Livingston - all the threads merged

[Scrutinizer]

I don't see any improvement in the goal scoring department, played 5 ,only scored 2 from open play
where are the goals coming from, NINE forwards in the squad 

Hamilton,Kouider-Aissa, Tiffoney, Poplatnik, Robinson ,Souda are not going to score goals,so that leaves

Stokes and Lars lokotsh next up on the list to try,Just hope that works out or you could end up with   Forrest the only forward player that looks like scoring

Sibbald,Forrest,Pittman are the only 3 that can damage defences either by passes or driving at defences.Anyone any idea's what's going to happen if Stokes and Lars lokotsh turn out to be crap..

[Cptn Hooch]

I don't see any improvement in the goal scoring department, played 5 ,only scored 2 from open play
where are the goals coming from, NINE forwards in the squad 
Hamilton,Kouider-Aissa, Tiffoney, Poplatnik, Robinson ,Souda are not going to score goals,so that leaves
Stokes and Lars lokotsh next up on the list to try,Just hope that works out or you could end up with   Forrest the only forward player that looks like scoring
Sibbald,Forrest,Pittman are the only 3 that can damage defences either by passes or driving at defences.Anyone any idea's what's going to happen if Stokes and Lars lokotsh turn out to be crap..

They won't be crap! I genuinely believe Stokes will replace Dykes' goal tally. The other guys are brand new to the division and some even new to the country...it's rare for someone to hit the ground running with such a step up or culture change. We need to have patience. We've controlled games against Motherwell and Aberdeen who were 3rd and 4th last season. Results will come, I'm sure of it...and when they do, the confidence will return and we'll see the team back to their best.

[ATLIS]

Genuinely no need for us to panic. We should be beating Ross County at home, Dykes smashed 3 past them last year so we should look to put a marker down

[Scrutinizer]

5 minutes ago, ATLIS said:

Genuinely no need for us to panic. We should be beating Ross County at home, Dykes smashed 3 past them last year so we should look to put a marker down

If they don't  beat County or score,that could  be the start of big  big problems , especially if they get beat, that would be 9 big points behind County after 6 games.

It wouldn't  surprise me if Stokes and Lokotch didn't  start

[ATLIS]

1 hour ago, Scrutinizer said:

If they don't  beat County or score,that could  be the start of big  big problems , especially if they get beat, that would be 9 big points behind County after 6 games.

It wouldn't  surprise me if Stokes and Lokotch didn't  start

Think Lokotsch will take time to get up to speed - it's Stokes that I'd imagine to make more of an instant impact. We might see Holt change formation and go with two up top maybe? We can only hope but Stokes and even Hamilton up top might be decent. Hamilton has worked with Lee Miller, Hardie, Kenny Miller and Dykes so surely he's taken something from those opportunities 

[LIVIFOREVER]

38 minutes ago, ATLIS said:

Think Lokotsch will take time to get up to speed - it's Stokes that I'd imagine to make more of an instant impact. We might see Holt change formation and go with two up top maybe? We can only hope but Stokes and even Hamilton up top might be decent. Hamilton has worked with Lee Miller, Hardie, Kenny Miller and Dykes so surely he's taken something from those opportunities 

And Dobbie, in his loan spell at QoTS.

 

Just out of interest, how many points did St Johnstone have after playing every team once last season, things can turn round very quickly once you put 2 or 3 wins together. Motherwell and Killie have started poorly too, and Accies just jumped up to 9th place with their first win, no need for panic. We're only just about where we usually are sharpness wise after playing Betfred games, and you can see things sharpening up in the last few games, still wee glitches in defence but it'll come back. Up front we're still making lots of changes with Dykes leaving and players coming in, may take 4 or 5 games before it clicks in attack, and we get a settled team.

Edited August 25, 2020 by LIVIFOREVER

[tree house tam]

23 minutes ago, LIVIFOREVER said:

And Dobbie, in his loan spell at QoTS.

