Rjc-1988

Totally agree - poor decision making. It is all very well coming out with these “lofty standards” if the rest of the squad were really delivering and keeping Wilson out of the team on merit. Nothing could be further from the truth - yet another truly underwhelming performance against a struggling team low on confidence. Tactics and substitutions leaving a lot to be desired but yet again players not delivering for the umpteenth time.

Let’s put it this way - there are a lot more candidates than Wilson for the “cold shoulder treatment”. His injury record is truly depressing but it is hard to deny that when he does play he invariably performs to a high standard. I have to be honest and say that “solid” is not a word I would ever associate with Dave McKay but everybody sees things differently. Very disappointed with the lack of progress and we are now definitely consigned to facing 8 meaningless games after today.

Failing to beat a team who have only amassed 14 points from 27 games (before today) is truly depressing even by our incredibly low standards. Just as in the Kelty game I thought MB's substitutions were awful - Logan and Cochrane both doing well at least comparatively speaking and hooked with "Bombscare McKay" inexplicably one of the replacements. While we had 2/3 decent half chances apart from our goal Clyde had at least as many decent openings as we had and thankfully 3 of their best chances were skied over the bar from dangerous positions. Most Queens' fans have been lamenting the prolonged absence of Wilson. He shakes off the injury (at least for now), plays in a very good Reserve Team win and then is left sitting on the bench when we were crying out for somebody who could potentially "make a difference".

The win yesterday was important in the sense that it didn’t consign us to 9 meaningless games in Quarter 4. Looking at the table Alloa are the realistic target to try and overhaul but it looks a huge task. If Alloa match their average quarterly points total of 14 in Q4 it will take them to the 56 point mark. In reality we need them to “blow up” and perhaps finish around the 52 point mark leaving us a points target in Q4 of say 18 ……….the equivalent of 6 wins out of 9. Edinburgh surely can’t “bottle it” to the extent that we require so realistically it is Alloa that we need to crumble and hope Airdrie and Montrose don’t do anything exceptional. It will take a monumental change in our fortunes to win 6 out of 9 but at least we are still alive albeit very much on the periphery of things.

When MB took over we were c.6/7 points off a play off berth with c.15 games to go. How on earth could a FT club in League 1 even contemplate describing the remainder of the season as a write off at that point? The BOD then sanction 4 new signings which is a bold step considering the size of squad we already had at that point. To describe writing off the season in that position is frankly ridiculous. There is no way that MB would have taken this job as his first standalone appointment without analysing the squad, the club, the fanbase etc. He had offers apparently so one assumes that he didn't share your views about the hopelessness of the playing squad and the opportunity for a second half turnaround. He may have got that wrong of course but you can be sure that he will have thought very hard about the pros and cons of QOS. There is no "free hit" in football - it doesn't exist. When you take over the reins at any club you need to :- - demonstrate to the supporters that the changes made are making a difference - these changes translate into positive results It is very early days and I think MB is potentially a good appointment but after 6 games and umpteen training sessions with the players I, personally, have been disappointed with progress to date.

To put the counter argument forward here - every time a Manager takes over a new post he inherits the squad that his predecessor assembled. As soon as the Manager signs on the dotted line he assumes immediate responsibility for the playing side and more importantly the results. His immediate job is to try and improve all aspects of footballing performance which hopefully should translate into better results. This notion being banded about that the season's over and we should suddenly "fast forward" to next season is ridiculous. We have 10 games to go and 30 points to play for. We have a FT squad of 25+ players in League 1 - there is absolutely no excuse for the results that are being churned out (previously under WG) and now under MB. We have literally failed to beat every team other than Peterhead, Clyde and Edinburgh (Montrose the solitary exception). MB is continuing with very similar formations to WG and a very similar playing style. A style of play incidentally that sees us languishing much closer to League 2 than the Championship. It is possible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear - Dougie Imrie did it last season with Morton and there have been countless examples of Managers going into clubs and transforming performances and results in a very short period of time.

