Vs.Tail of the bank Friday 23.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Mansell's a strange one. I thought he at least held the ball up well, which he's also done on occasions before. He just doesn't seem to carry a goal threat.

btw I was fairly sure he took a knock in the first half and was surprised he wasn't subbed earlier.   

[jlsarmy]

1 minute ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

Mansell's a strange one. I thought he at least held the ball up well, which he's also done on occasions before. He just doesn't seem to carry a goal threat.

btw I was fairly sure he took a knock in the first half and was surprised he wasn't subbed earlier.   

Watching the assists he’s had , seems he carries more of a threat from wider areas , but for me he looks like a young player making his way in the game , very limited first team experience, and as you say not really a goal threat which isn’t good for a Centre forward.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

1 minute ago, jlsarmy said:

LIB  , the changing tactics and formations is a problem, possibly too much focus on what the opposition can do and not playing to our strengths but bottom line watching some of these players last night they are basically not good enough to challenge at the top end of the league.

In these daft wee 10 club divisions if you're not good enough to challenge at the top then almost by definition you're in the play off /relegation area. 

[Firhillista]

Just read the manager's reaction to last night's game. He's absolutely right. We were leading by two at half time more because of Morton's poor defensive play than us playing well; they were still in the game and capable of scoring; we needed to stop lumping the ball up the park and giving them the possession they needed to put us under pressure; we had to be brave enough to keep possession in their half and manage the game. Spot on. An accurate assessment of the game and what was required to win it.

But.

Nothing the manager said or did had any effect on what happened on the pitch.

Can you imagine what would have happened if a Thistle team had failed to carry out John Lambie's half time instructions?

I think Gary Caldwell has a clear picture in his head of how he wants his team to play. I think he can analyse the opposition and come up with a plan to defeat them. I think he can train players so that they get what's expected of them. Evidence suggests, though, that he can't get players to carry out his plans during an actual game.

Why not? I get that the manager has limited control of what happens on the pitch: as Jock Stein said, once they cross that white line, it's up to them. But it's not just that they're not following the plan - they're playing in ways that are self-destructive, more likely to lead to us losing a game than winning it. I think it's partly down to player recruitment - the guys can work hard, but can they pass the ball consistently to a team mate? Or are they constantly giving up possession?

The bottom line, as it always has been, is that Gary Caldwell, despite what he says, is a young manager making his start in the game who is struggling to get it all to work. I suspect Gary wouldn't recognise that description of himself, but all the evidence points to that. Given the right set of circumstances, he may become a successful manager, but the jury's well and truly out on that.

He's not the manager Thistle need at the moment, but he's the one we've got. I can't imagine the club firing him under current circumstances and he doesn't come across as the kind of man to walk away, so this is the season we can look forward to. Occasional victories, dreadful defeats and a fight to stay out of the bottom two places. Maybe we should be grateful for last night. At least we know now what to expect .

 

[Semi Nurainen]

3 minutes ago, Firhillista said:

Just read the manager's reaction to last night's game. He's absolutely right. We were leading by two at half time more because of Morton's poor defensive play than us playing well; they were still in the game and capable of scoring; we needed to stop lumping the ball up the park and giving them the possession they needed to put us under pressure; we had to be brave enough to keep possession in their half and manage the game. Spot on. An accurate assessment of the game and what was required to win it.

But.

Nothing the manager said or did had any effect on what happened on the pitch.

Can you imagine what would have happened if a Thistle team had failed to carry out John Lambie's half time instructions?

I think Gary Caldwell has a clear picture in his head of how he wants his team to play. I think he can analyse the opposition and come up with a plan to defeat them. I think he can train players so that they get what's expected of them. Evidence suggests, though, that he can't get players to carry out his plans during an actual game.

Why not? I get that the manager has limited control of what happens on the pitch: as Jock Stein said, once they cross that white line, it's up to them. But it's not just that they're not following the plan - they're playing in ways that are self-destructive, more likely to lead to us losing a game than winning it. I think it's partly down to player recruitment - the guys can work hard, but can they pass the ball consistently to a team mate? Or are they constantly giving up possession?

The bottom line, as it always has been, is that Gary Caldwell, despite what he says, is a young manager making his start in the game who is struggling to get it all to work. I suspect Gary wouldn't recognise that description of himself, but all the evidence points to that. Given the right set of circumstances, he may become a successful manager, but the jury's well and truly out on that.

He's not the manager Thistle need at the moment, but he's the one we've got. I can't imagine the club firing him under current circumstances and he doesn't come across as the kind of man to walk away, so this is the season we can look forward to. Occasional victories, dreadful defeats and a fight to stay out of the bottom two places. Maybe we should be grateful for last night. At least we know now what to expect .

