Old John

Whatever you think of the de facto house arrest the goverment has us all under, at least it has the appearance of concern for others about it. In contrast, what you have with this sudden talk of restructuring is Parkinson's law in action: bureaucracy expanding to fill the time available to it. Flagrant, boredom induced meddling by the footall authorities, now made into something with an almost sinister face by fact of those authorities empowering Ann Budge and Les Gray to lead the charge. How in any conscience those two were given the gig, I guess we'll never know. But it'd be a laugh, if nothing else, for the authorites to make their thinking transparent on that point. This is the point of peak absurdity in our game I think. Shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic doesn't quite capture it...

A left back!?

I don't think we've played any more poorly this season, notwithstanding that we only lost by a goal. We were really very bad and worryingly so. With our sole, isolated centre forward we were neither set up to take the game to Forfar nor did we seem very motivated in going about out business. In fact, in some players cases, perhaps we even lacked a little fitness. I'm thinking of Wylde, Love and Cuddihy there. Steven Doris was the man of the match today. Outstanding hold up play. Lovely set up for Forfar's second. But even without Doris to bounce it off of, Forfar would've managed to boss the midfield. They totally outcompeted Grant, Cuddihy, Lamont and latterly Rankin in there today. Very sturdy in defence too, all big and reasonably fit looking lads. I think the fitness of the young players they've brought in on loan, plus the experience of a player like Doris should improve them, at least so that they'll start picking up a few more points at home. Something that should worry us. An optimist might think we'd a lazy eye on the Celtic game. I hope that was the case, anyway. But the realist in me thinks Celtic will thrash us next Sunday because we don't have a reliable plan A for league matches any longer, never mind a plan to keep the best side in the country from scoring for fun. Getting over a doing isn't easy, and our next three league fixtures couldn't be any more difficult. Like I say, all a bit worrying.

I don't know why we don't use Wallace as a full back. We've used just about everyone else there. The difference with Wallace would be that he's actually used to playing out on the flank and he's quite athletic, two of things we've missed in the full backs we've tried under Lennon. I agree that Wallace hasn't been particularly good for us but he's been asked to play in the middle of the park a lot and that's not his usual bag is it? That said, I think he basically won us the Airdrie game, getting us two chances from nothing just with his presence up there. He also set up another important one but I forget who it came against.

If we lose by a small margin, we'll have done well. There's a real risk that with our defensive frailty, particularly down the sides, we could take a doing. Players like Frimpong and Forrest would melt McNiff, Cuddihy and pretty much anyone else we'd play out there. Edouard and Griffiths together could really show up Lang and Rumsby if they're in the mood. All that said, Lennon and Moore have great combined experience of getting something from games like these. I think it's the fact we're a part time team now that makes me pessimistic. Strangers things have happened, mind you, and Celtic do have a busier calendar than us.

I agree with Brian. Another forward who could hold it up and knock it down and a couple of full backs would've been ideal. Wylde seems a wasteful signing given he's unfit and given as we've got plenty of options in the positions where he would normally play. Unless of course we're not paying him a wage or there truly wasn't anything else available. I think Danny could argue that he was able to make Barry Cuddihy into a useful full back in previous seasons, and say the same for Ross Lyon in a few of his more recent appearances, but he's had a terrible time with that position otherwise. He played Lang as a right back for a while and he done the same thing with Dylan Cogill who, like Lang, was clearly much better in the centre than he was as a full back. Then there's McNiff. Not a full back in a million years, to my mind. We've also had Rankin and Grant playing back there if I remember rightly. And now Howie. Duffie would be the only proper full back we've really had out there and that's stretching the imagination a bit. I only mean that Duffie hadn't really played anywhere else in his career but on the right hand side and mostly while having defensive responsibilities, if not always as an out and out full back. He isn't a great option obviously. He's not very agile and dwells on the ball a bit much, revealing that he's not a truly experienced player. I think Danny might like a taller player out on the sides because they will reliably put the ball back into midfield when it's hoofed up at them and because they can be pushed up at goal kicks to give us a way into the opposition's half. Walter Smith's Rangers worked with that kind of set up. Papac and Whittaker weren't exactly Carlos and Cafu but they served a purpose. Difference with us is we only play one up and we can't expect the kind of possession Rangers could, all of which means the park is a bit more open for the opposition, and there's far more chance to exploit a cumbersome big full back. It's a real blind spot for Danny I think. I don't worry too much about the Celtic game because we're expecting a loss, but it could be a right doing. McNiff against Frimpong, Forrest and all those lads. Unless our line is sat an inch off the byline (...!) we'll have a hell of a time saving face. Same follows for the league, we won't take doings much, but we'll carry on losing very avoidable goals and underutilising the wings I think.

