The European football level St. Mirren FC 2024/25 thread

[sergie's no1 fan]

Plenty of folk will be travelling without tickets, a lot of folk booked up early. I think we all assumed we'd 750 was going to be plenty of tickets.

I think there will be over 1000 going over.

[RagaRocker]

41 minutes ago, NorfBank said:

Thanks, ive popped a wee whatsapp to SR to get the boys training on a soaking pitch...

Any more tips??

Haha. Skip set pieces training. Pretty sure St. Mirren realized after the home game that Brann prefers the pitch to be fast.

Edited August 10 by RagaRocker

[IrishBhoy]

On 09/08/2024 at 09:18, RagaRocker said:

I'd say the cheating went both ways. St. Mirren got free kicks from dives/semi dives/smartness the 1st half and even the Norwegian commentator Henning Berg (ex Man Utd/Blackburn) pointed out that your goalie most likely went down to allow the rest of the team a tactical chat. He can't be sure though, but every team does that when in trouble nowadays.

Have to say the Brann fans you hear or read post match are the ones with the loudest voice or caps lock on. Most Brann fans are pissed off with goalie Dyngeland naively/cynically choosing to kick the ball out of play. He shouldve at least smashed if 50 meters further up the pitch, because he got really nice long pass skills.

I love our coach. He is extremely on fire during the matches, but he didnt want to talk about fair play post match. It happened. Next match please. Players are quite the same so they sent director Christian Kalvenes (ex Dundee Utd) instead.

I don't understand why Brann stopped playing on 1-0. They were so good. I think they might be a bit obsessed with learning how to act cynical in European games when in the lead away from home. This style of play has reached the Norwegian league as well and they have lost matches when they have surprisingly been down 0-1 and the opponent have started to waste time.

It all started with Brann - Fredrikstad 0-2 when 13 (!) minutes was added in the 2nd half because of time wasting. Fredrikstad needed on-pitch treatment no less than 13 times in that match. In the next away match FFK needed treatment 14 times.

After that, I think Brann have tried to learn how to control and slow down games when needed. Didnt need that yesterday though. 

 

 

Very fair post. Throwing the ball out at the 18 yard line when your player was sitting down knowing he was about to be subbed is most definitely, in hindsight, a silly mistake… although if an opposing team had done the same against St Mirren I think I would be just as upset as some of the Brann fans seem to be. What was the most surprising to me was that Brann didn’t press for a second goal in the 15 minutes that remained, especially at a time when St Mirren were pressing forward and potentially leaving themselves exposed at the back.
 

The slickness of Brann’s passing from the outset was superior to anything I’ve seen from teams in the SPFL, Old Firm included, and they really had us chasing shadows all over the pitch. Mandron and Ayunga tried their best but it was evident from the first whistle that their players were a level above anything we had seen before, and they passed it round it us with a quality that actually made some of our players look like juniors. Smyth and Boyd-Munce were completely dominated by the Brann midfield, not once in the first half did they manage to show a bit of composure on the ball, and I couldn’t believe Adeniran wasn’t introduced at half time. Never going to dispute Robinsons decisions but every fan and their granny could see Smyth and CBM were getting properly bullied, the ball was getting pinged by them before they even had a chance to get close enough to tackle, and I could count on one hand how many times they found a saints player with a pass in that first half, in the limited times they had control of the ball. It was only Olusanya coming on combined with the shithousery of Rooney that began to rattle the Brann team, and we should take some confidence from the fact that their defence really didn’t seem to like that kind of battle in the last few minutes.

 

Brann most certainly going to be favourites on Thursday but I’m looking forward to see what tactic Robinson deploys. Olusanya absolutely has to start, he won’t give their defence a minutes peace, and Adeniran has got to replace one of the CM’s… he is head and shoulders above both that started at home quality wise, and he’s got that bit of aggression that’s needed when going away to teams that are going to have most of the ball; Would be astounded if both Olusanya and Adeniran don’t start on Thursday. Hopefully the Brann team have the same mentality as some of their fans on twitter thinking the game is already won due to how poor St Mirren were in the first leg, if we change a couple of the personnel along with a solid tactical display there is no reason we can’t steal a 0-1. 

[GAD]

The Olusanya to start thing is interesting, he and Scott changed the game coming off the bench, but would they have been as effective if they'd been on from the beginning? Would they have done more to stop Brann's rhythm or would it just have been the same game but with Mandron and Ayunga trying to rescue it at the end? Who knows, the only real solution is to clone Olusanya and have two of them.

Christ, imagine this debate even being considered a year and a half ago.