 

Scottish junior league, say Pollok or the Talbot?

[Pinhead]

All i can say is i am so glad Fox is back in goals, he truly inspires confidence.....To think Sneddon got dropped and Fox is allowed to make clangers every game since he has come back in, and remains first choice! Baffling!

[dl1971]

7 minutes ago, Firhillista said:

Just read the manager's reaction to last night's game. He's absolutely right. We were leading by two at half time more because of Morton's poor defensive play than us playing well; they were still in the game and capable of scoring; we needed to stop lumping the ball up the park and giving them the possession they needed to put us under pressure; we had to be brave enough to keep possession in their half and manage the game. Spot on. An accurate assessment of the game and what was required to win it.

But.

Nothing the manager said or did had any effect on what happened on the pitch.

Can you imagine what would have happened if a Thistle team had failed to carry out John Lambie's half time instructions?

I think Gary Caldwell has a clear picture in his head of how he wants his team to play. I think he can analyse the opposition and come up with a plan to defeat them. I think he can train players so that they get what's expected of them. Evidence suggests, though, that he can't get players to carry out his plans during an actual game.

Why not? I get that the manager has limited control of what happens on the pitch: as Jock Stein said, once they cross that white line, it's up to them. But it's not just that they're not following the plan - they're playing in ways that are self-destructive, more likely to lead to us losing a game than winning it. I think it's partly down to player recruitment - the guys can work hard, but can they pass the ball consistently to a team mate? Or are they constantly giving up possession?

The bottom line, as it always has been, is that Gary Caldwell, despite what he says, is a young manager making his start in the game who is struggling to get it all to work. I suspect Gary wouldn't recognise that description of himself, but all the evidence points to that. Given the right set of circumstances, he may become a successful manager, but the jury's well and truly out on that.

He's not the manager Thistle need at the moment, but he's the one we've got. I can't imagine the club firing him under current circumstances and he doesn't come across as the kind of man to walk away, so this is the season we can look forward to. Occasional victories, dreadful defeats and a fight to stay out of the bottom two places. Maybe we should be grateful for last night. At least we know now what to expect .

 

I agree but only partially. Caldwell signed most of the players and it's his tactics. So it's a joint failure. The game was won and lost ( in my opinion ) by the abject failure of our midfield. Sooner or later the pressure in our 18 yard box would tell. 

[jlsarmy]

10 minutes ago, Firhillista said:

Just read the manager's reaction to last night's game. He's absolutely right. We were leading by two at half time more because of Morton's poor defensive play than us playing well; they were still in the game and capable of scoring; we needed to stop lumping the ball up the park and giving them the possession they needed to put us under pressure; we had to be brave enough to keep possession in their half and manage the game. Spot on. An accurate assessment of the game and what was required to win it.

But.

Nothing the manager said or did had any effect on what happened on the pitch.

Can you imagine what would have happened if a Thistle team had failed to carry out John Lambie's half time instructions?

I think Gary Caldwell has a clear picture in his head of how he wants his team to play. I think he can analyse the opposition and come up with a plan to defeat them. I think he can train players so that they get what's expected of them. Evidence suggests, though, that he can't get players to carry out his plans during an actual game.

Why not? I get that the manager has limited control of what happens on the pitch: as Jock Stein said, once they cross that white line, it's up to them. But it's not just that they're not following the plan - they're playing in ways that are self-destructive, more likely to lead to us losing a game than winning it. I think it's partly down to player recruitment - the guys can work hard, but can they pass the ball consistently to a team mate? Or are they constantly giving up possession?

The bottom line, as it always has been, is that Gary Caldwell, despite what he says, is a young manager making his start in the game who is struggling to get it all to work. I suspect Gary wouldn't recognise that description of himself, but all the evidence points to that. Given the right set of circumstances, he may become a successful manager, but the jury's well and truly out on that.

He's not the manager Thistle need at the moment, but he's the one we've got. I can't imagine the club firing him under current circumstances and he doesn't come across as the kind of man to walk away, so this is the season we can look forward to. Occasional victories, dreadful defeats and a fight to stay out of the bottom two places. Maybe we should be grateful for last night. At least we know now what to expect .

 

Good post , but bottom line the players we’ve got aren’t good enough, last night in the 2nd half we couldn’t get out , because none of the forwards could hold the ball up , there also was no genuine pace up front to give us an out ball which resulted us being under pressure all the time.

Morton didn’t play through us , we just couldn’t cope with the constant pressure they were putting on us , long ball , set pieces etc .

[laukat]

4 minutes ago, Firhillista said:

Just read the manager's reaction to last night's game. He's absolutely right. We were leading by two at half time more because of Morton's poor defensive play than us playing well; they were still in the game and capable of scoring; we needed to stop lumping the ball up the park and giving them the possession they needed to put us under pressure; we had to be brave enough to keep possession in their half and manage the game. Spot on. An accurate assessment of the game and what was required to win it.

