JeanieD Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 I fear that "happy clappies" v. "knicker wetters" is just around the corner - a perennial favourite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Rubble Posted September 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 (edited) Indeed having played hearts, st Johnstone both in top 3 and Aberdeen who have a significantly stronger team than us. Facts Look what bit it is it you haven't got? Last season gubbed St Johnstone 3 times. This season lost one already. Kilmarncck - gubbed them twice at Rugby Park last season. This season a draw at Rugby Park. We are already 5 points down on similar fixtures last season. Has it dropped yet? Edited September 18, 2016 by Barney Rubble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z88 Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 So it's not a debate then it's you wanting to be negative . Facts are we've lost to 2 teams in the top 3 as it stands and to an Aberdeen team who will easily be top 6. in addition our goals for / against are not far off the rest of the teams. Our league performances except vs St Johnstone have been good. Let's see where we stand after the first round of games before getting all depressed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Rubble Posted September 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 So it's not a debate then it's you wanting to be negative . Facts are we've lost to 2 teams in the top 3 as it stands and to an Aberdeen team who will easily be top 6. in addition our goals for / against are not far off the rest of the teams. Our league performances except vs St Johnstone have been good. Let's see where we stand after the first round of games before getting all depressed. Fair enough - I stand corrected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 It was very noticeable yesterday that Archie has had words with Lindsay and told him to concentrate on the basics of defending. A few correctly put into row Z instead of trying anything fancy. Perhaps exaggerated due to the sticky pitch and risk of getting the ball stuck between your feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 (edited) Barney. Is your question to debate? Why can't we have a great start to a season? And you're referencing being bottom of the league and being 5 points down on a like for like on last seasons killie and St Johnstone fixtures? That's what I've picked up, from your numerous posts. Edit to add. Other frustrations are the fact we always seem to start the season with an injury list? If we have stated publically our aspirations for top 6, why cant we go out and "make a statement" on the park? Edited September 18, 2016 by potty trained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G13 jag Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 We've won one game, drawn one and lost three. We are bottom of the league. These are facts. Is the league decided in the first 5 games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Col Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 We've only had one honking performance and that was against St J. I wasn't at the game yesterday but by all accounts the team bounced back and performed (the defence aside). Yes, I was disappointed that we didn't beat Killie (who I think are one of the worst teams in UK) but we didn't lose. And that was important. We lost the Hearts game due to a good finish from a striker who recently made the international squad. So I don't think we should be downbeat. Yes, the defence is a problem at the moment. But it's a new partnership at the back and it takes time to gel. No need for panic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weebaw1 Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 I agree though we're even more honking against Dundee Utd. It sounds like Archie now appreciates that we have to play with width and we won't see the st j shape again. Sounds like booth and lawless looked better yesterday so let's feed Dools some nice balls to feet and the attack is sorted. Sunday Times had us way ahead of Killie yesterday. The are some poor teams like Dundee, Accies, Mwell and Ross still to play. Saw Dundee today who are now very poor. Hate being bottom but we will pull away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gianlucatoni Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 Barney boy's perfectly entitled to open a thread and look for a bit of chat - it's a fekin forum after all full of differing opinions. I agree with him on many things but not (at the moment) with this - we were in a similar position last season as around the same time we'd played 8 and only got 3 points .. scoring just 2 and letting in about a dozen. IMHO nothing has changed ... we're still playing some decent football which just lacks a bit of bite in the final third, some sh*t bounces as per the Ayrshire h*ns 1st goal, some poor decision making but ffs we've still got 99 points to play for so just believe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 It sounds like Archie now appreciates that we have to play with width and we won't see the st j shape again. Sounds like booth and lawless looked better yesterday so let's feed Dools some nice balls to feet and the attack is sorted. I certainly agree with all that. The interaction between Booth and Lawless yesterday was very good and went some way to justifying fielding Stevie on the left. Playing Amoo down the right and Erskine thru the middle requires Lawless playing out left. But yet again his goal only came about because he broke ranks. Having Lawless play in his third best position is far from ideal but at least if