 

Just out of interest, how many points did St Johnstone have after playing every team once last season, things can turn round very quickly once you put 2 or 3 wins together. Motherwell and Killie have started poorly too, and Accies just jumped up to 9th place with their first win, no need for panic. We're only just about where we usually are sharpness wise after playing Betfred games, and you can see things sharpening up in the last few games, still wee glitches in defence but it'll come back. Up front we're still making lots of changes with Dykes leaving and players coming in, may take 4 or 5 games before it clicks in attack, and we get a settled team.

It wasn't putting two or three wins together that helped St Johnstone last season, it was getting players back from injury so we didn't have to play Wallace fucking Duffy. Apart from the knickerwetters in our support not many thought we were in trouble because we knew when the players were back we'd pick up.

[LIVIFOREVER]

59 minutes ago, tree house tam said:

It wasn't putting two or three wins together that helped St Johnstone last season, it was getting players back from injury so we didn't have to play Wallace fucking Duffy. Apart from the knickerwetters in our support not many thought we were in trouble because we knew when the players were back we'd pick up.

Yeah what i'm saying though is a couple of wins and everything looks a lot different. And with us missing the Betfred cup group games before the league kicked off we're about four competitive games short in match fitness from where we usually are when the league started. Just now after our first five games is where we usually are after our league opener, so we're having a slower start than normal.

I know it's the same for everyone but I think Livi have really benefitted in the past from those group stages getting us off to a good start in the league. For a start Holt messing about with our shape in defence wouldn't have had the same damage, we'd prob have gotten away with it in the cup games, and had it sorted for the league starting. Less certain about the striker situation right enough, with Dykes being sold, we'll just have to see how Stokes gets on, and hopefully one of the new signings will be a success too.

[crispy]

Not worried at all as I’ve seen enough in the forward areas and to a lesser extent defence to think we’ll pick up points, especially once things smoothed out/new signings in. If we’re still bottom after another 10 games then I’ll worry.

[Durnford]

13 hours ago, Scrutinizer said:

Hamilton,Kouider-Aissa, Tiffoney, Poplatnik, Robinson ,Souda are not going to score goals,

Not quite sure how you leapt to that conclusion.

Hamilton never was an impact sub; he generally needed to be on from the start to see the best of him. Other than the Sevco game he's not started for us for quite some time and I hope your assumption that he's not going to score goals isnt therefore based on a sole performance as a loan forward against the second most expensive side in the country?

Kouider-Aissa has just made the step up from part time football. \Its going to take a bit of time until he's built his fitness to a level to compete with full-time professional. However he also seems like a player that struggles with the role of loan striker. From what I've seen he's more a goal poacher so will need others around him otherwise he's too easily isolated.

Tiffoney had an excellent game against Motherwell over a year ago but has rarely had the opportunity to shine since. All in all he seems to have been limited to a handful of fifteen minute appearances. For me that's not enough to make an informed assessment as to whether he's going to score goals or not given a decent run.

Poplatnik - your assessment is based on a 45 minute appearance against Hibs, where he won a penalty, and maybe 15 minutes against Sevco? Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable there? He's another one who had been struggling with fitness and adjusting to playing in a new country and yet he's being assessed on how he will be performing for an entire season based on a total of 60 minutes against the top two (in the league) sides in the country?

Robinson and Souda are attacking midfield/wingers so I wouldn't be expecting barrel loads of goals from them.

Putting all your eggs in one proverbial basket by pinning your hopes on the two new guys coming in isn't going to please you much either. Stokes hasnt played football for some time now, certainly not since last January but we can hope he's managed to keep up some form of physical fitness else its going to be some time before he's going to be performing at any sort of acceptable level. Remember this is a guy who was sacked by one club for repeatedly not turning up for training so the hope that he has been disciplined enough to keep his fitness up whilst not playing is worrying.

For Lars Lokotsch; this is a player I know very little about but the more I find out the more hopefully I get. He could be a potential real diamond in the rough. My main worry here is whether he has an impressive burst of speed AKA Dykes or Hardie to really put the fear of god into defenders? Certainly physically he should be a match for most. If any of the above sort out their fitness etc. so that they can form a proper partnership; it could be an interesting season.

