The Greenock Morton Thread - It's Better Than Yours

[The Ghost of B A R P]

Just when we thought it couldn't get much worse, Dream Oak Nutcase returns to the fold... too much to ask not to quote him, so that anyone who has him on ignore (me) doesn't have to see the madness?

Now that the dust has settled on Saturday, I think it's fair to say there's been a wee bit of an over-reaction: the second half was utterly miserable, no doubt - in fact, from the moment we went behind, you felt the game was gone - but I actually thought we were pretty ok in the first half and that Imrie has a point in saying the first goal changes the game entirely. If McGinn (or Moffat on the follow-up) puts it away - and both really should have - then you feel we definitely get something out of the game (whether that's one point or three).

Beyond  that, Saturday was just a pretty grim confirmation of things we already know: 1. it's madness to persist with this set-up if Wilson isn't in the team; 2. we are a near total void up-front; 3. we can't press effectively with Jet in the team; 4. if there isn't more in the budget - or players can't be shipped out on loan/terminated (no need to name names) - we're in big trouble.

Too much has been made of the so-called 'change of style' as far as I can see (and Imrie's motivation for doing it): we've clearly been forced to change the approach, because we don't have anyone at the front of the team who can compete for long balls and hold it up. The implication of that for when we don't have the ball, though, is the main point: we're not pressing high up, because the ball's not often there... and we don't have the players to press effectively anyway (which, to complete the circle, is the reason we're not going long as often). You don't need hindsight to see that, even when Robbie Crawford wasn't doing that much in possession, the gap he's left when we're out of possession is massive.

So the lazy opposition between 'hoofball' and 'possession football' can get in the bin: play when you've got the ball and it's on, go long when under pressure (or to mix it up), and get back to what has made us so effective under Imrie, i.e. high-energy, high-pressing when we're out of possession. The so-called 'change of style' isn't the cause of our problems, it's a consequence of the turnover in players; so no apologies for saying it... we need more players.

At this point, it looks very much as though Imrie has painted himself into a corner with some terrible signings: best-case scenario is that he wriggles out of that corner through loans or free agents over the next couple of weeks (possibly dependent on mutual terminations, as above); worst-case is he can't do that until January, in which case we're in deep trouble.

Only bright note is that it would only take one or two additions to radically alter the picture: 1. as everybody can see, an actual striker with a bit of physical presence and/or pace; 2. if we get very lucky with outgoings, and this is really wildest dreams territory, a certain L. Grimshaw, still without a club, who could play alongside (or in the absence of) Wilson (as well as covering RB), and in the process get us back to 4-3-3 or at least 4-2-3-1. I said back at the beginning of August that we would make 'three or four' further signings before the end of September: we've made three so far, but none of them have solved the main problem... is it too much to ask for one more (plus a Reynolds/Davies-funded bonus ball)? 

The examples of Boyd and Bearne show that mistakes can be corrected; and, in general, the sooner they're corrected the better. Imrie must know this... and also that his job might depend on it.

 

 

 

[wullieaufc]

On 16/09/2024 at 18:25, Chippyminton said:

Please send George Oakley back.

Best we can do is Mark McKenzie

[Anonymous Spider]

Thought he was carrying a few pounds on Saturday - turns out it was 600,000 of them... 

 

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/footballer-jay-emmanuel-thomas-charged-after-600000-of-cannabis-seized-at-stansted-airport

[Spider Rico]

Fair play to Morton. Framing him for a drugs bust so he can get a gross misconduct contract termination.

Edited 7 hours ago by Spider Rico

[A Diamond For Me]

Something something grass pitch something.

[Grumpy Soo-sider]

The Scottish Championship - never fails to amaze! Not something to sniff at.

[Dave]

14 minutes ago, Spider Rico said:

Fair play to Morton. Framing him for a drugs bust so he can get a gross misconduct contract termination.

I heard Dougie Imrie offered to help him pack his suitcase before he went...

[Anonymous Spider]

Pretty chunky sentence for this one. A 5 year contract with Morton should do the trick.  

[Superhursty7]

Lee Wallace up to his old tricks 

[Kev]

you can’t honestly make this shit up!! I love being a Morton fan, so many lows and so many highs

[an86]

He was certainly never going to outrun the cops anyway. 

[Colkitto]

Think that's his chances of a contract extension gone.. 

[Scosha]

No more nutmegs

[Jives Miguel]

This season has just got relegation banter year written all over it already.

[SouthStander1876]

[Broken Algorithms]

[Colkitto]

He did say he was trying to get up to speed in training 

[TheGoon]

There is no way we do not go down now, it is sealed. 

[Cowshed]

This is absolutely hilarious 

[AL-FFC]

Its a bad state of affairs when your life options are drugs mule/courier or playing for Morton