Clyde FC; Season 2022-23

[BrigtonClyde]

Still think we have far too much quality to end up in trouble, but we could sleepwalk into it. 

Back in August he steadies the ship by making us more compact, not a great watch but it was effective, built a bit of consistency and confidence.  For what games are left their target should be that they must take something from every game, be that grinding out a draw or winning at home.  If they had the players to do that at the start of the season, they definitely do now.

DL also must decide in his own mind what his best XI is and try to stick with it.  Chopping & changing several positions most weeks isn't likely to help.

Finally, have players in their correct position.  Feel for Howie, was coming onto a good game, gets unlucky with injury, out for weeks, then when he does come back he's punted out to right back.  He's not a right back.  Yesterday for the first time in months he's in his right position but from all accounts didn't have the best of games.  Maybe not that unsurprising.

Pre-season's the time to experiment, not mid February.  So a bit of back to basics, start picking up points, build a bit of consistency & they'll be fine.

 

  

 

[Jaggy Snake]

I'm not going to get too worked up about Mitchell's error for the first goal yesterday. It was idiotic but most goalkeepers make the occasional blunder.

However, someone has to tell him he needs to be much braver with the ball. There's no question Mitchell is a better keeper than Currie, but Currie was instrumental to how we played last year. We regularly tried to play out from the back and if there was nothing on a simple ball back to the keeper allowed us to start again and keep possession.

Whether it's because he doesn't trust the players in front of him or, as I suspect, he's just that kind of keeper, he insists on playing it long whenever he can. You can see Grant is frustrated that whenever he and the centrebacks drop in Mitchell almost always refuses to play it short. Grant's barely even looking for it to feet now as a result.

There's plenty of other players (and the manager himself) who probably deserve criticism more than Mitchell, but this is fundamental issue that is really hurting how we play. We rarely win long balls, or even the second ball for that matter, and most of our squad is made up of guys who want the ball at their feet.

When we actually have possession we've still caused most teams problems this season, but we give it away so much we're always on the back foot.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Jaggy Snake

[HughieMc]

13 minutes ago, Jaggy Snake said:

I'm not going to get too worked up about Mitchell's error for the first goal yesterday. It was idiotic but most goalkeepers make the occasional blunder.

However, someone has to tell him he needs to be much braver with the ball. There's no question Mitchell is a better keeper than Currie, but Currie was instrumental to how we played last year. We regularly tried to play out from the back and if there was nothing on a simple ball back to the keeper allowed us to start again and keep possession.

Whether it's because he doesn't trust the players in front of him or, as I suspect, he's just that kind of keeper, he insists on playing it long whenever he can. You can see Grant is frustrated that whenever he and the centrebacks drop in Mitchell almost always refuses to play it short. Grant's barely even looking for it to feet now as a result.

There's plenty of other players (and the manager himself) who probably deserve criticism more than Mitchell, but this is fundamental issue that is really hurting how we play. We rarely win long balls, or even the second ball for that matter, and most of our squad is made up of guys who want the ball at their feet.

When we actually have possession we've still caused most teams problems this season, but we give it away so much we're always on the back foot.

Righto and that someone is who?

 

[Jaggy Snake]

Just now, HughieMc said:

Righto and that someone is who?

The manager, assistant, centrebacks, Grant, captain, any senior player.

Take your pick.

[HughieMc]

3 minutes ago, Jaggy Snake said:

The manager, assistant, centrebacks, Grant, captain, any senior player.

Take your pick.

The manager: without doubt

Asst Manager: as above

Grant: really? Hasn’t played well for at least 8 games- doubt its his place to demand the ball to feet.

Captain: I’m led to believe he’s only captain as he has experience to chat to ref

Any senior player: I’ll be a while working that out I’m afraid.

 

 

[haufdaft]

Mitchell wasn't the only one who played it long yesterday.

Every player needs to be braver and more precice.

When we did play it short it was over/under hit, misdirected or miscontrolled.

[Bully Wee Clyde FC]

Playing from the back needs a footballing goalie, an assured receiver of the ball and space from the opponents. Last year we often had all three, not so sure this year. 

I think that when we're allowed to play, we look good and this builds our confidence.  I believe many teams have got the measure of us and they press high, are aggressive in mid field and double up on Goodie and we have no plan B. We don't help our situation by chopping and changing without logic. McStay good enough v Celtic but not for Airdrie? Lyons nowhere for a few weeks but in ahead of Smith?

DL's focus should be organising the defence, working out, bearing in mind the individuals at his disposal, if we go 3 at the back with wing backs or a back 4 without an obvious RB. If we stop losing goals; we stop losing games. 

[Domino the Dug]

6 hours ago, Bully Wee Clyde FC said:

Playing from the back needs a footballing goalie, an assured receiver of the ball and space from the opponents. Last year we often had all three, not so sure this year. 

I think that when we're allowed to play, we look good and this builds our confidence.  I believe many teams have got the measure of us and they press high, are aggressive in mid field and double up on Goodie and we have no plan B. We don't help our situation by chopping and changing without logic. McStay good enough v Celtic but not for Airdrie? Lyons nowhere for a few weeks but in ahead of Smith?

DL's focus should be organising the defence, working out, bearing in mind the individuals at his disposal, if we go 3 at the back with wing backs or a back 4 without an obvious RB. If we stop losing goals; we stop losing games. 

