Fearchar

Did you just distract him? 😡

Don't worry: practically everywhere the world over has accepted the whimsical Lloyd George solution to saving daylight time in the extreme south-east of England, and committed to the groupthink of clock changes.

I'm afraid I've opted for a beery game. Enjoy your thirst - prost! 🍻

I'm going against the grain here - but that was a poor performance by a team that could and should be doing much better against such poor opposition. Winning by 1 goal in three isn't nearly good enough, and only by dint of a good save did we not come away with another draw after going 2 up. <rant> This passing along the back line is wasting time that should be spent getting the ball up the park to where it threatens the opposition, among our most effective players, the goal scorers. Instead, our heroes seem to suffer from the delusion that they're displaying the talents of Real Madrid to the yokels and wearing them down: sorry, boys, but you aren't at that level - not even in work rate, and it shows in the huge number of goals you concede. Yet another clean sheet thrown away today. As for throw-ins, we shouldn't complain about the opposition being smarter, but learn from them: why don't we use long throw-ins? Is none of these players capable of throwing a ball into the box or, for that matter, to one of our own players? By all appearances, that is the case. There certainly doesn't seem to be any work on throw-ins during training, let alone thought given to the most common set piece in the game. Fitzgerald is obviously crocked but is still being played although he's slower than usual and in discomfort, if not pain. Why isn't he being given time to recover? We and everyone else in the division knows that this team is suspect when high balls come into the box, but instead of ensuring there's an out ball (!) and breaking quickly to relieve the pressure, which they showed today they're capable of, they cling on to the ball in defence, allowing the opposition to get organised for the oh-so-predictable attack down one wing, followed by the cross in. As for free kicks into the box and corners.... Why bother? No imagination; no speed; only Robinson and Graham seem prepared to pounce on opportunities as they occur. (Since the game against ICT, Robinson has provided much-needed tenacity in the centre.) As for bringing has-been Bannigan on... Well, he conceded a needless free kick and the team conceded a goal after that subsitution: enough said. Our defence is still honking, despite finally arriving at a centre-back pairing that seems effective. Why? Because both full-backs think they're really wingers born in the wrong bodies (or something like that). After all this time, Milne still can't trap for toffee, and McMillan regularly gets stranded upfield while the opposition breaks - leaving Lawless to fill in at right-back. Both full-backs also need to be made aware that they should - must - be able to play with either foot, or be caught out time and time again. </rant>

Graham's goal came from an unexpected long-distance shot. Otherwise, the team has been very predictable and has made many mistakes (e.g. giving away possession) as well as letting scoring opportunities pass.

Good to see Goodwin's gophers crashing tonight. 🙂

We play butter-fingered goalkeepers, but that can't be changed just now - although there have to be questions about their legacy coaching. Our centre backs are soft - one limited older player who can dominate in the air and a young loanee whose main asset is a good touch on the ball. Little understanding off the ball, and no tackling. Soft standins, where we actually need dominant hard men. Then we play "full-backs" who are not fast enough but still insist on overlapping in case they can cover themselves in glory as ersatz wingers. They are one-footed - an invitation to any attacker to cut in and land in the danger area - and seem to look on defending as a sideline, judging by their woeful record at stopping crosses. These are the players that need to make up for the shortcomings of the centre backs, but they don't dominate, they don't defend well and they don't tackle. All in all, the defence is hopeless. Does it not occur to former professional footballers that a team without a functioning defence hasn't been top of any league anywhere since Hitler was defeated?

Awful goalkeeping again. Oh, if we only had Queen's Park's keeper!

Mitchell came out for two high balls and failed to catch them. On the other hand, he shouts to defenders, which is good to see.

Given the straightforward chances that he seems to fluff, does anyone know his conversion rate? (No striker is perfect, after all.)

If we're playing at Firhill, it should be easy to arrange for multiple cameras, at the very least aimed at goalmouths, so that near-instant replays of action are available in the dugout. If they're linked to the tracking used by players, so much the better. After each game, analysis is a must, but reviewing play during the match should be easy to arrange. After all, the view from any dugout is inferior to ours as fans, and fixed cameras (you don't need any fancy tracking) would be the simple solution, possibly with a director to select which clips to send to a monitor in the dugout.

