capt_oats Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 The irony of course is that after the Dundee game Robinson was bemoaning the fact we don’t get credit for the football we played.Without wanting to sound like I’m going to bat for him here (a football manager talking about his team trying to play too much football just sounds daft); my takeaway from the Aberdeen game wasn’t that far from what he seems to be getting at.We didn’t seem to be doing any of the things that made us difficult to play against last season. We weren’t playing with the same sort of intensity and barring set pieces we weren’t “getting crosses into the box”. We were just really quite passive and ineffectual in our possession.Each game is different of course but if you compare the way we played on Saturday (and vs. Hearts and Accies I guess) with the way we seemed to be much more on the front foot against Rangers where we were doing all that stuff then it’s kind of fair comment IMO.Having said that, it really feeds into the lack of Plan B argument. Once the opposition has sussed us out and shut us down we struggle to find an alternative way to win games by playing football.As far as him talking up the Main/Bowman partnership then again, it sounds ridiculous given Johnson’s actually scored a few goals but it was Main and Bowman who bodied Aberdeen in the SC semi. As a reference it seems, again, to be a throwback to the idea of playing in the way we’ve previously been effective. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropy Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Injuries all over the place, time to test the squad 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desp Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 So is he saying he wants us back to how we were last season? Is he admitting himself that his summer recruitment has failed? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Pretty much. Problem is that without Dunne and Kipre, we are missing two pretty major elements of that team that made us difficult to play against last season - and that is without mentioning Moult's half-season. It's not a stick-on that we can revert to that style even if we wanted to- and in any case, Hearts are better equipped to stand up to it than any other team we'll play this season and so in the context of tonight's match, I'm not sure how effective it will be. I don't think our problem is really to do with style of play - it just feels that (with the probable exception of Mchugh and Bigi), that simply no-one is near the top of their game at the moment. We seem to be in a situation where most players are carrying knocks, struggling for fitness or simply off form. At this point last season (and the Aberdeen LC QF was a highlight of the season performance wise), we had a lot of players who were right on it, we were looking fitter than the other teams and were snapping into tackles, etc. Doesn't feel that way at the moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YassinMoutaouakil Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 fwiw I'm weirdly confident about tonight. Something about these big occasions seems to raise our standards a few levels, and a fair few of our players looked absolutely raging after the last Hearts game. 0-2. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 There they are lads... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellinwigan Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 2 hours ago, capt_oats said: There they are lads... Where can't see them 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YassinMoutaouakil Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Amazed that anyone is actually bothered about the result tbh. I've just seen Ryan Bowman leather in a worldy at Tynecastle, we could go the rest of the season goalless* and I'd die happy. *we might actually 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJC Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 (edited) It was a great goal but it counted for nothing as we were soundly beaten on the night. Apart from that moment there were no positives to take tonight and we are out of yet another Cup. Tonight we yet again paid the price for our poor summer transfer business. We have a squad lacking quality and filled with slow, flat footed and uncreative players and yet again, several individual errors as has been the case since day one this season and as ever, one of those leads to us conceding a goal. We have failed big time to build on last season's Cup exploits and as a team we have regressed badly. I like Stephen Robinson but that is 100% at his door and he is in danger of losing alot of the goodwill he build up last season. Edited September 26, 2018 by MJC 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YassinMoutaouakil Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Thank you for taking my totally serious comment in the way it was intended 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezz Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 It was a great goal but it counted for nothing as we were soundly beaten on the night. Apart from that moment there were no positives to take tonight and we are out of yet another Cup.‘Out of yet another cup’?? ... The one cup we’ve entered so far this season. Knocked out at the quarter final stage, away from home to the undefeated league leaders and after reaching both cup finals last year. Right you are. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochas III Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 We miss Andy Rose. When he due back? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estragon Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 Really hope you chaps aren't getting any funny ideas about Saturday, although I'm gettingconcerned that Motherwell are edging into the territory of "underperforming side in need of a result"... That never particularly augers well for us. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insert Amusing Pseudonym Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 I thought Motherwell looked a threat going forward most of the night. They didn't get forward that much for large spells right enough and we deserved the win but they caused plenty problems and if Main scores at 1-0 they probably win. Never a fucking penalty though 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 3 hours ago, Antiochas III said: We miss Andy Rose. When he due back? Not aimed at you at all - but Rose makes me laugh. I've never seen a player that veers so quickly between "Whit does he dae???!" to "Get well soon Andy, first name on the teamsheet" in the eyes of the support. My own view is that in games against "better" teams like last night, he is absolutely critical - but in games where we need to make the running a bit more, he isn't always the right choice. In any case - in terms of effort and consistency, he is hard to fault and I think we would be a poorer squad without him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 4 hours ago, Insert Amusing Pseudonym said: Never a fucking penalty though yeah it was. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YassinMoutaouakil Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 Fwiw despite not being at our best last night I thought it was only two things that cost us the match- a moment of total fucking idiocy from Bigi and a piss poor start to the second half. Outwith the shambolic spell between the 45th and 70th minutes there was f**k-all between the teams. Bowman's goal was obviously the best thing he's done in Motherwell shirt, and with the way both teams went for it at 2-2 I think it was pretty obvious that one way or another it wasn't going to ET. Hearts happened to get the break we didn't and it was a cracking finish from the boy Lee. Fourth goal was obviously an irrelevance as we'd chucked everything forward. Taking off Campbell and Bigi to leave a midfield 3 of Grimshaw, Cadden and Frear was maybe a bit daft but I suppose Rose being out limited our options and we had to go for it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casagolda Posted September 27, 2018 Author Share Posted September 27, 2018 (edited) To me it had shades of the cup game at Ibrox a few years ago- despite not being at our best we twice found ourselves in a good position and twice conspired to throw it away. I’ve just brought myself to watch back the ‘highlights’(how little effort are they putting into them these days btw?) and our defending for the first 3 goals last night was amateur level stuff. Last year under Robinson I genuinely think we might have gotten through that, however this season we appear to have a soft centre and struggle to absorb pressure without the physical presence of Kipre and Dunne at the back. Which begs the question why we’re persisting with the back 3 as it doesn’t seem to suit Aldred/Hartley and Cadden/Tait haven’t exactly been thriving in the wing back roles either. We can’t keep a clean sheet to save ourselves at the minute and our attacking play is laboured and fairly predictable- so who is the formation actually getting the best out of? Still, some Golazo by big Bowman - absolutely outrageous strike that was worth the £18 alone. Edited September 27, 2018 by Casagolda 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welldaft Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 I actually thought Hearts were by some distance the better side in the 2nd half and deserved the win. But I agree that with Kipre, Dunne, Rose and throw in a Moult along the way, we would have been in with a real chance of progressing whereas this season we are no longer a surprise package. To me the match turned in Hearts favour with Bigi monumental f**k up. For our players that have fought so hard to get and stay in front you can almost understand the deflating effect such a balls up has. I am still raging. There is a decent player in there but he is not set up for a battle and that is what we are up against most weeks. He will probably play well v a good Killie side. We have come along way in the cups when we are disappointed at a quarter final exit to the leagues top side away from home..... As for Bowman. I have been a critic of his in that he does not score enough. But kudos to him - a fantastic strike. Hopefully give him a confidence boost for games coming up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YassinMoutaouakil Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 I think you could tell immediately after how much of a boost it gave Bowman. He was trying wee flicks and knockdowns that I've never seen him attempt before. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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