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One of the few guys I'd give pass marks to tonight would be McKenna. He didn't do that much of note but he he had to play totally alone down the right hand side. I can't understand why McCall can set out a side with NO player playing in front of a full back. Effectively means it's so easy for ICT to stick two players on Tiffoney. 

I'm not that certain we can count ourselves unlucky. Not sure that we'd have had a better result playing with more bottle. Sending out such an imbalanced team, we got what we deserved. 

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22 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

One of the few guys I'd give pass marks to tonight would be McKenna. He didn't do that much of note but he he had to play totally alone down the right hand side. I can't understand why McCall can set out a side with NO player playing in front of a full back. Effectively means it's so easy for ICT to stick two players on Tiffoney. 

I'm not that certain we can count ourselves unlucky. Not sure that we'd have had a better result playing with more bottle. Sending out such an imbalanced team, we got what we deserved. 

I think we can count ourselves unlucky- Sneddon only had to pick the ball out of the net twice with nothing else to do.  Whereas we should have scored in the first half and as for Allegrias chance

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6 minutes ago, elevenone said:

A big difference to us going up this season or remaining in Championship was the decision to let Rudden go on loan and whom we replaced him with.

Spot on, the people who said he wouldn’t be missed are the real people to blame here .

JKLOL

Edited by Thistle88
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I feared all season that this team were not good enough to win promotion...the standard isn't great but I fear we would take some drubbings if we somehow  were promoted with this squad. My enthusiasm and belief this season has drained from about the time the pitch didn't -  there's hardly been any fluent football played for months.

Inverness were the better footballing side...we battled on but lacked creativity. I like Banzo but he was hardly in the game...Sean Welsh was far more influential.

Sneddon has lost at least 4 quite dreadful goals this season; our full backs are ok in their own half; Akinola is indecisive; our midfield is unbalanced; Graham is running on empty; we rely too much on Tiffony...none of these are recent flaws,,,we need better players, a better team and a better playing surface for next season...there are not many in the squad I would miss.

On the subject of misses...I don't warm to Old Firm loanees and Alegria is an absolute dud. 

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15 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

It's not the players, manager, or tactics that are to  blame..... it's some of the supporters? :huh:

Was joking completely but he really has been such a huge miss, more than I would like to admit after the way he left.

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Well, that was one of the "cup finals," and again the Jags were nothing other than a damp squib.

As a group, this squad offers next to nothing, and next to nothing is what they would dish up again next season, regardless of which league we are in.

Essential:

Get rid of at least half of the dross. That is everybody, without exception, whose contract will expire at the end of the season.

Do not bring back any of those loanees again next season, and...

in the name of God do not consider signing either Jakubiak or "Allegro" if their teams want rid of them (which would be understandable) and if we hope to score goals next season.

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It was a choice of dinner out with the family or catch the game tonight. I think I know why I have only attended one match this season as I really enjoyed my dinner. Stuck the tv on record and have just finished watching the live highlights.  Both teams played heedies and kicks and not one player who you would get out of your bed to watch on both teams.  Really fed up watching journeyman pros who cant put their foot on the ball and just wish for one player again with a bit of flair and swagger.  Normally a team has a star player but I am struggling to think of our last... Kris?

Totally indifferent to the result on Friday. Who wants to go up to the Premier league watching this crap.  It will be just too painful to endure.  I hope Arbroath go up.  We need to reset.  

 

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9 hours ago, Thistle88 said:

To be honest 2 individual mistakes lost us the game. Sneddon palming the ball into the middle of the goal and Akinola not following his man in the box.

The initial mistake was Docherty giving the ball away for the 2nd goal

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7 hours ago, Thistle88 said:

Was joking completely but he really has been such a huge miss, more than I would like to admit after the way he left.

Have you seen how he's been getting on at Dundee? Proverbial cart horse.

Rudden had a couple of purple patches in between extended spells where he contributed very little. Hate to think what he'd have been like playing when he didn't want to be here.

The limitations of the current team are a related to way more than one player, and have arguably been there from the start of the season. Our midfield hardly ever controls the game, we've got little attacking threat from fullback and a lack of mobility up front.

We live off scraps. I've forgotten what it's like to watch a team that is capable of keeping the ball for more than three or so passes.

