WendyWho? Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 6 minutes ago, Fife Saint said: They ran rings around us for twenty mins in first half. Only domestic team that can do that to us Celtic. They're not great but they'd be comfortable top 6 in Scotland. They were technically capable across the park. Comfortable on the ball in a way not many teams are in Scotland. On the flip side of that, they looked shaky at the back, particularly from diagonals and crosses - clearly not something they are used to dealing with. Tend to think we need to concentrate on that in the second leg if we're going to have any chance. I'd also start Chris Millar to give us a chance of keeping the ball for longer than two passes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radford Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 I didn't really notice Vorobjovas but then, like the Saints players, I was guilty of following the ball about like a dog being teased for much of the first half. Someone made the same point to me at HT as @WendyWho? that he was pulling the strings. Dorley was a joy to watch and got the reception he deserved when subbed. We had a 22-year-old making his debut tonight that we are talking about as a young player; FK Trakai had five players that age or younger starting and brought another one off the bench. Folk can get caught up in various aspects of tonight but there is no doubt that technically, their players were better than ours and whilst maybe not a shock or something revealing, it does leave you asking why? But, for all that, Saints should have emerged from the game with a better result. It wouldn't be a game of football if Cummins didn't miss a sitter, Alston had one too, Scougall hit the post and we have another couple of close things. And that's in spite of Tommy Wright getting his team wrong. It's hard to be critical of him though. The lack of sharpness is highlighted and was evident but equally, he hasn't had a chance to find his best team. He still made some poor decisions that can't be excused but did anyone envisage Paton playing so poorly after the way he ended last season, for example? I thought Saints needed to get the job done tonight, so it'd be foolhardy to sit here now after seeing Trakai play and give us much hope next week but hopefully the players will at least be a bit sharper and TW will pick a better team. You look around Europe at some of the results tonight and there are ties that are dead. The score at 1-2 at least gives us a puncher's chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mizfit Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 How did Cesnauskas play? He was quality 10 years ago. I actually cannot remember him being on the park, don't think he was involved at any point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomGuy. Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 1 minute ago, Clyde01 said: But still ahead of Lithuania and Armenia! Well yes, but barely. Ten years ago we'd be mocking a Scottish team losing to a Slovakian or Swiss side, yet now its an achievement. Eastern European nations are playing catch up in terms of football, and it won't be long until they manage it, if people could actually look beyond a flawed ranking system designed to try and hinder the progress of these nations, then we'd be better off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menzel Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 I don't want to get into this revisionism taking place here but the idea, seen a number of times, that this team would be "comfortable top six" when you've seen them play a grand total of once is absolutely ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC92 Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Infonet are the champions of the Estonian league - which is ranked higher than the Lithuanian one - and they were a total pub team. After giving a rusty Hearts team a tough time in the home leg we went over there a week later and pumped them ridiculously easily with a pish, unfinished squad. Before anyone starts on Birkirkara - they were dreadful too. Lower Championship level. The shouts for this mob being a "comfortable top 6 team" are laughable tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menzel Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 1 minute ago, DC92 said: Infonet are the champions of the Estonian league - which is ranked higher than the Lithuanian one - and they were a total pub team. After giving a rusty Hearts team a tough time in the home leg we went over there a week later and pumped them ridiculously easily with a pish, unfinished squad. Obviously things change between seasons, but interesting to note that Trakai were knocked out of Europe last season in Q1 by Estonian giants Nõmme Kalju, which included losing 4-1 in Tallinn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broon_100 Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 1 hour ago, Kyle said: I'd happily see us sign quite a few of their players. Their front two and the right back in particular. The boy with the foul throws? