SpoonTon
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Posts posted by SpoonTon
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48 minutes ago, Cmac1869 said:
Killie are looking at Mcadams is he any good
Very good for his age - great reactions, decent in most areas. He's got a bit of a weakness with shots from distance, but he's certainly got the potential to develop into a goalkeeper who could play in the Premiership. I'm not convinced he's ready for a team who are challenging for the title.
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4 minutes ago, Trogdor said:
Sorry if you play with wingbacks you don't play wingers too. The wingbacks would be trying to occupy the same blade of grass as the wingers.
Attacking mids maybe behind a big guy up top. However, that asks a lot of the two who are sitting in the midfield. We'd need to strengthen in there for that to be an option imo.
Hoppy already did the 'hold my 'beer' on that one for us plenty of times - call it a 5-4-1 or 5-2-3, it was wingers with a back 5. There was nothing much conventional in the way he set up our teams. There were some downright odd approaches in the first season - we sometimes played with a diamond in midfield, but instead of a front two we'd have a winger, so it was like 4-5-1 with no-one on one side of the midfield.
There's no saying 'you don't' when it comes to Hoppy and formations.
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39 minutes ago, eez-eh said:
A back 5 doesn’t have to mean no wingers or attacking mids. Could easily be a 5-2-3 or 5-2-1-2.
That's what Hoppy tended to do when playing with a back five for us. Away from home he'd sometimes go with the 5-3-2, but, for example, when we played Ayr last season under Hoppy (the 3-2 game) we started with a back five, with McPake and Nesbitt off Orsi in attack (it was a disaster, to be fair).
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18 minutes ago, Insaintee said:
If I'm honest I would say the J league is stronger than the SPFL
In general terms, I agree, very much so. League One in England is also a better standard overall. Joining one of the OF is a completely different thing, though. Where second place means last place, success in Europe is difficult to achieve, the pressure is intense, and you need to create a great attacking team for the league but a far more balanced (or even defensive) team for Europe and OF matches. Those things don't exclude him from being a success, maybe he can translate his experience over quite well, but it's such a different thing managing over there.
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4 minutes ago, TheJTS98 said:
I'm not sure what you mean by 'they play a very, very different type of football'.
That's not really true anymore. Most teams play out from the back and press with high energy. Even some teams who really shouldn't. The way his teams play isn't really a big shift from what Celtic have been doing for the last few years. Really not sure where you're coming from there.
Explain how the dressing room is culturally different. I can't really see what you mean there. Do you think there's a huge difference between Australian sports people and British ones? Intrigued by that. Also intrigued by the idea that a guy who went to Japan and won a title with a struggling club in a totally alien culture would be unable to do so in his native language in a country much more culturally similar to his own.
Can you explain what you mean?
Yes. There is a big difference. I don't think there needs to be a massive explanation of that.
Take Paartalu, who I mentioned above. Who thrived in Asia, first of all under Ange, after struggling to a large extent at a lower level in Scotland. Everything about the culture and style in Asia suited him better.
The fact of the matter is that football in Asia hasn't come in over the last 20 years in world terms. It's still well behind. In it's own vacuum it looks ok, but it's still light-years behind. Which isn't to say that Scottish football is any good or any better, it's really not, but it is very different. In Asia, very generally speaking, they play a very low level of more technical European football, but that really didn't translate well into the challenges of managing at the top of Scottish football.
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1 hour ago, TheJTS98 said:
Players will dismiss any manager as a bellend if they don't like what he's doing and the team isn't getting results.
I'm not sure what massive cultural differences you think exist between the Australia dressing room and a UK football team dressing room. And I'm not sure what massive tactical challenges he's likely to face in the SPFL that he won't have encountered at the World Cup, AFC Cup, J-League, or Asian Champions League.
You are aware that he's a native English speaker who has worked extensively with UK-based players?
Of course there are differences. Of course there will be major differences in the tactical challenges he will face.
I know all about Ange as a manager. He's a bit of a character, and not exactly low profile in his role as Australia manager. He managed Erik Paartalu at Brisbane after he left Morton, so I was aware of him from then. His success in Asia is worth very little when translated over into what he will face over here. It's a massive risk because it's an incredibly different task he'll face. They play a very, very different type of football in Australia and Japan. Culturally, the dressing rooms are different. The pressure he would face would be nothing like what he's faced before. You can't take success as if it's in a vacuum, which can then be passed straight over. That's why these type of appointments nearly always fail.
