NorthBank Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 What kind of midfielder is he? Seem to remember him being an attacking one which isn't exactly what we need, although his strike rate is crap if he's someone who is meant to get forward. We need a complete midfield Stu (until Goody comes back). Mallan may actually play a bigger role now he has a midfield partner for the first time. Just need another two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 http://www.saintmirren.net/pages/?p=51225 Official now. Certainly looks a good signing on paper. We can't expect a much higher calibre of player than him given where we are. Plenty of top flight experience, should do just fine down here. ETA - his beard is also a solid 9/10, which is always a good sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_Glasgow Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Looks a good signing to me, from what I remember he's a solid box-to-box midfielder type who will hopefully be a better partner for Mallan than the other non-Goodwin options we've tried so far. I think he's missed a lot of the last season and a half with injuries though so I don't know how fit he'll be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebonce Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Looking forward to Bunglebounce's 700 word break down of him and how he will fit into our midfield. Not being sarcastic actually... If you want it I'll be glad to deliver when I have spare time on the train tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergie's no1 fan Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 I remember him coming off the bench and scoring 2 in the 5-4 classic v County. Sounds a bit like Stephen Thomson, who was a great player for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shull Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Hope he wears black boots. Bad enough with the trendytadger beard without him wearing yellow, pink or orange boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomGuy. Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Oh Rocco, what have you done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebonce Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I wrote what is in the spoiler in December 2013. The focus is on Quinn's partnership with Stuart Kettlewell, which didn't have enough technical ability or creativity between them to thrive. It goes into Quinn's evolution from a solid playmaker to utility workhorse. He has been injury prone in the last couple of years, with a lengthy layoff last season due to a hip operation. It was the same type of injury and operation that essentially killed Kettlewell's top flight prospects, but Quinn's was operated on very early on so he got back to peak shape. I wouldn't worry about him going straight into the team, Jim McIntyre has the whole squad in a good state of fitness. He's been used all across the midfield. His reading of the game is second to none, he's tactically astute and knows how to adapt well in games. He's a big moaner on the park and McIntyre immediately made him captain last season before bringing others in. His technical game isn't as strong as the rest of his play, which means he isn't holding down a place in a mid-table Prem team. But I do think he is an improved player since he was last in the second tier, and he was good at the level then. Ross County's minor successes and major failings this season have been as a result of many factors, but there is a case for examining the central midfield partnerships, in particular between Rocco Quinn and Stuart Kettlewell, who have for better or worse had significant roles in the campaign to date. Quinn, indeed, has become an ever present in the team, but it hasn't always been that way. He joined in the summer leading to Ross County's First Division title-winning season in 2011-12. He arrived from Queen of the South with a reputation of being an attack-minded central midfielder with a good right foot, but also with an average work-rate out of possession. Having previously played almost exclusively in central midfield, Quinn had to quickly adapt to be a utility midfielder, as the first deputy to the hugely successful midfield quartet of Paul Lawson, Kettlewell, Iain Vigurs and Richard Brittain, who, as a quartet, were unbeaten in league starts over two and a half seasons. Quinn filled in for rare injuries and suspensions, with his best match coming in a 3-0 win at home to Dundee after the title was already won. Realising that if he was to displace any of the regular quartet then he would have to at least match the work-rate, Quinn's overall game had improved significantly and looked, at the very least, to be a capable replacement for Kettlewell, putting in a man of the match performance. In that win against Dundee, Quinn played alongside Lawson in the centre and married his relative finesse with a new-found willingness to harry other midfielders. Quinn was unfortunate to receive two yellow cards late in that match and so quickly lost his place again. However, his willingness to adapt to become a general-purpose midfielder for the sake of getting into the team left a positive impression on Derrek Adams and he became a first pick in County's debut season in the SPL, typically on the right-hand side of a 4-1-4-1 in the first half of 2012-13. Stuart Kettlewell is one of the longest serving players at the club now. He joined in 2009-10 from Queen's Park via an unsuccessful season at Clyde, but Derek