ArabianKnight Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 I've got to admit, I'm still fairly on the fence regarding whether to get rid of Courts or not. I keep looking at the way the team was set up and the start of the season and how successful it was and wanting more of that. I think what others have said is spot on in that he's shat it after a bad result against Hearts and went too negative. That said I think most fans would accept the occasional result like hearts dished out to us if it came with the attacking performances that preceded it and the points total. All seems a bit disjointed now and there's no settled team or tactics to play for. Sitting 10yds too deep, midfield dropping back too much and no focal point up front to play from back to front like the aimless punts are trying to achieve. I'd play a midfield of Butcher Levitt Akinola just now and get Watt Clark and Niskanen as the front 3. Akinola looked tidy and industrial in the first half of the game against Saintees and I think him and Butch either side of Levitt would stop the play going through the middle from the opposition enough that the defence weren't so pinned back. Get a bit of width from Watt and Niskanen and press from the middle to front. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomGuy. Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 I've never seen a CM caught on the ball as much as Akinola. He had literally no idea what was going on around him until it was too late. Looks like your standard EPL youth league player who's used to getting time and space on the ball to pick his passes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinkle Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 44 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said: I've never seen a CM caught on the ball as much as Akinola. He had literally no idea what was going on around him until it was too late. Looks like your standard EPL youth league player who's used to getting time and space on the ball to pick his passes. Thanks for your input 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishtergrolsch Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 1 hour ago, ArabianKnight said: I keep looking at the way the team was set up and the start of the season and how successful it was and wanting more of that. I think what others have said is spot on in that he's shat it after a bad result against Hearts and went too negative. That said I think most fans would accept the occasional result like hearts dished out to us if it came with the attacking performances that preceded it and the points total. All seems a bit disjointed now and there's no settled team or tactics to play for. Sitting 10yds too deep, midfield dropping back too much and no focal point up front to play from back to front like the aimless punts are trying to achieve. I'd play a midfield of Butcher Levitt Akinola just now and get Watt Clark and Niskanen as the front 3. Akinola looked tidy and industrial in the first half of the game against Saintees and I think him and Butch either side of Levitt would stop the play going through the middle from the opposition enough that the defence weren't so pinned back. Get a bit of width from Watt and Niskanen and press from the middle to front. Id agree with this broadly. Benji Smith Edwards Graham McMann Butcher Levitt Akinola Niskanen Clark Watt Maybe swap Akinola for McDonald when he's fit. Then Butcher at the back for bigger games till Mulgrew is fit again with Akinola back in the middle of the park. But I really don't think we will get anything great out of this squad when tactics are so unfathomable then changed or tinkered like mental. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabianKnight Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 5 minutes ago, mishtergrolsch said: Id agree with this broadly. Benji Smith Edwards Graham McMann Butcher Levitt Akinola Niskanen Clark Watt Maybe swap Akinola for McDonald when he's fit. Then Butcher at the back for bigger games till Mulgrew is fit again with Akinola back in the middle of the park. But I really don't think we will get anything great out of this squad when tactics are so unfathomable then changed or tinkered like mental. Exactly how I'd like to see us like up against Motherwell. When Freeman and Mulgrew are back I'd be happy to see it change again. My line of thinking was to drag us up the park a bit with getting Levitt on the second balls from Butch and Akinola to bring the front line in to play. Sick of seeing the midfield getting dragged back and Clark dropping in to pick up the ball to move forwards. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Its February and we dont have a plan, a system or an idea of what the best XI is. The much vaunted youthful approach seems to be giving folk 2 or 3 games and then never seeing them again or loaning them out. The whole league is shite too. This was a golden opportunity to get 4th. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 When are we expecting McDonald to be fit to start? Surely he is a better option than the others if he's ready to play? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarto Mutiny Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Its February and we dont have a plan, a system or an idea of what the best XI is. The much vaunted youthful approach seems to be giving folk 2 or 3 games and then never seeing them again or loaning them out. The whole league is shite too. This was a golden opportunity to get 4th. Indeed. Although, probably every team between 4th and 10th will be saying the same. Aside from the top three, the standard this year is pretty atrocious. To be on the run we are on and still be in striking distance of a European place is pretty remarkable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 (edited) Not sure if others have mentioned this, but I saw the second half of Arbroath v Kilmarnock game. Glass came on with about 30 minutes to go and improved the Killie team, a very accomplished half hour in a tough game. Still cannot understand why we loaned him out. PS glad he was on the losing side though! Edited February 6, 2022 by Granny Danger 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Sarto Mutiny said: 1 hour ago, invergowrie arab said: Its February and we dont have a plan, a system or an idea of what the best XI is. The much vaunted youthful approach seems to be giving folk 2 or 3 games and then never seeing them again or loaning them out. The whole league is shite too. This was a golden opportunity to get 4th. Indeed. Although, probably every team between 4th and 10th will be saying the same. Aside from the top three, the standard this year is pretty atrocious. To be on the run we are on and still be