Sons Sorrow 2018/19

[Jan Vojáček]

8 minutes ago, McG said:

Offfftt! 

We shall harness our inner St Mirren and react to this pumping by becoming the all conquering Champions of League One.

[Jumbo Muir]

What the f**k possessed Aitken to revert back to the shithouse tactics were are all sick of in a dead rubber match. Anyone undecided as to whether to commit to buying a season ticket may have the decision made for them today.
We thought the ultra defensive shite was left in the Championship, ffs.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

I should have added to my original post that Aitken really hasn't done himself any favours with that result today. I have been saying all summer if he doesn't have a good start to the league he will be under some serious pressure from fans. I'm not wanting to see the guy bagged after a pumping in what was effectively a dead rubber for us at the end of another poor League Cup campaign but the pressure is now well and truly on. Assembling a good squad on paper is all well and good, he needs to get these guys playing and he has to do it very quickly.

Over to you Stevie...

[squeezeboxson]

3 hours ago, Ross Forbes said:

Meh. I was close enough. Pleased to see Loy handed a start and Forbes in his natural role.

Adam, Perry, Dyer, Dowie, C.Barr, Hutton, Carswell, B.Barr, Forbes, Paton, Loy.

 

3 hours ago, BallochSonsFan said:

3 hours ago, Ross Forbes said:

Meh. I was close enough. Pleased to see Loy handed a start and Forbes in his natural role.
Adam, Perry, Dyer, Dowie, C.Barr, Hutton, Carswell, B.Barr, Forbes, Paton, Loy.

That's potentially our strongest starting 11.

Potentially not?

What went wrong then?

[FifeSons]

Sounds like a fairly horrendous day at the office from us, by all accounts.

I don't think there's any reason to lose our heads though, this was a meaningless game, however you want to dress it up. You can't draw many conclusions from the League Cup  campaign, regardless of how it goes.

Let's judge it based on the real stuff from next week. Hopefully today will send a rocket up a few of the players.

[Jumbo Muir]

I can hear him now in the post match interview. ..........Lads are naturally disappointed but we won't be up against a full time Premier League team every week. We have a couple of knocks too but hopefully everybody will be ready for the first league game.
Line one, position two . . . . . . Heard it.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

A truly woeful performance, not one player getting pass marks and in particular Hutton, Carswell, Forbes, Loy and Dowie were dreadful. An absolutely mammoth upturn in performance is required for next week. That was 6 going on about 15 and one of the worst Sons performances I've ever witnessed.

I agree that Adam looks a liability. Caught in no mans land for the 6th and I get the absolute fear every time he gets the ball and has to try and work it onto his left foot. We also look weak in both full back positions, lets hope Ballantyne is as good as reports suggest. Carswell and Hutton should never ever play alongside each other, Hutton swans around like he couldn't give a f**k and should 100% be relegated to the bench unless Carswell is injured.

I must admit, I've taken very few postives from this League Cup campaign despite numerous others (including the manager) reminding us it has been positive. A draw with Spartans in what was, by all accounts, a bang average performance. Scraping by Queens Park with a semi decent first half and a poor second half. A semi decent 2nd half performance v Killie doesn't count, we conceded 4 goals for f**k sake. Then we have today's absolute minter of an effort. Bar some (very) short 5 minute spells of some decent passing moves I'm seriously struggling to find any positives. Lets hope it has been a case of saving ourselves for the league.

I commend both your honesty and your assessment. I very seldom leave early, but the fifth goal was enough today.

Unprofessional is a horrible tag but that performance came within touching distance. And if there was any doubt that pairing Hutton and Carswell is inviting disaster (49 previous failures Your Honour), then surely to Christ today put the tin lid on it.

A real concern was that the collective lethargy, absence of organisation and morale on display this afternoon could have produced the same outcome against Arbroath or Airdrie. Aye, Saints are a Premier team but it was virtually impossible to assess them such was our shambles.

It's far too early to press the panic button but this airy attitude from some Sons fans that the League Cup is effectively a series of pre-season friendlies is utterly baffling to me.

As things stand we now travel to Methil on a wing and a prayer, with only Ballantyne, McGowan, Thomson and Seagal emerging with their credentials enhanced.

As for the management team, I think they need to think very hard in the coming days.

[Supremesons]

At least our title challengers finished there league cup campaign with 1 point

[FifeSons]

I'd also just like to point out Raith, who will win the league, came bottom in a group containing Cove Rangers and Cowdenbeath.

[cedrick1]

I predicted 4.0 at the start as I thought st Mirren needed to put in a performance today and who better to play to boost your confidence.

modt annoying was the 6th when the whole team switched off after a ridiculous challenge on half way by Hutton. Completely unprofessional.

i thought little gets pass marks todsy

again another poor league cup campaign.

too the sons fans that think this squad is promising and will challange in league one. You may have a long season ahead of you

i hope in wrong 

[cedrick1]

I meant Andy little gets pass marks rather than little he he

[cedrick1]

over this Campaign I missed the killie game but Spartans and qp weren’t any better against poor oppposition. 

Next week will be a challange to get an idea of where we are going

[Jan Vojáček]

25 minutes ago, squeezeboxson said:

Potentially not?

What went wrong then?

I could just say 'everything', but that wouldn't be very helpful. Most accurate way of putting it mind you.

We set up for a 0-0 (as per last season) and conceded after a minute. From that point onwards we had absolutely no idea what to do when we had the ball, and looked a totally shambles at the back. Adam was all over the shop, Dowie and Mango were as poor as I've seen them. Hutton. Jesus Christ. I wish he could judge the bounce of a ball. Carsy. Lord knows (though he did at least tackle/kick people). Paton and Forbes only got the ball about four times all game, and lost it each and every time. I forgot Bobby Barr was playing, and we played Loy as a targetman...The very same Rory Loy who said in his Podcast interview that he can't play as a targetman because he isn't very good in the air.