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3 hours ago, TheJTS98 said:
The 'no experience in Europe' chat about someone who has won the J-League, AFC Cup, and qualified and coached for a World Cup, or referring to such a coach as a 'random' is a close relative of English Premier League fan bois never watching Scottish football but then giving it the 'my nan' chat about the SPFL.
Ange's got a good record as a coach and probably has the right kind of personality to manage Celtic too.
He's got a better coaching profile than anybody working in Scotland at the moment. By a distance.
"I've never heard of this guy" does not equal "This guy is a nobody". There are plenty of coaches in Asia you've never heard of who wouldn't touch the Celtic job.
I think some people are vastly over-estimating Scotland's place in the world here.
Sounds like what what said when Rangers appointed Pedro Caixinha.
The big problem with this type of appointment is that the cultural differences never exist only in the media or within the fan bases. More often than not these left field, success from far afield, appointments turn out to be complete disasters because they have to try to change far too much from within a club.
I cringed this week when I read something that Stephen O'Donnell had said about Angelo Alessio, but it doesn't take away from the point of the gap that needs to be bridged and the difficultly in achieving that.
There's a big difference between managing in Japan or Australia and managing in Glasgow. Bottom line is that the players will dismiss him as a nobody from the other side of the world if they don't like what he's doing. Like it or not, that's the most likely outcome of this type of appointment.
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11 minutes ago, Jeff Venom said:
Whatever we fans think of Hopkin or the signings at this point, you can hear in all of the Morton 3 interviews how pleased they are to reconnect with him. I doubt very much it's because they know they can piss about as they please.
He resigned because he refused to cut the squad. It's no surprise they have respect for him.
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2 minutes ago, #Gary said:
While it's been fun laughing at Ayr, if we announce Gus, Nesbitt and Muirhead today then I think I'd rather be them.
Don't forget Blues. I'm awaiting the picture of him and Gus from Cappielow announcing the 'exciting news.'
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Just to be clear, I still think Salkeld is your worst signing so far.
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Just now, RiG said:
Strengthening the defence by signing McGinty?!
To be fair, the two of them started in a defence at the end of the season which only conceded 3 in 5, with one of those being deep into extra time against Motherwell (McGinty at left back). And our defensive record was one of the best in the league. McGinty does so many awful things, though, and Fjortoft has absolute nightmares on occasion as well. Hoppy will fancy turning them into consistently good defenders, they both actually have ability. But it's a really big risk - it could go disastrously wrong given how bad particularly McGinty can be (and there are still question marks over Fjortoft).
I'm delighted McGinty will never play for us again, especially after what he did at Arbroath.
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Enjoy McGinty.
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11 hours ago, The Ghost of B A R P said:
I think managers see a big, mobile, left-sided centre-half, who has a decent touch on the ball.
Then they convince themselves they can somehow coach the general brainlessness out of him.
Then they look at the other options available; then they sign him.
You could say something similar about Fjortoft, who’s younger and has more room for improvement; managers at this level will be telling themselves he just has to gain a wee bit of composure and lose the tendency to dive in 10-20 yards in front of his own box when he’s not going to win the ball. Might happen, might not.
As above, will be some laugh (esp. McGinty) if they line up against us next season.
I generally agree with what you're saying here, but McGinty and Fjortoft are both 27. You're technically right that Fjortoft is younger, but there's not really an age factor here. A very different career path, though. It could be argued that Fjortoft is lacking in the type of game experience that McGinty has - I agree there's more room for improvement for him in that respect.
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17 minutes ago, TheGoon said:
I cannot see Ayr signing both Fjortoft & McGinty, the former certainly, but if Hopkin is willing to take a punt on that jobber again he’s even more clueless than I thought.
McGinty started every league match for us last season, under three different managers. Hoppy signed him, then gave him a new contract. Whatever we see in him, Hoppy (as well as Gus and Anton) sees something different. Anton made him captain, and I think it's clear that both he and Hoppy really rate him.
I wouldn't surprise me at all if McGinty is Hoppy's top defensive target, even moreso than Fjortoft.
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Only ICT and Hearts conceded fewer goals than us last season. I'd be more concerned about the signing of Salkeld than McGinty or Fjortoft, if I'm being honest. Both make ridiculous errors, though. See Fjortoft below (note the initial error and then the horrible attempt to recover from it):
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I'm going to give an honest and unpopular opinion. I think McGinty is ever so slightly better than Baird (who largely got off with being terrible because he came with a much more favourable reputation).
Which isn't to say that I rate McGinty, he makes errors every single week, some of which are utterly ridiculous, some just so basic. He also made that idiotic challenge to get sent off in the final league game at Arbroath (which turned out to be a blessing for us in the playoffs). He could never have played for us again. Baird can't cope with pace, switches off constantly, and loses his bearings on a regular basis. McGinty does the same, with added hilarious errors, but probably has more basic ability than Baird. I didn't like either of them.