Remember in previous years we would have usually gone through all this within the Betfred games; giving us the change to sort ouselves out and find what works and what doesn't.  This season we havent had that luxury but I still remain quite confident.

[Cptn Hooch]

Not quite sure how you leapt to that conclusion.
Hamilton never was an impact sub; he generally needed to be on from the start to see the best of him. Other than the Sevco game he's not started for us for quite some time and I hope your assumption that he's not going to score goals isnt therefore based on a sole performance as a loan forward against the second most expensive side in the country?
Kouider-Aissa has just made the step up from part time football. \Its going to take a bit of time until he's built his fitness to a level to compete with full-time professional. However he also seems like a player that struggles with the role of loan striker. From what I've seen he's more a goal poacher so will need others around him otherwise he's too easily isolated.
Tiffoney had an excellent game against Motherwell over a year ago but has rarely had the opportunity to shine since. All in all he seems to have been limited to a handful of fifteen minute appearances. For me that's not enough to make an informed assessment as to whether he's going to score goals or not given a decent run.
Poplatnik - your assessment is based on a 45 minute appearance against Hibs, where he won a penalty, and maybe 15 minutes against Sevco? Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable there? He's another one who had been struggling with fitness and adjusting to playing in a new country and yet he's being assessed on how he will be performing for an entire season based on a total of 60 minutes against the top two (in the league) sides in the country?
Robinson and Souda are attacking midfield/wingers so I wouldn't be expecting barrel loads of goals from them.
Putting all your eggs in one proverbial basket by pinning your hopes on the two new guys coming in isn't going to please you much either. Stokes hasnt played football for some time now, certainly not since last January but we can hope he's managed to keep up some form of physical fitness else its going to be some time before he's going to be performing at any sort of acceptable level. Remember this is a guy who was sacked by one club for repeatedly not turning up for training so the hope that he has been disciplined enough to keep his fitness up whilst not playing is worrying.
For Lars Lokotsch; this is a player I know very little about but the more I find out the more hopefully I get. He could be a potential real diamond in the rough. My main worry here is whether he has an impressive burst of speed AKA Dykes or Hardie to really put the fear of god into defenders? Certainly physically he should be a match for most. If any of the above sort out their fitness etc. so that they can form a proper partnership; it could be an interesting season.
Remember in previous years we would have usually gone through all this within the Betfred games; giving us the change to sort ouselves out and find what works and what doesn't.  This season we havent had that luxury but I still remain quite confident.

In the article Callum Carson did with Lars, he says he would class himself as a fast player. It sounds promising

[Scrutinizer]

13 hours ago, Durnford said:

Not quite sure how you leapt to that conclusion.

Hamilton never was an impact sub; he generally needed to be on from the start to see the best of him. Other than the Sevco game he's not started for us for quite some time and I hope your assumption that he's not going to score goals isnt therefore based on a sole performance as a loan forward against the second most expensive side in the country?

Kouider-Aissa has just made the step up from part time football. \Its going to take a bit of time until he's built his fitness to a level to compete with full-time professional. However he also seems like a player that struggles with the role of loan striker. From what I've seen he's more a goal poacher so will need others around him otherwise he's too easily isolated.

Tiffoney had an excellent game against Motherwell over a year ago but has rarely had the opportunity to shine since. All in all he seems to have been limited to a handful of fifteen minute appearances. For me that's not enough to make an informed assessment as to whether he's going to score goals or not given a decent run.

Poplatnik - your assessment is based on a 45 minute appearance against Hibs, where he won a penalty, and maybe 15 minutes against Sevco? Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable there? He's another one who had been struggling with fitness and adjusting to playing in a new country and yet he's being assessed on how he will be performing for an entire season based on a total of 60 minutes against the top two (in the league) sides in the country?

Robinson and Souda are attacking midfield/wingers so I wouldn't be expecting barrel loads of goals from them.

