Berwick Rangers 2017/18

[sammyreidloyal]

Another shambles in the highlands

[A Believer]

Roof's come in at Elgin. Pity we fired the roofer....

[Redcar]

Gruesome result.

Hoping for a month long blizzard, as January is Robbie's only hope to change things. There is nobody on the bench who could improve the team, and nobody in the team who has the character to really up their game. 

Stewart, Lavery, Tommo, Murrell, Irving and McDonald need to show that they give a toss, otherwise we'll just keep rotating them with no obvious effect.

Some tough games coming up too. 

[Thom & Gerry]

3 hours ago, WeveGotMcginn said:

Murrell playing = win guaranteed

 

[Thom & Gerry]

Hmmm

[ShiPi]

On 11/19/2017 at 20:23, Redcar said:

Shame we don't get detailed reports from away games on here any more. I figured we would get roundly stuffed at Arbroath, and the prospect of a 5 hour + journey back made the decision to go to the pub in Whitby, a lot easier.

Arbroath fans on the Cup thread are very critical of Callum Donaldson, but "official" reports suggest he put in a good shift.

But I guess that sums us up anyway at the moment. You can't fault the team for effort, and with the team heavily weighted with defenders, that makes us hard to beat by the likes of Annan and Edinburgh. (That's an improvement though after the thrashings under Coughlin). But against any half decent team with skill and pace, it's 90 minutes backs to the wall. And without Notman and Godinho, we're screwed.

We are horribly short of creative threat and muscle up front though and it feels like the season is on hold until the squad can be shaken up in January.

 

2 hours ago, Redcar said:

Gruesome result.

Hoping for a month long blizzard, as January is Robbie's only hope to change things. There is nobody on the bench who could improve the team, and nobody in the team who has the character to really up their game. 

Stewart, Lavery, Tommo, Murrell, Irving and McDonald need to show that they give a toss, otherwise we'll just keep rotating them with no obvious effect.

Some tough games coming up too. 

Contradiction? Roll on January! Stirling & Montrose!  Get the hoses out for next week!

[Fred]

31 minutes ago, ShiPi said:

 

Contradiction? Roll on January! Stirling & Montrose!  Get the hoses out for next week!

Exactly. We basically started with 8 defenders or predominantly defensive-minded players today, lost 5 goals, but it’s the fault of midfield players, 3 of whom didn’t start..? 

[Redcar]

I'll have another go.

The defence is crap, and has only been strengthened under Robbie Horn when he went to a back 5. That just sacrifices creativity in order to paper over the cracks. I personally don't think Scullion, Mackinlay or Fairbairn would get in any other defence in our Division. Only Godinho definitely would. Together though, and with the help of natural defenders in midfield, they can do well against mediocre opposition, but are outclassed and finally cave in against the better teams. So to be clear, I'm not saying the defence are blameless after a 5-1 howking. Far from it.

Also, there is a difference between putting in 100% effort (i.e. running around a lot), and giving enough of a toss to take a bit of control and changing the course of a segment of a game. Only McKenna and Notman look mentally tuned in - the rest seem to want someone else to take responsibility. Granted, having virtually no forwards means there aren't too many options, but those 2 apart, far too many players click up the yardage without really doing anything that makes a difference.

I suppose to sum up, we have way too many hard working journeymen and not enough quality.

While I'm on, it's annoying that Coughlin wasted 2 valuable Loanee slots right at the start of the season, thus giving less scope for change now, when teams like Elgin can go raid other clubs for decent players who aren't getting a game.

 

[ShiPi]

"While I'm on, it's annoying that Coughlin wasted 2 valuable Loanee slots right at the start of the season, thus giving less scope for change now, when teams like Elgin can go raid other clubs for decent players who aren't getting a game."

 

Why would a manager use loans instead of raiding other clubs? Not given enough of a budget?

Development loans are always a gamble, no guarantee that they can step up.

"too many hard working journeymen and not enough quality" Budget?