I've already given my opinion on Fjortoft - he'll either be a hero or a calamity if he signs for Ayr.
I'm still waiting on you to sign Cameron Blues as well. Another player Hoppy really likes.
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19 hours ago, btb said:
I can understand the lack of enthusiasm but surely confirming MacPherson/Millen and getting your business done early is the best option.
Lotta managerial vacancies and I don't reckon yours would be the plum job, if you do decide to sack them, it would leave you near the back of the pack wrt building for next season.
Yes and no. I think we all (or, actually, mostly, maybe, reading some other posts) understand where the club is art the moment. We know we're not going to be the pick of clubs for managers or players this summer. Then again, Gus was on no-one's radar when we appointed him - certainly not at this level. And there are dozens of similar ex-managers who would take the opportunity to get back into football management. I doubt Gus particularly stands out in that crowd (in a good or bad way, to be clear).
On the other hand, perhaps depending on the direction we want to go in, there's never a shortage of managers looking to make a step up into their first management job. We're not going to be the plum job, but there still has to be the proper assessment of whether Gus is the right fit for the job. There are similar risks either way. Getting it done quickly will help, but isn't make it break if those coming in to run the club don't think Gus is the right fit.
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43 minutes ago, RossBFaeDundee said:
Imo, Fjortoft is a cracking CB who would defo be someone to be excited about. Morton fans will obviously know better, but the big man has been a top player whenever I've watched him.
Fjortoft was very good on the whole, but he can be a bit unorthodox and that probably contributed to him having a couple of complete disasters. He almost cost is in the Montrose tie after losing all control over his legs and he had such a nightmare in a game against QotS that he had to be subbed before the half hour mark.
He's one is those guys that's either going to go down as a cult hero or be seen as a liability, depending on how the ratio of calamities/heroics turns out.
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Decent athlete, terrible footballer. Relief that he's left us, and pleased that it's for another club in our league. He wants to be a right mid. He'll run up and down all day long and challenge for everything, but he hasn't shown an ounce of actual ability.
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18 hours ago, Yflab said:
We have witnessed OF supporters in your home end at Renfrewshire derbies. WTF is that about?
In all seriousness, it mostly comes from a time when under 16 were allowed in for free or £1. So you'd get a bunch of random kids, some of them OF supporting (every town in Scotland is infested with them), coming along. No need to buy a ticket, just pop along and walk in.
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McGuffie only does the sensational. Such a bland player until he decides he's Rivaldo for a moment.
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Strapp's in and Orsi in for Colville. I won't complain too much about that. I understand why he's put a striker in, even if it's Orsi.
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3 minutes ago, The Ghost of B A R P said:
Our only win under McPherson has come with the back three. Get the wing-backs to provide the width, three in the middle to a. control possession; b. make sure we don’t get over-run. And Nesbitt is much better in a central/free position.
All of the above mentioned need to step up today.
If he does go with a four, it better not be 4-4-2. Muirhead, in particular, should be nowhere near this.
1-0 the Ton.
I think you'd need at least McGuffie to start in that scenario. I think Jacobs' role is redundant when we play the back 3, and that has been a problem with it since the QotS win - he's just too deep in front of the the central defenders. McGuffie in for Jacobs, and maybe even Colville in for McGinn. Not my preference, but that could work.
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33 minutes ago, Dunning1874 said:
We're hopeless creatively regardless, but when we've played with a back three under various managers it’s made us somehow even more turgid in attack while also making us weaker defensively.
There's again a McGinty caveat here that it'll be better without him, but we're better off in every respect with a back four.
I agree. The first game against QotS apart, it hasn't worked. I do think for it to have a chance to work it has to have the balance that the lineup had that day, but the back 4 makes far more sense.
I would maybe bring in Lyon, Strapp, and Orsi for McGinn, McGinty, and McGuffie in a 4-4-2 diamond. To be clear, I think Orsi is woeful on the ball but he'd at least be a presence up that end. Otherwise I'd be satisfied with just Strapp coming in, and maybe Lyon.
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The Greenock Morton Thread - It's Better Than Yours
in Scottish Championship General Chatter
Posted
I don't know if this has already been pointed out on here, I don't want to read through everything, but it's very easy to find that he did apologise at the time (whatever you want to make of that).
"I am very sorry for the upset and distress caused through my actions and I wholeheartedly accept the judgement of the court. I can assure everyone that this will not happen again."