But.

Nothing the manager said or did had any effect on what happened on the pitch.

Can you

imagine what would have happened if a Thistle team had failed to carry out John Lambie's half time instructions?

I think Gary Caldwell has a clear picture in his head of how he wants his team to play. I think he can analyse the opposition and come up with a plan to defeat them. I think he can train players so that they get what's expected of them. Evidence suggests, though, that he can't get players to carry out his plans during an actual game.

Why not? I get that the manager has limited control of what happens on the pitch: as Jock Stein said, once they cross that white line, it's up to them. But it's not just that they're not following the plan - they're playing in ways that are self-destructive, more likely to lead to us losing a game than winning it. I think it's partly down to player recruitment - the guys can work hard, but can they pass the ball consistently to a team mate? Or are they constantly giving up possession?

The bottom line, as it always has been, is that Gary Caldwell, despite what he says, is a young manager making his start in the game who is struggling to get it all to work. I suspect Gary wouldn't recognise that description of himself, but all the evidence points to that. Given the right set of circumstances, he may become a successful manager, but the jury's well and truly out on that.

He's not the manager Thistle need at the moment, but he's the one we've got. I can't imagine the club firing him under current circumstances and he doesn't come across as the kind of man to walk away, so this is the season we can look forward to. Occasional victories, dreadful defeats and a fight to stay out of the bottom two places. Maybe we should be grateful for last night. At least we know now what to expect . 

I think you are correct. GC does his homework but personally I think he tries to get the players to do too much. It needs to a simpler set of instructions, more consistency on selection otherwise we will never create a pattern and in turn no real style.

My greater concern about GC was that he seemed inflexible on his thoughts. The last meet the manager evening he was still preaching 3 at the back was the answer. It may be that injury has forced him to play 4 at the back or it could be he's starting to change his thinking. If GC is to have a future with us and in management we have to hope its a change in thinking that will also be replicated in what tactics he asks the team to deliver

12 minutes ago, Firhillista said:

Can you imagine what would have happened if a Thistle team had failed to carry out John Lambie's half time instructions?

I struggle to think of a time under Lambie that a Thistle team lost from being 2 up but if the great man was in charge yesterday the team would probably still be in the changing room either having the riot act read to them or picking themselves up off the floor after he or Collins has hit them.

You could prety much guarantee that a couple of them would be finding new clubs as well.

[jlsarmy]

1 minute ago, laukat said:

I think you are correct. GC does his homework but personally I think he tries to get the players to do too much. It needs to a simpler set of instructions, more consistency on selection otherwise we will never create a pattern and in turn no real style.

My greater concern about GC was that he seemed inflexible on his thoughts. The last meet the manager evening he was still preaching 3 at the back was the answer. It may be that injury has forced him to play 4 at the back or it could be he's starting to change his thinking. If GC is to have a future with us and in management we have to hope its a change in thinking that will also be replicated in what tactics he asks the team to deliver

I struggle to think of a time under Lambie that a Thistle team lost from being 2 up but if the great man was in charge yesterday the team would probably still be in the changing room either having the riot act read to them or picking themselves up off the floor after he or Collins has hit them.

You could prety much guarantee that a couple of them would be finding new clubs as well.

They used to get called in on a Sunday and have to run the track with tyres round their waist .

The good old days .

 

[laukat]

1 minute ago, jlsarmy said:

They used to get called in on a Sunday and have to run the track with tyres round their waist .

The good old days .

Yes but hat was just if they played poorly or didn't perform. Imagine what would have happened if they had lost 3-2 from being 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go?

[Third Lanark]

1 hour ago, Pinhead said:

All i can say is i am so glad Fox is back in goals, he truly inspires confidence.....To think Sneddon got dropped and Fox is allowed to make clangers every game since he has come back in, and remains first choice! Baffling!

Questions should be asked of what Kenny Arthur is doing thats both keepers made dreadful blunders in the lads 2 league games and ended up causing us at the minimum a point in each game- fox in particular 

[West of Scotland]

I don't know how Arthur can train anyone not to palm the ball into his own net.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

57 minutes ago, Third Lanark said:

Questions should be asked of what Kenny Arthur is doing thats both keepers made dreadful blunders in the lads 2 league games and ended up causing us at the minimum a point in each game- fox in particular 

I'd hate to work for you, TL. 

Questions should be asked of the goalkeeping coach if a goalie repeatedly makes the same error. And as for "dreadful blunders" they're not likely to get many hits on youtube when you search under goalie gaffes.  

