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Ayr at home


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After last seasons woeful ending I was surprisingly upbeat going into this one (with the continuity of Archie staying and the promise of a budget to compete at the top end of the league) but after today it's painfully obvious, that up to now, not a thing has changed. Fragile at the back and toothless going forward with a fair bit of sideways passing in the middle. Ok it's early in the season and we're a few bodies light but it's the lack of a real leader on the park and the softness of the team mentally that's concerning me right now. After Elliot's howler I would've put my mortgage on us huffing and puffing and eventually running out of ideas. 

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The club should have binned him last season after the County game and again at end of season, but didn’t.

They appear to be taking the easy option and letting him run down his last year, in the hope he pulls a miracle out the bag or if results continue he will fall on his sword and save them paying compo.

 

regardless of whatever statements about backing him and having good budgets it’s clear by the lack of transfer activity and smallness of squad they’re not,  and after last year would you trust Archie not to squander any budget.

 

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2 hours ago, Chachi said:

Started with 7 outfield players from last season.

Same manager and support staff.

Same slow ponderous style and tactics.

Same pattern of play.

Same defensive frailties.

Same lack of cutting edge.

Same strange substitutions.

Same lack of spirit.

Same result.

Same deluded forum members.

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3 hours ago, Barney Rubble said:

GRE, I think the structure off the park things are the best they have ever been in my lifetime of being a Jag (1966 - to date). However, as I alluded to earlier, the progress made on the field under Jackie and Archie is now going backwards at an alarming pace. That is a serious source of concern for me.

IMO Ian mcall also played a part in that progress

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We should have scored early on as Erskine and Storey we’re running riot. For about 15 minutes. 

OK, Christie had a horrible mistake but that shouldn’t be the end of the game! We did absolutely nothing after that and the heads went down. No motivation or attempt to change.

It was apparent to all but the management that Penrice should’ve been moved to def mid and Melbourne on at HT. Gordon and Spittal were a waste of space and Erskine disappeared.

Scoring continues to be impossible and, with Dools anonymous, it’s a huge concern as Storey is not a striker and will not score many goals as shown in the last minute when duffing a sitter.

Fitzpatrick showed more in 10 minutes than Spittal has for 6 months.

Have some bottle Archie and get the rubbish out the team!

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1 hour ago, elevenone said:

Awful fare today, 2nd half was Livi re-visited.  After 2nd goal went in you just knew we could have played until the end of time without getting back into it.  Agree with poster above, Erskine looks past it, Doolan is not a lone striker.  I think it is time the sentimentality that surrounds some personnel at club is looked at. :(

Elliott as well - can’t fault his fitness and energy but he is almost completely incapable of after 7 years being at the club putting a decent cross in so all his runs come to nothing. The only prediction I can make this season is that Archie will hand him a new 2 year deal 

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Slater was good, crazy decision to take him off. Storey looked threatening and Fitzpatrick was positive when he came on. Elliott did well but again his final ball let him down. 

Do share the same concerns about Erskine and Doolan that I’ve seen mentioned here. Can’t fault Erskine’s effort but he’s not really putting in quality performances these days. I think Doolan goes missing now when he’s a lone striker - much prefer him up alongside someone. 

I’d be tempted to go 3-5-2 against Ayr next week....

Bell

O’Ware - Penrice - McGinty

Elliott - Spittal - Slater - McCarthy/Gordon - Melbourne

Doolan - Storey

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10 minutes ago, ThickAsThieves said:

Slater was good, crazy decision to take him off. Storey looked threatening and Fitzpatrick was positive when he came on. Elliott did well but again his final ball let him down. 

Do share the same concerns about Erskine and Doolan that I’ve seen mentioned here. Can’t fault Erskine’s effort but he’s not really putting in quality performances these days. I think Doolan goes missing now when he’s a lone striker - much prefer him up alongside someone. 

I’d be tempted to go 3-5-2 against Ayr next week....

Bell

O’Ware - Penrice - McGinty

Elliott - Spittal - Slater - McCarthy/Gordon - Melbourne

Doolan - Storey

I am really surprised anyone thinks Elliott did well in that game.

storey is not a finisher- very good running at people and putting in a great cross just not an out and out goalscorer 

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2 hours ago, laukat said:

Today was like watching pretty much every performance from last season. We go out in the first half try like mad to score, fail and then have no plan B in the second half.

Our one attacking ploy is to keep pushing the ball wide to overlapping fullbacks who then cross into the middle. Its so predictable, so boring and so easy to defend against.

We have player's that could hurt teams through the middle such as Erskine, Storey and Slater but we started with Erskine wide left, Storey wide right and Slater the deepest lying midfielder . That's nobody's fault other than the manager's.

Gordon, Doolan and Spital were anonymous, Elliot had a howler, and despite his wonder goal against Morton I'm beginning to think Storer is not a player.

