Stewarty

A fantastic reaction from the players following a flat performance last week, and it's really good to see Stevo settling in.

I don't get the whole two up front argument that continually resurfaces. Football tactics have moved on; very few teams are able to succeed while playing two strikers as they lose control of the midfield. Man City did so occasionally last season because Toure was so dominant he could just about boss a midfield on his own. This season they've reverted to one up front. Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd - they also play with a lone striker supported by three attacking midfielders. In the first few games Van Gaal tried something different by going 352, which was popular at the World Cup, but they were getting torn apart at the back. Now they're back to playing a lone striker with Rooney or Mata playing as an attacking midfielder. Our problem at the moment is that two of our most creative players, Higgy and Fraser, aren't 100% fit. Formation is not the issue. Without creative midfielders it doesn't matter whether you have one, two or three strikers playing up front - they'll still be standing around twiddling their thumbs. As for Craigen, he reminds me of Park Ji-Sung, in that, while he plays in an advanced position, his main attributes seem to be workrate and positional sense. He's not a creative no.10. I think he's a useful player to have in the squad, for games where we are less likely to dominate possession, but he's not the type of player who's going to provide the creative spark we needed yesterday. The only possible solution is to play Stevenson in a deeper role, but such a move comes with its own risks, as Potty Trained has suggested. I'm slightly more optimistic that it could work, but only in certain games or where we are dominating a game and want to add an additional attacking threat.

Grim weather, grim opposition, grim performance. In short, grim.

Regarding Stevenson, while he clearly hasn't hit form for us yet, how many multi-million pound players do we see down south who struggle to adapt to their new team's style of play? Too many to mention. I'm prepared to give him more time, as there was clearly a desire to work for the team yesterday.

There's a lot here I agree with, but I actually think Stevenson done enough today to warrant a return to the starting 11. He put himself about and picked out Bannigan with a peach of a cross. I think my preferred starting line-up for next week would be: -----------------------Gal------------------------- O'Donnell-----Frans-----Seabourne-----McMillan ---------------Osman-----Fraser------------------- Lawless---------Stevenson---------------Higgy -------------------Doolan------------------------ This is a bit harsh on Bannigan, but there are only two CM slots and we need Osman to break up play and shield the back four.

I think you're right. While I applaud the absence of two-footed challenges we don't want him to curb his competitive instinct too much. Hopefully he'll find the right balance next week.

I think I'd rather bid for this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PARTICK-THISTLE-LEGENDS-by-NIALL-KENNEDY-TOM-HOSIE-HB/311185448433?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28111%26meid%3Dd98db004a00b4b4680f67955d4c74664%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D11472%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D390980356212&rt=nc

I'm not sure what Archie could have done differently. Higgy and Fraser are obviously not ready to play the full 90 minutes, or they would have been in the starting 11. And the substitutions and and change of shape in the second half did lead to us playing a bit better. Genuine question: what would you have done differently?

Hell, that was a dispiriting display. We just never got going. The sooner we can get Higgy and Fraser into the starting 11 the better. Aside from the displays of Gallacher, Seabourne and Frans there wasn't much in the way of positives. None of our attacking midfielders provided Doolan with much support: Craigen went missing yet again; Lawless was jinxed by the Player of the Month Award; and Elliot, while he put in a shift, failed to make any penetrating runs. Bannigan was also unusually subdued. We did improve slightly with Higgy, Stevenson and Fraser on the park, but even then, until Bannigan contrived to miss an absolute sitter we never looked like scoring. Gah!

Cheers mate.

Can anyone who's watching this on TV confirm whether it was a penalty. It wasn't clear from where I'm sat.

I've thought this myself. He's done a decent job in this position when coming off the bench.

A point earned away from home against the then league leaders and a team in fantastic form; a great fighting spirit displayed after being horsed by Celtic and being two down early on; Welsh, Fraser and Higgy coming back to fitness. That we were denied all three points by a wonder strike is frustrating, and there is always a place for constructive criticism, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. I suppose it all depends on your expectations. The way I see it, we're a small club with a very limited budget but nonetheless have a team that generally plays a decent brand of attacking football and has some exciting, if unpredictable, players. That'll do me.

Archie's team selection has gone down like a lead balloon on Facebook. I'm not really sure why. The reason Higgy, Welsh and Fraser are on the bench is that they aren't fully fit. As for the omission of Frans, I guess Archie feels that he is too similar to Seabo and that Balatoni better complements the latter. I can see the logic behind that decision.

Yeah, Eccleston spent a while trying hit the bar, so I wouldn't read anything into this.

I hope not. That wasn't my intention at least. I thought he had a decent game but was most impressed with the amount of pressing he was doing high up the pitch.

I thought we were generally okay today considering that a few of our best players are still injured. The ball just didn't fall for us in the box. On another day, with a tad more luck, we would have won by a couple. I thought Frans and Balatoni had good games and Osman and Bannigan controlled the midfield for long periods, particularly in the first half. Craigen was a perpetual motion machine; he never stopped running. What we're lacking, as the scoreline suggests, is that bit of creativity needed to cut through well-drilled defences. Lawless played well but when he receives the ball centrally he does have a habit of turning sideways or playing the ball out wide. We don't seem to play many through balls. Elliott was more direct but the final product wasn't there, apart from the time when he fouled the defender then curled it into the top corner! So, not a bad performance and a game we would have won with a bit more luck.

I wouldn't either, TAS, as he seems to be a decent prospect, but I don't get the impression that Archie thinks he's quite ready. Sean is obviously a different case entirely. I've always felt he's absolutely crucial to the short passing game that used to be our hallmark (punctured by diagonals to the wing-backs). He's our metronome. This is not to say that we're now a hoofball team – far from it – but we're definitely more direct and less efficient in possession.

Good news indeed. Although the Banzo-Abdul combination is coming along nicely, we're a bit stretched in this department following Fraser's injury. It would also be nice to have the option of playing a more solid 4-3-3 again when required. Welcome back, skipper!

Also, when Fox does decided to hit it long he's far more accurate. He tends to search for Higgy on the left and often finds him.

I've not been on this forum for a couple of weeks, so I'm playing catch-up. I'm astonished that such a thread exists.

A bit of a workman-like performance but three points is three points. We did what was required to get the result. Big Seabourne was immense at the back, as was McMillan, and SOD was a constant threat down the right. Bannigan and Osman were solid in the centre of the pitch and Craigen put in a real shift. Lawless was superb - a contender for man of the match - and Doolan's goal was a cracker. Towards the end we really needed too dig in, as they had resorted to shelling us with high balls, but generally we copied well. Archie also deserves credit for some astute substitutions. He set us up to hit them on the counter and it worked a treat, as can be seen in the final goal. So, considering that Higgy and Fraser were absent, I'm a happy Jag!

Don't underestimate that wisdom that I impart from the stands. A couple of weeks ago I shouted "hit it" to Higgy as a ball was played to him on the edge of the box. What happened? Goal. That's incontrovertible proof right there.

Gawd, I've just thrown my back out while reaching for my pint. The injury curse is spreading to us fans! Someone call for the physio.

To have Fraser, Higginbotham and Lawless all out injured at the same time is rotten luck given that they are three of the most creative players in the squad. It looks like we're going to have to roll up the sleeves and be a bit more solid and functional for the next few weeks. Hopefully the likes of Craigen and McDaid can seize on any opportunity this may afford them.