[IrishBhoy]

45 minutes ago, GAD said:

The Olusanya to start thing is interesting, he and Scott changed the game coming off the bench, but would they have been as effective if they'd been on from the beginning? Would they have done more to stop Brann's rhythm or would it just have been the same game but with Mandron and Ayunga trying to rescue it at the end? Who knows, the only real solution is to clone Olusanya and have two of them.

Christ, imagine this debate even being considered a year and a half ago.

Fair point, but what I would say is Olusanya on from the start would have given the Brann defence more of a headache than Ayunga or Mandron did. He would have made runs in behind that force the defensive line to drop back, and with his speed he has the ability to get control of aimless balls into the corner that look like the defender is favourite to deal with. He has an amazing ability to get his body in between the defender and the ball and come out on top in contests where he looks second favourite. 
 

The guy beside me kept shouting ‘close them down, put some pressure on them, press them higher up’… and I was thinking to myself can you not see how easily the Brann players are popping it around our team. First half especially, their passing was as slick as anything I’ve seen from a team in Paisley. Never a wasted ball, their centre backs we’re comfortable passing into midfield, their midfielders were playing one touch and move stuff that had us chasing shadows, we were relying on excellent goalkeeping and last ditch blocks, and as quick as we won the ball back on the edge of our 18 yard line we had given it away again because neither Mandron or Ayunga could take the ball and hold on to it for long enough to get the team up the park. Adeniran in place of Boyd Munce and Olusanya for Mandron would have been my selection from the start, I think those 2 changes would have given us more out balls, but as I said who am I to question Robinson when he has got us in to this position. There could be legitimate reasons why they never started we don’t know if guys are carrying knocks etc., but I trust him to make the right changes in Bergen after seeing what kind of team we are going to be up against, they are not unbeatable. 

[MenstrieSaint]

Alunga , Mandron , Smyth and Boyd Munce were pretty anonymous for the first hour . The two up front and the two midfielders were totally bypassed as was Idowu . 

Robbo needs to find a solution to stop this happening in Norway . 

Think it might mean keeping things very tight , with an extra man in midfield and only pushing players up when there's some sort of set peice . 

It's going to be an interesting watch on Thursday.  It might be a bit harder for Brann having to break down our defence . 

Hope OHara is available. 

[Billy Jean King]

12 hours ago, Doonhame Buddie said:

Nah.  750 will travel with tickets, maybe another 50 who have already booked flights and accommodation will fly out and hope to buy tickets there. 

There's way, way more than 50 booked up who didn't get tickets. At least 1000 travelling possibly more.

[smellthepaw]

1 hour ago, GAD said:

The Olusanya to start thing is interesting, he and Scott changed the game coming off the bench, but would they have been as effective if they'd been on from the beginning? Would they have done more to stop Brann's rhythm or would it just have been the same game but with Mandron and Ayunga trying to rescue it at the end? Who knows, the only real solution is to clone Olusanya and have two of them.

Christ, imagine this debate even being considered a year and a half ago.

 

Its a bit of a tough one as I didn't think it worked with both Mandron and Ayunga up top as a pairing so the alternative is to choose from one of the two and partner them with either Scott, Toyosi or Jamieson, or alternatively play one of the big fellas with the likes of maybe Idowu playing off of them.

You can look back at the Aberdeen smash and grab game, where Toyosi came on as a 46mins sub and scored the two Injury time goals.

It may be a case he goes with the same personnel and changes at half time if it's not working though I'm sure Robinson and O'Carroll will have looked at our weak points from Thursday and change to what they think is a more winnable lineup and tactics.

[RagaRocker]

4 hours ago, IrishBhoy said:

Very fair post. Throwing the ball out at the 18 yard line when your player was sitting down knowing he was about to be subbed is most definitely, in hindsight, a silly mistake… although if an opposing team had done the same against St Mirren I think I would be just as upset as some of the Brann fans seem to be. What was the most surprising to me was that Brann didn’t press for a second goal in the 15 minutes that remained, especially at a time when St Mirren were pressing forward and potentially leaving themselves exposed at the back.
 

The slickness of Brann’s passing from the outset was superior to anything I’ve seen from teams in the SPFL, Old Firm included, and they really had us chasing shadows all over the pitch. Mandron and Ayunga tried their best but it was evident from the first whistle that their players were a level above anything we had seen before, and they passed it round it us with a quality that actually made some of our players look like juniors. Smyth and Boyd-Munce were completely dominated by the Brann midfield, not once in the first half did they manage to show a bit of composure on the ball, and I couldn’t believe Adeniran wasn’t introduced at half time. Never going to dispute Robinsons decisions but every fan and their granny could see Smyth and CBM were getting properly bullied, the ball was getting pinged by them before they even had a chance to get close enough to tackle, and I could count on one hand how many times they found a saints player with a pass in that first half, in the limited times they had control of the ball. It was only Olusanya coming on combined with the shithousery of Rooney that began to rattle the Brann team, and we should take some confidence from the fact that their defence really didn’t seem to like that kind of battle in the last few minutes.

