Tims vs Dons

[ayrshire_don74]

its the mental capitulation dom ball should be nowhere near a dons jersey  why can we not lay a glove on them could have been 5-0

[RicoS321]

its the mental capitulation dom ball should be nowhere near a dons jersey  why can we not lay a glove on them could have been 5-0

 

Name your team. Did you even watch the game?

[ayrshire_don74]

wright ross harvie all could have started today ,arguably enabling us to have a go and better shapr, hearts played a 16 yrd old last week

[Jute]

Aye, fitiver. Are you going to name the team you'd have picked in the circumstances, or just be a dick?

 

We could have at least had a go rather than just trying to keep score down. I said after last 3-0 I would not attend another game against Celtic under NcInnes but stupidly attended again. Not something that will happen again.

[RicoS321]

wright ross harvie all could have started today ,arguably enabling us to have a go and better shapr, hearts played a 16 yrd old last week

 

Playing four wide players and a left back at right back would have given us a better shape? Hertz played young players in their correct positions, we'd have been shoe-horning them in for the sake of it. Wright has been pish lately, and Ross was given a chance against Dundee and didn't perform. I'm no fan of Ball, but he had a decent game.

 

Jute, we didn't exactly sit back and let them come at us. We were ridiculously unlucky for the first two goals, we set up with a 4-2-3-1 and had plenty of the ball. It was a distinct improvement on recent performances and setup against them. Would you genuinely expect us to go all out attack against them? We pressed them high up the park when they had the ball at the back, which is what we've been crying out for. With the options of Rooney or Maynard, we weren't exactly going to be peppering their goal. I'm interested to here what you'd have done differently in terms of personnel or formation given the injuries? That was night and day from the performance at Pittodrie and Ibrox recently.

[manc_don]

Intrigued to watch the redtv highlights on the back of that rico, certainly the score line I suspected but had the luxury of being asleep during the game so didn’t see the horror show of a line up. They really do have dms number, although it sounds like we didn’t have much other option available to us today.

 

DD , that just an internet rumour?

[Jute]

Playing four wide players and a left back at right back would have given us a better shape? Hertz played young players in their correct positions, we'd have been shoe-horning them in for the sake of it. Wright has been pish lately, and Ross was given a chance against Dundee and didn't perform. I'm no fan of Ball, but he had a decent game.

 

Jute, we didn't exactly sit back and let them come at us. We were ridiculously unlucky for the first two goals, we set up with a 4-2-3-1 and had plenty of the ball. It was a distinct improvement on recent performances and setup against them. Would you genuinely expect us to go all out attack against them? We pressed them high up the park when they had the ball at the back, which is what we've been crying out for. With the options of Rooney or Maynard, we weren't exactly going to be peppering their goal. I'm interested to here what you'd have done differently in terms of personnel or formation given the injuries? That was night and day from the performance at Pittodrie and Ibrox recently.

 

At the game it looked to me like we sat in. As soon as they had ball we dropped off to half way line. Maybe injuries and paper thin squad forced us to play that way but it's how we played. Felt at game it was always a question of when they scored not if.

[LA-Don]

Watched the game for an hour but had to deal with a baby so didn’t see the last 30 mins. I thought some players played well but I thought tactically we got it wrong again. We sat far too deep too often again and let Celtic knock it around. Dropping to the half way line is one thing but it still means we’re chasing the game and it’s physically and mentally draining. Other than a ten/fifteen minute spell in the first half it was Celtic possession, attack, win it,  and we struggle to keep possession. At times we weren’t bad but still so much long ball which is shit.

 

We didn’t press Celtic enough to scare them. We didn’t have a go. Very disappointing yet again as they are not that good.

 

I suppose I’ll add that from what I saw Ball did ok, no better or worse than Shay. Stewart and GMS looked lively. Shinnie worked his bollocks off as usual. If only we had 3 Shinnie’s in the middle of midfield.......ignoring the yellow cards. Didn’t think the back 4 in general were bad but don’t think we get much from OConnor McLean or Rooney. These are such important positions yet are our weak links. Long ball to Rooney doesn’t help but we get little link play from him and OConnor and McLean are mean to be heavily influential in the positions they play and simply are not.

[donsdaft]

Yes mancdon just an internet rumour.

 

 

I thought they gave it a good go in the circumstances.

[Nips_and_Tatties]

So Rooney pish again?

 

Surprised at that.

