Arbroath Vs Cove

[DUAFC]

Hartley totally mugged Campbell  !!

Sit in / waste time for 75 mins, remain in the game. Throw an extra player up front and grab a late winner. Simple against our feckless manager, aided and abetted by an equally clueless referee.

[Tattie36]

1 hour ago, Hammerafc said:

1 + 1 = 2

Sorry, yes you’re correct.

[timlichtie]

Disappointing but not surprising given how much was at stake and the rubbish conditions. We had plenty of chances to win it but were woeful in the final third. The sucker punch felt inevitable. The saving grace was Thistle’s equaliser. I really can’t see Cove getting anything at Dens based on today’s showing. We really need not to go into the playoffs.

[DUAFC]

Not really looking for excuses here but the playing surface looks to be causing the players problems.  Looks way too hard and uneven,  some of our better footballers are struggling with it just now. Hilly header over the keeper shouldn't have bounced over the bar.

 Needs a bit of a water  ?

[SotesBornalichtie]

A hugely disappointing anticlimax. A game where we could have secured our Championship status for next season and we blew it.

Same old failings, couldn't score and will continue to have the same problem as long as we play with one up front, unless we find another Joel Nouble and that is not very likely. So whilst a 4-5-1 formation may be the best option for the players we have it does mean that more often than not we will be playing not to lose games rather than playing to win.

Hilson gives 100% every time but today he didn't get much change out of the Cove defence and should maybe have been subbed early in the second half, but then we didn't have any real replacement for him on the bench. We lost some momentum when Dow went off injured. Apart from Hilson's header that took a big bounce and went over the bar, we never looked likely to score. High crosses into the box when your striker is much shorter that all the defenders doesn't often work, but high balls up the park and into the box seems to be the default tactic at this level.

So all to do in the last two games, really can't afford to drop any more points and quite honestly if it comes down to it, on today's showing I wouldn't bet on us beating Hamilton in the last league game.

[TheRoundO]

1 goal in the last 4 games says it all. Everyone loves Hilson but he’s not a goalscorer - 4 league goals this season is his best ever for the Lichties. And we’ve signed/loaned another 2 duds in Komolafe and Olusanya. Adarkwa could probably do a job if he was ever not injured.
We set up to defend so any striker will struggle.
 

Squeaky bum time. It’s what we deserve. 

[ExiledLichtie]

So first of all,  I was one of those that was tending towards #DickOut, and I've been critical of the management, but this time out, I believe that is on the players.  I don't think any of us had a problem with the line up, we might have had Linn or el Mhanni, but I can understand the settled line up.

We were up against Cove, a team who were at rock bottom and played like it, so why not play a bit?  We had all the advantages, we had a massive fan turnout, we had the wind in our favour first half, and then the wind dropped in the second.  It should have been comfortable.

The first half was a disaster. We all know the score, we needed to be 2-0 up, and we did nothing.  We should have been hammering shot after shot at them, hitting corner after corner...but no, nothing.  It was pathetic.  I can't recall a single thing to get excited about.  Our players collectively had a nightmare.

I expected the second half to be one way traffic, but lo and behold, we got a lucky break, and the wind calmed significantly.  We did nothing with it.  Our players bottled it.

Hilson got nothing out of the defence (he's much better against tiring defences as a sub), McKenna did a lot of good work, but his shooting was totally wayward, Balde played some wild passes, and the rest were just poor.  I've very rarely blamed the players this season, but that felt like a bottle job.  Their big moment and they froze.

Its been hours, and I'm still seething.

[1320Lichtie]

That was an absolute embarrassment.

 

From the very start just a negative team to play when you’ve got a game to go and win. I love Scotty Stewart but for me it’s like a right back playing right midfield, don’t fancy him to score a goal or take a boy on. Dow puts a great shift in and is a clever player but same applies there. Hilson as honest as ever and probably our best player today but scoring goals not his thing. Gold and Balde never gonna score or create much. Left with Mikey McKenna as the one and only hope of us doing something today and he had one of his poorer games. 
 

Just utter shite. 2500 there. Win keeps you up. Fucking have a go. Fact Bobby never started is criminal. f**k me man what’s the thinking behind not playing him. Surely Dick himself knows what I’ve said in the above paragraph? 
 

They had more attacking players on the pitch than we did!!! Megginson, McIntosh, Longstaff, O‘Halloran started that! Bobby 100 percent without a doubt should’ve played, one guy you’d have absolutely fancied in that first half to put some dangerous balls in and take a chance. Zero composure infront of goal from anybody today. Wouldn’t have even been against El Mhanni on the other side either. Or Allan playing instead of Goldie…. It was Cove at home!!! They were absolutely stinking. We weren’t any better to be fair but just negative outlook from the start it was almost like we were ok with a draw. 
 

Actually I’m 99 percent sure that the plan was to not get beat.. which is a disgrace. Never turned up and Cove didn’t really do anything but the corners they put in at the end were dangerous and enough to win them that game. Not took less points off of anyone else in the division except for fkn Partick Thistle and we’re still to play them once more!!!! 
 

We are probably safe after today but that’s not the send off the fans deserve after all the shite they’ve endured this season.
 

If Dundee win on Friday which they more than likely will then the Hamilton game on the last day is a dead rubber. Probably the last meaningful game of the year today and it was a Dick Campbell disaster-class. 
 

 

[kentish]

4 hours ago, ExiledLichtie said:

So first of all,  I was one of those that was tending towards #DickOut, and I've been critical of the management, but this time out, I believe that is on the players.  I don't think any of us had a problem with the line up, we might have had Linn or el Mhanni, but I can understand the settled line up.

