exiledjag

I know we are all in shock after Saturdays poor result v Dundee Utd and we want big improvements across a number of areas, for example, new signings, team and management performance and an expression of the medium to long term plans for the club. The facts are that there still appears to be control issues at senior levels of the club, we have a new young, inexperienced but promising manager and a team whose performances have been inconsistent and well below the levels of last season. However we not only lost our 4 best players, all brought to the club by Ian McCall, but 4 of the best players in the Championship. We were never going to be able, with our financial issues, to replace like with like. What I will say is that, although thrown into the deep end, by the play-off games Doolan had the team playing the best football I have seen from a Jags team in years including the first 70 minutes at Ross County where we were cheated out of a promotion to the SPL.. We should get behind the team and cut Doolan some slack. If he demonstrates that he is not learning from his mistakes, eg the change of formation v Raith and perhaps the failures to make changes earlier on Saturday then with his undoubted potential in mind we should bring in an experienced/older coach to mentor him before we consider any other option.

With the Rzith game off as well we could fo some damage here with a win!

I watched the highlights of the Peterhead/Dundee Utd cup tie and although Utd won comfortably in the end the Blue Toon had their moments. It struck me that Peterhead seemed to do well when they moved the ball down either wing then cut or passed inside. I assume we had someone at the game watching them and hope this was noted. We might be able to gain advantage by doing the same using Milne, Fitzpatrick and Lawless. Its a pity McMillan is not avsilable yet.

Yes.

Judging by recent results hopefully this will be another horror show for Ayr!! If we can field McMillan and Milne at fullback to blow out the winger who gave us some problems during the first half at Ayr in the last game......Logan Chakmers?

Like most posters on this thread I had high hopes for Dowds as a Jags player and especially after his super subs performance. However since Doolan became manager we have change our style of play. We now play a high intensity game where all of our players are attackers and when it's necessary all are defenders. This style of play seems to demand players who are highly Mobile like Graham (who is just mobile enough) to Adeloye (who is extremely mobile). Dowds has never struck me as mobile. In conclusion, perhaps our style of play is not suited to Dowd's attributes - waiting in the box for the ball to reach him!

Thanks

Ĝwhat 500k?

Adeloye in to replace Graham. Bring Grsham on for the last 30 mins to play along side Adeloye and take off the most ineffective player from midfield or our front 3 to accommodate this change. I am surprised posters are talking about sticking with 4-3-3 as BBC showed our formation against Arbroath as 4-2-3-1. Surprised no one else has suggested promoting Adelyoe from the bench for a first team start.

Surprised we haven't tried to change things if we are so off the pace why not use the bench at HT - for example Williamson, Robinson and Adeloye.

If McKenzie is playing left back where is Milne playing? Team line up on BbC shows Milne St left back.

Clearly not firing on all cylinders

Agree with Sandy except would like Adeloye on perhaps for whole of second half. On a more general note given Arbroath's strength in midfield which has already been mentioned on this thread, it might have been better to play Williamson instead of Stanway or Bannigan to give a bit protection to our back 4. Just a thought.

Did anyone see the QP/Ayr game on TV last night? According to the BBC website the game was televised on BBC Scotland at 7.45pm. I intended to watch but all I got was Inside Centrsl Station and a Farming programme.. Anyway to today's game. Arbroath after a poor start are certainly firing on all cylinders now with 4 straight wins - 3 League and a League Cup! We have enjoyed the upper hand against Arbroath in recent games but both teams will be confident of winning. To be honest I haven't a clue how this game will go. As previously stated if we keep tabs on McKenna we can win. I think all our big players have all got to play well - Graham, Lawless Fitzpatrick, McInroy Milne & Sneddon for example. In this league the first goal is always important and in this game I think critical. If we, with home advantage, can score first and get the momentum then I think we can take the 3 points. Unfortunately I think the same applies to Arbroath! My only concern, as always, and has been already mentioned is our paper thin midfield. Something Doolan must try to address in the January window. C'mon the Jags!!