 

 

[Fred]

15 minutes ago, Redcar said:

I'll have another go.

The defence is crap, and has only been strengthened under Robbie Horn when he went to a back 5. That just sacrifices creativity in order to paper over the cracks. I personally don't think Scullion, Mackinlay or Fairbairn would get in any other defence in our Division. Only Godinho definitely would. Together though, and with the help of natural defenders in midfield, they can do well against mediocre opposition, but are outclassed and finally cave in against the better teams. So to be clear, I'm not saying the defence are blameless after a 5-1 howking. Far from it.

Also, there is a difference between putting in 100% effort (i.e. running around a lot), and giving enough of a toss to take a bit of control and changing the course of a segment of a game. Only McKenna and Notman look mentally tuned in - the rest seem to want someone else to take responsibility. Granted, having virtually no forwards means there aren't too many options, but those 2 apart, far too many players click up the yardage without really doing anything that makes a difference.

I suppose to sum up, we have way too many hard working journeymen and not enough quality.

While I'm on, it's annoying that Coughlin wasted 2 valuable Loanee slots right at the start of the season, thus giving less scope for change now, when teams like Elgin can go raid other clubs for decent players who aren't getting a game.

 

Ok, feel your pain. But, if the manager has sacrificed the midfield and creativity etc to help the defence, how do you then blame  the midfield for lack of creativity etc.  Now if you want the midfield to do the defences job and create/score etc you are getting beyond players of Berwick’s pay grade. 

My contention is that sacrificing the midfield is a false economy. At the end of the day we lost 5 goals today, with an ultra-defensive set up. 

 

[Redcar]

Coughlin was clearly hoping for 2 more Callum Cranes. He didn't get them.

I don't entirely understand the loan system, but I thought Godinho was the last throw of the dice for now, so Robbie has to work with what he's got till January. Would be nice if we'd never had Waugh and Donaldson and could go for someone else now.

Easy with hindsight, mind.

[Fred]

4 minutes ago, Redcar said:

Coughlin was clearly hoping for 2 more Callum Cranes. He didn't get them.

I don't entirely understand the loan system, but I thought Godinho was the last throw of the dice for now, so Robbie has to work with what he's got till January. Would be nice if we'd never had Waugh and Donaldson and could go for someone else now.

Easy with hindsight, mind.

The squad is terribly unbalanced in terms of defenders, but if you don’t play the more creative players you do have and you’re still losing 5 goals, you ain’t going to to achieve much.

[ShiPi]

7 minutes ago, Redcar said:

Coughlin was clearly hoping for 2 more Callum Cranes. He didn't get them.

I don't entirely understand the loan system, but I thought Godinho was the last throw of the dice for now, so Robbie has to work with what he's got till January. Would be nice if we'd never had Waugh and Donaldson and could go for someone else now.

Easy with hindsight, mind.

Yes obviously he was hoping for a Crane and a McGregor but there is no guarantee. Godinho is not a development loan. Coughlin brought them in surely he has to find out early if they can cut it i.e. he has to play them.  Played Waugh and Donaldson against Clyde. Took them off at half time against Stirling. On the bench against Annan.  

[Redcar]

1 minute ago, Fred said:

The squad is terribly unbalanced in terms of defenders, but if you don’t play the more creative players you do have and you’re still losing 5 goals, you ain’t going to to achieve much.

We're overlapping posts...!

I agree sort of, but  our more creative options - Tommo and Irving - both started v Beath, Annan and Edinburgh, but we still created next to nowt.  

In a way, I agree that we are maybe fixated on our flimsy defence, but equally we have to accept that the defence us pish AND we have no forwards (ridiculous!!!), So packing the rearguard and grinding out results against crap teams is perhaps the most realistic option.

Losing 5-1 with an ultra defensive set up though is woeful, so maybe you are right and it is time to try something else 

[ShiPi]

5 minutes ago, Redcar said:

We're overlapping posts...!

