Cowden v Dumbarton 27/12

[adopted beath]

Absolutely agree less points will be needed this season. I don't see where we're getting them if we can't beat bottom half sides.

I didn't say 3-5-2 was a magic formula. I happen to think it suits our players. 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 haven't exactly worked wonders this season. If Jimmy wants to use different tactics he needs different players.

Look at Saturday. Robbo left mid and Kane right mid. Which of those two is going to beat a man down the line? Lets assume they do that. I've never seen Kane put a cross in period. Robbo won't as he isn't left footed.

Dumbo's full-backs are slower than a week in the jail but we never set-up to exploit it. Means we're narrow going forward which limits our attacking options and makes it easier for Dumbo to defend as they have less to think about.

Marshall and Milne are too ponderous moving the ball forward and that combined with our narrow set-up means its difficult to move it forward.

Defensively we had no answer to Dumbo lumping it up to Nish. He won every long ball on the deck and in the air.

Brownlie should have been used to counter that. He also should have been used to counter Paterson against Hearts. Jimmy is asleep at the wheel if he can't see that.

Miller and Halsman can beat a man and have pace. They should have been our wide players. We have no other decent full-backs available so we had to go 3 at the back to move them into wing-back positions. That allows Robbo back into the middle so we can pass it quicly between him Milne and Marshall allowing them to bring the front two into the game.

If anyone could take a guess at what our tactics were on Saturday and how we planned to counter Dumbo's obvious tactics I'd love to hear it.

Brilliant post.

[Blueminer]

The only thing that has really surprised me this season is the lack of opportunities given to Darren Brownlie. Not saying he would solve everything in defence, but we do have the worst goal difference in the league, so it's hard to fathom why JN seems to be reluctant to use him!

[Cowden Cowboy]

We had the worst defence in the League last season as well - 352 worked because we had probably the best two strikers so were prolific at scoring as well. We were never going to be able to replace two strikers like that. Didn't we play with three centre backs (Darren, Chopper and Nat) at Dumbarton last March and we conceded 5?

[CowdenConvert]

We had the worst defence in the League last season as well - 352 worked because we had probably the best two strikers so were prolific at scoring as well. We were never going to be able to replace two strikers like that. Didn't we play with three centre backs (Darren, Chopper and Nat) at Dumbarton last March and we conceded 5?

We did. I seem to remember that Flynn had a shocker that day. Didn't he gift them 3 goals? One from a badly set-up wall from a free kick was horrific and just as we'd got back into the game at 2-1 and looked most likely to score. Pretty sure thats while Hemmings was out injured as well.

I'm not saying 3-5-2 is a magic formula. I look at the players we have available and thats all i can see instead of playing players out of position. I'm looking to put a team on the park to win a game. We have to counter the opposition threat but we'll concede goals. Defences at this level will. We have to make sure we can get forward enough to make opposition defences make mistakes and concede. We concede so many because we're sitting back so much.

When Deano and Kenny are back we then have formation options depending on who we're playing. Until then we have no other full backs available. Kane is horrendous at full-back (he's been horrendous everywhere all season. Decent last season though). Robbo can do a job but takes him away from centre-mid. Everyone around me was amazed to see Campbell get game-time after Halsman was signed. He is not an option, even if we do get relegated.

[Blueminer]

We had the worst defence in the League last season as well - 352 worked because we had probably the best two strikers so were prolific at scoring as well. We were never going to be able to replace two strikers like that. Didn't we play with three centre backs (Darren, Chopper and Nat) at Dumbarton last March and we conceded 5?

Not really sure what point you're trying to make regarding DB. Not going to go through all the stats regarding what games he played in last season, but he came to us on loan and performed well for us. Maybe played in 10 - 15 games including play offs? Just think he hasn't been given a decent run this season. Maybe it wouldn't change our defensive frailties, but it just seems a strange one to me and I think many others!

[The_Pit_Owns]

We were struggling for players against Hearts last Tuesday. Instead of playing Brownlie at centre back and pushing TOB forward into midfield, Jimmy decided to give Liam Callaghan his first ever start for the club. What a bizarre thing to do and suggests that something else is maybe going on between Jimmy and Darren.

[Muzza81]

The whole Brownlie situation is bemusing.

At the end of the day fans were asking to raise £10k last season to 'save the club'. We were told we had to stay up for the future of the club. What have we achieved? Allowed Nicholl to increase (yes we have a much higher wage budget this season!) and we have a piss poor squad. If we had gone down what would th difference have been? That's a genuine question.

