Coventry Saint

Fair play to the Dons fans here for being cagey/gracious and implying we even vaguely resemble a football team at the moment.

Speaking of nippy wee p***ks, didn't James Grady have something to do with our club for a while there? Like, youth dev or something. I swear I haven't dreamt that. Edit: never mind, I think his son plays for a Saints youth team and that's about it.

Genuine question, because I can't think of any examples: does anyone know of any manager who has ever successfully changed their style/philosophy? Certainly don't think it's applied to any of our managers.

You're right about the way we're set up. As much as the commentary team was awful, there were some interesting elements to what Tait was saying. He was talking about being happy to let Killie have possession: there was one moment when they kept it for a bit and then blootered a shit long ball forwards that ran for a goal kick. He implied that justified the 'no possession' approach. Then there was a Killie free kick on the edge of the box, and the awful commentator kept talking about the fact we'd left Durmus forward to hit them on the break. As if we've seen that happen even once this season. Killie weren't amazing, but they were a damn sight better than us when it came to attacking in numbers and moving it around in the final third. I hate to say it, as I think there's talent there, but McGrath isn't working at the minute either. Though perhaps it's because he's got absolutely no options around him when he does get the ball.

When I saw the fixtures, I thought the cup games would be a welcome break: a chance to play a settled team in a couple of free-hit games. Maybe a chance for Flynn/Magennis to get some minutes on the park. But now think we're so shite I'm worried about failing to lay a glove on League One's Patrick Thistle.

I'm hearing Goodwin selected the commentary team as well.

Morias airkicking our only chance of the game in stoppage time is our whole season in fucking microcosm. Edit: let me modify that. Sheron passing to one of their players, then fouling him, is a better example.

At least it's not nicknames

17 minutes left. Will we create a chance?

Me too, but that has nothing to do with his management, sadly.

Yeah. At least you normally get some sort of CV workout when watching. I'm not nervous, I'm not angry, we're just being edged out by a team that looks better organised, with better shape, more precision, and better attacking intent. Morias would be a decent player in the Championship. Durmus... God knows. I was genuinely worried someone would try to buy him in the summer. Some laugh that, eh? Erwin looks busy but is being given absolutely nothing. There's a player in McGrath somewhere but he's disappeared since early August. Foley isn't the player he was last season either. The defence is marginally worse at dealing with crosses than Jesus and/or Dracula. We've somehow got no width and also nothing through the middle. It's just fucking bizarre.

Fair enough.

Free kick given for the keeper falling into his own player there?!

They've not been terrible on previous games; they dynamic seems to have shifted because there's a current squad player on duties. I agree, though: I have no desire to hear commentators appealing for non existent fouls.

Are we allowed to talk about that fact that we were largely shite for the two games we actually won, yet?

We don't score more than one goal ever, so Killie good for at least the draw here.

That, then. Glad Ethan's being kept in mf.

Or Fraser LB, Cammy RB. Who knows? I'm still edging towards watching. I've not had a Saturday ruined for about seven days now.

State of that.

Couldn't do it: feels like stealing from the club. Not judging anyone who does do it, mind. Times are tough. Another Saturday afternoon comes, though, and I'm finding it hard to resist watching. Will almost certainly be logging in in a couple hours' time.

Something... Something... Jack Baird etc

Yeah, fair point, that's interesting. If you look at the timeframe with Junior Brown, against the backdrop of various outbreaks, local lockdowns and the new national restrictions, I guess that's probably our squad finalised now.

But he's also more capable in midfield. If you move Ethan to FB and put Sheron in the middle, you're effectively downgrading two positions as opposed to just one. Sheron did arrive with claims he could play in defence as well. Anyway, Jim's probably working on ways to fit Kyle McAllister in at fullback or something.

I think I'm going to wait to see how we're lining up before I cough up the £12.50 tomorrow. Connolly on from the start and McGrath through the middle as a bare minimum. Wonder if Sheron can play FB? I'd sooner hang him out to dry than Erhahon.

Alnwick should be back, assuming he is healthy/recovered/symptomless. But we are still wobbling away on the 'four first-team-defenders' tightrope. I think if you polled all Saints supporters about the line-up now, the average response would roughly be 4-2-3-1, and, defence aside, we've got players who naturally fit in all those positions. So, no more players out of position. No more 3-5-2 or 4-3-3- or even 4-4-2. Durmus and McAllister aren't performing, so should be dropped. Straight shootout between Erwin and Obika to play up top; I'd go Erwin. Connolly, McGrath and MacPherson in behind. Ethan and Foley at the base of midfield. See, this all feels fairly straightforward to me. I'm not sure why we seem to be making things so complicated for ourselves.