I agree sort of, but  our more creative options - Tommo and Irving - both started v Beath, Annan and Edinburgh, but we still created next to nowt.  

In a way, I agree that we are maybe fixated on our flimsy defence, but equally we have to accept that the defence us pish AND we have no forwards (ridiculous!!!), So packing the rearguard and grinding out results against crap teams is perhaps the most realistic option.

Losing 5-1 with an ultra defensive set up though is woeful, so maybe you are right and it is time to try something else 

I would love to know how much coaching of this ultra defensive set up has been done.

[Fred]

2 minutes ago, Redcar said:

We're overlapping posts...!

I agree sort of, but  our more creative options - Tommo and Irving - both started v Beath, Annan and Edinburgh, but we still created next to nowt.  

In a way, I agree that we are maybe fixated on our flimsy defence, but equally we have to accept that the defence us pish AND we have no forwards (ridiculous!!!), So packing the rearguard and grinding out results against crap teams is perhaps the most realistic option.

Losing 5-1 with an ultra defensive set up though is woeful, so maybe you are right and it is time to try something else 

Haha. Sorry. 

We beat beath,  drew with city (who I personally think have a way stronger squad than us) and Annan which was a tough away match. Ok, they are the poorer performing teams in the league, but that is our competition at present.. Basically, I think berwick are punching above their weight. Robbie is hedging. Trying to beat the lower teams, but going out against the better ones to defend isn’t working tho. 

[Redcar]

10 minutes ago, Fred said:

Haha. Sorry. 

We beat beath,  drew with city (who I personally think have a way stronger squad than us) and Annan which was a tough away match. Ok, they are the poorer performing teams in the league, but that is our competition at present.. Basically, I think berwick are punching above their weight. Robbie is hedging. Trying to beat the lower teams, but going out against the better ones to defend isn’t working tho. 

Well it worked against Peterhead...

But after 2 good hidings in succession against decent teams, I suspect he may have to try something different

[Redcar]

29 minutes ago, ShiPi said:

Yes obviously he was hoping for a Crane and a McGregor but there is no guarantee. Godinho is not a development loan. Coughlin brought them in surely he has to find out early if they can cut it i.e. he has to play them.  Played Waugh and Donaldson against Clyde. Took them off at half time against Stirling. On the bench against Annan.  

Elgin signed 2 this week, I think.

If we'd retained the option to sign 1 more perhaps we could have catered for the bonkers possibility of having Murrell as our only forward in Autumn. (And he was an afterthought in the summer!)

[ShiPi]

6 minutes ago, Fred said:

Haha. Sorry. 

We beat beath,  drew with city (who I personally think have a way stronger squad than us) and Annan which was a tough away match. Ok, they are the poorer performing teams in the league, but that is our competition at present.. Basically, I think berwick are punching above their weight. Robbie is hedging. Trying to beat the lower teams, but going out against the better ones to defend isn’t working tho. 

" I think berwick are punching above their weight" I worry that some do not realise how bad things are.  1-1 with an improving Edinburgh but they were 2nd bottom. 0-0 away to Annan 4th bottom but a decent point.   1-0 home to Cowdenbeath bottom crazy penalty.  I don't think a target of 9 points from these three would have been unrealistic. I don't think Horn can be judged at this point but January signings are vital. 

[Fred]

Just now, ShiPi said:

" I think berwick are punching above their weight" I worry that some do not realise how bad things are.  1-1 with an improving Edinburgh but they were 2nd bottom. 0-0 away to Annan 4th bottom but a decent point.   1-0 home to Cowdenbeath bottom crazy penalty.  I don't think a target of 9 points from these three would have been unrealistic. I don't think Horn can be judged at this point but January signings are vital. 

With the quality in the Edinburgh side I can’t believe they won’t pick up points. Ok, most are guys who are on their way down, but have been there. Berwick need to watch, but as I said earlier I think they’ve done well to date.