Inverness v QP

[qpfc]

Thought I’d get the ball rolling for what will be for many of us, the first time witnessing QP play championship football. The Premier sports cup is fine in terms of being able to watch competitive games early on but it’s a completely different ball game to league football. Buzzing for it 

Quite clearly a very difficult fixture to kick us off and there’s no doubt Inverness will be in and around the play off spots again this season I’d imagine but there’s no reason to suggest that we can’t go up there and potentially get a result ? 

After seeing the 4 cups games, this is probably how I’d imagine we’ll line up with 

                                  Ferrie

Davidson       Kilday          Fox        Robson

                       Brown        Jarrett

Mcpake                Savoury          Thomas

                                Murray 

Wouldn’t surprise me to see Thomson come in for a Jarrett or Brown for the defensive cover but I think there’s a bucketload of potential in brown, Jarrett and savoury linking up the midfield and attack. Equally Bannon could easily keep his place after his performance against Hamilton. Jason Naismith seems to have barely had a sniff, might be an early indicator that he’s not been particularly rated so far ?
 

 

[an86]

I don’t think he’ll do it, but wouldn’t be against Williamson and Murray starting together. Bannon has to keep his place for me. Reckon everyone can beat everyone on their day and it’s not a league you can let your standards slip. Would take a point just to get something on the board early.

[Highland Capital]

If Devine is back I imagine we'll line up like this -

Ridgers

Carson Devine Deas Harper

Allardice MacGregor

MacKay Doran Samuels

Mckay

Dodds seems to have stopped playing 4-4-2 so far this season and has decided to go 4-2-3-1 forevermore.

[SandyCromarty]

You didn't do badly in the LC with two good scoring wins and your loss to Dundee was marginal so I'm expecting a good game.

[Stephen Malkmus]

I fancy us to put a few past these on Saturday. This is our year; cowardice from our support will not be tolerated.

[Girth]

Looking into my crystal ball, I see...

ICT 2 QP 1

Place your bets. 

 

[sophia]

On 24/07/2022 at 23:01, Highland Capital said:

If Devine is back I imagine we'll line up like this -

Ridgers

Carson Devine Deas Harper

Allardice MacGregor

MacKay Doran Samuels

Mckay

Dodds seems to have stopped playing 4-4-2 so far this season and has decided to go 4-2-3-1 forevermore.

If that's the starting eleven, I'd not be in the most positive frame of mind.

In both league cup home games there was a hole the size of Welsh in the midfield and as good as Allardice is, he wasn't able to make it work all by himself.

 

 

[RiG]

Has there been any word on how long Max Ram is out for?

[Gall09]

3. More. Sleeps. 

[Bring Your Own Socks]

We’ve only had one new face in from the “4 or 5” intimated a few weeks ago so that would suggest we’re not yet ready for this fixture. The League Cup ties established that we are in fact much better than League 2 standard, traditionally our level, but that we’ve dropped back to being good for just half a game (like a lot of games last season) at this level. So with something to really play for it’ll be interesting to see how we cope. I expect goals from both teams.

Kind of feels like the first Falkirk game last season at Westfield. Hopefully feels the same coming home. 

[SandyCromarty]

1 hour ago, RiG said:

Has there been any word on how long Max Ram is out for?

Initially it was reported as a thigh injury for Ram, if that's the case and it's a thigh strain it will take a few weeks.

Delaney is doing a good job centrally meanwhile.

A pal spoke with Suds about his injury and he said he's out until next year.

[ICTChris]

Delaney was good against Livingston in central defence.  I did think that we were a little lacking in themiddle of the park in that game, Hyde didn't do anything wrong but he didn't have much influence on the game.  Allardice was better but didn't really get hold of the game the way he can.

I think Samuels is better as a central striker than in a wide position and I prefer MacGregor in the more advanced '10' than deeper but I'm not sure we can really accomodate both of those easily.  I think Dodds said in his interview on the podcast that he sees Boyd as a wide player, perhaps we will go with something like

--------------Ridgers------------

--Carson---Deas---Delaney--Harper--

--------Allardice-----Hyde----------

---Boyd-------MacGregor----McKay---

---------------Samuels---------------

 

You could change that by having Doran in the '10' and MacGregor sliding back in place of Hyde.  They could also play Mckay up front instead of Samuels and move Samuels back wide in place of Boyd.  I think Shaw had a better game against Cove than he did at Livi so maybe he's played himself into contention.

To sum up, I have no idea.

[Zanetti]

1 hour ago, ICTChris said:

To sum up, I have no idea.

I think this is how Queen's supporters are feeling about this match; not a clue what to expect. We were comfortably better than the lower league sides in the League Cup, but a bit hot and cold against Dundee and Accies.

I'd be inclined to go with the lineup suggested in the original post but with Bannon retaining his place ahead of Kilday. McPake should definitely start, I think he offered a lot when he came off the bench in Hamilton.

This is the sort of game where it'd be nice to have someone like Darren Lyon sitting deep in the midfield to do the dirty work, something we don't really have in the squad at the minute. Still, if Jarrett, Brown and Savoury get a lot of time on the ball we'll create chances.

I'd be delighted with a draw, just to get some points on the board early doors.

 

[an86]

3 hours ago, RiG said:

Has there been any word on how long Max Ram is out for?

Hang on a wee minute here. You lads have a player called Max Ram? 

[Gall09]

13 minutes ago, an86 said:

Hang on a wee minute here. You lads have a player called Max Ram? 

It is a wonderful name 

[TDog]

Samuels definitely looked better through the middle but I’m not convinced he can play there by himself. Needs an Oakley or McKay to play off, especially against teams who sit deep. 

[Bring Your Own Socks]

13 minutes ago, TDog said:

Samuels definitely looked better through the middle but I’m not convinced he can play there by himself. Needs an Oakley or McKay to play off, especially against teams who sit deep. 

We don’t do sitting deep. Our centre half is one of the best attacking midfielders I’ve ever seen.

[RiG]

I still think Samuels is exceptionally raw. He need plenty of pace to run into behind an opposing defence. As others have said he doesn't seem to perform well when asked to play as a right midfielder so I think we're best served if he comes on as a sub, hopefully with QP chasing the game so we can use his pace to our advantage.

[ICTChris]

He is very raw, that's fair.  He gives us options that we don't really have from any of our other forwards though - the goals he scored against Partick in the play-off and the goal against Livingston the other week, I don't think any of our other forwards would score those goals. 

ETA, maybe I'm overstating iit about those goals, I just think his pace is something none of our other forwards possess.

Edited July 27, 2022 by ICTChris

[TheScarf]

I think our 3 'strikers' - McKay, Oakley and Samuels are a good mix.  McKay has the link up play and finishing, Oakley has centre halves bouncing off him and wins a lot of headers, Samuels is rapid.

Add in MacKay, MacGregor and a fit Sutherland and it's a strong squad in the forward areas.  That's before you even talk about Doran or the, so far,  impressive Steve Boyd.