We'll never know unless Danny lets on but I think the way we lined up was both a reaction to our draw with Stranraer and a sensible precaution in light of McGachie's presence. Remember that Stranraer, the worst team in our league, got two of their three goals and had us down to ten men just by launching a few long ones to their big forwards. If we didn't have that third defender today, I fancy Bonnyrigg would've scored by getting in behind us through McGachie. It was a dangerous game we played all the same. We weren't very well organised at the back. But that's no more than you'd expect with three defenders who'd never played together in a tight three before. And we had conceded the middle of the park to Bonnyrigg before kick-off, in my opinion. If it's only Grant we have in there with any proven defensive qualities, then we'll almost always struggle to win the midfield as a battleground. No matter who we play. As a result of our 'weather the storm' approach, the forwards struggled to do anything useful with possession. I thought Wylde looked unfit and between Lamont, Goodwillie and Smith there wasn't much going. Things changed shortly after half-time. Bonnyrigg spent a lot of their energy in the first half and had nothing to show for it. We begun to get easier possession with Bonnyrigg no longer closing us down so aggressively. Some smart substitutions seemed to sense the opportunity to steal a goal and it was those that realy got us on the front foot, bringing the best of our attacking options to bear on Bonnyrigg. I think Love is a very reliably creative player, with great dig about him, which boded well in the conditions. He nicked it for us of course and we went on to shut up shop, despite having gave up our third defender. I think, most memorably, we had the athletic abilities of Tom Lang and David Mitchell to thank for the clean sheet. All in all a good result against a half decent Bonnyrigg side in tough conditions. Roll on the next round.

Good news getting Mitchell on for another two years or so. Done well since signing.

Less worried about this now that we've got Tom Lang back. However, Bonnyrigg have a good squad. One which could hold its own in league two for sure. The boy Baur that's on loan from Hearts is a decent big defender I understand. Their captain Brown's got a good pedigree and level of experience, along with Currie and a few others I could name. I think they'll come out the traps flying and I think we need to guard against early goals, kicking on aggressively from about the half hour mark to put it out of sight. All easier said than done of course.

It all adds up, in retrospect. Lennon's most recent post match comments made mention of one more signing and he alluded to the involvement of an agent. When you read some of comments back on this thread and on the other one about Dumbarton...

Good bit of business.

Good bit of business by Dick Campbell I think.

I take it you disagree with my take, given the down vote. Be interested to hear where you think I've gone wrong, particularly given as your own summary doesn't seem to contradict mine. I'm being serious, not baiting or whatever.

I know we're not in dire need of another forward. However, I went along to Ochilview yesterday and heard a rumour that Mark McGuigan might be leaving Stenny. He hasn't had a good season at all but on a track record basis, I'd bite your hand off. Having the option of a big forward to play alongside Goodwillie or alongside Smith in Goodwillie's absence could give us another way to approach games against the teams we really need to beat. I've long thought we could give a team a doing playing Goodwillie up with a big partner, assuming we also papered over the more critical defensive cracks.

