Morton vs. Thistle

[Guest]

Just now, Metz said:

That's unlikely today he has alienated McGinty and Scobie. Demotivated Elliott and McCarthy and he has only been there three weeks. The squad was already low in confidence god knows what it will be like now with this clown in charge.

I'm liking it too

[Guest]

Just now, laukat said:

“I went into the dressing room and said to the guys that we’ve lost three games in three weeks not because the opposition have had a better team than us but because they’ve wanted it more and that should be the most hurtful thing any player can hear. "

I hate it when managers say stuff like this. Doesn't matter if its Caldwell or Guardiola. Its usually a smokescreen for they picked the wrong team.

In the first half I didn't see a lack of desire from our team or look at Morton and think they want it more. I saw a Morton team who knew where our weakness was and exploited it.

In the second half I saw a team that didn't have a clue what it had been asked to do, players unsure of what position they were playing and a total lack of belief. Looked to me like the manager had confused the heck out of all of them.

BTW - see the wee mini warm-up that lasted about 1 minutes before the start of the second half and the 5 minutes of knocking the ball about before Morton came out for the second half. What on earth was that?

Would have been better using every minute of that telling McCarthy how to play rightback, Elliot how to play centre back and Keown how to kick with his left foot.

Ta for rhis laukat. Another insightful post

Notafan, read this. More evidence if any were needed. Open your eyes and you shall see. Whether youbare involved in running a football club at whatever level or not is immaterial. This guy is going to ruin our club even further. I might think otherwise after a good nights sleep.

[Hankey]

I've no problem with him calling players out. They've been getting protected for months and its done nothing. They're now effectively playing for their careers at this point as the next drop down is to the part-time ranks. If this doesn't make them wake up and smell the coffee, then nothing will. A lot of them are gutless.

[AndyMac]

1 hour ago, NotAFan said:

You'd sack a manager after four games in charge? Have you any idea what's involved in managing a football club? Absolutely baffling!! 

Don't worry Gary. You're good for a few games yet

[avie-man]

29 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

I'm so ******* scunnered I would be willing to let anything go tonight but comparing our wage bill to Livingston's is total nonsense. Knock us for under performing by all means but please don't use words like "scandalous" and "mis-management" while holding that organisation in west Lothian up as a shining light.  

Hows it nonsense? They're a much better team spending nowhere near as much on players wages.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

1 minute ago, avie-man said:

Hows it nonsense? They're a much better team spending nowhere near as much on players wages.

OK. You're probably right. Gary Holt is doing a grand job tho' I happen to believe his assistant manager is really the unsung hero.

[laukat]

8 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

I happen to believe his assistant manager is really the unsung hero

Thats my understanding. The assitant manager at livi has in effect worked out a brand new way of playing and tactics that no one has seen before but because of his alleged chequered past no one talks about and he won't be given the managers job in case the press ask him non-football questions.

From what I've seen they play a 3-6-1 and occasionally a 3-7-0. The way in which it works is that he has the midfield drilled to know that 2 or 3 attack at any one moment but to rotate that responsibility along the midfield.  They also don't always choose to attack which sometimes confuses the opposition. Their goal threat comes from the aerial threat of their 3 centre backs an the chaos they cause in the oppositions penalty box.

Most other managers drill their back 4/5 and their defensive midfield into a unit but the Livi coach appears to have drilled the midfield and defence into a single unit. Our manager would have been better learning from that than from Grandee's of Scottish football. The National manager could do a lot worse than adopt what Livi are doing. It ain't pretty but it is innovative.

[avie-man]

Gutless is defo part of it, but I think some of these boys are too young/thick to realise they are fighting for their careers. Was the exact same in 04/05 with players like One, Anis, Ross etc. How often do you hear senior pros say they thought that their career would go on forever when they were young and before they know it, they've got to go out and graft like everybody else. Some will get another shot at a low full-time level before the inevitable but I can't see any of our senior pros at least making anything of their careers long term. Archie's legacy as a manager has been to leave us a team with not one worthwhile asset signed by him. No one with any value, no one who we can build the team around. 

