Ict Saturday

[Motherwell Jag]

Oops. Feel a bit guilty complaining. Hope you're insurance excess isn't too heafty. Glad everyone is ok.

[sabbath]

Is it becoming obvious that Azeez just cannot go on leading the line? Don't know how many chances this guy is going to get!

Azeez couldn't lead a blind man across the road...

[kevin energy]

I think Lucas Akins was young when he came to us and he was bad, he could not do the things Azeez can do lets give see out the contract see if he turn it around the good thing is he is getting in the right positions.

[madcapmilkdrinker]

How the feck did Azeez miss that chance? I watched it six times on the replay, with increasing horror and despondency, and still can't work it out.

[Garscube Road End]

Just watched the highlights and we played some good stuff. Unlucky not to get the win. Regards Azeez, he hit it to well. Credit to the goalie for a great reaction save.

[Lindau]

Regards Azeez, he hit it to well. Credit to the goalie for a great reaction save.

 

Totally agree. Fantastic reaction save from their goalie, as has been mentioned by the manager and in the press as well. Still doesn't stop the Azeez haters having their usual say. If he had blasted that over the bar, I could understand the frustration. The fact that Williams got MOTM for that save and the one from Erskine speaks volumes.

[MonehJags]

Think ive all but forgotten the game already. The best singing was kept for the train home. Whatever happened to our 'ultras'? Are they now casuals instead? That will only be a good point if we now go and beat St Johnstone on Wednesday.

 

Eta.

 

Just seen the 'highlights'. The keeper is rooted to the spot and Azeez blasts the ball off him. He couldnt get out the way of it. I dont think people even expect him to score anymore.

Edited January 29, 2017 by MonehJags

[Dick Dastardly]

I can add to that about 2 grand's worth of damage to my car after we scudded a Bambi near Dunkeld......

 

...had better days out! :-(

The venison will feed you for a few weeks.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

The venison will feed you for a few weeks.

 

...acting on a haunch?

[madcapmilkdrinker]

 

 

Totally agree. Fantastic reaction save from their goalie, as has been mentioned by the manager and in the press as well. Still doesn't stop the Azeez haters having their usual say. If he had blasted that over the bar, I could understand the frustration. The fact that Williams got MOTM for that save and the one from Erskine speaks volumes.

 

Would Doolan have scored it more often than not?

 

I'm aware that Ade didn't try not to score btw, no hatred of him from me, just frustration.

[stillresigned]

My considered reaction to yesterday's match is a feeling of frustration that we didn't pick up the three points that were so plainly available. To be honest, although I felt that we played some nice stuff at times and wer the better team overall: there was just something lacking in our performance, something that I can't quite put my finger on to be honest.

ICT were to be honest fairly awful and with the exception of their right back had no player that stood out at all and didn't give any reason to doubt they won't be fighting relegation.

As for our own side we just have to put it down to 'a bad day at the office' and look to do much better on Wednesday, for assuredly if we play as poorly on Wednesday evening we'll be beaten.

[jagfaelivi]

I wasn't at the game nor able to hear our own commentary but I did listen to the BBC Scotland one. It was a fair enough description only for Willie Miller to come on after the game and be utterly scathing about the play; that all that was happening was the teams were booting it forward, the passing was terrible etc.

 

This man gets on my t-ts! He seems to take every opportunity to bad mouth the teams(like us) with less money in the division. And, it would appear that his word is gospel because now the word going round is that the game was truly awful, stemming, I guess, from his negative words.

 

Was it really as bad as all that? A question to those who attended.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Was it really as bad as all that? A question to those who attended.

 

Maybe if the conditions both on and off the pitch had been better we'd be a little less critical of the fare on offer. Not so much what the players had to endure, seen far worse playing conditions, but that ground is such a miserable place to watch football. Served up elsewhere we'd maybe be less critical.

 

Reporting a match to be dire tho' is an easy opt out. There were few contentious decisions so Miller would've had to actually talk about the game in detail as an alternative. He just chose the easy copy.

 

In my mind it's valid to take the opinion that ICT were on a defend at all cost mission and try and pick up the points on the break. Smash and grab if you like. We obviously had concerns in the defensive areas and I guess we're not entirely free from guilt either. The time Cerny took to take a goal kick late on backs that up. We should really be satisfied getting a draw away from home while the home team should be disappointed. Got a strong feeling in this instance it's the other way about.

 

I'd say a combination of negativity (ICT), caginess (us) plus the cold and damp viewing conditions led to such a poor spectacle. Possibly not as bad a game as made out but I can't blame anyone thinking it was.

[potty trained]

Pre match, the main commentator on Radio Scotland MW made the comment, to have one centre half out through suspension is careless, to have two missing through suspension is.... something or other.

 

Oblivious to the fact our club captain is a midfielder, not a defender or that lyndsay has featured in practically every game and is one of the clubs top scorers.

