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Posts posted by DC92
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Andy Halliday suddenly transforming into Rudolf Skácel was an unexpected but welcome development.
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24 minutes ago, Leith Green said:
I appreciate "getting to Hampden" is a bit of a result for the likes of you.
When you have been there as many times as we have recently, the allure begins to fade.
hth
This season's Scottish Cup final will be our 3rd in 4 years, tyvm.
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42 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:
Robbie has talked about playing a back 4 that becomes a back 3 when we’re in possession. Atkinson is generally going to be the one that switches role.
When this strategy works it’s going to produce a best of both worlds solution but the Achilles heel is immediately when our opponents gain possession we’re vulnerable as we reorganise. Most of the times St Mirren looked dangerous last night we’re when they were quickly transitioning from defence to attack. If we’d had time to reorganise we were pretty secure. St Mirren would then have so few options that they were reduced to overly ambitious long range efforts of the kind that are never going to …. Oh bugger!
Atkinson occasionally getting caught out of position is as much a deliberate calculated risk as it is an individual flaw in his game and running that risk is a statement of trust in the other three
It would be easy to argue that Atkinson shouldn’t be first choice right back but until Michael Smith gets back the point is somewhat moot anyway.
Especially as we won and don’t need to whine about how many first choice players we were missing jMy concerns with Atkinson aren't so much to do with being caught up the pitch, more his basic defending. Letting the ball bounce and then getting on the wrong side of Jones in the incident I highlighted and giving away the penalty v Aberdeen haven't been isolated incidents. He's a young player with some good attributes who's just arrived so I'm far from writing him off but there are a few areas he needs to improve on before he becomes a reliable option.
Given the position we're in I'm more than happy for him to have a run until the end of the season. Having said that, I thought Sibbick looked promising in his brief spell at right-back v Dundee United and it's the position he started in at Wimbledon so he could be another option there if needed.
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10 hours ago, Crùbag said:
Great cup tie but deserved win for the Hearts.
Two great goals by SM though probably wouldn't have happened had Halliday not played.
Halkett and Boyce were class. Atkinson, McKay and Kingsley also superb. Woodburn and Simms a bit meh.
I'd add Baningime and Haring to the superb category and take away Atkinson.
Baningime seems to be back to his best after looking a bit jaded immediately pre- and post-injury. I'm sure that goal will be the first of many.
Atkinson did really well to set up the 3rd but he'll need to improve a lot defensively to make it here. We largely controlled the 2nd half but St Mirren had 2 flurries, the first one caused by Woodburn dribbling into the middle of the park and losing it (again) and the 2nd caused by Atkinson fannying around with a ball over the top to let Jones in, eventually leading to the 2nd goal. He had a good 2nd half going forward but ultimately defending is his primary job.
Not fixating on the negatives though as it was mostly a good performance and 2 of the weaker performers even produced good assists. The swap to 4-2-3-1 has really helped us to recover our form recently and we look far more threatening going forward. 3-4-3 suited us for a while but, inevitably, it got found out eventually and, frankly, the back 4 suits our players better. The strikers are thriving with more space, we're not relying on full-backs playing wing-back and, contrary to previous conventional wisdom, Halkett is fine in a 4 when his partner isn't Popescu or Berra.
As for yesterday's opponents, a tidy enough team who've now provided us with 9 league points and a trip to Hampden this season. St Mirren FC, thank you.
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No idea why people are complaining about the pre-match team news. 11 players were said to be struggling and 6 of them didn't make it. No-one said they were all out.
Some good attacking moves from us but our defence definitely looks like it can be got at, particularly from wide. Shite from Halliday for the goal and Atkinson doesn't convince me at all.
Woodburn did really well for the second but he's a bit of a liability in possession. Feels like he's given the ball away quite a few times and it's frequently led to a St Mirren break. Unfortunately there's no-one on the bench to replace him.
I think we'll need at least another goal to win this.
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2 hours ago, Pull My Strings said:
I'd be surprised if McNulty had actually stamped on someone deliberately. He's not a particularly good player but I've not seen anything in the year and a half he's been at United to suggest that he's an actual c**t. The incident with Gordon yesterday was nothing; bumped into an old guy who was off the ground and fell a bit heavily, nothing malicious.
Prepare to be surprised.
