Airdrieonians 23/24 Championship Thread♦️

[Mr November]

1 hour ago, Passionate said:

MCgill I agree , he was very effective in the last 2 seasons,  Technically a mess, but his reckless direct style seemed to work in League 1,   he would probably do a turn for Raith due to their open attacking style..

 

Todorov is proven he can get goals,  he has been unlucky,  what do you want him to do in 8minutes or whatever at Ayr,  a more positive attacking approach to scoring goals is required and a physical midfield player to give us a different option than the dot to dot safety first passing...

O Connor has pace to burn, which we need, but little else,  probably League 2 is his level at this moment in time..

 

Falkirk signed the lad Shanley from troubled Edinburgh,  he is a good forward player that was available,  hopefully we can get some business done, although recruitment is still a major issue under this regime...

Has Todorov shown that he can get goals here though? He’s had some great chances late on in games, Queen’s Park and Partick Thistle particularly, and hasn’t taken them. I think he played fairly well when he started against Dundee United and Raith to be fair to him and have him credit at the time. I’ve always said I don’t think his hold up play is that great (Chris Hamilton beat him to every header recently) but if we had wide players who could get crosses in he’d be a real threat, unfortunately we don’t really have them. I’m not desperate to get rid of him, just don’t think he fits how we play and McCabe doesn’t seem keen to adapt for him, rightly or wrongly.

[airdrieman]

On 17/12/2023 at 14:34, Kenny_m said:

Doubt we will get that many but we need to bring in players with genuine pace.

A quick centre-half and another wide player/forward (a Josh O'Connor replacement essentially) could make a big difference. 

[Passionate]

18 minutes ago, Mr November said:

Has Todorov shown that he can get goals here though? He’s had some great chances late on in games, Queen’s Park and Partick Thistle particularly, and hasn’t taken them. I think he played fairly well when he started against Dundee United and Raith to be fair to him and have him credit at the time. I’ve always said I don’t think his hold up play is that great (Chris Hamilton beat him to every header recently) but if we had wide players who could get crosses in he’d be a real threat, unfortunately we don’t really have them. I’m not desperate to get rid of him, just don’t think he fits how we play and McCabe doesn’t seem keen to adapt for him, rightly or wrongly.

We are asking a lot from Todorov and McGill to an extent,  McGill got slated after the Thistle game,  his first League game in weeks and gets dropped the next,   Todorov comes in against Dunfermline does alright and gets dropped again,  We are looking for the silver bullet upfront and not getting it, are we giving it enough of a chance though,  how about judging Todorov after 3 starts in a row not after 75 minutes, we aren't scoring just now anyway...

Nothing will change unless we change our shape, Rhys knows teams will run through us if he does,  you either drop McMaster or someone and play a 2 up front,  our midfielders aren't physically strong or quick enough to play that regularly....

Personally don't think who we sign if anybody up front will make a great deal of difference, but we need a lot more productivity and goals from our wide players and Frizzell and Telfer if that clicks and we get ahead in games, our strikers will have more chances late in games....

 

Nothing is easy in this league, and we are in a battle ,  next 2 games are must not lose territory IMO

[airdrieman]

I agree with the consensus that Gabby hasn't cut it so far this season. But I do think he's been done a bit of disservice with the change in style of play and his positioning on the park. Not really good enough technically to play that possession-based style, and, whilst he was a wide forward last season, he's being asked to play so far out from Gal or Todorov that they can't link up effectively through the middle or out wide. He's not an 'old-fashioned winger' so he's not going to beat a man and put balls into the box as he seems to be expected to do currently, like at Firhill for example. Worth remembering that in our first three home league games, in which we won all three, he got a goal (Thistle), assist (Raith) and was the catalyst for the OG v Inverness. I thought he was very good in the win v Dundee in the League Cup also. I'm not saying he's definitely good enough for this level or the cure for our ills but I'd like to see him get more of a sniff at least, ideally in a change of shape even if just from the bench. To not bring him on when we're chasing a goal in the last two games and to bring on Dunlop and O'Connor before him is, IMO, poor. I'd rather have chucked Gabby on than had Fordyce get in the way not winning any long balls upfront. 

If he does go to Raith we either need to swap him for one of their plethora of forwards or have the transfer fee on a replacement spent before he leaves. 

[Mr November]

18 minutes ago, Passionate said:

We are asking a lot from Todorov and McGill to an extent,  McGill got slated after the Thistle game,  his first League game in weeks and gets dropped the next,   Todorov comes in against Dunfermline does alright and gets dropped again,  We are looking for the silver bullet upfront and not getting it, are we giving it enough of a chance though,  how about judging Todorov after 3 starts in a row not after 75 minutes, we aren't scoring just now anyway...

Nothing will change unless we change our shape, Rhys knows teams will run through us if he does,  you either drop McMaster or someone and play a 2 up front,  our midfielders aren't physically strong or quick enough to play that regularly....