Putting all your eggs in one proverbial basket by pinning your hopes on the two new guys coming in isn't going to please you much either. Stokes hasnt played football for some time now, certainly not since last January but we can hope he's managed to keep up some form of physical fitness else its going to be some time before he's going to be performing at any sort of acceptable level. Remember this is a guy who was sacked by one club for repeatedly not turning up for training so the hope that he has been disciplined enough to keep his fitness up whilst not playing is worrying.

For Lars Lokotsch; this is a player I know very little about but the more I find out the more hopefully I get. He could be a potential real diamond in the rough. My main worry here is whether he has an impressive burst of speed AKA Dykes or Hardie to really put the fear of god into defenders? Certainly physically he should be a match for most. If any of the above sort out their fitness etc. so that they can form a proper partnership; it could be an interesting season.

Remember in previous years we would have usually gone through all this within the Betfred games; giving us the change to sort ouselves out and find what works and what doesn't.  This season we havent had that luxury but I still remain quite confident.

I think Robinson is a good enough player,but you're saying he is a mid/winger,so why insist playing him as a striker on his own,when you've got all these other strikers ??

What's the reason Tiffoney,Hamilton,Poplatnik all strikers,are on the bench most of the time,while Robinson a mid/winger has been given the striker roll

Poplatnik wasn't even on the bench against Aberdeen  why??

Souda has been here long enough to make a claim for a regular start,but Gary Holt just won't start him..
why??

Kouider- Aissa another forward doesn't get a start why ?? he's been here 6 weeks,how long does it take to get himself fit when you're training everyday ??

No doubt Stokes was a good player,but the last game I saw him play in he was way of the pace, and that's when he was fit....

Lokotsch I dont know anything about,but the way Holt uses his strikers ,he might get a few minutes  here and there.

I don't think Hamilton will get goals at this level,he's just not mobile enough,my opinion..

Also when playing at home against potential bottom 6 sides, Holt shouldn't have to play with 2 or 3  defensive central midfield players as he usually insists with.

 I can see more and more responsibilities(pressure) on Pittman,Forrest and Sibbald having to to get goals, because Holt can't decide if he's  got 2 decent strikers in his squad
 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Scrutinizer

[LiviLion]

Brian Schwake off on loan to Linlithgow Rose. Hope it goes well for him there.

[EdinburghLivi]

Jack Hamilton due to be sent out on loan according to the Sun. Morton keen to take him apparently.

[Troy.1995]

Its such a shame.But hes had Hardie,Dykes to compete with in the last couple of years.For me a coach must add pace to his game,get that and he could become a real threat to teams at this level.Hes young and has time on his side.Really hope it comes for him.Make yourself a Livi legend Boi.

[LiviLion]

Another game without a goal for McCrorie, we should be sending him back to Rangers IMO

[G51]

1 minute ago, LiviLion said:

Another game without a goal for McCrorie, we should be sending him back to Rangers IMO

If he's not scoring goals, we don't want him back.

[Cptn Hooch]

Another game without a goal for McCrorie, we should be sending him back to Rangers IMO

He's improving...perhaps a confidence thing with him. Flapped a couple of times but a much more assured performance today. I never felt nervy today with him in goals... hopefully he pushes on with that kind of performance

[LIVIFOREVER]

The defence was a lot better today too, which helps McCrorie, they were playing a high line and McCrorie did the sweeper Keeper role well, getting out quickly to cover any balls played over the top of our CB's. Efe had his best game for us too, looked cool, calm and collected, mopping everything up and driving forward. As ATLIS said on the match thread, was Halkett esque from him.

[crispy]

Energy, pressing, intensity. A Livi performance.

Efe had a great game. I really liked how took responsibility and tried to make things happen whether it be carrying the ball out or pinging a pass. 
We made some good chances again and Lars nearly grabbed a debut goal (hitting the bar). If we were a bit more clinical it could’ve be comfortable and that I suppose was the issue last week. I do think Forrest is looking lively. 
Can’t see Souda getting in the team any time soon. Feel a bit sorry for McMillan being dropped.

Edited August 29, 2020 by crispy