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Each side that we have come up against - other than perhaps Minsk who were masters of the dark arts - have been better than us technically. It's not an excuse, it's a fact. We've played clubs from Turkey, Norway, Belarus, Switzerland, Slovakia, Armenia and now Lithuania. We are dropping back because the coaching in this country focuses on winning rather than developing actual football skills. It's no surprise that the games we've done best in are the games where we're the underdogs and we're able to scrap without worrying about taking the game to an opponent. The national team suffer in much the same way as our domestic clubs do. It's frustrating as hell watching players from the likes of Trakai - who will be on fractions on what our players are on - display more natural footballing ability, more composure, taking chances with the ball and then inevitably beat us. It's our national sport ffs. Im sure colt teams and project brave with one of the games dinosaurs running the show will see us right as rain all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Well yes, but barely. No - by a country mile. Lithuania's clubs are ranked 48th/54 European associations and are poised to slither beneath Malta into 49th next year. They are worse than Luxembourg. The only worse leagues in Europe are joke, microdiddy ones: Wales; Andorra; San Marino; Faroe Islands and Gibraltar. There is absolutely no credible comparison between Lithuanian club football and Scottish football with or without Celtic. As piss-poor excuses for your club's humiliating result go, yours is by far the most laughable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Just now, Broon_100 said: The boy with the foul throws? Indeed. He was causing havoc down that right side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Simao Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Looking forward to getting pished on cheap beer and watching Scougall score 4 against this mob next week tbqh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WendyWho? Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 21 minutes ago, Radford said: I didn't really notice Vorobjovas but then, like the Saints players, I was guilty of following the ball about like a dog being teased for much of the first half. Someone made the same point to me at HT as @WendyWho? that he was pulling the strings. Dorley was a joy to watch and got the reception he deserved when subbed. There'd be no reason to watch that game back as a fan - and no means to do so anyway - but if it were possible you'd see how much Vorobjovas was involved. Absolutely everything they did went through him at some point. The criminal thing from our point of view is that we didn't lay a glove on him. We just didn't deal with his positioning at all. Loads of one touch passes sending MacLean and Cummins chasing defenders, only for said defenders to find him again two passes later, at which point he receives on the half turn and has 30 yards of central space and a full-back bombing on. All of that notwithstanding, he always seemed to make the right decisions. Never panicked. Even on the occasions we did manage to put him under pressure. He looked an absolute star. And you're right - he's 21. I genuinely can't remember the last time I saw a 21-year-old Scottish player looking anywhere near as assured. If ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMMjag Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 13 minutes ago, Menzel said: I don't want to get into this revisionism taking place here but the idea, seen a number of times, that this team would be "comfortable top six" when you've seen them play a grand total of once is absolutely ridiculous. They won a game against St Johnstone though. Clearly enough to put them in the top six of Scottish football alongside Celtic, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Dundee, Ross County, Rangers, Hamilton and Aberdeen who all achieved the same mighty feat last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WendyWho? Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 2 minutes ago, AMMjag said: They won a game against St Johnstone though. Clearly enough to put them in the top six of Scottish football alongside Celtic, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Dundee, Ross County, Rangers, Hamilton and Aberdeen who all achieved the same mighty feat last season. They were better than Partick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomGuy. Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 6 minutes ago, virginton said: No - by a country mile. Lithuania's clubs are ranked 48th/54 European associations and are poised to slither beneath Malta into 49th next year. They are worse than Luxembourg. The only worse leagues in Europe are joke, microdiddy ones: Wales; Andorra; San Marino; Faroe Islands and Gibraltar. "Country mile"? They're closer to us, without Celtic, than we'd be to Moldova. Even with Celtic included, its a similar sized gap between Scottish clubs and Belarusian sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menzel Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 1 minute ago, RandomGuy. said: "Country mile"? They're closer to us, without Celtic, than we'd be to Moldova. Even with Celtic included, its a similar sized gap between Scottish clubs and Belarusian sides. You were doing this when Alashkert beat you last season, weren't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Just saw the whole Trakai squad milling about outside loft. They didn't go in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Probably took one look at me and shat themselves tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMMjag Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 3 minutes ago, WendyWho? said: They were better than Partick. I'm convinced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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