We hear nothing from the club. I finally got told what Armstrong's injury was at the weekend - a tic in his leg. Could the club not say something to stop rumours starting? Then I turn up and the terracing is closed. I appeciate its volunteers needed to grit stuff but there's no way it was remotely icey on Saturday.

We shouldn't expect to beat anyone but f**k me we should at least compete with another part time team. A team with similar resources. They were a team playing for each other, we looked like a team who didn't care.

Higgins should not be our captain. The fact we have no leaders in the squad tells its own story. Dumbarton and Alloa have 5/6 candidates.

Nicholl changes absolutely nothing during games, he is past it. Out his depth, he doesn't know what to do. Once his team is out its sit back and wait to see what happens. It was clear we were ineffective but nothing changed. We make no subtle tactical changes, our set pieces are fucking awful too.

[big al]

Absolutely agree less points will be needed this season. I don't see where we're getting them if we can't beat bottom half sides.

I didn't say 3-5-2 was a magic formula. I happen to think it suits our players. 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 haven't exactly worked wonders this season. If Jimmy wants to use different tactics he needs different players.

Look at Saturday. Robbo left mid and Kane right mid. Which of those two is going to beat a man down the line? Lets assume they do that. I've never seen Kane put a cross in period. Robbo won't as he isn't left footed.

Dumbo's full-backs are slower than a week in the jail but we never set-up to exploit it. Means we're narrow going forward which limits our attacking options and makes it easier for Dumbo to defend as they have less to think about.

Marshall and Milne are too ponderous moving the ball forward and that combined with our narrow set-up means its difficult to move it forward.

Defensively we had no answer to Dumbo lumping it up to Nish. He won every long ball on the deck and in the air.

Brownlie should have been used to counter that. He also should have been used to counter Paterson against Hearts. Jimmy is asleep at the wheel if he can't see that.

Miller and Halsman can beat a man and have pace. They should have been our wide players. We have no other decent full-backs available so we had to go 3 at the back to move them into wing-back positions. That allows Robbo back into the middle so we can pass it quicly between him Milne and Marshall allowing them to bring the front two into the game.

If anyone could take a guess at what our tactics were on Saturday and how we planned to counter Dumbo's obvious tactics I'd love to hear it.

halsman got into several reasonable crossing positions on his left foot and virtually duffed every 1 of them. I can't see any evidence of him being a good wing back. Maybe thats why the manager has him at left back?

To counter that though, i cant see any evidence of chris kane being a footballer so maybe you are right.

the sooner our 3 stalwarts at the back return and get back on form the better. Then we have to prey for 2 or 3 decent midfield/attackers and we will be fine.

[The_Pit_Owns]

The whole Brownlie situation is bemusing.

At the end of the day fans were asking to raise £10k last season to 'save the club'. We were told we had to stay up for the future of the club. What have we achieved? Allowed Nicholl to increase (yes we have a much higher wage budget this season!) and we have a piss poor squad. If we had gone down what would th difference have been? That's a genuine question.

We hear nothing from the club. I finally got told what Armstrong's injury was at the weekend - a tic in his leg. Could the club not say something to stop rumours starting? Then I turn up and the terracing is closed. I appeciate its volunteers needed to grit stuff but there's no way it was remotely icey on Saturday.

We shouldn't expect to beat anyone but f**k me we should at least compete with another part time team. A team with similar resources. They were a team playing for each other, we looked like a team who didn't care.

Higgins should not be our captain. The fact we have no leaders in the squad tells its own story. Dumbarton and Alloa have 5/6 candidates.

Nicholl changes absolutely nothing during games, he is past it. Out his depth, he doesn't know what to do. Once his team is out its sit back and wait to see what happens. It was clear we were ineffective but nothing changed. We make no subtle tactical changes, our set pieces are fucking awful too.

I agree with most of this post.

I would have given Robbo the captaincy in the absence of Chopper and Kenny. He captained us to the 2nd Division title and really upped his game that season.

As for not changing the team, there's very little he can change because of the players that he's brought in. If one of the strikers isn't playing well, you still wouldn't take them off because the only other option is Jurisic. If Halsman is having a nightmare, he's still better than Campbell on a good day.

