologies for cliche). I can see his pace as being useful against Celtic and he gets up and down the pitch well and supports his fullback. I do not think we can afford to play Pogba up front from the start as we needs lots of mobile players who can cover large parts of the pitch. A later substitution and formation change may be a helpful option as it was last night to drive play further up the park if we are camped in.

  12. If nothing else the 2 upcoming games will provide a reliable measure of any improvement in our side since the season began. Personally, I think there has been a much needed improvement, but I wouldn't like to go overboard before playing these games. I particularly want to avoid doing an 'Alan Stubs': I prefer to take my cue from Archie who as always is considerably more grounded.

     

    Alan Stubs. 2 B or not 2 B ?

  13. Just phoned Aberdeen FC on 01224 650400. Person I spoke to was helpful and well informed. Pitch absolutely fine and weather clearing up. Seems virtually certain that game will be on and the only possible change would be if there were a totally catastrophic change in the weather. I presume that this is as much of a reassurance as we can expect to get at this stage.

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