Evidently there was was a small Clyde contingent along yesterday. I also went to this game but chose to sit in the stand with the home crowd. I've always preferred the view from there at Ochilview. On the match. No doubt Stenny came out of the traps the quicker. However, when you've a couple of debutants on the pitch and you're at home to a team you need to beat, that's the least you expect. Stenny ended up with nothing to show for their purposeful start and it was obvious that in taking the game to Brechin in the way they did, they would be making it that bit easier for Brechin to score one on the counter. And so it was that Brechin nicked one before half time, a lead they won without seeing a lot of the ball. Stenny simply kept at it in the second half and were rewarded for their persistence. Someone like Andy Munro is always liable to get you a goal from a set piece, being as aggressive and good in the air as he is. David Hopkirk too, having the ability he does, is always liable to chip in with a goal or an assist. He lay pretty much dormant the second half until he won Stenny the lead with his great run and shot, coming in from the right hand side. Alas, Stenny's defensive weaknesses couldn't be masked another ten minutes to see them away with the three points. The linesman's decision preceding Brechin's equaliser was contentious, but you always want your players playing to the whistle, and Stenny's back four might've done better there. A few things struck me about Stenny more generally and they'd worry me if I was a Warrior. The team's camaraderie and spirit isn't great. It was apparent that some players either don't get on with one another or are perhaps a bit resigned to what they think is the team's fate. That doesn't bode well for a team in Stenny's position. Greig Spence is a hell of a gamble to take with only a few months to get it right and still looks a shadow of his former self. And if, as I hear, you're on the brink of losing the much diminshed looking Mark McGuigan, that doesn't tell a hopeful story either. At the back, while Munro does the defending basics well, he's not a leader nor a stabilising force, something I think Stenny are without. Going forward, Hopkirk will get you points as he's a talented player but, like Munro, isn't all that dependable. Alan Cook on the other hand is very dependable and if you'd a team with his attitude front to back, you'd surely be spared the backdoor. On Brechin. There's not a lot of quality in their side, in my opinion, and Jackson strkes me as a desperate signing, given his fitness. Brechin are carrying a few players who've let that side of their game slide I'm sorry to say. They done enough today to scrape the draw of course, but that's a damning thing in itself. I wonder a bit about having Mark Wilson in there as the manager, as I do with Irons at Stenny. I don't recognise either as great motivators and neither has any kind of track record. I think it'll continue to be a close thing as between Stenny, Brechin and Albion down the bottom.

I've watched both Clyde and Dumbarton over the last two weeks or so. I'd say most of what's been written is on the money. Dumbarton don't have great options going forward, especially if their injury list is as it was against Stranraer. They do have a reasonably tough midfield though and they showed at Broadwood that they can defend well, at least when they've a plan to deal with the opposition's main threat and have a lead to protect. Clyde on the other hand have a luxury of options going forward but our midfield won't easily out battle Dumbarton's. Then there's our defence, the weakest of our lines. I suppose it's lucky that Dumbarton might be weaker up top than they were at Broadwood. I think Dumbarton will have a way in through dead balls and maybe through some quick counter attacks assuming the likes of McCluskey are available. We'll have our normal inroads if Dumbarton calculate that they'll have to take the game to us from the start, that'll probably mean there's space enough on the park to get the ball moving in and around their defence which isn't very mobile in the middle.

Proper forward player, Danny. God rest him.

I thought Stranraer's physicality was a problem for us. Jones and Stevenson held play well at times and if Stranraer had players capable of playing between the lines and running beyond the forwards they might have dished out a doing the likes of which we gave them last time round. They had to make do with the odd knock-on and dead ball to score their goals in the end. Their wide players and full-backs bombed forward enough to see to all of that. They also gave Goodwillie the same treatment that Dumbarton's defenders did for the entire first half, keeping him very quiet. We made good decisions at half time which addressed the vulnerability of Johnston and Lamont being responsible for entire right hand side, and we made the park as big as possible with the introduction of Smith and latterly Wylde. This all added up to more opportunity for players like Goodwillie to get a run in behind. We obviously also showed great spirit in pulling it back. That said, you can't really think about damage limitation at home to Stranraer so there wouldn't have been a calculation for us to make in terms of our basic attitude to the second half. I think we need at least two new defenders and a lot luck in terms of Goodwillie's fitness if we're to avoid the relegation play-off. One of those defenders must be a reasonably experienced centre back and the other a left back. Maybe Wylde will play as a left back. In an ideal world, we would bring in a big forward along with those defenders and have Rankin back in the side. Lennon talks a lot about the cost of poor game management and that's something you probably need to deploy and trust a senior player with. The changeable cast of players that we've had in the middle of the defence and midfield obviously hasn't done anything to stop us giving away cheap goals. On Petkov. While he's done well in the last two matches, I'd be cautious about offering him a deal if Hearts let him go. If he's only doing well when the chips are down and he's concerned about getting a contract or loan extension, that's a red flag. It might also be the case that a lot of what he's done well is a result of his higher fitness levels. I think I'm right in saying he trains full time with Hearts. The unusual mobility you're seeing for a big lad, winning those leg races and going on the odd run up the park, that might diminish if he becomes a part time player. We'll call it the Gavin Brown effect for short. You worry if we have the time to take a punt on inexperienced players at this point. Maybe signing Wylde is an indication that Danny might be thinking the same.

