Just In Frae Tannadice

[potty trained]

Whilst I agree we need to be getting more goals, is it the case that Doolan and Baird are missing that many opportunities? I'd like to know their shots off/on target ratio.

 

Is our delivery into the box that good that we are moaning another missed shot or header time and again, I don't think it is.

 

Also, whilst jimmy is a fans favourite for his work rate, honesty and ability to quickly acclimatise to the top league, as the attacking midfielder, should we be expecting him to have got into more goal scoring opportunities?

 

Maybe changing to 442 with Christie alongside Doolan would be more fruitful? Creating space for Doolan?

[Bleeding Gums Murphy]

You're new here aren't you!

 

Reasonably!! & I take it by the winky face that I'm missing something obvious?

 

Edited September 27, 2013 by Bleeding Gums Murphy

[John Blutarsky]

Strange that Osbourne didnt play last night by the way !! MOTM on Sat against Killie and he doesnt start against united ? Sits on the bench all night ? If he was injured , why was he on the bench ? Never mind though , in Archie we trust !!!

Squad rotation. Gives squad players a chance to show themselves/get game time and it means Archie has an even chance to field his preferred 11 for the league. I expect that if McMillan was fit SOD would also have been left out as would ATS if we had cover for that position. The risk of ET and pens must also have been a factor in resting players. The input of the physio and conditioning coach might also have played a part in identifying who to rest. These things weren't so much of an issue in the first div.

[uberteeb]

There's nothing wrong with assuming Lawless is stalling for more money, this is always by far and away the most likely scenario when any player at any club does this.

 

And why shouldn't Elliot replace Lawless, he has been very good coming off the bench in the last two home games and Lawless has been off the boil compared to what he was like at the beginning of the season.

 

As for corner kicks, now that we have players who can swing a decent one in it shouldn't be that hard to work on a few things in the training ground as opposed to just lining all the big guys up and having them charge in at the same time. You can design runs for people to go to a certain places, you can design one runner to take his own marker with him and get in the way of another defender marking someone else so the our player is unmarked, put people in various places to legally obstruct the keeper, etc. We still seem pretty amatuer when it comes to corner kicks.

[Mr Bunny]

It's both of these simultaneously, imo.

 

Unless you've got tons of money, it's much easier to shore up defence. It's also easier to improve defence you've got than the strikers you've got, a strikers' form is so much about ephemeral things such as confidence and reaction. It's easier to train out weaknesses in a defence.

 

Saying that I'd not like us to change our system much, it's a good system and if we just had been able to afford a better class forward I'm sure we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

I'd say that for most games we should have Osbourne as defensive midfield, giving our young defenders a bit of protection and making sure everyone works hard - the last we don't have to worry about at the moment, they do.

 

Apart from that it's just trying to keep confidence up and doing what we're doing - except maybe look for new training ideas to freshen things up a bit and keep the enthusiasm going.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Mr Bunny

[lady-isobel-barnett]

As for corner kicks, now that we have players who can swing a decent one in it shouldn't be that hard to work on a few things in the training ground as opposed to just lining all the big guys up and having them charge in at the same time. You can design runs for people to go to a certain places, you can design one runner to take his own marker with him and get in the way of another defender marking someone else so the our player is unmarked, put people in various places to legally obstruct the keeper, etc. We still seem pretty amatuer when it comes to corner kicks.

 

Good points. We've come on light years on delivery since the likes of Cairney was taking corners. I feel it's more about players in the box taking a gamble. Often it's the daft move nowhere that can wrong foot a defence and let another in. Apart from our real threat, Conrad, we've got the players with height and a bit of presence Muirhead, Sinclair, Elliott, and the likes of Welsh and Higginbotham (tho' he often takes the corners) are more than useful with the head.

Don't know the facts and figures (maybe someone could back me up) but I'm willing to bet we win a fair number of corners in most games we play.

[yoda-jag]

As for corner kicks, now that we have players who can swing a decent one in it shouldn't be that hard to work on a few things in the training ground as opposed to just lining all the big guys up and having them charge in at the same time. You can design runs for people to go to a certain places, you can design one runner to take his own marker with him and get in the way of another defender marking someone else so the our player is unmarked, put people in various places to legally obstruct the keeper, etc. We still seem pretty amatuer when it comes to corner kicks.

Good points. We've come on light years on delivery since the likes of Cairney was taking corners. I feel it's more about players in the box taking a gamble. Often it's the daft move nowhere that can wrong foot a defence and let another in. Apart from our real threat, Conrad, we've got the players with height and a bit of presence Muirhead, Sinclair, Elliott, and the likes of Welsh and Higginbotham (tho' he often takes the corners) are more than useful with the head.

Don't know the facts and figures (maybe someone could back me up) but I'm willing to bet we win a fair number of corners in most games we play.

 

good points uberteeb, and l-i-b.

corners (and free kicks around the box) is a area of our play we need to get more streetwise and inventive about.