As usual your analysis is spot on. I think that the conclusion I am reaching with the help of your analysis is that with the current squad a 3 at the back formation just isn't feasible as it would require too many compromises further forward. The 4-2-3-1 formation has served us well, last seasons play-off games, for example. I just think we have a player in Adeloye and if we don't play him we will lose him. His problem is that the player keeping him out seems to be the heart and soul of the team. I just wonder if Doolan will be brave enough to teplace Graham with Adeloye when his form shades off as it generally does at some point in a season I will keep the 3-5-2 formation up my sleeve for the time being and think about it again when we replace Holt with somebody similar and sign a strong ball winning, holding midfielder. Thank you for your insights they were very helpful. We definitely cannot drop Lawless!

I would still be inclined to play Graham and Adeloye together if not in a 4-4-2 formation then in a 3-5-2 or a 3-5-1-1 as he seems to have the attributes to play with or behind Graham and the pace to get forward to support him. I appreciate playing any of the above formations has implication for the way we play at the moment but that is for Doolan to resolve. IMO Adeloye is too good a player to sit on the bench and we need to find a way to get him onto the park. Although the team is on an upward trajectory we are still short of where we were last season. For example, I still think we are missing Holt is central defence and the problem that Doolan has not resolved is the strong tackling ball winning midfielder. We are winning games hut not without being under pressure early in the game and at Ayr for most of the first half. Had Sneddon not been on form and Ayr totally inept with the final ball we could easily have been 2 or 3 behind by the time Lawless got our second. Doolan is doing a fantastic job but there are still issues he needs to resolve. We won't get away with an Ayr (first half) performance against Dundee Utd.

Taking up your last point having both Graham and Adeloye on from the start would require the opposition to keep 3 defenders back as well i admit to not having see a lot of Adeloye, who has, but the two goals he has scored suggest he has the first touch, strength, pace and composure to score more. His presence would surely take some of the pressure and workload off Graham.

Not a clue! That's up to Kris Doolan to sort out, perhaps in the January transfer window. I would recommend that with 4 midfield players 2 of them should be capable of of winning the ball and breaking up opposition attacks.

Not sure I agree with this. For a team that's near the bottom of the league I thought Ayr played some very attractive football. Throughout their team the first touch to control the ball, their passing and running off the ball was excellent. Their weakness was obvious, they can't score goals but perhaps we have a very impressive Jamie Snedden to thank for that! If the teams above Ayr are superior to them in the attributes just mentioned then I would think the league is of a reasonable standard. It is also generally competitive more so than the SPL. Anyway I am distracted. I came on here this morning to float the idea of changing formation to get Adeloye into the team. Say playing 4-4-2 with Graham and Adeloye as our two strikers. Thoughts anyone.

When I was younger I recall my father, a Morton supporter, talking in very favourable terms about Third Lanark and Cathkin Park. He thought they were an iconic club, great strip%colours, legendary forward trio of Hilley, Harvey and Gray, and best playing surface in Scotland. We decided to go to Cathkin to see a summer evening midweek game Third Lanark v Morton. By this time Thirds were in decline and Morton on the rise. The score 3-1 for Morton. There was a good crowd and atmosphere and had I not been a Jag I could easily have become a Thirds supporter. I could sense they were a special club and Cathkin was a special place. It was sad and criminal that the Scottish Football authorities allowed this great club to disappear. So my answer is this if the Jags disappeared then I would turn my back on football. There is no alternative for me.

A big well done to management, players and travelling fans on a convincing win. A special mention for Sneddon (excellent throughout):and Lawless (mainly second half). I couldn't see us, at HT, winning this game but we managed to turn it around in the second half and won at a canter. Bodes well for the rest of the season.

My comment was tongue-in-cheek!! The result is, I agree, completely irrelevant with regard to Doolan's future.

Is today's result the beginning of the end for Doolan?

Just watched the highlights and it looked like we dominated the second half. The first goal was typical Lawless; all craft, and composure. Graham's two were quick reaction and instinctive.goals. Doesn't he just love to celebrate a goal!! Adeloye's goal was good to in f He held off the defender, turned him and then finished off the move very well. Two things I liked about the goal was his mobility and composure. I think Dowds has promise but I think he seems to lack the mobility Graham has. It's difficult to see how Dowds can get into the team now that we have Adeloye.

That must have been some half time pep talk by Doolan! Great result. Well done to all involved including travelling fans!. Imrie -two home defeats "under pressure"!!!