Stranraer have a hell of a lot of options up front now. Stevenson, Johnston, Dangana and Jones. All big strong players and with one or more of them probably making their debut tomorrow, I'd be surprised and delighted if we didn't concede.

Sitting in the stand as a neutral at Dumbarton yesterday was an eye opener. If we're bad as a support for berating officials, we're certainly not alone in that. I sat in front of a crowd who, before kick-off, had decided that the referee hadn't improved while refereeing at his current grade. They proceeded to berate everything he and his linesmen throughout, along with a lot of others in the stand. The officials performed just about flawlessly, by the way. No malice in the game whatever. Nothing dirty. No controversial decisions. Certainly nothing pivotal. What bores me is the crying for cards. 'Where's your card referee?'. I've never watched a great game that's been stopped every two minutes so that a booking can be dished out for something soft, but you'd think some folk wanted that every Saturday. No attempt to have one team gain an advantage or whatever.

Ah. I never knew McCluskey had a fitness issue. Seemed very sprightly when he came on. But aye. Clyde are in precisely the same spot when it comes to depth. We had Danny Lennon on the bench again today, god bless him.

I watched Stranraer play Dumbarton today. Their spirit isn't broken despite their league position and their forward pairing of Jones and Dangana, while a bit sluggish, will be a handful for us physically. They didn't look like scoring other than from dead balls, something we should watch out for when we face them. If we've neither Howie nor Petkov available to mark Jones, his height could be a real problem. As for Dumbarton, they're struggling with injuries like we are. I think a lot will depend on how they set up against us. Their defence was impressive at Broadwood but looked more vulnerable today on the greasy grass pitch, playing to win. Big question mark over who comes and goes both at Broadwood and at Stranraer and Dumbarton over the next fortnight. Stranraer are rumoured to have four players inbound. Their incentive to impress on their debuts could make for an upset if we're not firing on all cylinders.

I went along to this one today as I couldn't get to Peterhead and fancied a bet. Stranraer used their resources as well as they could've. There was enough about their two big forwards to fashion the odd chance and they had enough experience and physicality about them to avoid being easily opened up by Dumbarton. They conceded very few corners or free-kicks high up the pitch and quickly turned Dumbarton away whenever they got into the final third. If Stranraer were going to get a goal, it only ever threatened to come from a dead ball or maybe, just maybe, from a fortunate break of the ball in the greasy conditions. On Dumbarton. No doubt Duffy would've put out a different side had he a full squad to pick from but starting with just one out and out forward, and a small one at that, didn't strike me as wise. Especially with McCluskey available and sat on the bench. His introduction later on in the game was unsurprising. Dumbarton could have lost Langan earlier on and might've scored sooner for it. I think Dumbarton's problem, if they have one, is much like our own. They've been able to beat the better teams more easily than the poorer teams, at least as judged by league position. Some of that owes to unfortunate injuries. I can imagine Layne and Crossan maybe making today easier, for example. But some of it owes to poor decision making too, witness today. Having said all that, you could argue that Duffy started cautiously acknowledging the wounded animal that Stranraer are, and reacted rightly by bringing on McCluskey. It's then the game management aspect which you're left to think about. Meaning, not seeing out the game with a few minutes left. You need an experienced, spirited side to do that. And while Sons do have a few experienced heads, and no shortage of stature to defend dead balls, they seemed a bit at odds with one another today. I could see Tumilty, Neill and McGeever visibly despairing at the team's collective indecision at times. Not knowing who's hitting a dead ball. Not taking them quick enough. Fuming at the choice of pass made. That's something for a manager to fix. Think we, Stranraer and Dumbarton might play out a couple of close ones over the next fortnight.

Tony Wallace deserves a mention for his performance yesterday. I thought his physical presence done us a real favour and Airdrie's highlights package reveals the value of that at our second goal. Wallace wins a header high up the pitch to put Goodwillie on for the shot while Airdrie's defenders are on their heels. Sometimes a bit of presence is all it takes to nick a goal or two when you can't break a team down by another means.