Personally don't think who we sign if anybody up front will make a great deal of difference, but we need a lot more productivity and goals from our wide players and Frizzell and Telfer if that clicks and we get ahead in games, our strikers will have more chances late in games....

 

Nothing is easy in this league, and we are in a battle ,  next 2 games are must not lose territory IMO

Yeah all very fair points. I think we’re both in agreement anyway that the main issue isn’t really the strikers themselves, it’s the attacking players around them not being creative enough.

[airdrieman]

1 hour ago, airdrieman said:

I agree with the consensus that Gabby hasn't cut it so far this season. But I do think he's been done a bit of disservice with the change in style of play and his positioning on the park. Not really good enough technically to play that possession-based style, and, whilst he was a wide forward last season, he's being asked to play so far out from Gal or Todorov that they can't link up effectively through the middle or out wide. He's not an 'old-fashioned winger' so he's not going to beat a man and put balls into the box as he seems to be expected to do currently, like at Firhill for example. Worth remembering that in our first three home league games, in which we won all three, he got a goal (Thistle), assist (Raith) and was the catalyst for the OG v Inverness. I thought he was very good in the win v Dundee in the League Cup also. I'm not saying he's definitely good enough for this level or the cure for our ills but I'd like to see him get more of a sniff at least, ideally in a change of shape even if just from the bench. To not bring him on when we're chasing a goal in the last two games and to bring on Dunlop and O'Connor before him is, IMO, poor. I'd rather have chucked Gabby on than had Fordyce get in the way not winning any long balls upfront. 

If he does go to Raith we either need to swap him for one of their plethora of forwards or have the transfer fee on a replacement spent before he leaves. 

Actually think the way we're setting up with our wide players in general isn't working whoever we play there. They've all get assets that work in that position but none I don't think have it as a whole. McStravick's best skill is his short-passing but he can't really do that when he's isolated out wide. Think he'd be more effective playing off Gal or Todorov through the middle. McGregor is the closest we've got to a proper winger but his crossing isn't great. And O'Connor's only role is probably as an impact/chaos-ball sub. 

Said it above but another forward/wide player (and a quick centre-half) have to be the priority in January. 

[Rhys McCabe Hype Train]

Happy to be shot down in flames, but here’s a loan shout: Charlie Reilly. Hasn’t broken into Dundee’s team as yet, clearly knows where the net is and single handedly gave the Rovers a chance of staying above the trap door last season.

Would also take a punt on Joe Bevan, but in that vain outwith the big teams in each league there isn’t a clear goalscorer emerging that we could poach in a Jan window.

[airdrieman]

1 hour ago, Rhys McCabe Hype Train said:

Happy to be shot down in flames, but here’s a loan shout: Charlie Reilly. Hasn’t broken into Dundee’s team as yet, clearly knows where the net is and single handedly gave the Rovers a chance of staying above the trap door last season.

Would also take a punt on Joe Bevan, but in that vain outwith the big teams in each league there isn’t a clear goalscorer emerging that we could poach in a Jan window.

Reilly seems like an ideal shout. His team mate Luke McCowan is on Consillium's books so I'd imagine he's more likely  Speaking of which I was having a look at their list of players. Sean Moore ticks a lot of boxes - 

Consilium - 
Northern Irish + Northern Irish youth international - 
Winger (that can play full-back) - 
Plays for West Ham - 

[David Fernández]

23 minutes ago, airdrieman said:

Reilly seems like an ideal shout. His team mate Luke McCowan is on Consillium's books so I'd imagine he's more likely  Speaking of which I was having a look at their list of players. Sean Moore ticks a lot of boxes - 

Consilium - 
Northern Irish + Northern Irish youth international - 
Winger (that can play full-back) - 
Plays for West Ham - 

If we are going down the 'Consilium Route' of signing players then Chris Donnell would be a shout.

He's a 19 year old midfielder and from watching a few videos of him playing for Fulham U21 he looks a lot more physical than a lot of our current midfielders we have. From the highlights video I can see a lot of similarities to Justin Devenny.

Downside he is Australian so let's just hope he's no Frankie Lagana or a Big Byrd 2.0.

[Rhys McCabe Hype Train]

Imagine Rhys & Jackie Mac sitting in the boardroom reading through this thread… “shit they’re on to us!”

[airdrieman]

5 hours ago, David Fernández said:

If we are going down the 'Consilium Route' of signing players then Chris Donnell would be a shout.

He's a 19 year old midfielder and from watching a few videos of him playing for Fulham U21 he looks a lot more physical than a lot of our current midfielders we have. From the highlights video I can see a lot of similarities to Justin Devenny.

Downside he is Australian so let's just hope he's no Frankie Lagana or a Big Byrd 2.0.

Would imagine he’d be outwith our budget but Ben Wilson was a Consillium player who caught my eye. Striker who’s scored 16 goals in 21 games for Cliftonville so far this season (according to Google). Bit skeptical about how goals at that level would translate to the Scottish Championship but don’t think it’d be that far off this level. 

