Just In Frae Tannadice

[Watson Towers]

sigh.

 

4-1 sounds like a doing. Hmm, okay, 4-1 is a doing - but there wasn't anything like that of a difference between the teams. As usual, we looked good without making many real chances, and kinda fluffed those that we did make. Badwillie scored all of the chances that came his way, and that was the difference.

 

Lawless and Baird, coming on as subs, looked mingin', but the rest of the players did fine. Centre backs, despite a really unlucky slip from Balatoni for goal no.1, were okay. Sinky and O'Donnell got forward well enough. Welsh had a good first half, but maybe tired a bit. Kerr, despite a few moans from the crowd, played his best game for Thistle (aye, I know, not saying much there), and Forbes used the ball well. Higgy, too, started well but faded. Dools woorked tirelessly as ever but it never quite clicked.

 

Ah well, diddy cup out the way - back to the real thing on Saturday.

[allyo]

This Thistle team is genuine Partick Thistle material. You can't fault them on that.

[jaggy]

Why does Conrad keep slipping this season? Very strange

[partickthedog]

Christie Elliot was excellent.

[stillresigned]

Only Thistle could play the home team off the park, but still come in at half-time losing 2-0 to the oppositions only two shots on target! Perversely, I ain't too disappointed, sure we made some ghastly errors and completely lacked punch. However, our all round play was excellent and a delight to watch. Last comment before I retire I really think that Elliot's done enough to earn a starting berth and even one at centre forward, I can't see him doing worse than the currant occupants.

[Willjag]

Christie Elliot was excellent.

What sort of positon did he take up? Through the centre or on the flanks?

[lady-isobel-barnett]

What sort of positon did he take up? Through the centre or on the flanks?

 

He played right flank with Higginbotham on the left for much of the game. They switched about a bit for a while prior to Kallum getting subbed. For the last 30 mins when Baird replaced Doolan he played more thru the middle but to be quite honest partly to do with chasing the game Christie was all over the place. Not meant as a criticism of Baird and Lawless but if you only saw the last 20 mins you'd have thought Elliott was the sub with the fresh legs.

 

Not sure the name of the United guy who played down the left but he was given a lot of respect with O'Donnell and Elliott doubling up on the marking. Christie is no mug at defending.

.

[The Legend Blows]

We're DOOMED. God help us if we get a centre back injury and an injury to one of our super strikers at the same time. Just gotta hope and pray St Mirren don't sack Lennon & Hearts fade as the season progresses. Muirhead for top goalscorer!

[The Main Stand]

I never made the game tonight but a friend of mine - a Dundee Utd fan - said we played well and the score flattered Utd. The guy on the radio was going on about how well we were playing in the first half. I kinda feared the worst when i heard that. We need to bury teams at half time, like we should have with Hearts and Killie but didn't.

It'll come. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I'm glad that Elliot got a start tonight. Nice to hear that he had a good game.

[Alan Hansen]

I never made the game tonight but a friend of mine - a Dundee Utd fan - said we played well and the score flattered Utd. The guy on the radio was going on about how well we were playing in the first half. I kinda feared the worst when i heard that. We need to bury teams at half time, like we should have with Hearts and Killie but didn't.

It'll come. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I'm glad that Elliot got a start tonight. Nice to hear that he had a good game.

 

I know it is stating the bleeding obvious but this lack of punch in front of goal is going to kill us I don't envy Archie on this one

as he can only go with what he has and we certainly cannot afford a proven goalscorer, no wonder Bale, Ronaldo etc get paid so much they are as rare as hens teeth in the modern game.

[marco77]

I thought at the start of the season the one thing that was going to hurt us was scoring goals. We have had chances to kill off teams this season but havent taken them. Doolan has said that once it clicks then we will give someone a doin, lets hope it clicks soon.

[Firhillista]

Wasn't at the game, but the stats seem to tell the story - 55% Thistle possession to United's 45%, 10 corners to Thistle to United's 5, 10 shots from Thistle to 8 from United.

 

And 3 shots on target from Thistle to United's 5...

[Norgethistle]

We need to get a win before the confidence drops and the performances drop with it, a wee rub of the green is all we need

[eljaggo]

Wasn't at the game, but the stats seem to tell the story - 55% Thistle possession to United's 45%, 10 corners to Thistle to United's 5, 10 shots from Thistle to 8 from United.

 

And 3 shots on target from Thistle to United's 5...