 

 

[Yellow & Redneck]

I think creativity has been a problem all season, and especially when we come up against teams with packed defences. Even if you look at last weekend against Formartine, we managed only 7 shots on target against a Highland League side. Granted that means we scored with almost 60% of our shots, but it still highlights a problem in our ability to carve out real chances and make the keeper work. Always been my criticism of the lone striker. And especially when you have limited clear cut chances, you do not want Azeez on the end of them.

To cement our top-6 aspirations, I still think we need a central player who can carve out chances, and a competent striker who can put them away.

[partickthedog]

I feel thar we still try the easy wide ball too often.

 

Just say that a player like Stevie Lawless or Chris Erskine has the ball approaching the D. Both have the skill to turn defenders and make room for a shot and can curl them in from that range. They should try that more often. They will score a few, and others will take strange deflections and end up at the feet of Kris Doolan or Ryan Edwards or whomever.

 

Sliding it wide looks good and retains possession and gives a better impression of being a team player rather than going for glory. However you are then relying on the following all coming together:

 

The weight and accuracy of the cross.

The positional sense and timing of the striker.

The ability of the striker to apply the right touch.

 

The chances of all these elements combining successfully seems lower than the first time shot producing a goal. Also my non-scientific observation is that deflections on shots from out front often end up in the net or at the feet of another attacker, whereas blocks on crosses (with the occasional exception for the perfectly delivered corridor of uncertainty ball) usually carry the ball away from the goal or out for a corner.

 

In other words just hit it, man!

 

 

 

[sandy]

Do you think it's a confidence issue or tactics that are causing this?

[Dark Passenger]

To cement our top-6 aspirations, I still think we need a central player who can carve out chances

 

You think Erskine should be replaced, then?

[Yellow & Redneck]

You think Erskine should be replaced, then?

I think either Osman or Welsh need replaced from time to time. Admittedly they have both had good seasons (Welsh more-so), but we always move the ball wide as aforementioned, and our delivery isn't good enough. Need someone in the middle to take the game by the scruff of the neck and actually drive at players.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Yellow & Redneck

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Do you think it's a confidence issue or tactics that are causing this?

These ridiculously small leagues and the stupidity of the top six/bottom six nonsense more or less dictate how we both set up on the park and the tactics we adopt.

[jagfaelivi]

Couldn't agree more with PtheD. We seem to do ALL our attacking from the wings and I believe there was a survey done in the last few years which said something along the lines of very few goals being scored from crosses (with all teams everywhere)

 

But the problem, too, is that we are just not good enough to play wee one twos in and around the box. So "the dog" is right, hit it more often. But then again watching the shooting practice before matches we are dire at that too. But I do agree about deflections, lucky bounces etc

[Winter of '63]

The Cup Game against Fortmartine was like a training exercise. None of our goals came from crosses from the wings. We repeatedly made space down the wings but hardly created a clear chance from players getting to the bye-line and crossing. This seemed to be partly because of the reluctance/inability of Amoo & Elliot to take on the defender and pick out a Thistle player in the box.

 

However, even when Booth & Dumbuya hit decent crosses, we didn't look that much like scoring. Lawless and Erskine's strengths are not winning headers in the box and we don't have midfielders(including Bannigan & Fraser) who make late runs & score goals like Albert Craig & Martin Hardie did.

 

It all ends up with us playing good passes, making space in dangerous areas but not creating real scoring opportunities Trying to run at or play through the middle of defences or just having a shot at goal might sometimes be a better option.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Couldn't agree more with PtheD. We seem to do ALL our attacking from the wings and I believe there was a survey done in the last few years which said something along the lines of very few goals being scored from crosses (with all teams everywhere)

 

But the problem, too, is that we are just not good enough to play wee one twos in and around the box. So "the dog" is right, hit it more often. But then again watching the shooting practice before matches we are dire at that too. But I do agree about deflections, lucky bounces etc

 

I agree with PtheD in so much that we produce too little thru the middle. I don't for one minute subscribe to the notion that we do all our attacking from the wings. Whatever, our best chance of scoring yesterday apart from the save on Azeez was a simply cross from the left wing.

[Metz]

 

These ridiculously small leagues and the stupidity of the top six/bottom six nonsense more or less dictate how we both set up on the park and the tactics we adopt.

I don't think this for a second and having read many of your posts don't believe you genuinely feel this. I would be very surprised and very much disappointed if Archie was putting out teams to achieve a top six place and not to maximise points from each game. If he was then he is doing himself and the club a disservice and to date has singly failed in his objective.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

I don't think this for a second and having read many of your posts don't believe you genuinely feel this. I would be very surprised and very much disappointed if Archie was putting out teams to achieve a top six place and not to maximise points from each game. If he was then he is doing himself and the club a disservice and to date has singly failed in his objective.

 

Metz, I could've phrased that a lot better and you're certainly right to query my post. On re-reading it would've made more sense if I'd omitted the "top six/bottom six" bit. It was really the repetitive fixtures resultant of the small league that dictate tactics/set up. I'd argue that till the cows come home. Apart from the fact the "split" is part and parcel of our small league format it's irrelevant to the point I was making.