Agree - of course he should be able to improve the performances and results - 4 new players if decent could and should make a difference. One assumes that Marvin rates them otherwise he wouldn’t have signed them. It’s not as though we don’t have any good players to start with. We have the league’s top scorer, East is ok, Cochrane and McGrory can be capable, Todd is useful on his day. Wilson would be if he was ever fit to play. We continue to play this “tippy tappy” football if such a term exists? Overplaying in our own half, trying to walk the ball in, not shooting, no aerial presence in either box. We are playing exactly the same way that we did under WG. At the very least I expected us to show some competitive signs and play a higher energy game. We look so passive and we continue to concede crap avoidable goals week after week. I don’t see any identity in our play that is any different and that for me is very disappointing.

Let’s be honest he has a very low bar to outperform and I was expecting a lot more than I have seen in the past 5 league games. 4 new players should be improving things but we look every bit as poor as we were.

4 new signings and plenty of enthusiastic rhetoric but absolutely zero improvement where it matters …………….on the pitch. We look exactly the same as we were under WG and that’s not a compliment.In fact we are actually worse as we have dropped a place to 8th. Now 24 points behind a very mediocre Pars side which is bad enough BUT 10 BEHIND FC EDINBURGH despite beating them 3/3!!!! Another lacklustre display - could have played all day and never scored. The goals conceded were laughable. No on-field leadership and Wilson not fit to play yet again??

I surely don’t have to come to youth/reserve matches to have an opinion on a player’s most natural position? You say that I have no “knowledge of his best position” - I have seen nearly every minute of his first team appearances this season and most of these have been at RWB which I think gives me more than enough “game time” to form a view. Performing at youth/reserve level is a totally different proposition to first team level. As you step up, positional weaknesses tend to be exploited a lot more readily - that’s what I am seeing certainly but I don’t like back 3s anyway unless you have two energetic, athletic, marauding wingbacks which we don’t unfortunately.

I got shouted down a few weeks ago when I said that our on-field leadership was non-existent. We need to find a captain as a priority. Todd clearly not the answer. The sooner this is sorted the better. 4-4-2 should be our “go to” formation but we persist with this 3-4-1-2 set up (or a variation of it)week after week and the results tell their own story. Gibson never a wing back - Skyline tells me in another post that this is the position that he apparently has played in predominantly (pre first team appearances). I would be very surprised if many QOS regulars see Lewis in this role - it is pretty obvious that he is a “final third” player and potentially a very good one at that.

To be honest I haven’t seen him other than in the first team matches you mention. I am gobsmacked if that is the player’s preferred position. A player I really like but fear that he won’t reach his potential in a role where a big emphasis is on defending and tracking back.

When I see genuine improvement on the pitch translating into results I will be absolutely delighted to acknowledge it. I am sorry but that second half shambles yesterday was arguably one of our worst displays of the season (and that says something). Of course it’s very early days in his tenure but I would have expected a lot more than we witnessed yesterday. No proper right back picked despite us signing Logan, Gibson again playing out of position to his and the team’s detriment, and a barrage of substitutions that made us worse. That is honestly how I saw it - I can only comment on what I saw not what might or might not happen in the future under Marvin.

Absolutely no improvement under Bartley - that second half performance was as bad as anything under WG. Total rudderless ship - the obsession with a back 3 continues, playing young LG at wing back is madness and still zero leadership on the pitch. We sign a RB and then don’t play him. Bartley’s wholesale substitutions made us worse - nobody knew where they were meant to be playing and the central defence was horrendous once again. Manager certainly talks a great game but we still can’t beat anybody other than FCE and the bottom 2. A dreadful result and performance.