he links well with Booth it compensates to some extent. Slight irony that we lined up so narrow at Firhill, which I believe is the widest pitch in Scotland, yet returned to a wider formation on a park that has been deliberately narrowed. Eta that I also go along with Big Col and agree the only honking game was against St J and perhaps from what I witnessed yesterday the principal errors were addressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 Barney boy's perfectly entitled to open a thread and look for a bit of chat - it's a fekin forum after all full of differing opinions. No one has suggested Barney isn't entitled to his opinion or to start a thread, to share it. All I wanted was to understand what it was that he actually wanted to discuss. I'm still waiting for clarification. His last response to me suggested it's actually the leaky defence, but the thread title and other points suggest otherwise. Plus he says, if I don't like his opinion, I should stay the **** out the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fearchar Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 There's an element of wishful thinking here. The Killie game ended up 2-2 but given the fragility of the defence it could easily have been 4-2 or 5-2. Killie had plenty of corners and got the ball up the park noticeably faster than our team. For those of us watching, every time the ball was in our penalty box our hearts were in our mouths. Defenders still trip over each other in the box or "clear" the ball into a team-mate's legs. Scully had to pull off two excellent saves. Unlike last season, there is no indication that there is even anything to build on at the back. The league table doesn't lie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watties wallies Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 didn't make the game watched alba last night got to admit the defence look really disorganised we need a commanding figure in the central defence position barton? couldn't believe that second goal 2 defenders jumping for the cross and the killie player pops it into the net the number of times we played heiders especially out of defence with the resulting ball being headed straight back at us why cant our defenders and midfield players chest the ball and then make the pass especially when no opposing player is near them we continue to pump high balls up to lawless and doolan i thought amoo was our best player the number up times he won challanges and kept possession was great. on his game he really brings something different to the team archie and scott both defenders have got to sort out that back line special mention to ryan some great saves on saturday onwards and definitely upwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlgarveJag Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 At this early stage of the season, with all teams getting to know new players and dealing with injuries, we are not seeing consistency from any teams including those expected to be in the top 4 like Celtic and Aberdeen. With so few games played statistical analysis carries a huge margin for error and we'll be a lot further into the season before we see Kilmarnock and Hamilton implode and the likes of Aberdeen start to grind out the results their squad are capable of. There is so little between difference in the playing talent of 9 squads as individuals that what we'll see are the teams that gel the quickest picking up the points (sometimes unexpected, such as ICT v TIC) and moving up the table. One of our greatest strengths in recent seasons has probably been our players ability to play for each other and the spirit that exists at the club - long may that continue because that's worth a number of points every season. It was close last season between a top six place or a slot in the play-offs and it's likely to be quite similar again this season where the only interest in the league comes from the bottom six positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 (edited) It was close last season between a top six place or a slot in the play-offs and it's likely to be quite similar again this season where the only interest in the league comes from the bottom six positions. Off on a bit of a tangent but that's almost unarguable and would be most relevant in the "Scotland's Game" thread. Last season we didn't achieve league safety till the 3rd last game of the season. Yet we were one single goal away from finishing in 6th place at worse three games before. The previous season we were only clear of relegation with four games remaining despite having a positive goal difference. Other clubs will have similar tales to tell over the years. Regardless of the "excitement of uncertainty" (as I see it only aiding the spoken media) this can't be beneficial to a club trying to develop players, which in turn can't do the quality of the game in Scotland any good whatsoever. Under this inane league set up developing younger players comes a long way secondary to fielding the course and distance specialists (often only of journeymen level of talent) while what should be our future talented players flick a ball about for 12 minutes or so at half time. Returning to the gist of the thread it doesn't look like we can field our younger players at the start of the season for fear of being adrift at the foot of the table. The middle of the season is when most clubs attribute success to being able to play a settled side and we damn sure can't risk introducing youngsters when top six and relegation issues etc heighten towards the end of the season. When folk on here say if a player is good enough his age shouldn't matter. Neither it should