Livi Tuesday Home

[fifexile]

24 minutes ago, partickthedog said:

Lee Ashcroft so unlucky with the shot that hit the bar. Shows what happens when a player drives into the box and shoots.

I appreciate that I was a long way away in the John Lambie, but it looked like Jakubiak and Graham should have buried their late chances to make matters more interesting for Friday.

Having said that, each Friday the challenge gets tougher, and each time so far we have come through!

Think Graham was a little unlucky the defender got a touch on the cross that just took it away and made him stretch a fraction further to get a contact.  On another day the defender's touch defects it past his own keeper or gets no touch and Graham finishes. Small margins.

[partickthedog]

1 minute ago, fifexile said:

Think Graham was a little unlucky the defender got a touch on the cross that just took it away and made him stretch a fraction further to get a contact.  On another day the defender's touch defects it past his own keeper or gets no touch and Graham finishes. Small margins.

Thank you. Could not see that from so far away.

[Tom Hosie]

I can't fault the effort that's been shown over the last few demanding weeks. 

I don't think that Livi are miles better than us, the league results bare that out, but they are better. 

Add to that the number of injuries, players playing when clearly short of 100% and it makes it all really difficult. 

That said I thought first 40 minutes was the best we've played in recent weeks. Or to qualify that, the best we've looked as an attacking force in recent weeks. 

The margins are relatively fine. Take one of the chances at 0-0 and it is a different game but you can't argue that Livi didn't deserve that or that they aren't just that bit better than us. Full squad that's less noticeable but even then they are that bit stronger than we are. 

Quite what team we'll be capable of putting out on Friday is a mystery. 

It won't make an already really tough task any easier. 

Football is weird though. The play-offs are weird. 

Do I expect us to turn it around? No. But I'm not running up the white flag either. 

Give it our best shot. See if circumstances contrive to make the unlikely possible. 

 

[Thistle88]

13 minutes ago, Winter of '63 said:

Disappointing but not really surprising. We fought hard to beat Falkirk & Livy to hold on to the play off spot and then to get through against Ayr but we're a just above average Championship side and we've been a tough watch all season, struggling to retain possession and open up defences. Not enough from our creative players and apart from Banzo who at least tries to get on the ball, there has been nothing much from midfield - linking up play has never been Graham's strength.

Two guys in the row in front couldn't wait for their half-time pies and blocked my view of the build up for the first goal but having watched the clip, it looks like Megwa lost his bearings again in defence.   I feared a drubbing when McBeth who had been excellent didn't make the second half. He and Ashcroft once again defended well but it looked a step too far tonight for quite a few of our players. 

Despite all this, if Graham had scored at the end, we might be thinking that going through was still possible!

McBeth has been absolutely amazing the last few games, also have to say Crawford has been excellent too.

[Auld Jag]

Imo it took us 20 minutes or so to really get into the game. Graham should have done better with the back heel he tried when Crawford stopped the ball from going out. Livingston scored when we were the better team and that took some of the the energy away from our players and when they scored less than ten minutes into the second half to go 2 up i think that drained even more energy from the team. Ashcroft really unlucky with his effort and Graham with a great chance in the last minute or so.

[fenski]

Agree with praise for McBeth. Sorta wish it had worked out for him anchoring the midfield, although his most obvious weakness is passing. So maybe not.

[Thistle88]

We will score 2 on Friday, whether it will be enough to get to extra time I don’t know. Got a feeling though, and I’m sticking money on it.

[Thistle88]

1 minute ago, fenski said:

Agree with praise for McBeth. Sorta wish it had worked out for him anchoring the midfield, although his most obvious weakness is passing. So maybe not.

 Better carrier of the ball than a passer, crazy when you think he was playing junior 2 seasons ago though. Very good CB at this level.

[dl1971]

Think our luck ran out tonight. Livvy were clearly better than us, but we should have scored at least 1. Not quite all over, but it feels like it right now. However much like the ayr game if we do manage to score first, it's game on. 

[Jaggernaut]

5 hours ago, Yellow & Redneck said:

Season over. Another daft free-kick. Unfortunately you can see that Livi are streets ahead of us in every department. 

Yes, the better team won; fact.