Must admit that after listening to the Darvel Manager’s cringeworthy, self indulgent pre-match speech I enjoyed seeing them getting pumped. He seems to think that he has really ”arrived” trying to make the whole occasion about him. The reality is, of course, that he is benefitting hugely from the owner’s “deep pockets” and after all Darvel are playing at a level where any decent investment can give a team a huge advantage over their competition. It was a great result against Aberdeen but that rehearsed speech was awful and Falkirk showed the golf in class that Aberdeen somehow were unable to exploit????

Don't get the negativity about Paton - has been our best player by a country mile this season. His hold up play has been excellent, his work rate and effort have put others to shame and his goal scoring record in a very poor team has been outstanding. I should also mention his appearance record - always fit to play. I am sure that he will have had many niggling injuries in his time with us but he is always up for playing and seldom ever misses a game ( hope I don't jinx him). Contrast that with Wilson and Connelly. I do rate Wilson - clearly a good player but you just cant rely on him and this recurring injury nightmare just goes on and on.

Agree on the Cochrane front - he was excellent and I thought Todd and Paton were also very good along with the GK. Plenty of effort but fitness levels found wanting in ET despite introducing at least 5 subs(I lost count). Hamilton were much stronger in ET and overall were the better side but not by much. Personally I thought it was asking a lot to play Ryan Muir at RCB in a back 3. He could have slotted in nicely in a back 4 at RB. We seem to persevere with a 3 even when we don’t have the personnel to play it? We certainly missed Brydon, Kabia and Logan - it was a shame they were ineligible as it would have made a big difference..

Personally I think Murray continually flatters to deceive- he has some ability but lacks pace and is very ineffectual. I suspect that he is one of these players who looks great in training hence the reason that Managers keep giving him “game time” that other deserving cases don’t seem to get. I think the longer Connelly is out the better his contribution and value to the team is perceived to be. He had a purple patch last season and looked a player but in the latter part of last season and this season (allowances made for injuries) he has been poor. When he eventually gets himself fit he needs to deliver a lot more than he has done or I suspect he will be looking for a new club next season.

That’s my thoughts - he hasn’t set the “heather on fire” but when you hardly get any meaningful game time it is extremely difficult. Reilly doesn’t hold the ball up and frankly looks a “spent force”. The Manager has clearly formed the same view and thinks Ruth is a better option.

Despite Reilly struggling week after week Ruth hardly got a look in. I honestly haven’t seen enough of Ruth to properly judge him properly and I think that is the same for most Queens’ supporters if they are being honest on the subject .Coming on occasionally for the last 10/15 minutes chasing lost causes is not really giving a player a fair chance. Yesterday he really “put himself about” and I thought he looked much more effective than Reilly who for me has been largely anonymous. Harsh but cant judge Reilly on past glories - that’s the sad reality of football.

Good to see us playing with more confidence - some of our play was excellent but our finishing was really weak with Lewis, Todd and Murray all squandering gilt edged chances. Thought Brydon was really solid- Mom by a distance and although nothing much came off for him Ruth put in a power of work and offered a lot more than Reilly in that role. Still not sure why Murray gets so much game time but Bartley has certainly identified the key problem areas and taken swift action. Need to build on this and start beating our key rivals and not just FCE, Clyde and Peterhead.

The penalty give away was horrendous - no danger whatsoever- Shanks going nowhere. McKay for some inexplicable reason tried to wrestle him just on the outside of the box and when that didn't work he continues into the box and trips him for good measure. He usually never puts any sort of decent challenge in and then he goes to the other extreme all of a sudden. As Manager said the forwards bailed him out second half. Highlights how much we need a solid CB. Pleased for Bartley that they got the win as he is clearly trying hard to get something going.

Thankfully not

Thought it was going to be tough even for these imposters to “plumb new depths” this season but yet again they come up with the goods. What a shower and no surprise that it was our (self appointed Franz Beckenbauer with his docks at ankles) that conceded it.

Let’s be totally honest if Bartley can turn this rabble into “winners” without some more reinforcements I will be seriously impressed. Much more likely that they will keep stumbling and relying on the detached pair below us to keep us safe.