 

[Nips_and_Tatties]

Hope Dm has 2 strikers lined up for the January window.

 

[RicoS321]

So Rooney pish again?

 

Surprised at that.

 

 

He wasn't pish, he was okay. Just not much use in that type of role where he has to chase the ball around for much of the game. But then I'm certain May would've started had he been fit/sober (I thought he wis tee total?). Bringing Maynard on made us ten times worse, unsurprisingly. At that point, I'd have brought on Wright or Ross and moved McLean or Stewart into the striker role. I think we needed something completely different and Maynard is a known pointless replacement. Not sure what else I'd have done different in the circumstances. We really need a young striker coming through that could come off the bench and hassle folk. We haven't even replaced Magennis in that regard.

[rocket_scientist]

That was painful. The injuries/illnesses that kept Logan and May out put us behind the 8 ball, particularly Shay who had a good game last week, in a calendar year where he has had few.

 

I have no idea why McInnes dropped McKenna, an ever-present for months now.

 

Like another, I wish McInnes had fucked off. He’s a charlatan midget who will never attain better than mediocre.

[LA-Don]

I believe it was injury and illness that led to May Logan and McKenna all being left out but I don’t think tactics would have changed had they been available. Read a little of DMs post match interview which talks about luck. In my opinion luck means fuck all, you create your own luck, Celtic got the breaks because they attacked for most of the game. We defended for large parts and as much as they got lucky on goals they missed chances too. In the hour I watched I think we had one Stewart shot. Going to win fuck all with that regardless of luck.

 

 

[rocket_scientist]

I found it deeply poetic or ironic or something that the first two goals involved Ball and Reynolds.  Neither had started for a long time.

 

Ball was hapless as the ball ricocheted off him. Fuck knows what the ref was thinking with his positioning. Ball made Sinclair look good, and he hasn’t been for quite a while. MB was so slow, both of pace and mind, an obvious case of having dim wits. Never seen any value in that cunt.

 

Reynolds header was unfortunate but it was shite and it cost us game over. He was so good in his first season, POTY and deservedly so. His abject showings in the years since will be down to him, his manager or a combination of the two. One of my clients is from Motherwell and his best mate. As I have no idea why MR has turned to shit, I’ve decided to ask him if he’s heard anything from Mark himself to explain his awful deterioration. Depending on the answer I get, if any, I may not be able to post it, for obvious reasons but I’ll pass on as much as I can, even by implication and reference.

[manc_don]

Interested to hear more about that, Rocket.

[rocket_scientist]

Interested to hear more about that, Rocket.

 

It will indeed be interesting. I have further decided to engineer it so that I ask him in person, most likely in a phone call.

 

I will contrive some reason by e-mail for him to call me in the new year or probably next week before Jan 1.

[Ten Caat]

Reynolds descent into abject shittiness is because at 6'1" he is absolutely tiny for a central defender and the one attribute that bailed him out in his younger years.......his pace......started to dissipate 2-3 years ago leaving him now exposed in every facet of his job. I was amazed/horrified when he got a 3 year contract extension. I doubt we will even be able to punt him to a lower ranking club at season's end and fully expect us to be burdened with him till 2020.

[rocket_scientist]

Very good argument TC. That could be spot on. Doubt Officer Dibble could find fault with that one

[rocket_scientist]

Remember that Willie Miller is not as tall as MR. Height isn’t everything. Length. Girth. Attitude. Desire.

[LA-Don]

Remember that Willie Miller is not as tall as MR. Height isn’t everything. Length. Girth. Attitude. Desire.

 

 

I think what made Willie so special was desire. Hard as nails and refused to lose regardless of who we played. DM take note.

[rocket_scientist]

 

I think what made Willie so special was desire. Hard as nails and refused to lose regardless of who we played. DM take note.

 

Page. Same as. Truth.

 

DM not cut from the same cloth. Cunt. Hun loser fuck.

[BobbyBiscuit]

 

I think what made Willie so special was desire. Hard as nails and refused to lose regardless of who we played. DM take note.

 

While that's very true, it should never be forgotten that he was a very talented footballer, in the truest sense of the words.  He could dribble out of trouble, loved a one-two as well and his long range passing was superb. 

 

This country now seems to have players who can only show one side of the two - either players who are silky but are pea hearted, or players who have all the desire but none of the skill to back it up - why not both? 