if it wasn't for the daft league set up we have here. So no point comparing how younger players can star on bigger stages in Europe than they can here without acknowledging the self inflicted difficulty the SPFL have served us with. Edited September 19, 2016 by lady-isobel-barnett 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 There's an element of wishful thinking here. The Killie game ended up 2-2 but given the fragility of the defence it could easily have been 4-2 or 5-2. Killie had plenty of corners and got the ball up the park noticeably faster than our team. For those of us watching, every time the ball was in our penalty box our hearts were in our mouths. Defenders still trip over each other in the box or "clear" the ball into a team-mate's legs. Scully had to pull off two excellent saves. Unlike last season, there is no indication that there is even anything to build on at the back. The league table doesn't lie. Perhaps it is wishful thinking. Perhaps there's a Killie fan on a forum somewhere saying Thistle could have easily won the game 4-2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaila Street Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 As pointed out on another thread numerous other countries have league structures similar to ours. Unpalatable though it may be the main reason young players are overlooked is that they simply aren't good enough or not yet physically equipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rid Skwerr Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Perhaps there's a Killie fan on a forum somewhere saying Thistle could have easily won the game 4-2. My Killie-supporting mate described Saturday as a "lucky" draw for them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyprusjag Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 My big disappointment is the attack.I don't mind losing 2 if we score 3.Really thought we had the firepower to give teams a going over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garscube Road End Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 While I think there is a bit of knicker wetting, I can understand the feelings. On the basis that the best squad we've had in years I would like to think we will come good. On the basis that our defence is honking and no prospect of bolstering it we could well be in the play offs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I tend to take the old Lambie line of looking at things after each round of games against the other teams in the league. Obviously we're all disappointed to have only four points on the board at the moment and after a decent run of results in the League Cup qualifying rounds we got a bloody nose at Tannadice. However that hasn't worked out that well for Yinited since As said we were well beaten in the end up by an effective Saintees team although that could have been different if Edwards had left his chance for Gordon to score, just before he sloppily gave possesion to St Johnstone to go on and get the game clincher. I feel we showed up well against Aberdeen and Hearts, but came out with two narrow defeats. I was disappointed to only get a point at Rugby Park on Saturday but some underperformers seemed to be coming onto thei game. Scully was decent and couldn't be blamed for the goals. In general, Gordon looked more comfortable with Amoo ahead of him on the right flank. Booth and Lawless were a bit more like their old selves as was Osman despite a deserved second yellow. The defence need to concentrate for the full 90 minutes as the opener was sloppy again. Their second was a pretty decent goal in my book and their forward got a bit of luck with the back header. A tough game awaits on Saturday but I'm looking forward to see how Archibald rearranges his side to get us back to winning ways. Onwards and upwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodstock Jag Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 The bottom line is the defence leaks like a sieve. It's true that the St Johnstone game aside we've put up a bit of a fight further forward, but you don't loose 2 goals most games and not find yourself in danger of relegation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaf Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 (edited) I agree the defence hasn't looked clever. However I also think there is some revisionism going on regarding last seasons defence. After 5 games of last season, on the whole easier than our opening 5 this season, we had scored 2 goals and conceded 7. This season we have scored 6 and conceded 8 after the same number of games. I accept the goals conceded have been disappointing but I don't think it's as grim as some would make out. Edited September 22, 2016 by jaf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 I agree the defence hasn't looked clever. However I also think there is some revisionism going on regarding last seasons defence. After 5 games of last season, on the whole easier than our opening 5 this season, we had scored 2 goals and conceded 7. This season we have scored 6 and conceded 8 after the same number of games. I accept the goals conceded have been disappointing but I don't think it's as grim as some would make out. Take it one step further and do a like for like on the opening 5 fixtures from last season against the same opposition. Vast improvement with the aberdeen, hearts and caley results. Last season we drew 2-2 at home in our opening killie game so like for like. Only fallen down on the st johnstone result. But the caley like for like counters that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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