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

3 minutes ago, airdrieman said:

Would imagine he’d be outwith our budget but Ben Wilson was a Consillium player who caught my eye. Striker who’s scored 16 goals in 21 games for Cliftonville so far this season (according to Google). Bit skeptical about how goals at that level would translate to the Scottish Championship but don’t think it’d be that far off this level. 

Gary Twigg (remember him!) Done not too bad in the LOI with a couple of clubs.

[Mr November]

Quite funny/sad how we can predict non-Scottish signings without them being wild guesses. I remember recognising McStravick’s name as soon as he was announced purely because I spent the summer studying the Consilium list.

More fun than seeing people suggest bringing back Jordan Allan right enough.

[Rhys McCabe Hype Train]

5 minutes ago, Mr November said:

More fun than seeing people suggest bringing back Jordan Allan right enough.

Clocked his name pop up on that Facebook group last night.

Incidentally what are Liam Coogans, Ryan Donnelly & Jim Lister up to these days?

[Mr November]

Just now, Rhys McCabe Hype Train said:

Clocked his name pop up on that Facebook group last night.

Incidentally what are Liam Coogans, Ryan Donnelly & Jim Lister up to these days?

Was talking about Ryan Donnelly the other week. What a six months that was. Can’t believe Allan and Coogans got their big moves and he never.

[GoalForAirdrie]

1 hour ago, airdrieman said:

Would imagine he’d be outwith our budget but Ben Wilson was a Consillium player who caught my eye. Striker who’s scored 16 goals in 21 games for Cliftonville so far this season (according to Google). Bit skeptical about how goals at that level would translate to the Scottish Championship but don’t think it’d be that far off this level. 

Players like that in the Northern Irish league usually get moves to the likes of Blackpool, Barnsley, Portsmouth ect.  

[Diamonds on the Windshield]

Looking back at the highlights from the Rangers B game Gabby is playing through the middle. His first touch and finish for the goals is exactly what we have been missing. No hitting it straight at the keeper or into a defender and for Gal's goal it was a pass because there was a defender blocking his shot at goal. Again Gal's first touch and finish were bang on. Both Gabby's goal were top class finishing. It's also worth mentioning that Todarov is shown with a few bad misses.

I have wondered if McCabe has a problem with Gabby as bringing O'Connor on when we need a goal with Gabby on the bench just doesn't make sense. For Gabby's second goal McCabe comes forward and pats O'Conner for the pass and doesn't even appear to glance over at Gabby let alone celebrate with him. Anyone heard anything?

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds]

Might seem a bit obvious and signing this type of player is easier said than done but what we really miss is a player than can produce something out of nothing. In recent years we’ve had Turner, McInroy, Easton, and to a lesser extent Smith. Frizz has his moments but he’s been a bit off the boil and more a player that works well within the team at his best, rather than someone capable of individual brilliance to turn a game on its head. You put someone like Dylan Easton into this team and those moments of controlled possession turn into goals, even if that’s because the opponents double up on him as our main threat, freeing up others like Frizz or Gal to produce something. That player could be a midfielder, winger, centre forward (preferably not a defender) and as I say, signing that player is easier said than done, but for me that’s all we really lack. We lose soft goals at times but defensively we aren’t bad. We move the ball around well and can control possession, but we struggle to turn that into goals. If we can sign someone like that that goes straight into our first team then I think we’ll be fine but that’s our current situation. We could sign one player that turns around our poor form and we shoot up the league, or we could sign several players to provide “competition” to our current squad and it doesn’t really improve us much at all.

Agree with others that McGill should be playing, I don’t understand why he doesn’t get a chance and to be honest I’d have him ahead of Todorov, not just O’Connor.

Edited December 20, 2023 by ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds

[Kenny_m]

1 hour ago, Diamonds on the Windshield said:

Looking back at the highlights from the Rangers B game Gabby is playing through the middle. His first touch and finish for the goals is exactly what we have been missing. No hitting it straight at the keeper or into a defender and for Gal's goal it was a pass because there was a defender blocking his shot at goal. Again Gal's first touch and finish were bang on. Both Gabby's goal were top class finishing. It's also worth mentioning that Todarov is shown with a few bad misses.

I have wondered if McCabe has a problem with Gabby as bringing O'Connor on when we need a goal with Gabby on the bench just doesn't make sense. For Gabby's second goal McCabe comes forward and pats O'Conner for the pass and doesn't even appear to glance over at Gabby let alone celebrate with him. Anyone heard anything?

This has crossed my mind also as I didn't think he was too terrible against Thistle. Maybe he is departing in January.

[AJ77]

12 minutes ago, Kenny_m said:

This has crossed my mind also as I didn't think he was too terrible against Thistle. Maybe he is departing in January.

If I remember correct McCabe done the same with Jamieson last year, knew his loan wasn't being extended so what would've been his last 3/4 games he was an unused sub, good chance it's happening with Gabby and O'Connor.