I wasn't a fan of giving Archie another go and thought it had the potential to lead to back to back relegation's so far I've not seen anything to suggest that this season won't be a struggle. Either we get some season changing signings in within the next few weeks or we have to seriously look at a new manager to provide new tactics.

Today wouldn't have been so bad if we had been trying something new (i.e. tried Melbourne at left back and Penrice in midfield ) but that was pretty much our starting eleven and the same formation as we played against Morton and Albion Rovers.

I agree with all of this, but Storer looked like a red card in waiting - and that was without being on from the start. Spittal was just the opposite - no heart at all. Archie's teams have all done the same thing every season: depended on play down the wings with no attacking through the centre. His teams rarely score: go figure. It hardly looks as the players train for attacking play or even for set pieces: the team apparently had 12 corners but couldn't manage to score from any.

It was interesting to hear McCall on the radio afterwards mentioning the World Cup, showing that he had been observing the tactics there. If any team were a guide to lower-level football there, then it must be Croatia, who reached the final by never allowing opponents to settle. For all that Elliott was at fault, he was pressed into making an error, and no-one else in his team directed him or offered support. Even a shout from Bell just to put the ball out for a corner would have been better than taking the ball into the danger area.

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4 minutes ago, Fearchar said:

I agree with all of this, but Storer looked like a red card in waiting - and that was without being on from the start. Spittal was just the opposite - no heart at all. Archie's teams have all done the same thing every season: depended on play down the wings with no attacking through the centre. His teams rarely score: go figure. It hardly looks as the players train for attacking play or even for set pieces: the team apparently had 12 corners but couldn't manage to score from any.

It was interesting to hear McCall on the radio afterwards mentioning the World Cup, showing that he had been observing the tactics there. If any team were a guide to lower-level football there, then it must be Croatia, who reached the final by never allowing opponents to settle. For all that Elliott was at fault, he was pressed into making an error, and no-one else in his team directed him or offered support. Even a shout from Bell just to put the ball out for a corner would have been better than taking the ball into the danger area.

Great point, Belll should have been all over it demanding he play it out for a corner. 

#noleadership

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1 hour ago, ThickAsThieves said:

Slater was good, crazy decision to take him off. Storey looked threatening and Fitzpatrick was positive when he came on. Elliott did well but again his final ball let him down. 

Do share the same concerns about Erskine and Doolan that I’ve seen mentioned here. Can’t fault Erskine’s effort but he’s not really putting in quality performances these days. I think Doolan goes missing now when he’s a lone striker - much prefer him up alongside someone. 

I’d be tempted to go 3-5-2 against Ayr next week....

Bell

O’Ware - Penrice - McGinty

Elliott - Spittal - Slater - McCarthy/Gordon - Melbourne

Doolan - Storey

We'll possibly be forced into three at the back for away games at Cappielow, Alloa and other narrow pitches. Doubt tho' we'll see Penrice play middle of three somehow. Can't mind if Somerset Pk is particularly tight.

I don't know what you mean about Doolan as he's scored a huge percentage of his goals as a lone striker. Perhaps you mean by "now" as very recently. I think he's just off form.

Btw Elliott is suspended next week. 

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Based on performance levels today, t's going to be a long and disappointing season.

As for Archie, can you please do your deep thinkng act during the week but get off your fat arse during the game and rant/rave/berate/communicate with the players & show the rest of us that you care. 

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1 minute ago, gianlucatoni said:

Based on performance levels today, t's going to be a long and disappointing season.

As for Archie, can you please do your deep thinkng act during the week but get off your fat arse during the game and rant/rave/berate/communicate with the players & show the rest of us that you care. 

Watch the Albion rovers highlights. I think he's immune from emotion.

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Disappointing performance and result, but I do not think that it merits the waves of negativity and immediate rushes to judgment.  I will give this relatively new and still gelling team a bit more time. A few random thoughts:

Storey's dynamism is encouraging, but he has to learn to shoot straight.

Would be good for something to come off for Doolan and/or Erskine, then hopefully their form will start to flow.

We missed O'Ware at both ends. I think he would have scored today from one of our many corners, although delivery was generally too high and floaty making it difficult to generate power in the header.

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1 hour ago, Chachi said:

Great point, Belll should have been all over it demanding he play it out for a corner. 

#noleadership

I don't get this......

Bell was one of the few that come out of today's game with pass marks. To try and apportion him some of the blame for one of the worst blunders by an experienced defender I have ever seen is strange.

I'm sure tonight even Elliot will struggle to explain to himself why he took the ball from relative safety and worked his way towards his own goal. It was primary school playground stuff. 

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Afraid to say that was a replay of every game last season and simply not good enough.  Absolutely no chance we will be pushing for promotion based on what I've seen vs Morton or Ayr.  We are supposed to have a budget to challenge . Where are the signings to back that up. What has the £600k parachute payment been spent on??

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