We were up against Cove, a team who were at rock bottom and played like it, so why not play a bit?  We had all the advantages, we had a massive fan turnout, we had the wind in our favour first half, and then the wind dropped in the second.  It should have been comfortable.

The first half was a disaster. We all know the score, we needed to be 2-0 up, and we did nothing.  We should have been hammering shot after shot at them, hitting corner after corner...but no, nothing.  It was pathetic.  I can't recall a single thing to get excited about.  Our players collectively had a nightmare.

I expected the second half to be one way traffic, but lo and behold, we got a lucky break, and the wind calmed significantly.  We did nothing with it.  Our players bottled it.

Hilson got nothing out of the defence (he's much better against tiring defences as a sub), McKenna did a lot of good work, but his shooting was totally wayward, Balde played some wild passes, and the rest were just poor.  I've very rarely blamed the players this season, but that felt like a bottle job.  Their big moment and they froze.

Its been hours, and I'm still seething.

Seems an excellent summary to me, chances are Arbroath will survive just but reality is its a fag paper away from plum bottom ,we got lucky with the cove accies draw, and hamilton past week have self destructed twice when ahead late on. We produce 6 wins come 2023/24 I think we all know the league positioning result. Get next two done with there is a lot of reflection to do.

[kentish]

8 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Actually I’m 99 percent sure that the plan was to not get beat.. which

I'm down in Kent and following the game online this was exactly what went through my head as the second half progressed, you could feel  absolutely no desire to go for a win, literally the arbroath shots figure changed by just one second half.  It had late goal written all over it to be honest and as much as I swore no surprise when it came along.

[1320Lichtie]

9 minutes ago, kentish said:

I'm down in Kent and following the game online this was exactly what went through my head as the second half progressed, you could feel  absolutely no desire to go for a win, literally the arbroath shots figure changed by just one second half.  It had late goal written all over it to be honest and as much as I swore no surprise when it came along.

Listened to Dicks interview there and he’s taken all the blame for it which I respect and also mentioned about the severe lack of creativity we had, surely he cannot be shocked by that though.
 

Like todays team has worked great against the better teams in the league when we’ve had to go toe to toe and do a lot of defensive work, when the other team comes at us and we can break on them but in a day like today Cove spent long spells in their own half and we had absolutely no answers in terms of how to go and break them down. 

 

Been a long time since I’ve been this annoyed after a game. Don’t think it’s happened this year, last time I felt like this would probably be when we got pumped off Dunfermline in the Challenge Cup. 

Edited April 23, 2023 by 1320Lichtie

[DUAFC]

Sadly Dick's had his day. Now there's no Plan B as we don't seem to have the mental agility to change things on the hoof.

Chucking on 3 subs with 20 mins left ain't a plan, it's just a panic measure  !!

[Smokerson]

The team have been playing well for the past three months and done really well to “probably” get us safe so important not to get overly critical but for me yesterdays performance and in spells at Inverness kind of epitomises our season. Solid enough at the back , never look like losing goals but just a complete and utter lack of creativity and goals in our team and it has to be addressed in the summer.

 

[Todd_is_God]

15 hours ago, Mon eh Ton said:

10th place finish only if Accies win 17-0 against them. 9th a possibility though if Cove take 4 points from Dundee and Morton.

If Arbroath lose 4-0 to Thistle, Accies would need to win by 7

It's not going to happen, but do remember any goals Accies score at Gayfield would cut into the GD by 2.

I'm absolutely gutted that we couldn't hold on yesterday to take it to the final day.

Edited April 23, 2023 by Todd_is_God

[1320Lichtie]

6 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

If Arbroath lose 4-0 to Thistle, Accies would need to win by 7

It's not going to happen, but do remember any goals Accies score at Gayfield would cut into the GD by 2.

I'm absolutely gutted that we couldn't hold on yesterday to take it to the final day.

You had me very worried again, but again only for 2 minutes.

[ExiledLichtie]

4 hours ago, kentish said:

I'm down in Kent and following the game online this was exactly what went through my head as the second half progressed, you could feel  absolutely no desire to go for a win, literally the arbroath shots figure changed by just one second half.  It had late goal written all over it to be honest and as much as I swore no surprise when it came along.

It was a windy day though, and usually, we'd be hanging on, having run up a lead in the first half, so I didnt expect us to be gung ho. But the wind had dropped significantly by the start of the second half, so there was no need!

 

[Todd_is_God]

10 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

You had me very worried again, but again only for 2 minutes.

For about 90 seconds yesterday I genuinely thought we were going to pull it off.

It's the hope that kills you.

[1320Lichtie]

17 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

For about 90 seconds yesterday I genuinely thought we were going to pull it off.

It's the hope that kills you.

So did I. The whispers went up behind the goal that it was 2-1 yous, I went on my phone and checked. Refreshed Partick Thistle twitter and it was already 2-2

Edited April 23, 2023 by 1320Lichtie

[ExiledLichtie]

That was horrible.  We were 0-0, Hamilton were 1-1, and we were safe....and then within a few minutes the world became a very dark place.  I think that Thistle equaliser should probably get our goal of the season award.

Edited April 23, 2023 by ExiledLichtie

[Lichtie78]

2500 fans in attendance and we play for a draw, fucking shambles. When does that ever work. Will probably stay up but we need a few quality signings in the summer. Hilson does NOT deserve a new deal for his usual 3/4 worthy appearances a season, he spends most of his time a mile away from goal and most games barely even has a shot.