In all the commotion about left back/strike partner for DG, right back has been the elephant in the dressing room. Cuddihy playing there, and very well in L2 is a distant memory, and neither Lyon or Duffie are fit enough to play five games in a row. Two are midfielders, so why not use them there! 

 

The main problem with the three, in Scotland in general and struggling teams in particular is a 'back three' really means back five. That would invite so much more bother to the door than we already have, if we don't cap the number of 'defensive minded' players we select. When i say defensive, i dont just mean position, i mean those who err by standing off, or are just plainly reactive players. Of all our defenders only Lang will follow his man along the deck. Likewise Ally Love offers a defensive edge on the left wing, as he did in the autumn especially at Falkirk. Square pegs in round holes are costing us, more than the failure of (most) operatives. These are Lennon matters, simple as that.

[Jack Burton]

Injuries have all but cleared up now and we need to get back to the starting line up and formation that we used with success last season.

Some of Lennon's selections have been baffling to say the least. Howie at right back, Rankin centre mid, Lyon straight back into the team playing both Wylde and Love.

The majority of games we concede first and give ourselves a mountain to climb. Don't expect to getting anything away at Raith especially if we persist with another bizzare line up.

Any word on Lang's injury?

[Domino the Dug]

3 hours ago, Jack Burton said:

Injuries have all but cleared up now and we need to get back to the starting line up and formation that we used with success last season.

Some of Lennon's selections have been baffling to say the least. Howie at right back, Rankin centre mid, Lyon straight back into the team playing both Wylde and Love.

The majority of games we concede first and give ourselves a mountain to climb. Don't expect to getting anything away at Raith especially if we persist with another bizzare line up.

Any word on Lang's injury?

Hamstring i heard, perhaps carrying a niggle like a lot of players generally do. Love knackered himself playing through his as long as he did, mind you.

 

Big fortnight coming up, rotation really ought to be a four letter word when we're struggling but that complete shambles of a lineup from Airdrie must not be repeated. If Lyon and Wylde were thrown in on Saturday with such a result, i should expect McStay, Smith, Love and Johnston to be at the very least in serious contention for Raith. They've been no less consistent than Lyon, and have each shown more than Wylde despite his supposed pedigree, on a game percentage basis. In whichever configuration is up to Lennon, i don't suppose the numbers or lines make much difference when in such dreadful form. They literally couldn't be worse. Livingstone and Cunningham, in their position, can't really have been expected to rally the side, but both with their backgrounds should fill a gap until May. 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Domino the Dug

[sirscottyoung]

Happy with him not coming back?

[BullyWeeStonehouse]

1 hour ago, sirscottyoung said:

Happy with him not coming back?

Not bothered tbh. Had a few good games but had more below average ones. Tom Lang is an upgrade on him.

[FREDDYFRY]

He was ok, was improving slowly but not ready for L1, nowhere near physical enough. Lot of development still required but there is a player in there.
 

We needed then and still need better to improve our squad too unfortunately. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by FREDDYFRY

[Jack Burton]

Not exactly the type of player you want when fighting against relegation.

 

 

[TheBigGuy]

Good win for the lads last night.

[Bully Wee Clyde FC]

Talking of surprising lines ups???

Strong selection v Jags in Glasgow Cup. Maybe need gametime together and good for recent additions but swapping Mcniff for Cuddihy, Howie for Rumsby and DGW for Cunningham is difficult for me to work out. Do the 2nd and 3rd pairings not need more time together to establish better partnerships? 

Looks a bit like tinkering to me rather than starting or even finishing with a first 11.

CLYDE: McGee, Lyon, Wylde, McNiff (Cuddihy 64'), Howie (Rumsby 55'), Lamont (Grant 55'), Cunningham (Goodwillie 55'), McStay (McCormack 64'), Smith, Johnston, Love.

[Domino the Dug]

Dunfermline fan on the Raith match thread seemed to pull a few in, with his Goodwillie contract exclusives. Would people, specifically our own supporters, rather not discuss such matters, let alone agree or disagree over them? Given the AGM financial report and the importance placed on governance having seen off the resident Chairman surely its an important subject?

[Jack Burton]

Dunfermline fan on the Raith match thread seemed to pull a few in, with his Goodwillie contract exclusives. Would people, specifically our own supporters, rather not discuss such matters, let alone agree or disagree over them? Given the AGM financial report and the importance placed on governance having seen off the resident Chairman surely its an important subject?

Ssh! You are not allowed to talk about it. Nothing from the AGM is to be discussed and there is still plenty of fans in the dark as to what happened.

Head over to the Falkirk and Raith threads and you'll see plenty of posts on their recent financial positions.

[Domino the Dug]

24 minutes ago, Jack Burton said:

Ssh! You are not allowed to talk about it. Nothing from the AGM is to be discussed and there is still plenty of fans in the dark as to what happened.

Head over to the Falkirk and Raith threads and you'll see plenty of posts on their recent financial positions.

Absolutely, and a very liberal use of them is administered too, fitting various agendas all at once. 

 

I'm none too fussed whether we're X amount in the hole, or throwing cash around like there's no tomorrow. The results on the field will determine whether the strategy has succeeeded or not, and we have appointed a body of people to carry this out. Let them at it!

 

What i am concerned about is us sleepwalking into situations by avoiding them, while dishing out bright eyed and bushy tailed (and fully deserved) critiques and slatings for poor team displays like recently. Why is one acceptable (remember the great STOFO initiative throughout 2016-17) but the other, is not?

 

[clydenil]

Kai McCormack? What part of Spain do the McCormacks come from?