Adams was impressed by his performances against County in the Second Division. Like Quinn, Kettlewell had to bide his time to become a permanent fixture at the club: he was out of favour towards the end of the 2010 Scottish Cup run that saw Ross County reach the final, but even from an early stage his unrelenting work ethic clearly complemented the passing method among the rest of midfield. His involvement in the impressive victories against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2009 and early title challenge should not be underestimated. Kettlewell's weakness back then - as it is now - was a lack of composure on the ball when opponents pressed him. Kettlewell has a tendency to release the ball anywhere when under pressure - this was none more evident in a 3-2 loss away to Dunfermline the following season, when County found themselves penned in their own half for considerable spells, when his panicking on the ball gifted possession back to the victors. He lost his place in the team shortly after and it wasn't until Willie McStay brought him out of exile that County fans began to see the best of him. By the time that Ross County were promoted, Kettlewell was a much improved player who added a goalscoring ability to his game from timed runs into the penalty area; his vertical approach to the sport mixed well with Paul Lawson and Richard Brittain's eye for switching the play across each flanks. Kettlewell and Quinn were not witnessed as a central midfield partnership. In Ross County's debut season in 2012-13, Kettlewell lost his place in the team through injury during the Boxing Day win away to Hibernian. Kettlewell never started again until the final game of the season (when his man-marking role on Andrew Shinnie was as important a factor as any in beating ICT at home to finish fifth place in the table). Before his injury, however, Kettlewell was part of a midfield who often failed to hold possession of the ball well enough to create enough chances to win matches, particularly away from home. In the second half of the 2012-13 season, with Paul Lawson reprising his deep playmaking role from the First Division but now in a midfield five, Quinn struck a balanced partnership slightly further forward with Richard Brittain. Quinn was given a permanent central role for the first time in his Ross County career and he worked well in tandem with Richard Brittain. Quinn's developing pressing game complemented Brittain's leadership, passing and goalscoring abilities further up the pitch, with the protection that Lawson's positioning allowed them. Quinn was in the best form of his career while Kettlewell had to settle for late substitute appearances. Now, County might be in the same position in the league as they were this time last season, but they are six points worse off. Quinn has started in every match, while Kettlewell quickly found himself in favour again after dropping out of the early 0-4 thrashing from St Johnstone. The loss in Perth had Adams bring in too many new signings at once and they were quickly dismantled again, as the manager then insisted on utilising his most experienced players to help the team recover from losing the season's first three matches. We saw Quinn and Kettlewell together in the centre of midfield in the season opener, a 1-2 loss to Celtic, and then the subsequent 1-3 humiliation at home to Partick Thistle. County experimented with a 5-4-1 system in both matches, with Quinn and Kettlewell contending with the overwhelming space between the deep three-centre-back unit and a lone striker. With Quinn having effectively evolved from playmaker to workhorse through coaching, neither he nor Kettlewell were particularly keen to hold their position and take the ball off the defence - both matches were caught trying to compete with opponents' deep midfielders, leaving too much space behind them to be exploited. Kris Commons was unfortunate not to lead Celtic to a rampant scoreline and Partick Thistle could have had a couple more goals in a comfortable Steven Lawless-inspired victory. Quinn and Kettlewell had shown early on that with two very similar midfielders in the wrong tactical set-up, midfield battles could be lost very quickly. Derek Adams was vindicated in picking Quinn and Kettlewell together for the 3-0 win at home to St Mirren, in which both players excelled when played just in front of Richard Brittain in a 4-1-4-1 formation. There was a suspicion at the time that the tactics perfectly fell into the circumstances and that seems more true as the season has gone on. In that match, St Mirren had no pace in their team as Gary Harkins was placed close to striker Steven Thompson; Ross County were given a free pass to push their defence (including the soon departed Grant Munro) up to the half-way line and they did not retreat until being 2-0 up. With the effective playing area compressed to such a degree, it allowed Quinn and Kettlewell to do as they do best: harry other midfielders high up the pitch and set up quick counter attacks. With Paul McGown deployed as the deepest St Mirren midfielder, his discomfort from playing an unnatural position was compounded by competing against two midfielders who were at the top of their game. Rocco Quinn and Stuart Kettlewell together had another success, a 1-0 home win against Aberdeen, with Quinn finding himself with a couple of goalscoring opportunities before emphatically scoring the winner. The match is better remembered for Melvin de Leeuw establishing himself as the team's