 

I would partly put it down to shite like the idea of having a "Defensive Centre Mid" and an "Attacking Centre Mid" and not just a "Centre Mid".  Neil Simpson, Jim Bett, Brian Grant... played the full park; tackles, tracking your man, passing - knowing when to play it back, knowing when to play it forward, knowing when to hold on to it, forward runs, third man runs to support your strikers... we don't have one "centre mid" who can do all of that, but those three players I mentioned could do all of it. 

 

No one can mention Shinnie here... Shinnie is a cracking player for us, but he's still a left back playing in midfield and he has his limitations.  He never knows when to go back - probably as a result of being a full back i.e. the play is almost always in front of you, so you go forward with the ball when you get it; as a centre mid, he has to learn when to hold it.

 

Anyway, the Reynolds thing... I fell out with Reynolds at McDiarmid Park, January 2015 (?), Friday night game where Rooney scored a pearler of an equaliser from outside the box, on the volley, into the top corner.  Reynolds had a fucking nightmare that night, allowing Steven McLean to bully him.  He was horrendous and at the semi final against United the week after he was no better. 

 

He's barely shown any form since.  I know it's easy to say that without Anderson there to hold his hand he struggled, but it certainly looks like that - Reynolds can't blame age for it, loss of pace? He was pacy, but hardly Usain Bolt, and it doesn't explain his record of winning no headers in the last 3 seasons, or indeed 50-50s, which are the basics for all defenders.  It also doesn't explain his horrid habit of getting on the wrong side of his man.

 

Apologies for the Rico-esque length of post (only kidding Rico  ), but I'm just killing time waiting for Santa to arrive....   

[Nips_and_Tatties]

Willie...dribble...hard as nails...length...girth?

 

 

 

 

What's going on here!!!

[LA-Don]

While that's very true, it should never be forgotten that he was a very talented footballer, in the truest sense of the words.  He could dribble out of trouble, loved a one-two as well and his long range passing was superb. 

 

This country now seems to have players who can only show one side of the two - either players who are silky but are pea hearted, or players who have all the desire but none of the skill to back it up - why not both? 

 

I would partly put it down to shite like the idea of having a "Defensive Centre Mid" and an "Attacking Centre Mid" and not just a "Centre Mid".  Neil Simpson, Jim Bett, Brian Grant... played the full park; tackles, tracking your man, passing - knowing when to play it back, knowing when to play it forward, knowing when to hold on to it, forward runs, third man runs to support your strikers... we don't have one "centre mid" who can do all of that, but those three players I mentioned could do all of it. 

 

No one can mention Shinnie here... Shinnie is a cracking player for us, but he's still a left back playing in midfield and he has his limitations.  He never knows when to go back - probably as a result of being a full back i.e. the play is almost always in front of you, so you go forward with the ball when you get it; as a centre mid, he has to learn when to hold it.

 

Anyway, the Reynolds thing... I fell out with Reynolds at McDiarmid Park, January 2015 (?), Friday night game where Rooney scored a pearler of an equaliser from outside the box, on the volley, into the top corner.  Reynolds had a fucking nightmare that night, allowing Steven McLean to bully him.  He was horrendous and at the semi final against United the week after he was no better. 

 

He's barely shown any form since.  I know it's easy to say that without Anderson there to hold his hand he struggled, but it certainly looks like that - Reynolds can't blame age for it, loss of pace? He was pacy, but hardly Usain Bolt, and it doesn't explain his record of winning no headers in the last 3 seasons, or indeed 50-50s, which are the basics for all defenders.  It also doesn't explain his horrid habit of getting on the wrong side of his man.

 

Apologies for the Rico-esque length of post (only kidding Rico  ), but I'm just killing time waiting for Santa to arrive.... 

 

It’s not simply Scotland, I teach and coach in the US and it’s such a pussy generation. Gone are the days of teams with hard as nails McLeish, Miller, Rougvie, Cooper, and Simpson for example. That’s 5 true winners and leaders in one team. Other than Shinnie, who displays that tough mentality/quality? That’s a winners mentality to me, and key positions like central defense and center mid must have that. We have Reynolds and McLean ffs.  I think we’re a mentally weak team that when we get roughed up or face pressure we struggle. Up to a manager to sign players who can handle that. Problem is our manager doesn’t really display it either, we’re a nice team with a nice manager. I’m a fan of Lennon, that’s a winner in the Miller mold to me, bit of a cunt but confident, big balls, and a true leader!