Edited August 24, 2019 by lady-isobel-barnett

[Bobbyhouston]

Appoint Ian McCall pronto 

[Barney Rubble]

Blaming the keeper is a cop out.

And blaming the goalkeeping coach isn't a credible response either.

The questions should be posed of those in front of the keepers who let the shots get away in the first place.

Compare and contrast with last weekend v Ross County.

Last night, in command of a game at 2-0, the entire team played the second half as though the job was already completed.

Once you switch off it is almost impossible to regain the momentum, especially when you've handed that momentum to the opposition. Last night exemplified this. Once Morton got the first, they smelt blood, which took them all of eight minutes to deliver.

At our level we do not have the option of switching off during a game and then changing it back - we do not have players on the bench who can change that kind of game.

[sandy]

4 hours ago, Third Lanark said:

Scales from my eyes, what do you think I’m a mermaid or something?

Nah mate, but we are looking marooned already at the foot of the table thanks to your GC love in!

[sandy]

5 hours ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

 

Not much to disagree with in those two posts nor for that matter with much of  the manager's post match comments. The two bits highlighted above hit home.

Not having another dig at Caldwell's power point presentation but when taking in tandem with the "meet the manager" gigs it's clear he's organised, focused and an ultra-detail person. In fact all good managerial qualities. In addition he normally makes well timed sensible substitutions.

That kinda brings the other side of management popping into question. By that I mean communication plus both group and "one on one" motivational skills.  Whatever, something is going clearly amiss between preparation and what we churn out on the pitch. I mention the lack of leadership on park but in truth a well motivated team who know what they're supposed to be doing both collectively and individually shouldn't necessarily require on the pitch leadership. 

Maybe there's more than one way to "lose a dressing room". Perhaps the players are lost in confusion?

 

He may be detail-focused, but he can’t communicate 

[Third Lanark]

2 minutes ago, sandy said:

Nah mate, but we are looking marooned already at the foot of the table thanks to your GC love in!

You really can’t criticise any other poster with the way you have behaved the lad few months announcing resignation from the forum etc.

right so it’s my fault we are at the bottom of the table? You will need to tell me what position I was playing in the matches 

ive criticised Caldwell plenty said he had 3 games beginning of January to win or need be sacked. My choice at the time was McCall and the current St Mirren manager

[Barney Rubble]

11 minutes ago, Third Lanark said:

You really can’t criticise any other poster with the way you have behaved the lad few months announcing resignation from the forum etc.

You've done that song to death TL.

Sandy's contributions are occasionally worthy of debate, for sure. Why not debate them rather than coming up with the same old childish digs about something that may have been said in frustration?

[Third Lanark]

5 minutes ago, Barney Rubble said:

You've done that song to death TL.

Sandy's contributions are occasionally worthy of debate, for sure. Why not debate them rather than coming up with the same old childish digs about something that may have been said in frustration?

BR how do you know it was out of frustration and not some attention seeking tantrum?  He’s mouthed off at plenty of posters on here have they then threatened to resign in a huff? That was as childish as anything I’ve posted and I do admit to overstepping the mark on some occasions 

he said in his last post that somehow my lovein with GC (which is a load of bollocks) was responsible for us being near the bottom of the table 

is that not childish or am I not entitled to ask how I’m responsible for being responsible for the club at the foot of the table? 

You can’t have it both ways BR if he is having digs at me then I am entitled to respond regardless of what you think 

Edited August 24, 2019 by Third Lanark

[javeajag]

3 minutes ago, Third Lanark said:

BR how do you know it was out of frustration and not some attention seeking tantrum?

he said in his last post that somehow my lovein with GC (which is a load of bollocks) was responsible for us being near the bottom of the table 

is that not childish or am I not entitled to ask how I’m responsible for being responsible for the club at the foot of the table? 

You can’t have it both ways BR

Personally I would ignore him he just enjoys winding people up and insulting them .... anyway I’m responsible for us being bottom of the table !

[Third Lanark]

Just now, javeajag said:

Personally I would ignore him he just enjoys winding people up and insulting them .... anyway I’m responsible for us being bottom of the table !

Nope apparently it’s me - I’m Spartacus 

[Barney Rubble]

1 minute ago, Third Lanark said:

BR how do you know it was out of frustration and not some attention seeking tantrum?

he said in his last post that somehow my lovein with GC (which is a load of bollocks) was responsible for us being near the bottom of the table 

is that not childish or am I not entitled to ask how I’m responsible for being responsible for the club at the foot of the table? 

You can’t have it both ways BR

Leave it be, please.

What the **** is up with this place that every time we lose it descends into some childish point scoring exercise?

[javeajag]

Just now, Barney Rubble said:

Leave it be, please.

What the **** is up with this place that every time we lose it descends into some childish point scoring exercise?

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