[sabbath]

Archibald the James T Kirk of football managers. He built a team to take Thistle into a league where NO Thistle team has ever been before. To all the Dumplin's, who had "faith" in Archibald, look no further than Piccolo, That we should have sacked the Chump. 

[Auld Jag]

2 hours ago, Hankey said:

I've no problem with him calling players out. They've been getting protected for months and its done nothing. They're now effectively playing for their careers at this point as the next drop down is to the part-time ranks. If this doesn't make them wake up and smell the coffee, then nothing will. A lot of them are gutless.

Was thinking this myself. How many teams are going to want players who have got us into a relegation battle? These players should realise what supporters give up to go to games.Time and money that can be spent doing other things. I have been supporting Thistle for more than 55 years now, I will be at Firhill on Saturday but a lot of other fans are getting put of going and we cant afford to lose anybody.    Also if Caldwell fails with us he will find it difficult to find another club at a reasonable level to take him on.

[Third Lanark]

4 hours ago, Metz said:

You seem to have avoided  the question on if you watched today's game or not?

Putting that aside the other question remains would you back this clown or not? Your happy to keep harming back to Archie he's gone do you think Caldwell will get us promoted?

No manager would get us promoted with the players inherited even my choices of McCall or Goodwin or even Neilson would struggle. Problem is some fans like you kept wanting to give Archie more time but if he had been sacked earlier maybe we would have got someone like Neilson in before Dundee United got him - or maybe we could have got Hopkin when he was available, but instead you wanted Archie kept at all costs 

[Third Lanark]

5 hours ago, Metz said:

After today you really are having a laugh. If change us what you craved how are you enjoying tonight? Then again maybe not hurting much as you never had to watch the outcome of those crap and ridiculous halftime decisions. 

We all had for the last 18 months- don’t remember you being critical when Melbourne a young 18 year old was shoved into right back in his first game which was every bit as stupid as today’s decision- nor have you been critical of the summer signings when no decent right back was signed 

[Third Lanark]

3 hours ago, lefty1876 said:

The man is dour and  clueless lost the dressing room by the looks of it the fans going the same way get rid of him now thats the worst ave seen for a long time 

Where have you been the last 18 months then. 

[Third Lanark]

3 hours ago, Metz said:

That's unlikely today he has alienated McGinty and Scobie. Demotivated Elliott and McCarthy and he has only been there three weeks. The squad was already low in confidence god knows what it will be like now with this clown in charge.

Players have been mollycoddled for the lad 18 months and it’s done nothing. Mcginty and scobie can leave Firhill any time they want- pair of chancers. Maybe McCarthy will be glad of game time and I’m afraid Elliott’s confidence was shot by our previous manager hence why he handed back the armband 

[Jaggernaut]

1 hour ago, Auld Jag said:

Was thinking this myself. How many teams are going to want players who have got us into a relegation battle? These players should realise what supporters give up to go to games.Time and money that can be spent doing other things. I have been supporting Thistle for more than 55 years now, I will be at Firhill on Saturday but a lot of other fans are getting put of going and we cant afford to lose anybody.    Also if Caldwell fails with us he will find it difficult to find another club at a reasonable level to take him on.

He might well go down the Derek Whyte career path.... spend more time in suntan parlours.... get a job in property abroad..... At least Whyte appeared to know he was clueless as a football manager.

[lefty1876]

4 hours ago, Third Lanark said:

Where have you been the last 18 months then. 

Agree we have been pish over the last 18 months but getting beat 5 -1 to average morton team is a new low anyone  expecting that is as bad as the dick in dugout

[northjag]

Any manager we appointed would struggle with this set of players. Lots of them are gutless, heartless and spineless. At least Caldwell recognises this now judging by his interview. We are in real danger of going down. It will be a miracle if we stay up. We would struggle in league 1 right now. 

[javeajag]

The squad is poor and that’s both Archie and Gary struggling to do anything with them......

the real concern is the defence... now is the time to make ourselves difficult to beat , be compact and stuffy ....all things we find hard to be

yiu worry we can avoid relegation with no real back four 

 

[theestle]

Archie must be laughing up his cuff - you replaced me with him.