We got very lucky when we beat them a couple of weeks ago, the team then managed to raise their game for the 2nd leg against Ayr, but the overall lack of quality (or at least flair and creativity) was again evident last night. I'm not even angry, but still actually impressed that such a mediocre squad with some truly awful displays and results throughout the season actually put up a fight and got to where they are now.

But for next season.... I would not be unhappy if any out of contract players get released ASAP. We need freshness, not more of the same.

[Jaggernaut]

Thought I'd mention this: at one point (I think we were goal down) during a passage of sideways and back passing in our own half I started counting, and from then there were another eight passes between defenders and our keeper, with the ball moving not even one inch nearer the Livi half.

[Jaggernaut]

6 hours ago, Dick Dastardly said:

Is any team in the world worse at taking throw ins ?

No.

Giving us a throw-in is like a gift to the opposition.

[Emsca]

6 hours ago, Tom Hosie said:

I can't fault the effort that's been shown over the last few demanding weeks. 

I don't think that Livi are miles better than us, the league results bare that out, but they are better. 

Add to that the number of injuries, players playing when clearly short of 100% and it makes it all really difficult. 

That said I thought first 40 minutes was the best we've played in recent weeks. Or to qualify that, the best we've looked as an attacking force in recent weeks. 

The margins are relatively fine. Take one of the chances at 0-0 and it is a different game but you can't argue that Livi didn't deserve that or that they aren't just that bit better than us. Full squad that's less noticeable but even then they are that bit stronger than we are. 

Quite what team we'll be capable of putting out on Friday is a mystery. 

It won't make an already really tough task any easier. 

Football is weird though. The play-offs are weird. 

Do I expect us to turn it around? No. But I'm not running up the white flag either. 

Give it our best shot. See if circumstances contrive to make the unlikely possible. 

 

What is the mystery surrounding the team selection ?

it will be the same as last night minus Ashcroft and maybe McBeth. I would also drop Low.

Playing  into this narrative that we are exhausted is unhelpful . If the players believe they are exhausted it gives them an excuse. They are professional athletes - 2 games of football a week should not be beyond them .

[Dick Dastardly]

1 hour ago, Emsca said:

What is the mystery surrounding the team selection ?

it will be the same as last night minus Ashcroft and maybe McBeth. I would also drop Low.

Playing  into this narrative that we are exhausted is unhelpful . If the players believe they are exhausted it gives them an excuse. They are professional athletes - 2 games of football a week should not be beyond them .

If you drop Low, then who do you play at left wingback ?

If McBeth and Ashcroft are out then who do you play in defence ?

[eljaggo]

Livingston played a canny game after their second goal.  They pushed the ball around making us chase the game quickly tiring us.  I don't think that we can improve much on Friday, but the squad deserve huge kudos for their application and performance over the last few weeks. Had Graham's back heeler gone in, the game would have quite different, and so an early goal for us on Friday could change things.

 

[Tom Hosie]

2 hours ago, Emsca said:

What is the mystery surrounding the team selection ?

it will be the same as last night minus Ashcroft and maybe McBeth. I would also drop Low.

Playing  into this narrative that we are exhausted is unhelpful . If the players believe they are exhausted it gives them an excuse. They are professional athletes - 2 games of football a week should not be beyond them .

If McBeth and Ashcroft are out, and that is an if, we've one recognised centre half. If Megwa covers centre back we don't have a right back available whose started a single game there all season. 

If we drop Low who plays left back? Can't be O'Reilly if he is our one recognised centre back. 

We were sbort of numbers last night. We're potentially even shorter for Friday. 

I never said the players were exhausted. 

[lady-isobel-barnett]

4 hours ago, Emsca said:

What is the mystery surrounding the team selection ?

it will be the same as last night minus Ashcroft and maybe McBeth. I would also drop Low.

Playing  into this narrative that we are exhausted is unhelpful . If the players believe they are exhausted it gives them an excuse. They are professional athletes - 2 games of football a week should not be beyond them .

Nobody would surely argue that a full time football team won't be fit enough to play two games a week. Besides being able to sub half your outfield players means in theory no player has to (bar goalie) be on the field for 180 mins. I didn't in fact think we looked that leggy last night. If we did look off the pace that's more to do with Livingston being the fresher side making us look that way. 