 

Brann most certainly going to be favourites on Thursday but I’m looking forward to see what tactic Robinson deploys. Olusanya absolutely has to start, he won’t give their defence a minutes peace, and Adeniran has got to replace one of the CM’s… he is head and shoulders above both that started at home quality wise, and he’s got that bit of aggression that’s needed when going away to teams that are going to have most of the ball; Would be astounded if both Olusanya and Adeniran don’t start on Thursday. Hopefully the Brann team have the same mentality as some of their fans on twitter thinking the game is already won due to how poor St Mirren were in the first leg, if we change a couple of the personnel along with a solid tactical display there is no reason we can’t steal a 0-1. 

Great post!

The Brann coaching team and players are very good at not underestimating opponents and they start every game as an new battle. It's one of the big changes since Horneland got in charge during the season we got relegated. The mentality in training and match. Always at 100%.

Brann usually play their own style whoever they face, Bodø/Glimt or Sandefjord, but they have tried to be a bit more careful away from home in Europe. Have to say they didnt really sit back in Paisley though.

Edited August 11 by RagaRocker

[pozbaird]

The only issue I have with what is a good post is that we’d have been pissed off with not getting the ball back, had it been role reversal. I disagree. If we’d went to Brann in the first leg, had been by far the better team, passed them off the park, and only some great saves and goalmouth heroics had kept it at 0-0…. Then we go 1-0, but rather than press home our advantage, we suddenly feel the need to timewaste and shitfest? If Balcombe goes down holding his face as if he’s been halved in two, gets the Brann player booked, then pops up again with fcuk-all wrong with him? Then puts the ball out at the 18 yard line as Marcus Fraser chooses to go down and sit on his arse?

Nah, I’d fully expect Brann, from the resulting throw in, to give us a massive Norwegian ‘get it right fcuking up ye’… as we rightfully did to them. They were good, very good, right up until they went 1-0 up that is. There was no need. What’s Norwegian for ‘get it right fcuking up ye’ anyway?

[RagaRocker]

St. Mirren is living the dream right now and it's the same for Brann. It's been a wild ride for Brann the last years. Todays match shows how far the club have reached in short time.

Brann players were partying mid-season in 2021 and it all happened inside the stadium. One player ran naked onto the pitch and one of the veterans was accused of rape. He left the next day and later signed for Klaksvik. The club got relegated after 4-4 and then penalty shoutout vs. the small club Jerv. Brann had 43 (!) attempts, including 2 (!) missed penalties. The fog was so thick I had no chance to see half of the attempts.

But things had changed even if they got relegated. The coach did everything right after the scandal. Told the players to step forward and say sorry. They got rid of some of the guys and started from scratch. He only wanted players who would give an arm to play for Brann. 100% professionals. The team started playing all out attack / possession football. A tactic where they took big risks defensively and they didnt care if they looked stupid now and then.

A team that made the fans proud.

2022: Brann got promoted and won the cup with more or less the same squad as in 2021, except for the rotten apples.

2023: 2nd place in the league, beating Arouca and almost beating AZ.

2024: 3rd right now and won vs. Go Ahead.

With "todays match" Im talking about Brann 2. The Brann reserves. They play at the 3rd level and they dont get much support from the Brann senior squad. Its 20 youth players. What happened today?

They beat Jerv 2-1. The same club that got Brann relegated in 2021. Now they play at the same level as the Brann reserves. A reserve team that uses the same tactics as the senior team. Taking big risks defensively and works incredibly hard.

The fans are so damn proud of this club now and thats why every home game is more or less sold out every week.

Edited August 11 by RagaRocker

[medals]

We're still not firing on all cylinders.

Early days, but the fluency and drive has to improve. 

[Ric]

You'd sort of hope that performance will shake a few players up, as Brann is a one shot.

I don't think anyone thought the Valur or Hibs games tested us as both teams were rank rotten. Even then we struggled a bit to get going against both.

Brann and Aberdeen were a step up, but that's what you want. Me might lose the odd game, but I trust in Robinson enough that it won't turn into a Goodwin death spiral.

[Hendo]

18 minutes ago, Ric said:

You'd sort of hope that performance will shake a few players up, as Brann is a one shot.

I don't think anyone thought the Valur or Hibs games tested us as both teams were rank rotten. Even then we struggled a bit to get going against both.

Brann and Aberdeen were a step up, but that's what you want. Me might lose the odd game, but I trust in Robinson enough that it won't turn into a Goodwin death spiral.