[Chachi]

Whilst a concerning start to his job, some of the  condemnation aimed at a guy after just 3 games is embarrassing. 

He may well prove to be the wrong manager sooner or later, but isn't a bit of time the least a new manager should expect? If he is the wrong manager, the blame lies squarely with the board.

The 18 month shambles prior to now can't be undone in 3 months never mind 3 weeks, although granted we did all expect some improved form which hasn't transpired.

Its a difficult job for anyone to come in to, and at least 2 transfer windows are needed.

What concerns me is it took 2.5 games to realise Mcginty is honking, but that can be couched by the fact we have zero defensive cover and maybe he was forced to give him a go.

Why Sorey hasn't been banished from the squad completely is beyond me.

[laukat]

Just looked at a youtube video of yesterdays game. Its not the greatest video as it doesn't catch all the goals. However the key part of yesterday was the first 2 goals as the managers halftime brainf*rt stems from who he decides is at fault for them.

You can see even on that video that Slater is the one trying to close down the cross. Elliot is standing too far away to help slater and too far away to mark anyone in the penalty box. The distance between Elliot drags Keown towards the front post rather than staying central.

The first cross is a vey good ball in between both keeper and the central defence which is very hard to defend once it gets past the righback. The second cross is very accurate to the back post where McGinty is outjumped because he has a standing start and the morton striker has the run on him.

I don't see how you can blame Bell, Keown or McGinty for either of those goals. The problem is the postion of our rightback and asking Slater an attacking central midfield player to protect Elliot. If we need to play Elliot we need to play 5 in the midfield and have a genuine wide right midfielder particulalry away from home. 

Why a manager thats done so much analysis on us doesn't know that, try to compensate for it or can't diagnose it correctly at halftime is worrying. The team he put out in the second half was either incompetence or belligerence.

 

[cyprusjag]

Would have thought it’s obvious.Caldwell has realised he’s made a mistake and is now adopting Tony Hancocks football managers strategy.You know ,the one where he put the 4’6” winger in goal.

This will force the board to sack him and pay compo.Sorted.

[Pinhead]

46 minutes ago, laukat said:

Just looked at a youtube video of yesterdays game. Its not the greatest video as it doesn't catch all the goals. However the key part of yesterday was the first 2 goals as the managers halftime brainf*rt stems from who he decides is at fault for them.

You can see even on that video that Slater is the one trying to close down the cross. Elliot is standing too far away to help slater and too far away to mark anyone in the penalty box. The distance between Elliot drags Keown towards the front post rather than staying central.

The first cross is a vey good ball in between both keeper and the central defence which is very hard to defend once it gets past the righback. The second cross is very accurate to the back post where McGinty is outjumped because he has a standing start and the morton striker has the run on him.

I don't see how you can blame Bell, Keown or McGinty for either of those goals. The problem is the postion of our rightback and asking Slater an attacking central midfield player to protect Elliot. If we need to play Elliot we need to play 5 in the midfield and have a genuine wide right midfielder particulalry away from home. 

Why a manager thats done so much analysis on us doesn't know that, try to compensate for it or can't diagnose it correctly at halftime is worrying. The team he put out in the second half was either incompetence or belligerence.

 

You cannot blame Bell, or McGinty? I suggest you watch the better highlights and not youtube rubbish ones

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Still no idea why the manager thought switching Elliott to centreback would do the trick. Also not criticising the lad but I don't think McCarthy will be our answer to our right back woes either.

[laukat]

1 minute ago, Pinhead said:

You cannot blame Bell, or McGinty? I suggest you watch the better highlights and not youtube rubbish ones

I was at the game and the highlights just compunded what I witnessed.

The first 2 goals are caused by allowing the Morton leftback on the time in the world to put crosses in. Look at the highlights and look at where Elliot is standing and ask yourself what is he doing? How does standing where he is either help stop the cross, mark a morton attacker or defend the cross? Look at his position and the effect it has on Keown who gets pulled closer to the right back position to cover the ground Elliot has left. The exact same happens at the second.