Yellow & Redneck Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 The main problem when we do get forward is just how slow we are. Pogba yesterday got himself clean through just to the edge of the box and rather than looking up or driving into the box he stopped dead and the ball was taken off him. Then on other occasions it was like watching an Ian McCall team...side to side, side to side, side to side, back pass, hump it up the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cup Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Chin up folks. Only another 26 bitter disappointments to go before the end of the season and we can put this horrible season behind us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinhead Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Chin up folks. Only another 26 bitter disappointments to go before the end of the season and we can put this horrible season behind us. It will be ok again soon, once we get the "professional" football players back to basics yet again ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1876Jag Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 (edited) The main point I was making though was even if it hadn't been an injury, any change would've been like for like. However, I didn't say leave a back 3. He could've tried something. Why not put Osman back into defence and put an attacking minded or forward player on. We were clearly not getting anything from the game, why not use the remaining time to try a dufferent tactic in a competitive game, knowing that if it doesn't work, nothing was really lost? Even if it was the right sub, why didn't we make big changes before that point? Perhaps damage limitation should be the plan for the rest of the season. I'm not disagreeing with the other substitutions being like for like. But for that one I completely agree with the manager. Getting beat 6-0, 7-0 could potentially have been much more damaging for the team. Osman is usually a nightmare near our own 18 yard box. It was a soft, soft second goal, the heads were down, Hearts were playing with confidence and purpose and I don't think any changes from 2-0 onwards would make a difference the way things went. Edited November 1, 2015 by 1876Jag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlsarmy Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 The system should be changed to suit the players - not the other way round. Even the likes of ponderous Pogba might be of some use if he had quick players round him, but that's clearly not happening. The obsession with putting in crosses that don't even trouble defences, let alone create scoring opportunities, is beyond satire. From time to time I go to watch amateur football in Germany, and the standard of play makes it much more interesting than the likes of the long ball game played yesterday. It's not just the lack of success on the park, but also forgetting that this is supposed to be entertainment. On current form, we'll not just go down once, but twice (remember Falkirk). Can the club survive that? Agree with what you say about having the right players for the system Archie wants to play but we haven't , playing 1 upfront especially with a stationary striker like Pogba is never going to work as we've no one in our midfield who is going to score 10 + goals a season and having watched Pogba he isn't either. Probably our best striker in the last 10 years is dumped on the bench yet again , I'm unashamedly a Kris Doolan fan and comparing like for like with Pogba , the only thing Doolan hasn't got is a physicality. Dools has got a better touch than Pogba , quicker than Pogba , moves defences around better than Pogba and undoubtedly will score many more goals than Pogba so I'm not sure why Doolan always appears to be the fall guy. Thought yesterday in the first half with crosses coming into the box , it was tailor made for a striker with movement coming across defenders to cause problems , don't think Pogba moved from the one spot all game. Archie has got to go back to basics , go to a system which suits the personnel we've got probably 4 4 2 , maybe get the experience of Gary Miller in a left centre half ( shouldn't have been dropped after his performance against St Johnstone) and get a positive mentality into the team who are prepared to go out and try to win games ( no shots on goal yesterday ) Down to you Archie ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlsarmy Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I'm not disagreeing with the other substitutions being like for like. But for that one I completely agree with the manager. Getting beat 6-0, 7-0 could potentially have been much more damaging for the team. Osman is usually a nightmare near our own 18 yard box. It was a soft, soft second goal, the heads were down, Hearts were playing with confidence and purpose and I don't think any changes from 2-0 onwards would make a difference the way things went. Not really sure what you're meaning , the second goal went in with still 40 mins to go , surely you try change tactics , personnel to try and get back in the game . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javeajag Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I was relatively pleased with the first-half performance, given how poor we were last week. We pressed high up the pitch and started to play with greater composure. The second-half performance, however, was dire. I'm not convinced that the problem is the formation per se; after all, there are reasons why 4-2-3-1 is the most popular formation in modern football. The problem is more fundamental than this unfortunately. We are extremely one dimensional, in that we rarely play through balls in behind the opposition defence, even when someone with pace, such as Doolan, is playing up top. Instead we rely on hitting Pogba with crosses and long balls. This means is that when he isn't able to win his aerial battles, as was the case yesterday, we're completely toothless. And even when he is able to get the better of the opposition back four, we rarely have midfielders running beyond him, anticipating flick-ons. But even more fundamental than this, there's no getting around the fact that the first team, and the squad more generally, is significantly weaker than was the case last season. If this is due to us having a relatively low playing budget -- and I don't have data to hand to answer this conclusively one way or another -- the fault, in so far as any can be apportioned, may not be the manager's. Either way, unless we can find a way to strengthen the team during the transfer window it looks like the play-off spot is the best we can hope for. Such is the life of the Thistle fan though -- with the average attendance we're attracting at the moment there's only so much that can be achieved. In the average home attendance table we are 8th so under achieving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambies Lost Doo Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Doolan makes "our system" work. He moves defenders, holds ball up when played to feet and creates space for others. By far our best forward. Lyle Taylor offered more physical presence but again was mobile. Paul Pogba is like the French Mark Yardley. Doolan up front. Then 3 of these behind him interchanging. Lawless/Amoo/Stevo/Muirhead I still think Srevenson can add something to the team. Where was his best position at Hearts? Then Osman and Bannigan as "holding" midfielders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck snort Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Doolan makes "our system" work. He moves defenders, holds ball up when played to feet and creates space for others. By far our best forward. Lyle Taylor offered more physical presence but again was mobile. Paul Pogba is like the French Mark Yardley. Doolan up front. Then 3 of these behind him interchanging. Lawless/Amoo/Stevo/Muirhead I still think Srevenson can add something to the team. Where was his best position at Hearts? Then Osman and Bannigan as "holding" midfielders. If only it was