chief creative force as a number 10 and giving Ryan Jack the runaround, but Quinn and Kettlewell held their own against Cammy Smith and Peter Pawlett, with County's 4-4-1-1 representing a flush match-up against Aberdeen's 4-1-4-1. It was one of Pawlett's first matches in a central role before turning into a match-winner for Aberdeen. Although Pawlett's directness was evident and dealt with by County's midfield (who fell deeper and deeper and failed to keep a hold of the ball as the match wore on), one suspects that if the same sides met again now then Aberdeen's midfield would prevail. It is difficult to think of any other time during the season that the Quinn & Kettlewell partnership was successful, whether as a duo in a flat midfield four or as part of a trio with Brittain or Marc Klok behind them. The only other win came against Hearts, with two late headers from back-post crosses, but County failed to control the midfield for most of that match. They were over-run in the heavy home loss to Celtic (although the defence conceding four headed goals was a bigger issue on the day); they didn't compete in the 2-1 away loss to St Mirren; there was no composure in the cup loss to Hibernian; and they couldn't impose themselves on Jackson Irvine and Gabriel Rueben in the home loss to Kilmarnock. In the writer's count of 14 matches played as a midfield partnership, Quinn and Kettlewell have enjoyed three wins (with only one of them comforable); one draw and nine losses. With each loss there have been recurring themes: that County have not been able to keep a hold of possession in midfield; there is a reluctance to collect the ball from the defence; and not enough chances have been created from the middle of the park, with an over-reliance on Graham Carey's quality from crosses. Unless the specific tactical circumstances of a match suit their strengths, Quinn and Kettlewell have struggled to hold their own in the top flight as a partnership. They both tend to excel in similar jobs and are not technically proficient to take the game to their opponents when needed to, despite their excellent organisational skills and discipline. In each case, one out of the two would have been more comfortable beside a central midfielder who could not only compete physically but craft some opportunities, or at the very least involve the more attack-minded players more readily. Without such a player, the centre of County's midfield has been one-dimensional and sometimes easy to play against. All of this was evident once again on Saturday, when Ross County held Dundee United to a one goal victory and merely a couple of more chances, but they also squandered possession on so many occasions. Quinn and Kettlewell acted as a double-pivot in a 4-4-1-1, playing very square off each other but also extremely deep. They only engaged in Dundee United's midfielders as their opponents came into their zone, with one of the duo pressing and the other holding. With County too easily relinquishing the territory just outside their penalty box in the 2-4 defeat to United earlier in the season, it was a moral victory that Kettlewell and Quinn were able to prevent any chances being made in the centre of the park. Ryan Gauld was not able to see the ball in the area that he hurts teams the most, so Adams's tactical mandate was warranted in that regard, in a very similar manner to how Messrs. Morrison and McArthur protected the space in front of the 'D' in Scotland's 1-0 win away to Croatia. Nonetheless, the weekend's match against United showed the weakest part of the midfielders' game: to ease the pressure from the defence by being able to circulate possession of the ball. As County's back-line retreated to the edge of the 18 yard line, and when the ball fell to either of the central midfielders as United's attacks broke down, neither Kettlewell nor Quinn were able to release the pressure by keeping a hold of the ball. United's goal was inevitable, not from the spaces that Kettlewell and Quinn were leaving, but because they were unable to carry the ball forward a little and find team-mates. County's best moves in the match came from link-up play on the left between Ben Gordon and Graham Carey, who had to take responsibility for finding their team-mates further up the pitch with cute passes inside. If Carey had the same work ethic as Kettlewell and Quinn then he would already be an established and successful central midfielder for Ross County, but Adams has not been able to trust him with a more prominent role in the middle since the early 0-4 defeat to St Johnstone. Where does Adams go from here? Quinn and Kettlewell have both been fantastic additions to the Ross County team until now. However, Adams must see that despite their experience, ability to organise and discipline, his team cannot afford to play two similarly styled (but not identical) players who each perform better when beside a more creative player. They both bring a direct and physical element to the team - which in most cases is a good thing - but with both players in the middle they can become predictable and turn over possession too easily. Up to and including the recent loss at home to Kilmarnock, Ross County had on average the lowest amount of possession of the ball in the league. That is not detrimental in itself, but Adams's side is not deliberately set up to counter attack. There is no balance to the centre of midfield, which limits the type of gameplan that Adams can prepare with effect. Amid rumours that Ross County are