My point then is of a purely relative nature. One team has been able to rest players, work on various niggling injuries and simply be overall fresher than the team who have had to field players carrying various niggles etc. Effectively the former are then in a far stronger position to make tactical substitutions. So I too don't rate the exhaustion narrative. Far more to do with the relative fitness situation of the two squads. 

[Lenziejag]

4 hours ago, Dick Dastardly said:

If you drop Low, then who do you play at left wingback ?

If McBeth and Ashcroft are out then who do you play in defence ?

I have a horrible feeling that O’Reilly might be missing too. It looked like he took another head knock early on but jumped up pretty quickly and has been said had a pretty poor game. Whether that was as a result of that or having to cover for Low, I don’t know.

[fenski]

4 hours ago, Tom Hosie said:

If McBeth and Ashcroft are out, and that is an if, we've one recognised centre half. If Megwa covers centre back we don't have a right back available whose started a single game there all season. 

If we drop Low who plays left back? Can't be O'Reilly if he is our one recognised centre back. 

We were sbort of numbers last night. We're potentially even shorter for Friday. 

I never said the players were exhausted. 

Ashcroft went off so quickly it suggests hamstring so no way he'll be back. I wonder if we'll see the young guy who recently signed from the academy make an appearance? Is it Dolan? Rooney wide right?

[fenski]

2 minutes ago, Lenziejag said:

I have a horrible feeling that O’Reilly might be missing too. It looked like he took another head knock early on but jumped up pretty quickly and has been said had a pretty poor game. Whether that was as a result of that or having to cover for Low, I don’t know.

Looked slightly off the pace but I think more to do with him covering different roles.

I hope it's that, because he shouldn't be out there if he's still being affected by head knock in Ayr game.

[Lenziejag]

49 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

Nobody would surely argue that a full time football team won't be fit enough to play two games a week. Besides being able to sub half your outfield players means in theory no player has to (bar goalie) be on the field for 180 mins. I didn't in fact think we looked that leggy last night. If we did look off the pace that's more to do with Livingston being the fresher side making us look that way. 

My point then is of a purely relative nature. One team has been able to rest players, work on various niggling injuries and simply be overall fresher than the team who have had to field players carrying various niggles etc. Effectively the former are then in a far stronger position to make tactical substitutions. So I too don't rate the exhaustion narrative. Far more to do with the relative fitness situation of the two squads. 

They also have a bigger squad, more akin to a premiership team, than most other championship teams, I think. Not sure what their injury situation is though.

[Albert's Ghost]

Dan's head is like a block of stone.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

I'm not saying this in complete jest. I can see Brian Graham either start or end up at centreback on Friday.

[JAG1970]

11 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

I'm not saying this in complete jest. I can see Brian Graham either start or end up at centreback on Friday.

I was thinking the same thing. If it’s 3 at the back then OReilly, Graham and Megwa, with perhaps McKenzie at RWB and Low although pushing him to play 3 games in 8 days might be a stretch too. If it’s 4 at the back OReilly and Megwa might be the only option. Unless Kelly is fit again but he wouldn’t last 90 anyway. The alternative is we throw in another youngster for a potential baptism of fire. 

[Tom Hosie]

I've often though that Brian would be an option as an emergency centre back.  He offers a lot defensively already

Friday to me doesn't seem the time to test that out though 

We need two goals from somewhere. Not having Brian to win flick ons, even if they don't lead to anything, and challenge for the ball up front just means surrendering possession and play almost always coming towards our goal. 

My hope re Ashcroft is that he was taken off quickly to ensure no further damage can be done. 

If he and McBeth are out then I don't see any other option than 4 at the back with Zander right back, Low left back and the two centre backs being Megwa and O'Reilly. Unless you do stick Dolan in there. I know he is highly rated, but he has just turned 16. It would be a big ask of him in any circumstance but alongside a makeshift centre back in Megwa would make it extra difficult. That's a big weight on O'Reilly's shoulders having to essentially carry them through. 

I fancy we might just go 4 even if Ashcroft and/or McBeth do play. Extra man up alongside Brian, or just off. There's real risks to that but as things stand we are out. We'll need to do something to change the dynamic of the tie. Personally I wouldn't go all guns blazing right from the off but try and bed ourselves into the game and try and nick the first goal. Take it from there.