I think we need to prepare for a hard slog in August - lots of games and the fixture list has not been kind with some tough games. 

[Ric]

5 minutes ago, Hendo said:

I think we need to prepare for a hard slog in August - lots of games and the fixture list has not been kind with some tough games. 

The players Robinson has brought in didn't become bad over night, and they've looked good in general. We have a smallish squad though, and injuries/suspensions will come our way. Is the hope that we get enough money from the UEFA stuff that we can add more cover? Who knows. I feel if we made it further we might.

Brann and Aberdeen are good teams to play, because we've had little in a way of competitive pre-season due to not being in the early rounds of the League Cup while, as I said, Valur and Hibs were dugshit.

A slight humbling today? Fine, not a huge deal, so long as Robinson can lift their spirits for the European game. Thelin looks a decent manager and over the piece, other than last season, we've not had a great record up in Pitoddrie.

[AW saint]

Our performances against Hibs first half, Brann and now today give me the fear. 

We miss MOH and Kiltie. 

It is glaringly obvious we need a striker. Apart from Olusanya the rest just don't cut it.  

We also need a leader in the midfield. CBM etc good ball players but not leaders. If Ryan Jack is a possible signing then go get him. 

It is going to be a slog this season unless we find a goalscorer. 

I know its early days in the season but our form is a worry. 

[Ric]

6 minutes ago, AW saint said:

I know its early days in the season but our form is a worry. 

Ok, but Killie got humbled by St Johnstone with a racist at the heart of their midfield, so it's not all bad.

[geo87]

Think there is a lot of knicker wetting here.

We weren’t that bad today against what will undoubtedly be a very decent Aberdeen team this season, in between 2 very difficult European games with at least 3 v important players not starting.

I am in absolutely no doubt we are a better side that last year, but likely dealing with a stronger league compared to last year too.
 

Agree we could do with another striker but can’t imagine we will bring anyone in unless they will be an almost certain starter, no point bringing someone else in or similar quality / attributes than we already have.

Edited August 11 by geo87

[brannfakkel]

3 hours ago, RagaRocker said:

St. Mirren is living the dream right now and it's the same for Brann. It's been a wild ride for Brann the last years. Todays match shows how far the club have reached in short time.

Brann players were partying mid-season in 2021 and it all happened inside the stadium. One player ran naked onto the pitch and one of the veterans was accused of rape. He left the next day and later signed for Klaksvik. The club got relegated after 4-4 and then penalty shoutout vs. the small club Jerv. Brann had 43 (!) attempts, including 2 (!) missed penalties. The fog was so thick I had no chance to see half of the attempts.

But things had changed even if they got relegated. The coach did everything right after the scandal. Told the players to step forward and say sorry. They got rid of some of the guys and started from scratch. He only wanted players who would give an arm to play for Brann. 100% professionals. The team started playing all out attack / possession football. A tactic where they took big risks defensively and they didnt care if they looked stupid now and then.

A team that made the fans proud.

2022: Brann got promoted and won the cup with more or less the same squad as in 2021, except for the rotten apples.

2023: 2nd place in the league, beating Arouca and almost beating AZ.

2024: 3rd right now and won vs. Go Ahead.

With "todays match" Im talking about Brann 2. The Brann reserves. They play at the 3rd level and they dont get much support from the Brann senior squad. Its 20 youth players. What happened today?

They beat Jerv 2-1. The same club that got Brann relegated in 2021. Now they play at the same level as the Brann reserves. A reserve team that uses the same tactics as the senior team. Taking big risks defensively and works incredibly hard.

The fans are so damn proud of this club now and thats why every home game is more or less sold out every week.

You’re making me teary eyed. 

[FTOF]

7 minutes ago, geo87 said:

Think there is a lot of knicker wetting here.

We weren’t that bad today against what will undoubtedly be a very decent Aberdeen team this season, in between 2 very difficult European games with at least 3 v important players not starting.

I am in absolutely no doubt we are a better side that last year, but likely dealing with a stronger league than last year. 
 

Agree we could do with another striker but can’t imagine we will bring anyone in unless they will be an almost certain starter, no point bringing someone else in or similar quality / attributes than we already have.

I think if the three injured players were fit, our midfield would certainly be better.

We haven't replaced Bolton which makes our defence weaker IMO.

Up front we have an improved Olusanya, but the Mandron and Ayunga have been really poor.

I like the look of Adeniran and Rooney is Rooney.

These two have gone some way to replacing Baccus and Strain.

Unless a few of the players improve markedly, we'd be as well not getting on the plane to Bergen.

Also, I'm crossing my fingers Gogic hasn't injured himself today.