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A really strange game. After a great start, the successive injuries gradually took the air out of us and when Smith scored a 25-yarder it had a distinct 'not our day' feel. A complete capitulation looked like it was on the cards after going behind but we got a foothold back in the game and might have won it in the end.
A good point in the circumstances, especially given the laughable inability of the teams below to make any inroads whatsoever in our lead in 3rd. Picking up 5 injuries the week before our most important game of the season so far is, on the other hand, less than ideal.
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1 hour ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:
"Time makes fools of us all. Our only comfort is that greater fools shall come after us." E.T. Bell
At least it was regarded as a level-headed and astute analysis in its time.
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On 31/10/2021 at 16:38, gudge1903 said:
Baningime and Boyce wouldn't make it into an AFC team ahead of Brown and Watkins or Ramirez. Strange even trying to even suggest otherwise. I'm sure league table will show conclusively in May for any doubters.
Running out of steam after the first quarter of a season and found out after the "surprise package" bit has worn off. Always the same story with their scattergun signing policy and collection of misfits they collect.
Gordon makes that team look a lot better than it is. Could have been 5 for AFC** not in top gear yet. Best keeper in league.
Just remembered this post. Superb stuff.
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2 hours ago, Insert Amusing Pseudonym said:
There is absolutely nothing more certain than the fact we will, despite overwhelming odds, find a way to make a James Hunt of this game.
I agree with this, but we've been pretty shite recently and can't score goals so it probably won't be that much of a shock.
No Halliday in the front three please.
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This could be our last game in Perth for a good while and, looking at St Johnstone's form and injury list, we might never have had a better chance to pick up 3 points. 10 years and 4 days after our last competitive win at McDiarmid, surely now is the time to put an end to that horrific record.
SpoilerSt Johnstone 1 Hearts 0
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Thank absolute f**k. Bring on the 4-0 defeat at Celtic Park in the quarters.
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We could play all day and not score. I'll be amazed if we win a shootout.
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Boring. Second half sucker punch written all over it.
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Selecting Andy Halliday as part of the front three when you've got a full set of attacking options available is not a good sign.
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Can't help but feel the decision to play extraordinarily badly in the second half probably cost us here.
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On 04/02/2022 at 11:36, DC92 said:
Rangers were 6 points clear a few weeks ago and now there's a good chance they'll be 4 points behind by kick-off in this match. The pressure on them currently is bigger than they've probably experienced for at least a couple of years. Maybe they'll rise to the occasion (they're more than capable of turning us over regardless) but that's something we have to try and take advantage of. But yeah, we'll probably be passive from kick-off and not start playing until we're behind.
I didn't think for a second we'd be playing Souttar in this match a couple of weeks back but I'm beginning to think a non-trying Souttar is still better than Taylor Moore.
Yet again we were too passive in the first half, not brave enough on the ball and generally did f**k all. I've no idea what the plan was with not starting anyone with pace in the front three and we immediately looked more threatening with Simms on for McEneff.
We started the second half pretty well, had a couple of opportunities and the crowd started to get a bit restless. If we'd scored at that point things might have been very different, but really we were lucky to go in 1-0 at the break and the response to going 3-0 down was utterly pathetic. Well beaten by a much better team.
It's a rotten league and 3rd place should be safe enough, but we've got a long way to go before this team can be considered any good.
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Not great.
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Aaron McEneff seems to have inherited the Lewis Moore role from a few years ago of only starting away to Rangers, Celtic or Hibs.
Less confident having seen the line-up. Defence looks vulnerable and there's little pace going forward.
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30 minutes ago, Steve_Wilkos said:
It was a nothing game for us but a victory against Aberdeen is one of the biggest results in Livingstone's history, fair play they probably deserved it as well.
Big enough for a pitch invasion?
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We're on pace for third anyway but Hibs and Aberdeen seemingly becoming even worse since the break has been a pleasing development.
I just hope we don't do what we did in 15/16 and tail off because the job's basically done. It feels like ages since we finished a season with momentum.
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Just now, Joe Terrapin said:
Should the thread title not be 'The Up to Our Knees' bigot fest?
I think the Shaun Maloney height jokes are more at home the Hibs threads tbh.
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Heart of Midlothian v Hibernian - Scottish Cup SF
in Domestic Cup Football
Posted
"With all due respect, there's nothing Hearts should be celebrating because their second half performance was nothing short of really embarrassing"