Paul Pogba! Sadly his brother is one of the worst strikers I've seen in a Thistle shirt, and I've seen some bad ones. He's been terrible the last 2 weeks, despite the goal against Accies. Amoo and Booth put in 3 or 4 cracking crosses in the 1st half yesterday and he was nowhere near any of them. He doesn't appear to have any striking instincts and his lack of mobility only makes it worse. He's 6 ft 4 but wins very few headers because he rarely gets off the ground. Doolan's proved the last 2 years that he can score goals at this level and he must be sitting on the bench in disbelief at who's playing ahead of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p12tfc Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Having watched the highlights Scully is at fault for the first goal. You don't knock the ball back into the box when its easier to tip it wide. Cant do much about the other 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Having watched the highlights Scully is at fault for the first goal. You don't knock the ball back into the box when its easier to tip it wide. Cant do much about the other 2 Especially when it looks like the shot was going past the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angry gaz Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Anyone think we could push Muzzy forward into a wide midfield position and play Miller behind him at full back. Might help us bybeing both more dynamic going forward and more solid defensively. Don't know if he can play midfield but desperate times ect....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bunny Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 In the average home attendance table we are 8th so under achieving Ross county and to a lesser extent Inverness are backed by money men and Hamilton have a long standing successful youth policy which has made them a lot of money. So although there is not a huge difference financially between us and these teams they still have more resources than us. That said our team is underperforming - we know how they can play but they are just not doing it consistently. Our big problem at the moment is stupid mistakes which give away goal scoring opportunities. This has cost us at least 7 points in recent games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cup Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 The players chucked in the towel but the reality is that Scully cost us on Saturday. He also should have done better against Imrie last Saturday. Gallacher will be in for the Dundee game so let's put Saturday behind us and move on. I think we are more than capable of getting 3 points, and going on a decent run over the next few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambies Lost Doo Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Paul Pogba! Woops Re Paul Gallacher. I thought he was better than Fox last season and definitely better than Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Murray Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 (edited) Lindsay is at fault for the first goal - he needs to go front post and cut that out. Edited November 2, 2015 by Alan Murray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 There were a lot of defensive failings on Saturday. Like others, the biggest disappointment for me is how the whole team chucked in the towel as soon as that second goal went in. We're ok with the ball, sometimes, but our problem is when we don't have the ball. It's like a training session, just shutting down space but not actually tackling players. I struggle to think of a time when one of our players harassed a Hearts player into making a decision instead of standing off and waiting for them to do something. It's more tiring when you're chasing shadows for the whole game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marco77 Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Due to work commitments, Saturday was my first game of the season. Same old story from previous games I've attended. Pass the ball around with no end product. Thought Lindsay had a nightmare and was at fault for atleast two of the goals. 1st goal was a mess. Scully should have done better with the shot and we should have matched the Hearts player run. 2nd half was like a training exercise for Hearts. Hate getting beat but if we showed fight & heart then it wouldnt feel as bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Due to work commitments, Saturday was my first game of the season. Same old story from previous games I've attended. Pass the ball around with no end product. Thought Lindsay had a nightmare and was at fault for atleast two of the goals. 1st goal was a mess. Scully should have done better with the shot and we should have matched the Hearts player run. 2nd half was like a training exercise for Hearts. Hate getting beat but if we showed fight & heart then it wouldnt feel as bad. Nothing to disagree with there. If the "game of two halves" was reversed and we had been caught cold in the first 45 minutes going three down, then matched them more or less in the 2nd half, I'd be feeling a bit better. At least that would've meant we'd corrected things to some degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fearchar Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Anyone think we could push Muzzy forward into a wide midfield position and play Miller behind him at full back. Might help us bybeing both more dynamic going forward and more solid defensively. Don't know if he can play midfield but desperate times ect....... I don't know if it would work, but at least someone is thinking about adopting a system according to the players at our disposal. Would you like to manage Partick Thistle, by any chance? It looks as if three of our best performing players are all full-backs - Miller, Dumbuya and Booth. That would certainly suggest there are other options for the setup on the park. On another point, what is the problem with fitness? The players fade out of games very early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashman Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Agreed, we don't seem as fit as other teams. Neither of our recent fitness coaches really seems to have nailed this. Not sure if they are under-training or overtraining and knackered. If its the latter, Pogba must be on double sessions every day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angry gaz Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 On another point, what is the problem with fitness? The players fade out of games very early. I think we try to start every match playing a high tempo pressing game and we don't have the players to maintain it for a whole 90 mins. Even the top European teams cant do this for an entire match. It is always at 35 min in a game that the wheels come of the barra. Posters have been saying our guys chucked it and even Archie said we downed tools but the fact is we expend so much energy in the first hour of games that we are fecked for the rest of it. The fitness levels are way down on last season . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglemon Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Avoided the forum til now to let myself get over the disappointment of the 2nd half capitulation. Thoughts now: Loads of decent "situations" but good crosses were easily dealt with , Pogba never likely to get on the end of anything Hearts tactics spot on. Happy to hit on the break and the first goal came when Welsh was isolated with Nicolson, fouled him and they scored from the free kick when Scully failed to push the ball out for a corner After that is was a piece of piss for Hearts and we went to shit after the 2nd goal First goal so vital in this kind of game- if we score they can't hit on the break so easily- but we never looked like scoring despite some decent build up. Worst thing was DUFC and 'Well winning Hearts fans really subdued even when they were pumping us side-ways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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