We play fullbacks that are bang average defensively (if that) trying to become extra wingers. Our defence, Neilson apart, is rank rotten. The solution is to replace them all, because all successful teams in football are founded on a secure defence. (The journos are wrong.) Did someone mention a second tranche? A remarkably unsuccessful team like that of Dunfermline Athletic can win convincingly by playing a pressing game (unsettling defenders) and punting high balls into our box. We have no adequate response to these. The training also seems to be making these players regress: many are increasingly favouring their preferred foot, while throw-ins, though they are the most frequent set piece, are left more or less to the whim of whoever is the full-back on that side and whoever else happens to be around. It's embarrassing to see throwers wondering who is going to help. (Contrast this with the corner kicks: regardless of outcome, they have obviously been practised on the training ground.)

If one thing was made clear tonight for the future, it is that goalkeeping needs a complete clearout - players and coach. They aren't up to standard. Will Doolan bite the bullet, or is he just too nice?

Lawless is coming in for some unjustified criticism here. It seemed obvious that ICT had planned to snuff out any danger from him: as soon as he had possession, three of their players pounced on him. Williams, behind him, was generally no help, as he seemed to be in a dwam while on the park. Only when Robinson came on did Lawless get an outball or someone sharp enough to combine with him. Before then, his only outball was across the park to Milne, which slowed any movement forward.

Milne posted missing for their goal. Williams at right back much too slow.

A poor show by ICT on tickets today (Friday). To purchase online, you need to register (why?), but after doing so, it refused to accept either of the two cards I tried with. On to plan B - phoning the ticket office. Only a message to say there would be no answer. It really is about time that the league sorted out the pantomime of inconsistent ticket prices, conditions and sales. Of course there is an incentive to ICT to make tickets unavailable beforehand: they get £2 more on the day. As for who is entitled to concessions...that's a closely guarded secret of each club. All ticket prices should remain the same for as long as they are on sale, and the definitions for payment should be the same for the same level, even if clubs feel their ticket prices should vary from other clubs'.

Out of likes but completely agree: it is unprofessional if you are in charge of strategy not to seek out the best view. (At megabuck levels, players are intelligent enough to be allowed to work it out for themselves.)

McBeth just on for Bannigan. At least it proves that Doolan doesn't depend on this forum for his information. 😄 Raith Rovers now losing to Queen's Park.

Inconsistency includes impressive saves as well as poor errors. McMillan has been reported as responsible for putting the ball into the net, but who should be controlling the box?

5. An inconsistent goalkeeper discomfits any defence.

What you mean is that we're really playing a 2-3-5 formation. There's a reason that it was dropped from every level of football in the past.

A goalkeeper incapable of controlling the penalty box or direct his defence, always liable to lose a ball shot low or at the near post. A defence all ajitter because of the goalkeeper behind them and not working together either on the flanks or in the centre. What seemed like a random selection in midfield. The only real mystery is why the opposition opted for the long ball so often to bother to cut them out. Up front, Graham isn't mobile enough to wander away from the penalty box. Lawless and Fitzpatrick are capable, but told to stay out on the wing to be shepherded into inconsequence. They were the only players to threaten to score or to set up a shot - from inside the penalty box. As we keep using fullbacks as buckshee wingers we lose impetus by being shepherded away from goalscoring areas (3 players on Fitzpatrick when he's in possession) and leave our defence exposed to countering on our wings. Success in football is built on secure defences. We'll remain also-rans (Dingwall repeatedly, anyone?) for as long as goalscoring is put before that.

A shot in at the near post again.

We are in dire need of a goalkeeper that defenders have confidence in.

If Mitchell, for whatever reason, isn't up to scratch between the sticks, then the priority has to be a reliable goalkeer. A defence can be built to cope with a poor goalkeeper, but not an inconsistent one. Sneddon's slips eat at any confidence among defenders.