Caley weren't great but they looked a much more balanced team than we do. We will have to get lucky to win the tie 

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5 hours ago, topcat said:

It was a choice of dinner out with the family or catch the game tonight. I think I know why I have only attended one match this season as I really enjoyed my dinner. Stuck the tv on record and have just finished watching the live highlights.  Both teams played heedies and kicks and not one player who you would get out of your bed to watch on both teams.  Really fed up watching journeyman pros who cant put their foot on the ball and just wish for one player again with a bit of flair and swagger.  Normally a team has a star player but I am struggling to think of our last... Kris?

Totally indifferent to the result on Friday. Who wants to go up to the Premier league watching this crap.  It will be just too painful to endure.  I hope Arbroath go up.  We need to reset.  

 

You obviously haven’t seen Tiffoney. He’s been quite outstanding all season.

Away and keep the restaurants in business and watch Liverpool on the box.

Perhaps you have leanings to PTFC but you’re of no use to us with that attitude.

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And agree with the Lady above. McKenna has an impossible job to do and then you factor in that he's not actually naturally a fullback.

Any team playing us knows this by now and therefore can focus on nullifying threat from Tiffoney.

Having said all that, we've probably done as best as we can do this season given squad limitations and where we have come from. Hopefully we'll have a more balanced squad next season. And a pitch suitable for playing football.

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Thought there was not too much between the teams last night apart from the glaringly obvious fact they can bring on players from the bench who have a positive influence…. whilst we can’t ,don’t want to single out the young boy Alegria but for crying out loud ,

I predicted we would stumble into the playoffs but expect an exit on Friday….please let me eat my own words Jags .

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I think last night just about summed up our season. First 60mins we were comfortable without being spectacular. 

The one thing I do really question about this side are their bottle. After the first goal went in, I think the game was only going to go one way. Unfortunately, I do think Sneddon's stats flatter to deceive. When you look at the match statistics of the long run of clean-sheets, the shots he faced (on target) were relatively few. The goals per-shots faced percentage is maybe a far better indicator. I'd definitely start with him as first choice next season (regardless of division), but we need to bring in an experienced goalkeeper (someone along the same lines as Paul Gallacher who had such a positive impact on everyone's development). 

Can't really add much other than that. The Rangers boy is an absolute diddy and makes Pogba, Azeez, Eccleston, or even Paul Keegan look competent in front of goal. He absolutely had to score that. 

One final point is one I've made all season. The subs were baffling last night.  For a diddy club like us to have THREE managers on the coaching team is absolutely ridiculous and a waste of wage. If it was working, I'd say "fair enough." But the three of them don't seem to have a scooby between them. Either that, or there is conflicting opinions. 

Unfortunately, I don't think we are still in this tie. Can see ICT winning by a couple of goals up there. I don't know why McCall seems to think that we can buck the trend of the last 20 or so matches. 

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55 minutes ago, fenski said:

Have you seen how he's been getting on at Dundee? Proverbial cart horse.

Rudden had a couple of purple patches in between extended spells where he contributed very little. Hate to think what he'd have been like playing when he didn't want to be here.

The limitations of the current team are a related to way more than one player, and have arguably been there from the start of the season. Our midfield hardly ever controls the game, we've got little attacking threat from fullback and a lack of mobility up front.

We live off scraps. I've forgotten what it's like to watch a team that is capable of keeping the ball for more than three or so passes.

Caley weren't great but they looked a much more balanced team than we do. We will have to get lucky to win the tie 

I have to disagree with that one.  Yes he has hardly set the heather on fire at Dundee but his purple patches were more than a few compared to his replacements who have had none.  Also not just his own individual work rate and scoring but his link up play has been badly missed (interesting since he left that Graham has fell right off the radar goal wise).  Surely one of our 3 managers could have convinced him to stay and give all til the summer?  He could have been looking at premiership football with us if so and if not then probably better than Dundee.

I still maintain his leaving and the timing of it is what will see us back up visiting Cove next season.

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4 minutes ago, elevenone said:

I have to disagree with that one.  Yes he has hardly set the heather on fire at Dundee but his purple patches were more than a few compared to his replacements who have had none.  Also not just his own individual work rate and scoring but his link up play has been badly missed (interesting since he left that Graham has fell right off the radar goal wise).  Surely one of our 3 managers could have convinced him to stay and give all til the summer?  He could have been looking at premiership football with us if so and if not then probably better than Dundee.

