Airdrie at Home

[Duke Gekantawa]

A good win. Played well first half. Not so well second half as we ceded the ball too much. Even still we looked a little more likely to score. Though Airdrie could have played for another hour without really looking like scoring 

[Duke Gekantawa]

13 minutes ago, Fearchar said:

How can the same team manage to dominate in the first half and then give the ball away, stand well off their opponents, concede a goal and just about throw the game away in the second half. Was it somethung in the halftime drinks or talk?

I don’t know, but it is so common in football generally (a game of two halves is such a cliche after all). We’ve had a few games this season where we’ve only turned up second half 

[The Legend Blows]

1 hour ago, allyo said:

That little kid banging the gate down the front of the JHS again. Goes right through me.

Does anyone actually have responsibility for him? Ripped off one of the green metal signs the other week, bent it in half and stood on it. 

If he was mine he'd get a boot up the arse.

[The Legend Blows]

14 minutes ago, Duke Gekantawa said:

Really? I thought he was excellent today. 

Competent considering he was out of position but excellent is a bit of a stretch. Bomb scare but not helped when he has zero options when he looks up for a pass.

Edited December 2, 2023 by The Legend Blows

[Auld Jag]

A game of 2 halves. First we played well and Fitzpatrick was tormenting their full back. Airdrie are a team who play the ball well and their players move into good spaces. Second half was a bit like a training session where one team attacks and the other defends apart from the odd time we never held onto the ball in the second half. Thankfully we held on and got 3 good points. When i heard the team i wondered who would get the goal/s today but Diack did well and looked lively and i don't know if he got a touch at the second goal but his presence caused confusion when Fitzpatrick put the ball in.

[Duke Gekantawa]

4 minutes ago, The Legend Blows said:

Competent considering he was out of position but excellent is a bit of a stretch. Bomb scare but not helped when he has zero options when he looks up for a pass.

I spent a lot of time at the game watching him and Diack.  I really did think both were excellent. He looked ungainly when holding on to the ball admittedly, but most of the time retained it. And I agree, nobody was giving him an out, forcing him to hold on against an opponent 

[Duke Gekantawa]

4 minutes ago, Auld Jag said:

 i don't know if he got a touch at the second goal but his presence caused confusion when Fitzpatrick put the ball in.

Don’t think his presence had any bearing on the goal- it took a strange looping deflection over the keeper and in off the back post. However he was in exactly the right position to knock it in had it bounced out off the post or deflected wide of the far post, which is what you want from your centre forward 

[belfastjag]

We done our best to throw that away. Great first half and then hanging on looking for the whistle. There are periods when Fitzpatrick is unstoppable and Williams looks like he is playing with Twizzle's legs. My toes were numb.

[Fawlty Towers]

Winning is all that matters and we did it (again). 11 points so far from this quarter which now exceeds the points we got in the second quarter last season.

[laukat]

First half we were decent in all areas. It look like Neilson had been told to keep tight to Gallagher and make sure Gallagher could only play it back to his own defence. That worked well and covered some of the gaps Bannigan and Stanway were leaving as they pulled out of position too easily

Second half Airdrie changed tactics and put the ball towards Muirhead more which stopped Lawless and McMillan getting in the game by overloading our rightside. As Diack tired we just didn't have a way out and when we did get the ball we panicked trying to get a 3rd rather than putting in a few easy passes and slowing down the game.

Surprised that Alston came off for McInroy and we didn't also take the chance to replace Stanway or Bannigan. Also suprised we waited so long to make our first sub when it was fairly obvious we had a problem. In my opinion Doolan's use of the subs is an area he needs to improve. 

I hope we have Diack on a very long contract as he looks a player. Don't think he lost a physical challenge all game, has a very decent touch, decent turn of pace and gets himself in some good positions.

[Winter of '63]

A very welcome 3 points...not entirely deserved which made it all the sweeter. We carried a real threat on both wings in the first half and I liked the first look at Ricco - tall & strong and with an eye for goal, similar in style to Sandy Frame who never got the chance to fulfil his potential through injury.

Apart from Stanway's breakaway & shot late on, we were hardly in their box in the second half. Airdrie movement & passing was decent and they had a huge amount of possession...maybe it's a credit to our defending & tactics that Airdrie hardly had a clear shot at goal but it felt like we were holding on. Not sure if their guy was offside at the end but it was a bad miss.

We don't get enough from the attacking midfield role - Alston did little and neither did McInroy...Robinson, Williamson & Lyon could also fill that position but we don't have a ball-winner or much cover elsewhere...and we don't look a particularly fit side.

Still we're comfortably in third place.

 

[lady-isobel-barnett]

4 hours ago, Aberdeenjag said:

And now he is starting against Airdrie...best of luck to the wee man.