WRT facts and figures on corners, i was quite sure we have outscored most opposition on corner kick counts this season, and decided to check the bbc (not alwys the most accurate admittedly), and my memory was proved right.

With exception of the aberdeen game, we have "won" on corners in 5 games, drawn in 2, and only "lost" in 1, so far against same league opposition.

 

v dufc (league) 10-6

v ross county 6-6

v hearts 4-4

v motherwell 6-5

v st mirren 11-2

v aberdeen 4-6

v kilmarnock 6-5

v dufc (cup) 10-5

[uberteeb]

We win loads of corners because of the often pish balls put in by SOD and ATS that don't get past the first man but when whipped in at pace can be sclaffed out for corners.

 

We went through a brief phase either last season or the season before when we were actually scoring a few goals from corners for the first time in about 10 years, with our inability to score from open play at home we really need to make the most of these. As much as I shout Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiistle at the corners I never really expect us to score from them.

[The Cup]

Forbes takes good corners. He hasn't be in the team though.

Lawless and Higgys' corner are pish.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

 

v dufc (league) 10-6

v ross county 6-6

v hearts 4-4

v motherwell 6-5

v st mirren 11-2

v aberdeen 4-6

v kilmarnock 6-5

v dufc (cup) 10-5

 

Ta for info, yoda.

 

I'm not making any serious point but I make that 57 corners and one goal (Doolan's at Ross Co) plus Muirhead's penalty v Hearts arose from a corner. I suppose the negative from that would be we've taken 55 corners against top division opposition and got nothing from them. As always you can twist statistics any way but it's more a general feeling we should be getting more out of them.

[Bleeding Gums Murphy]

There's nothing wrong with assuming Lawless is stalling for more money, this is always by far and away the most likely scenario when any player at any club does this.

 

And why shouldn't Elliot replace Lawless, he has been very good coming off the bench in the last two home games and Lawless has been off the boil compared to what he was like at the beginning of the season.

 

 

We'd all like more money in whatever job you do but if you take a promotion in work you go for an interview or you get a temporary promotion to show you're capable of doing the job. I'm not saying Lawless isn't capable but if the 1st 8 games or so is his interview then he hasn't done enough for me- yet- to show that he's worth taking the punt on for the extra money he's supposedly looking for.

 

That's the gamble I guess & it's a 2 way thing. The club could've taken a transfer fee for him in the Summer & Lawless, if it was his want, could've insisted he went.

 

So what you have is both parties- Lawless & the club- in the same place as they were in the Summer except now many people are looking for Elliot to replace Lawless which probably tells you more about the way Lawless has started the season than anything else.

 

 

[David Stevenson]

Ta for info, yoda.

 

I'm not making any serious point but I make that 57 corners and one goal (Doolan's at Ross Co) plus Muirhead's penalty v Hearts arose from a corner. I suppose the negative from that would be we've taken 55 corners against top division opposition and got nothing from them. As always you can twist statistics any way but it's more a general feeling we should be getting more out of them.

Sellick had 27 against Morton on Tuesday and didn't score from even one....

 

Anyone got time to go to the bbc site and work out what club IS good at scoring from corners?

[peagreenboy]

Sellick had 27 against Morton on Tuesday and didn't score from even one....

 

That's one every three minutes! How did Morton get out of their half, let alone score a goal?!?

[The Cup]

Sellick had 27 against Morton on Tuesday and didn't score from even one.... Anyone got time to go to the bbc site and work out what club IS good at scoring from corners?

 

You know it's a really bad corner when the opposition scores from one of yours.

[David Stevenson]

You know it's a really bad corner when the opposition scores from one of yours.

Very true. Though also maybe showing that we had everybody up because it was injury time?

[Lenziejag]

 

 

Not sure whether we are creating so many "clear cut" chances, our attack play to the edge of the box is great, but then fails, would like to see us play the ball in to the box (back to last year) more than cross it for as lone striker, a few more shots from distance would be good as we have the players capable, but maybe their is a wee confidence issue as we are not scoring regularly from open play. I also this may be making our defence edgy as they know 1 mistake could cost us a 1-0 loss, where last year we just went up and scored more than the oposition so the defence played with a bit more relaxed heads which added to their confidence and their performances.

 

I still believe we are 1 game away from it all clicking together and someone being absolutely humped by us, lets hope its this saturday

 

In both the Hearts game and the Killie game, their best player was the keeper. Scored 3 at Ross County and 2 at St Mirren.

[Veejag]

I bloody love Ross Forbes but his corners were worryingly rank on Wednesday.

[The Sunnylaw Jag]

I bloody love Ross Forbes

And they say Bromance is dead.

[Albert's Ghost]

I may have said this already, but I was well impressed by Killie's corners the other day.

Fair whizzed in they did. Forbes can do that.

[Veejag]

Who said that SJ?

 

Forbes, Elliot and Higgy currently on my "I'd give you a hug" list.