Mr November

Hitting form at the right time.

I might be in the minority but I always preferred Paul McKay in midfield for Airdrie. Technically he’s miles off the standard of midfielder we’ve had since he left but for that team he did pretty well. He’s a strange player, no real standout attributes but he was pretty good at making runs into the box and being a nuisance. I know some people have their own ideas why he played regularly but I think it’s telling that Ian Murray trusted him so much he’d play him anywhere, even on the wing at one point. Saying that, starting the lockdown season watching a stream of us toiling to a 2-0 win at Stenhousemuir with Paul McKay as a number 10 was quite depressing.

He's in my all time worst Airdrie team, which is saying something. Didn't seem interested and definitely didn't have the ability to make up for it.

It’s a strange situation. We’ve played young players in the League Cup and Scottish Cup but despite being on the bench loads in the league, I don’t remember any of them playing a league game at all. I’d assume if contracts were an issue then they couldn’t be named on the bench but I could be wrong.

He had a loan spell at Airdrie in 2019 where he looked very out of his depth. He joined on loan from Hamilton at the same time as Leon McCann but McCann looked miles ahead of him at the time. He’s really kicked on over the last couple of seasons now, though it is a very big jump as you say.

Salim is tailor made for the big haddy striker turning up in the play-offs role.

I think you’re not allowed to play for your parent club until the next transfer window after going out on loan, though I could be wrong. I’ve got absolutely no intention of going to Meadowbank but Bright playing could change that.

I’m expecting a mostly full strength team on Saturday, with anyone who has even the slightest issue rested just to be safe. I’d be playing a nonsense team like this on the last day though: Hutton Watson - McCabe - Byrd - Deveney Stanway - McMaster - Telfer McGregor - Salim - Dixon I’d even throw in a few of the youth players for Watson, McCabe, McMaster etc. if possible.

Airdrieonians 2-2 Queen of the South Dunfermline Athletic 3-0 Clyde Kelty Hearts 1-1 Peterhead Montrose 2-2 Alloa Athletic

He did, Hamilton was a straight swap for Benedictus and stayed there when O’Hara went off. It was a back five, Mochrie and Chalmers sitting and Mahon ostensibly on his own up front but mostly sitting deep too.

Firstly, main thing today was getting the point to ensure top four, so job done. I’ve said before I don’t really care where we finish, I don’t think home advantage counts for much so the fact we’re in there is all that matters. Dunfermline are a horrible team to play against. I think a lot of people look at their defensive record and think they’re Duffy-esque agricultural monsters but they’re just a really solid, well-rounded team. The first 20 minutes might be the best a team has played against us all season and up until the first sending off it was a really even game, with both teams very up for it and playing some nice stuff. I did say when it went to nine men that Dunfermline might be the worst team to play against in that scenario and I think they showed, as they’re just so well organised and blocked any space. I was going to say I’ll be glad to see the back of them but I actually hope we meet again a few times next season! A mixed performance from Airdrie. After a tough start we came into the game and looked more dangerous going forward. Ballantyne and Smith did well down the left, with the former my man of the match once again, he looks a different player at left back. We really struggled against a very compact nine men though. I thought we had the right idea, trying to stay calm and create an opportunity but it just didn’t work at all. McGregor was worse than a man down, he took Edwards on once, lost that battle and was then too scared to try it again. I’d have brought Salim on just to cause some chaos and give us an option for crosses. On the red cards, the first was as clear a red as you’ll see and I think Benedictus knew that. He’s been one of the best players in the league this season but he’s had a few tough moments against Airdrie. The second was a bit more debatable. O’Hara did raise his foot high but I was very surprised it was given as a red. I thought McPake handled the situation pretty well to be fair to him while the rest of the coaching staff were going mental. My opinion of him has went up a lot this season after seeing how he’s conducted himself in the 4-3 game and then today. McCabe, Fordyce, Comrie, Hamilton and Otoo must have about the lowest average height for centre backs in a League One game in a long time.

Been the opposite of this so far, both teams going for it and unfortunately Josh Rae closest to scoring.

Yeah I suggested him a while ago, think he’d fit our style of play and as you say very impressive numbers. I think he is under contract for next season but can see someone going for him either way.