I still maintain his leaving and the timing of it is what will see us back up visiting Cove next season.

I think Rudden's head was turned probably with the help of his agent, who by the way the BBC pundits were raving about him was doing a very good job of talking him up. Not sure there's much a club can do when that happens. I agree that he was  a lot better than his replacements who were clearly brought in at last moment on the basis that anything is better than nothing. Him leaving has exposed the other weaknesses in the squad/team.

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For me, the difference last night was not on the pitch, but in the dugout. Player for player there was not much between the sides, but Dodds had done his homework and knew our strengths and weaknesses. 2 men on Tiffoney and 2 big defenders to dominate all the high balls and crosses that they knew would be coming (our goal came from one of the few times we went down the middle on the deck). On that. Broadfoot must be one of the least skillful players I've ever seen, but while you might hate him as a player, wouldn't you like a thug like that on your side ? (How his hand ball - was it 4 times he touched it ? - wasn't given is beyond a joke). In attack, they targeted turning Akinola  who doesn't like having his face towards goal and the space behind McKenna when he gets forward. 

In contrast, McCall just set us up to play the way we always do. It hasn't worked since January and it is unlikely to work now. I don't know if he has run out of ideas to change things, or if the players are not taking his directions and just default to playing their own way (both are issues). Something needs to change for Friday and I just don't see McCall as the man to do anything different.

As for players, I think this is Graham's last season as a starting striker. He may be a good man to have on the bench, and for occasional starts, but we need a new target man. I suspect that Tiff will also be off at the first offer that comes in and that leaves us in a dire situation to start next season. Allegria is so bad that I don't even have a fear of him coming back to haunt us !

Edited by Dick Dastardly
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Did anyone else get a flashback when Allegria was one on one - Rod Mcdonald, in play off to the Premier league, vs Dundee utd one-on-one. He missed it as well. Then we never got a stone wall 2nd penalty and...Well we know the rest. Same feeling for Friday?

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I think Mayo was a big miss last night. Over the last few weeks we've had to adapt our style when playing at home on a poor surface and having him in midfield is key to that. If we can get Mayo back for Friday he does have a bit more pace so would be better equipped to deal with someone like Samuels.

Also think Foster is a miss. I'm hoping the reason he didn't play last night was because 2 games in 1 week would be too much and if he can only play one then play him on the better surface and the game which matters most.

A lot is made of our form and results disappearing due to Rudden leaving, the state of the pitch and injuries to Tiffoney and Graham. Losing Graham statistically looks the most important as we lost every game he was out but we seem to miss that since Foster has been injured and McKenna has been a regular choice at right back our results have gone down the pan.

McKenna hasn't played badly but he's just not a natural rightback or in the class of Foster. Hendrie looks a decent leftback but he and Tiffoney don't appear to be on the same wavelength. 

So for Friday I would like to see the following

Sneddon

Foster-Akinola-Mayo-Holt

Crawford-Docherty-Bannigan

Jakubiak-Graham-Tiffoney

If we are in the tie we can hopefully bring on Turner to see if his deadball expertise can get us over the line.

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6 minutes ago, a f kincaid said:

 

Thistle have never won a home play-off match.  

1897-98   DUNDEE H 0 2
1995-96   DUNDEE UNITED H 1 1
2005-06   STRANRAER H 1 2
2005-06   PETERHEAD H 1 2
2017-18   LIVINGSTON  H 0 1
2021-22   INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE H 1 2

The ones that we lost 1-2 at home we ended up winning the tie. So you're saying history is on our side?

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2 hours ago, fenski said:

Have you seen how he's been getting on at Dundee? Proverbial cart horse.

Rudden had a couple of purple patches in between extended spells where he contributed very little. Hate to think what he'd have been like playing when he didn't want to be here.

The limitations of the current team are a related to way more than one player, and have arguably been there from the start of the season. Our midfield hardly ever controls the game, we've got little attacking threat from fullback and a lack of mobility up front.

We live off scraps. I've forgotten what it's like to watch a team that is capable of keeping the ball for more than three or so passes.

Caley weren't great but they looked a much more balanced team than we do. We will have to get lucky to win the tie 

Yes not very good, but if you take a look at how many goals we scored at the start of the season and compare it after he left it’s quite clear he added something. 
 

I certainly wasn’t saying it’s the only reason we aren’t good, but we were better with him than without !

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