The signing haven't been good enough! Why? Because Nicholl is so far out of touch with the modern game. His signing policy is to bring in players that he's worked with in the past - 10 years ago. Sammy Stewart, Iain Campbell, Pat Scullion shouldn't be anywhere near the Championship. Signing Anthony Higgins because he's Sean's brother. He's been released now but he should never have been brought in, in the first place. Where's the rest of the budget gone? Giving last season's players wage rises and then wasting wages on Jurisic (who he's never had enough faith in to start a game), Sutherland (who's never been fit to start a game), Then there's Darren Brownlie, a great signing who he doesn't want to start a game.

SACK NICHOLL, GIVE MAKEL A CHANCE!

[Cowden Cowboy]

Hmm yes we are 8th in the Championship, equivalent to the highest position we have been in Scottish football in 40 plus years so let's go into panic mode.

[The Moonster]

Just think how bad things would be if you didn't have your sugar daddy, Cowden.

[cowdenbeath]

Just think how bad things would be if you didn't have your sugar daddy, Cowden.

What sugar daddy is this?

[Cowden Cowboy]

At the end of the day fans were asking to raise £10k last season to 'save the club'. We were told we had to stay up for the future of the club. What have we achieved? Allowed Nicholl to increase (yes we have a much higher wage budget this season!) and we have a piss poor squad. If we had gone down what would th difference have been? That's a genuine question.
I would expect most clubs have a higher wage budget as players can do the maths re the 'Big 3' - it's a squad good enough to see us in as high a position in Scottish football than you have ever seen - thus doesn't suggest you have much regard for any squad we have ever had! Playing in League One this season I would estimate we would have been some £300k worse off in terms of income - that would have a primary impact.
We hear nothing from the club. I finally got told what Armstrong's injury was at the weekend - a tic in his leg. Could the club not say something to stop rumours starting? Then I turn up and the terracing is closed. I appeciate its volunteers needed to grit stuff but there's no way it was remotely icey on Saturday.
If we were in League 1, there is every likelihood the terracing would be shut for most if not every match.

.

[Jan Vojáček]

Going back to an earlier point, who on earth sanctioned the Scullion signing? This is a guy who was released by Clyde last season who then gets a move to one of Scotland's best P/T teams. Where on earth is the logic in that?

[Cowden Cowboy]

Going back to an earlier point, who on earth sanctioned the Scullion signing? This is a guy who was released by Clyde last season who then gets a move to one of Scotland's best P/T teams. Where on earth is the logic in that?

This is a complete red herring - Pat asked to train at the club and this was agreed. He was without a club at the end of the transfer window and he was then signed more or less on an amateur basis to help flesh out the under 20 squad. Since we have often had say 6-8 players unavailable due to injury or other reasons then he has sometimes ended up on the 7 man bench and has then come on a couple of times.

[ebeneezer]

If a manager doesn't jump around in demented fashion on the touchline then he must be seriously crap. If our guy would just flap his arms a bit, it would at least show he's got some basic knowledge of the modern game.

[Muzza81]

If a manager doesn't jump around in demented fashion on the touchline then he must be seriously crap. If our guy would just flap his arms a bit, it would at least show he's got some basic knowledge of the modern game.

Some football fans actually know the game. I don't expect him to flap about, I expect him to converse with his management team and look to improve the game. Spot the oppositions weaknesses, discuss this and get the message onto the pitch - we don't. Nothing changes, no tactical changes, no nothing. i don't care if he says f**k all to the players during a game - but someone should be relaying instructions. Unless he have none? If you think it's acceptable for your management team to speak once in a game like that you need your head checked.

[Muzza81]

What sugar daddy is this?

It was tongue in cheek. The dumbo chairman claimed Subsea is our suger daddy.

[Cowden316]

Right let's all calm down and stop the negativity it seems some people are looking for problems!

As our very own Cowboy has said this is the highest position we have been in for over 40 years in this league so let's get behind the club and make sure we stay in this league.I don't know about you but I want to see this club continue in this league for the foreseeable future and not in the basement of Scottish Football.

We have an ambitious board so let's all rise to the challenge in making this great community club a success!

[big al]

All cowden fans agree the appointment of Findlay as chairman was a masterstroke and he is well backed up by the superb board.

Pretty clear to me its the board and in this case mainly Findlay who has appointed Nichol. About time we trusted the board and Findlay. After all, the only thing we have done in recent years is over achieve.

at the seasons mid point we are 8th. Calling for Nichol to go is embarrassing, knee jerk reactions of fans who don't understand. Either thator our fans simply think 8th is unacceptable and don't believe in the club at all as its the club who recruited the manager.