interested in loaning Cardiff fringe midfielder Filip Kiss and have other players on trial, there might not be too many more occasions that Stuart Kettlewell and Rocco Quinn will play together. Deciding which player to drop over the other would not be an easy choice, but it has to be done if Ross County have any aspirations of improving on 11th place in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 The post above kind of sums everything up, butI'm presuming your midfield is pretty hapless, and in which case Quinn automatically becomes your best midfielder. He's not the attacking player he was in his much younger days; he's more of a box-to-box kind of a guy who likes to get stuck in. Not terribly great at anything, but versatile and committed. He'd play in goals if he was asked, I suspect. I think he's an absolutely tremendous signing for St Mirren, but don't expect him to be much of a flair player. Some tidy touches is about the best you can expect, but if you have a team which keeps the ball on the deck, he'll shine like a beacon for you. In short; not quite up to top flight standard, but one of the invincibles and will always get a warm welcome in Dingwall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Hope he wears black boots. Bad enough with the trendytadger beard without him wearing yellow, pink or orange boots. He's a total hipster. And by that I mean he brings his kit to the training ground in a satchel and falls out with other players over whether the new Belle and Sebastian album is a return to form or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergie's no1 fan Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 The post above kind of sums everything up, butI'm presuming your midfield is pretty hapless, and in which case Quinn automatically becomes your best midfielder. He's not the attacking player he was in his much younger days; he's more of a box-to-box kind of a guy who likes to get stuck in. Not terribly great at anything, but versatile and committed. He'd play in goals if he was asked, I suspect. I think he's an absolutely tremendous signing for St Mirren, but don't expect him to be much of a flair player. Some tidy touches is about the best you can expect, but if you have a team which keeps the ball on the deck, he'll shine like a beacon for you. In short; not quite up to top flight standard, but one of the invincibles and will always get a warm welcome in Dingwall. Word for word that sounds exactly like Steven Thomson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shull Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 He's a total hipster. And by that I mean he brings his kit to the training ground in a satchel and falls out with other players over whether the new Belle and Sebastian album is a return to form or not.FFS Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coventry Saint Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 He's a total hipster. And by that I mean he brings his kit to the training ground in a satchel and falls out with other players over whether the new Belle and Sebastian album is a return to form or not. Such a hipster he actually had a hip operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Such a hipster he actually had a hip operation. He didn't actually need it, he just found a surgery in Glasgow's trendy West End and said, "I'm having that". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coventry Saint Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Has he ever paid for breakfast cereal by the bowl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_Glasgow Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Word for word that sounds exactly like Steven Thomson. I thought that too, pretty much exactly what the midfield needs at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Has he ever paid for breakfast cereal by the bowl? I'd imagine he travels to Shoreditch every day just to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergie's no1 fan Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 I thought that too, pretty much exactly what the midfield needs at the moment. Yeah, we have never replaced him. Newton had good energy but never had the in your face type attitude that wee Thommo had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAD Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 utility workhorse. Hate to say it, but with the state of our midfeild right now, that sounds brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insaintee Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 The post above kind of sums everything up, butI'm presuming your midfield is pretty hapless, and in which case Quinn automatically becomes your best midfielder. He's not the attacking player he was in his much younger days; he's more of a box-to-box kind of a guy who likes to get stuck in. Not terribly great at anything, but versatile and committed. He'd play in goals if he was asked, I suspect. I think he's an absolutely tremendous signing for St Mirren, but don't expect him to be much of a flair player. Some tidy touches is about the best you can expect, but if you have a team which keeps the ball on the deck, he'll shine like a beacon for you. In short; not quite up to top flight standard, but one of the invincibles and will always get a warm welcome in Dingwall. So a slightly less ugly Willo Flood is what your saying. Will do me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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