I hope he does well and we are all raving about him at full time.

Mon theJags.

You're not know, Aberdeenjag, but the "wee man" is around 6ft 2 in 😃 

[elevenone]

20 minutes ago, laukat said:

First half we were decent in all areas. It look like Neilson had been told to keep tight to Gallagher and make sure Gallagher could only play it back to his own defence. That worked well and covered some of the gaps Bannigan and Stanway were leaving as they pulled out of position too easily

Second half Airdrie changed tactics and put the ball towards Muirhead more which stopped Lawless and McMillan getting in the game by overloading our rightside. As Diack tired we just didn't have a way out and when we did get the ball we panicked trying to get a 3rd rather than putting in a few easy passes and slowing down the game.

Surprised that Alston came off for McInroy and we didn't also take the chance to replace Stanway or Bannigan. Also suprised we waited so long to make our first sub when it was fairly obvious we had a problem. In my opinion Doolan's use of the subs is an area he needs to improve. 

I hope we have Diack on a very long contract as he looks a player. Don't think he lost a physical challenge all game, has a very decent touch, decent turn of pace and gets himself in some good positions.

he is contracted til May 2025.

[ChiThistle]

1 hour ago, Duke Gekantawa said:

Really? I thought he was excellent today. 

Tale of two halves.

Decent performance in our own half.  Looks a bit like Bambi on the ice in the opposing half.

[Barney Rubble]

Others have pointed out the weaknesses in detail, so no need to repeat.

Sneddon my MoM. Made a couple of important stops in the first half and several excellent catches in the second half.

Whatever the plan for the second half was, please rip it up and put it in the bin. Continually allowing the opposition to come out of their own half unchallenged is not a good idea under any circumstances. Thank the gracious Lord for that horrible miss at the end. Had that gone in, the result would not have been unjustified given the way we conceded possession throughout the half.

[JAG1970]

When was the last time a youngster scored on his first start?

Like others have said, we seemed determined to throw it away in the second half. Credit to Airdrie but we were - yet again - overrun in midfield and couldn’t string two passes together. No composure. We simply didn’t have an answer and we’re lucky to take all 3 points in the end. 

Edited December 2, 2023 by JAG1970

[Dick Dastardly]

28 minutes ago, JAG1970 said:

When was the last time a youngster scored on his first start?

Like others have said, we seemed determined to throw it away in the second half. Credit to Airdrie but we were - yet again - overrun in midfield and couldn’t string two passes together. No composure. We simply didn’t have an answer and we’re lucky to take all 3 points in the end. 

I’d rather be lucky than good 

[lady-isobel-barnett]

One thing that can be said is we kept our discipline. Constantly getting behind the ball, not committing to tackle and soaking up attack after attack takes some organisation. Not that such a tactic is necessarily a game winner. The difference between first and second halves was where we were ceding first balls all match in the first half we were winning most second balls. After the break we just backed off time after time content only to win loose balls.

I actually think there wasn't that much difference today with the way we approached Queen's park game. Certainly much the same with regards to today's second half and the way we played after going three up last week. Not seeing a game out effectively has been a recurrent fault all season.

[Flycatcher]

Love to know the half time team talk. 2nd half was a shocker.

I did think the midfield was too deep for the Def to do it's job.

Agree that we seem to be unfit . ( Virus at the club ??) Alston looks off the pace and needs more game time.Williams seems to be playing a slower pace then everyone.

Like Diack he was enjoying his opportunity. I would like Williams upfront at the end,

He seem to be winning headers and shielding the fall ok.....imo

 

 

[fenski]

All of the above. Credit to Airdrie though in the second half - great energy levels and hunted everything down.

[Jaggernaut]

6 hours ago, Thistle88 said:

Bannigans not good enough anymore.

Slows the game right down or else puts the team into reverse with 9 out of every 10 passes.

Williams gives me the heebee jeebees; far too slow and casual on the ball.

[Jaggernaut]

30 minutes ago, fenski said:

All of the above. Credit to Airdrie though in the second half - great energy levels and hunted everything down.

I can't remember an Aidrie team playing such a slick and fast passing game. Made our's look clumsy and pedestrian (which it was). I wish we could sign their player, Megwa

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Gotta mind Williams is playing on his weaker side and I don't think he's played much as a fullback on either side of the pitch. Certainly tho' wouldn't want to see him play as casual in his preferred central position. Don't really feel Wasiri is much of a worry as a stand in fullback. Would tho' be a concern if he was being played for a prolonged period especially on the left flank.

[exiledjag]

Any word on why Adeloye wasn't in today's squad?

[Jaggernaut]

1 hour ago, exiledjag said:

Any word on why Adeloye wasn't in today's squad?

In the match preview Doolan said he'd "rolled his ankle."