They do seem to be very reliant on Reilly. They’ve scored 41 goals this season and he’s been involved in almost 80% of them (21 goals, 11 assists) which is wild. They rarely seem to lose heavily, just a lot of narrow defeats then they go out and beat a team by three or four. As you say, being so reliant on one player doesn’t say much for the rest of the team.

That looks about right. I’d say he’s gone from a very good League One striker to the best but I’m biased and as I said, most of his strengths previously were things that wouldn’t show up in data. He still has a natural ability to know where to be in the box but the biggest different this season is his ability to drop deep, link play and play dangerous passes, which I think the data shows.

McGill has occasionally played through the middle but generally plays wide right, though it’s very much wide forwards rather than wide midfielders. I’d certainly have down as a winger though in your stats. The rest looks pretty good but I’m surprised about Fordyce. I felt he had a poor first half of the season, making a lot of uncharacteristic errors, but he does win a lot in the air and is decent on the ball for a defender at this level, so can see why he might score highly. Out of interest, I’m sure I remember you posting some of Gallagher’s ratings a couple of years ago and he didn’t stand out much, which made sense at the time as he was more of a penalty box striker with the main skill of knowing where the ball would land, something that’s hard to show in stats. I’m guessing his stats look a lot better now compared to the last few seasons?

There’s usually four nominees for player of the year isn’t there? Todd, Benedictus, Paton and Gallagher seem like a solid group for that.

Bring Dylan Easton and Kyle Turner home. In all seriousness, Nikolay Todorov is an interesting one. He’s maybe not a great fit for our style of play and I suspect he’ll het better offers but he’s done very well against us this season. McCabe and Fordyce have seemed quite scared of him in every game, could see them trying to bring him in.

We managed to sign up most of the part-time regulars during that spell as well as Fordyce, Crighton etc and oddly Patrick Pyott. That is the way to do things, build on a solid core and look to steadily improve, it’d be great if we can continue that this summer. I remember when Watson’s new deal was announced last summer he said he’d signed it a while ago. I’m not normally one to criticise the club’s announcements but I don’t see any reason why new contracts can’t be announced before the end of the season, every other club seems fine doing it. I agree on Byrd and McGregor. I’m not fully convinced by McGregor yet but I’d keep for next season anyway as he definitely has some useful assets. Byrd less so, but I suppose it’s early days.

Tam O'Brien style five year deal please.

The cup game at the start of the season adds to how bizarre it is too. It was a 1-1 draw but I think we hit the woodwork twice, missed a penalty plus plenty of other chances. They looked a poor team that night held together by Fontaine at the back, so for them to go and pump us in the next three games was unthinkable. There’s been mitigating circumstances in the two home games with Ballantyne’s red card and Jay Riley being woefully out of his depth but even so, baffling games that make even less sense as the season goes on.

Airdrieonians 2-0 Dunfermline Athletic Alloa Athletic 1-1 Falkirk Edinburgh 2-2 Kelty Hearts Peterhead 1-1 Clyde Queen of the South 2-0 Montrose

I thought putting him there was more appropriate, even if Brian Rice prefers Kevin Cawley in there

@David Fernández Hogarth is a great shout actually, been really impressed by him every time we’ve played Alloa. He’s not the biggest but he looks very good for his age and stopped both of the games in Airdrie being won by even bigger margins.

I’ve tried to pick based off games I’ve seen and opinions on here: Mehmet Taggart - Benedictus - Fontaine - Edwards McGill - Matty Todd - Frizzell - Morrison Gallagher - Paton I don’t think Mehmet is that great but neither is anyone else and you can’t argue with that clean sheet record. Benedictus and Edwards both very easy picks at the back. I thought Rowe was excellent for Falkirk in the game at Airdrie in February but he was poor yesterday. Comrie and Craigen both contenders too but Taggart steady as ever all season. I think Coll Donaldson is a good player but he’s not been at his best against Airdrie whereas Liam Fontaine has looked imperious every time we’ve played Edinburgh. No Airdrie defenders in contention on principle after some of the goals we’ve conceded. Morrison and Matty Todd both obvious picks in midfield. Gabby McGill’s form over the last few months edges him ahead of Ritchie-Hosler, who I have been very impressed by. I like Josh Todd at Queens but Frizzell edges it for the last midfield spot. John Robertson has had a great season but Gallagher and Paton are the obvious two here.