Time and again we got a player on the ball and his options were either behind him, or launch the ball 30 yards in the vague direction of Loy or the SeaGal. Last season will still be etched in your mind though, so that shouldn't be too hard to picture.

If I had one hint of a positive it would be Andy Little. He slotted in at RB and looked like he actually gave a damn, he made a few solid tackles and was the only guy (imo) who could leave and think that they did alright. Calum Gallagher maybe too, but by the point he came on the game was dead, buried and had started to decay.

[1320Lichtie]

I'd also just like to point out Raith, who will win the league, came bottom in a group containing Cove Rangers and Cowdenbeath.

 

I’m really not so sure. Can see a Dunfermline’esque season for them, obviously will not be as bad as 7th or wherever they finished but I think they could struggle a bit.

 

Much weaker than last season for me on paper anyway.

 

[lorenzo71]

1 minute ago, Ross Forbes said:

I could just say 'everything', but that wouldn't be very helpful. Most accurate way of putting it mind you.

We set up for a 0-0 (as per last season) and conceded after a minute. From that point onwards we had absolutely no idea what to do when we had the ball, and looked a totally shambles at the back. Adam was all over the shop, Dowie and Mango were as poor as I've seen them. Hutton. Jesus Christ. I wish he could judge the bounce of a ball. Carsy. Lord knows (though he did at least tackle/kick people). Paton and Forbes only got the ball about four times all game, and lost it each and every time. I forgot Bobby Barr was playing, and we played Loy as a targetman...The very same Rory Loy who said in his Podcast interview that he can't play as a targetman because he isn't very good in the air.

Time and again we got a player on the ball and his options were either behind him, or launch the ball 30 yards in the vague direction of Loy or the SeaGal. Last season will still be etched in your mind though, so that shouldn't be too hard to picture.

If I had one hint of a positive it would be Andy Little. He slotted in at RB and looked like he actually gave a damn, he made a few solid tackles and was the only guy (imo) who could leave and think that they did alright. Calum Gallagher maybe too, but by the point he came on the game was dead, buried and had started to decay.

ITS THE PERFORMANCE MORE THAN THE RESULT THAT WORRIES ME...JUST UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNMOTIVATED.Dire stuff .I fear loy may be a white elephant and many of the players look unfit...hutton,forbes loy,dowie,dyer et al.beany and seagal at least tried when they came on

[Jan Vojáček]

1 minute ago, lorenzo71 said:

ITS THE PERFORMANCE MORE THAN THE RESULT THAT WORRIES ME...JUST UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNMOTIVATED.Dire stuff .I fear loy may be a white elephant and many of the players look unfit...hutton,forbes loy,dowie,dyer et al.beany and seagal at least tried when they came on

I saw enough from Loy last week to trust that, if we play to his strengths, he'll be a very good player for us.

If we're just going to lump high balls at him for 90 minutes though then it's pointless having him (or indeed any of our ball playing type guys) in the team. We have technically gifted guys. But we need to play to their strengths. 

[FifeSons]

10 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

 

I’m really not so sure. Can see a Dunfermline’esque season for them, obviously will not be as bad as 7th or wherever they finished but I think they could struggle a bit.

 

Much weaker than last season for me on paper anyway.

 

A season where they still finished 15 points clear of any part-time side.

They'll comfortably win the league.

[1320Lichtie]

A season where they still finished 15 points clear of any part-time side.

They'll comfortably win the league.

 

Mainly down to a solid experienced back 4 and Vaughan being on fire at the start of the season.

 

They weren’t great, they scraped results.

 

They’ve lost Thomson and now have a young RB, Spence and replaced him with Duggan, Barr and replaced him with Flanagan, Zanatta and replaced him with Milne and Furtado and replaced him with Nisbet.

 

Other sides have strengthened too and there won’t be any easy games this season, Forfar, Albion and QP were really poor.

 

 

ETA: plus, pressure is on Smith big time already after what happened last season.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

I saw enough from Loy last week to trust that, if we play to his strengths, he'll be a very good player for us.
If we're just going to lump high balls at him for 90 minutes though then it's pointless having him (or indeed any of our ball playing type guys) in the team. We have technically gifted guys. But we need to play to their strengths. 

It's not rocket science.... midfield is supposed to protect the back line and provide for the forwards. When a sizeable percentage of it is incapable of doing either then things become challenging.

Forbes, Paton and Barr have track records at previous clubs, and they don't suddenly become diddies overnight. But when they don't have an idea of the team set-up and where they should playing because the manager insists on selecting both ends of a pantomime horse to play alongside them, the result is very often, well, a pantomime.

QED.

[Bogheidman]

Absolutely diabolical.

 

From being able to note some positives this pre-season, we now go into our first league of the season on the back of an embarrassment.

 

This is a St. Mirren side who's new manager was already getting stick and had the usual vultures circling, and we made things so easy for them when we really could have given ourselves a confidence boost going into the league campaign.

 

Kwekawa at the back strolled it and you can tell he's a quality player and Coulson was very polished too. It's difficult to tell how good they were as a team though, given how pedestrian, lacklustre and soft-in-the-middle we were.

 

Hutton and Carswell just don't work. And particularly when Hutton can't control a ball and looks miles off the pace and Carswell looks like he doesn't know what his role is.

 

We now have a big week ahead of us. And one that Aitken needs to realise that his tactics need to change, the players need to show some urgency and they need to at least try and play together. They looked like 11 strangers at times today. Aye, a big week indeed.