That sums it up - and the season so far - very well. Seeing the Kilmarnock game on tele, I thought that we had learned the lesson from the Aberdeen game - don't get pushed about - so AA and the team seem to be very switched on. I'm sure therefore that they will adapt to complete what is a good emerging picture, i.e. score more goals.

[ian_mac]

We definitely started the better team and for the first half hour looked like we could get a result.

 

Terrible slip by Balatoni for the goal and very poor defending all round for the 2nd. You could tell from the first few corners they got that there was a good chance they would get a goal via that avenue. Compare that to our corners, terrible delivery all night, simply not good enough.

 

Final ball from O'Donnell continues to be very very poor, it's as if he can't get the ball off the ground.

 

For me, it was a mistake to sub Doolan, he was playing well and looked likely to score.

 

I've tried to give Baird the benefit of the doubt until now but he was absolutely useless tonight.

 

Lawless has to take the blame for the 4th goal. Absolutely dreadful delivery from his corner which allowed them to charge up the park and score.

 

Elliot was the silver lining tonight. Thought he played very well once again and deserved his start.

[uberteeb]

I never thought I'd say this a few months ago but I really hope Elliot starts in place of Lawless on Saturday.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Lawless has to take the blame for the 4th goal. Absolutely dreadful delivery from his corner which allowed them to charge up the park and score.

 

I remember Lawless taking corners one game at Firhill last season and not one of them (or nearly every one) failed to get to the nearside post. Baird on the other hand takes useful corners. I can't think why when both were over the ball last night they decided on that being one for Lawless to take. I can't believe there's that much desperation to get Baird on the scoresheet.

I suppose in terms of the game it's a minor issue, and we want the team to learn from their defeats, but it was baffling as much as annoying.

[The Cup]

Partick Thistle boss Alan Archibald : "I thought we knocked the ball about well. We just missed that 'clinical-ness' in front of goal which we have said all season and silly mistakes at the back cost us.

 

This sums up our season so far.

I'll probably get rounded up on but Balatoni's mistakes have cost us more than 1 goal this season.

[Harry Wragg]

thought we played the better football but just didnt get the breaks in the final third of the park, forbes looked miffed at being subbed !! thought Elliott was in his element and hope to see him gettin more starts this season , not impressed with Baird and wee Lawless is out of his depth in the top flight I'm sorry to say, great player in the 1st div but hasnt stepped up here, and of course the defence needs to be tightened up considerably , despite the result i thought it was a good game with us making most of the contribution towards making it entertaining, if we play with the same confidence as that opening 20 - 30 mins last night then we have nothing to fear from the "also rans" in the league , roll on Sat at Perth !!

[javeajag]

I take it Piccoli was better last night?

[lady-isobel-barnett]

thought we played the better football but just didnt get the breaks in the final third of the park, forbes looked miffed at being subbed !! thought Elliott was in his element and hope to see him gettin more starts this season , not impressed with Baird and wee Lawless is out of his depth in the top flight I'm sorry to say, great player in the 1st div but hasnt stepped up here, and of course the defence needs to be tightened up considerably , despite the result i thought it was a good game with us making most of the contribution towards making it entertaining, if we play with the same confidence as that opening 20 - 30 mins last night then we have nothing to fear from the "also rans" in the league , roll on Sat at Perth !!

 

You clearly weren't up at Dingwall.

[macca]

You clearly weren't up at Dingwall.

That`s the only good game he`s had this season and was quite rightly dropped last night . He may find it difficult to get back in after Elliot`s performance . Thought we played well last night but as usual we were powder puff up front

[Dark Passenger]

The only good game he's had or the only game in which he's scored?

 

Some of our fans are really beginning to depress me.

[Harry Wragg]

I take it Piccoli was better last night?

Yes, much better and he's had a haircut ??

[Pie Of The Month]

It's quite strange how much of a difference a couple of hundred yards can make to your enjoyment of a game. Dens Park in recent seasons stuck in their main stand with stewards intent on ruining your day is in stark contrast to Tannadice these days with a decent view and more enlightened stewards who realise standing is fine as long as you're not in the way of anyone else.

 

Not much to add to what has been said regarding the performance, those on the fringes who started have done their chances of starting league games in the future no harm. Forbes and Elliott in particular deserve their chance soon enough.

 

You clearly weren't up at Dingwall.

 

I was, he was excellent. He's not done that much since though unless being clattered in the stomach by Pascali to win a penalty counts.

 

ETA in the league. We wouldn't have been at Tannadice last night if not for his performance earlier in the competition coming off the bench.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Pie Of The Month