lady-isobel-barnett

We (and Ross County) were also handicapped by not knowing our league status till June. Raith for instance had a full month's start over us regarding signings re-signings etc. In fact longer than that as we had then still to await offers to a few existing players to either accept or decline. Many players Doolan may have earmarked for signing would be long gone, signed to other clubs. Kris has said so much for instance with regard to a defensive mid and a left sided centreback. The rumour that we were interested in Mulgrew to fill the latter was likely true, as I doubt there were any other suitable candidates remaining. The kinda desperate loan signing of McGinley further evidence. Given the relative time restrictions we were under I'm not over critical re Doolan's signings. I don't believe we significantly profited from the play offs. So it's not that we had extra money to burn. In fact we all now know just how little we had in the kitty anyway. Being third in the league, if not to be celebrated is I believe something to be appreciated.

Doing better than I would've expected back in June, but like above post I think a play off place is far from certain. Our points superiority suggests otherwise. However I find our goal difference of just +4 not exactly reassuring.

Well he's at least half right. We most certainly were on the ascendancy in the 2nd half. Albeit from a very poor first half.

I think you're spot on. Dundee United and Raith are the only teams that have beaten us with pace as opposed to relying primarily on counter measures. Others have rightly pointed out we often look anything from leggy to dead on our feet towards the end of a game. But this I reckon is less to do with overall fitness and far more to do with our lack of possession. It's generally accepted (and fairly obvious) that if you have two equally fit sides the team with less possession will normally tire first. As a game progresses we see so little of the ball and lose it so quickly we're bound to tire first. Obviously substitutions alleviate this to some extent but less so last night (and to a degree at Starks) when the opposition have the bulk of possession from the word go. And if we have to go long, due largely to having a fragile midfield, we need forwards (Lawless excluded) that can at least hold and control the ball, even just to give the rest of the team some breathing space.

For most of the game we played our normal formation tonight. Difference being we were up against a good defence and effective wide players. McMillan & Milne always have to push forward to assist out wide. We were chasing the game from 7 minutes. More to the point when a full back goes forward a defensive mid will cover for him. And there lies the so obvious problem.

That was close to where I was sitting. Didn't think it was on target but regardless at least one of our very few joiny up attacking moves tonight.

Probably did but I can't be that certain. Don't really want to start singling out individual players as they were more or less all drastic tonight. Just starting to thaw out. Fingers still too cold to type much. Only to say I don't believe we had a single shot on target tonight. Gave the ball away so many times that even if we had been at our best defending (we were far from it) we were always going to lose a goal.

Looks like the weather will be OK tomorrow night. Even for the time of year our last three games have been played under dreadful conditions.

Agree with much of that. What we've got to mind is the January window is rarely busy. Positions we want filled may not be available. Certainly naturally left sided centrebacks aren't exactly two a penny. I suppose if we can't get the player/players to shore up our defence the next best thing is to bring in a player that'll help us score more goals. Tiffoney probably fits that bill.

Clearly we miss Docherty. No doubt about that. I do tho' believe he's not the template defensive mid we require. Docherty I felt was just a tad lightweight. Often when he broke up play he required Bannigan close to him to recycle the ball. Put another way it often took two players to do the job of one. I feel we want a Rowson/Osman/Paton type to help free the more attack minded midfielders. And I'd jump at the chance If a competent left sided centreback became available. I'm positive Neilson would do a good job in centre mid. He's also got the pace to easily turn defence into attack. On the subject of pace I agree with laukat. If after we've attended to the defensive mid situation any further addition should be a pacey player.

As I understand it Tiffoney had signed a pre contract with Dundee sometime before the play offs. Turner on the other hand would've (could've) stayed had the £500K short term loan been in place a day or so earlier. As it was he turned down an offer on reduced terms after the play offs. Much as I like both Turner and Tiffoney I feel we'd be creating an overload in the midfield/attacking positions they play in. Always assuming defensive midfield is sorted we're then going to have one regular starter benched as it is.

Should this not be in the January Transfer Window thread? Is he any good?

..... and a big DITTO from me

Backline defence was fine today. Yet again the midfield lack any dig, but we already knew that. With conditions the way they were I didn't like seeing us give away so many corners. Thought it only a matter of time till we would get caught out. Even tho' we rode our luck I thought we still deserved a point. Fitzpatrick's low cross late on was maybe too good. Fair fizzed across the goalmouth.

Not sure what to expect today. No reason to suppose we won't score a few goals. At the same time we're likely to leave the defence over exposed. Then again just as oppositions know how to exploit our main weakness we are at least getting used to our deep defending.

I've always been under the impression that Motherwell can't get relegated. Has there been a rule change?

Agree. Even Santa was impressed.

A bit of news, or rather non news. Anton Dowds will NOT be getting recalled in January. We held an option to do so.

Congrats. You've won a https://www.adesfoods.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/4/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/r/fresh-coconut.jpg

Doolan has said he wants a defensive midfielder and I imagine that would be his priority. If unavailable/unsuitable the alternative would be to bring in a left sided central defender with the intention of moving Neilson into midfield. I've a feeling that's mainly why McGuinley's here on loan. Obviously hasn't worked out but it would've given us the option of playing him alongside Muirhead with Neilson pushed forward. Kinda agree that tho' we've missed the creativity of Turner, bringing him back would present a positional overload. Plus if defensive mid is filled a regular starting midfielder will be benched. Probably got to accept that McDonald and MacKenzie will offer the cover for Fitzy and Lawless, with the option of changing formation if either is out for a spell. I doubt the January window will be that busy and that of course means less opportunities for us to bolster the squad. Realistically we should be happy with one quality signing (def mid or left centreback). Finding one could prove hard enough.

I remember some manager down south saying that outside of English Premier Derek Adams was the best manager in England. Just can't mind who said it.

I reckon Harry is the best header of a ball in the entire squad, tho' I've mainly been judging him defensively. I can imagine sometime in the future (when his pace has dropped off) he'll be deployed as a left centreback. He's a good tackler as it is and genuine left sided centrebacks are often hard to find. On another note I read the Pars lad, Fisher, had to go to hospital due to his head knock. After initial treatment he'd been allowed to play on. Not apportioning any blame, he'd not been fouled and the Dunfermline medical folk had initially check him out. Just rather alarming all the same.

Sneddon could've got booked for time wasting at Starks Pk and we were getting beaten at the time! 😀 To be fair to Jamie he was a bit better with his distribution today. Thought Doolan at least got the substitutions correct and timely. Once again we struggled to keep possession as the second half progressed and didn't see the game out with any comfort. But apart from a couple of errors the backline defence held out well. We were the better of the two teams but we'll play a lot better this season and not come away with three points often enough. Awful match but crosswind conditions like today more or less dictate a poor game.

Maybe getting involved in semantics. Even the best of teams will want to defend a lead, insomuch as they'll "sit back" and try to see a game out. It's more to the point we don't do it well. Many teams may well back off, even defend deep to protect a lead. But it's what they do with the ball once they gain possession. I doubt it's in any manual to immediately punt the ball back to your opponents.

I'm sure you're correct. The only other reason could be fitness/stamina issues. Tend to think that won't be the case, especially with so many subs these days. Tho' of course if you're backing off, ceding possession, you tend to tire faster than a team with the lion's share of the ball.