in striking distance of a European place is pretty remarkable. Was speaking to a mate about this earlier. I think part of that is down to the fact that all the teams know there isn't much between them, and it's tight as f**k, so nobody wants to lose against one of the other "bottom 9", so to speak. This has led to shitey defensive attitudes, and with all the teams having a lack of creativity, there aren't many goals coming. Ross County seem to be one of the few willing to just go for it, and they appear to have turned the corner. Even with our win last week, we almost seemed to try to bore them senseless before we got on top 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabFC Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 39 minutes ago, Granny Danger said: Not sure if others have mentioned this, but I saw the second half of Arbroath v Kilmarnock game. Glass came on with about 30 minutes to go and improved the Killie team, a very accomplished half hour in a tough game. Still cannot understand why we loaned him out. PS glad he was on the losing side though! Because Courts doesn't think he's good enough to get a regular game for us - pretty simple really. Says more about him than Glass though imho - I'd have the kid ahead of Harkes and Pawlett every day of the week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny arab Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 After the first round of games I posted in this thread about eating humble pie as had been impressed by the start Courts had been and impressed by the fact that players like Harkes & Pawlett were contributing on a weekly basis, sadly we’re now seeing what I feared at the start of the season, an inexperienced manager who looks out of his depth and pishy Pete and Ian the ghost being empty shirts week after week. We look like a team just going through the motions just waiting for something to happen as opposed to trying to make that something happen. How Pawlett got 80+ minutes yesterday I have no idea other than the fact we had zero options on the bench following a window where Appere, Chalmers, Watson & Glass (who would have all been options) were allowed to leave with nobody coming in. We have been lacking quality wide attacking players for years now but this never seems to be addressed, I actually think our signings recently have been decent but there are still glaring deficiencies in our squad. Lastly is McDonald just a publicity signing because if he’s not ready to play then he shouldn’t be in the squad however if he is ready to play then why the hell did he not get the last 20 minutes yesterday? Once St J went down to 10 men it was obvious their game plan was to sit in and hope for the odd counter attack or set piece and we are then crying out for a midfielder capable of picking a pass yet continue with Butcher (played well but poor on the ball) and Harkes (runs about a lot without influencing anything) whilst the former Scotland player who has played at the highest level sits on the bench. Our saving grace is the points we picked early doors and the fact that Dundee and St Johnstone are every bit as poor as we are. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dundee Hibernian Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Does anybody think, as I am beginning to, that signing Watt at the January window rather than waiting was a waste of resources? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabFC Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 15 minutes ago, Dundee Hibernian said: Does anybody think, as I am beginning to, that signing Watt at the January window rather than waiting was a waste of resources? Not beginning to. As I said at the time - mental if we're gonna pay a six figure sum on a player we'd get for nowt in the summer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinkle Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 I will tell you what, if Max Biamou cant get a game in front of Clark and McNulty, he should probably give the game up. Surely he cant be as bad as those two? -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 50 minutes ago, Dundee Hibernian said: Does anybody think, as I am beginning to, that signing Watt at the January window rather than waiting was a waste of resources? I don’t think that. Watt looks like he’s one of the few players that can actually do something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannadeechee Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 16 minutes ago, Twinkle said: I will tell you what, if Max Biamou cant get a game in front of Clark and McNulty, he should probably give the game up. Surely he cant be as bad as those two? There are stories doing the rounds be's either injured again or he's cleared out and no one at the club can reach him which is why his move to Cambridge fell through. Who knows though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishtergrolsch Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Dundee Hibernian said: Does anybody think, as I am beginning to, that signing Watt at the January window rather than waiting was a waste of resources? Yup. Said so at the time. He looks like our most creative and dangerous player but the squad is so devoid of imagination and guile there's hardly anyone to compliment him. 6 figures could have been invested in other areas of the squad like a winger or creative player further up the pitch. We've basically got lots of sitting and defensive central midfielders and some other blokes that meander about up front. Other than Watt and occasionally Niskanen, there's nothing in between. Freeman is also a very decent player going forward but those three really are not enough. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny arab Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Watt is already mirroring Shankland of last season in dropping so deep to try to get something started because the players behind them are pish 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishtergrolsch Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Tannadeechee said: There are stories doing the rounds be's either injured again or he's cleared out and no one at the club can reach him which is why his move to Cambridge fell through. Who knows though. Its a strange one. If he was as good as the Coventry fans say then its strange how he left or didn't get a gig down south somewhere (I haven't looked into any reasons etc) and ended up here. I know he knows McNulty but that dosent explain why he couldnt get a gig elsewhere in the England Moneyball Seaside League in 6 months or whatever. I'd have rather we gambled on Ciftci at the time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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