Airdrieonians 23/24 Championship Thread♦️

[A Diamond For Me]

2 hours ago, KD1711 said:

My favourite running one was the glossy programmes for the Motherwell game, that joke dates back to The Stomp days. 

I'd forgotten about glossy programmes!  That takes me back. 

[WL Diamond]

12 hours ago, boost said:

believe they were one of the teams that told us to get bent (take with a pinch of salt, i was 4 when we became a new club)

i feel sorry for their fans because no one should have to go through that (except the ugly sisters)

i dont feel sorry for the folk in charge of it outspending their means and ending up in this rut

I think you’re right although I don’t have the list of teams to hand.  Regardless of how they voted in 2002 though I don’t have any sympathy for clubs who have overspent and been mismanaged, even if that’s harsh on their fans.  Always ask yourself if we would receive much sympathy from other clubs and their fans if we were in that position again… I doubt it.

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds]

Looks like it’s a 5-4-1 with Reid as a lone striker and a “box” midfield of Gallagher and Aiken deeper and Frizz and McGrattan supporting the striker. Not a system that worked well for Scotland at the Euros but the defence looks fairly solid and at least we’ve got Wilson and McGregor on the bench should we need them.

[Kenny_m]

3 minutes ago, ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds said:

Looks like it’s a 5-4-1 with Reid as a lone striker and a “box” midfield of Gallagher and Aiken deeper and Frizz and McGrattan supporting the striker. Not a system that worked well for Scotland at the Euros but the defence looks fairly solid and at least we’ve got Wilson and McGregor on the bench should we need them.

Really can't believe that starting 11.

[Jack Reed]

13 minutes ago, Kenny_m said:

Really can't believe that starting 11.

Think the manager likes to give all players some game time ,hope I'm wrong but lack of fire power could be a problem,

[Diamonds on the Windshield]

Rhys has a cunning plan.... I hope.

[Jack Reed]

12 minutes ago, Diamonds on the Windshield said:

Rhys has a cunning plan.... I hope.

Aye,he will have told the boys in there,

[DiamondDownSouth]

1 hour ago, WL Diamond said:

I think you’re right although I don’t have the list of teams to hand.  Regardless of how they voted in 2002 though I don’t have any sympathy for clubs who have overspent and been mismanaged, even if that’s harsh on their fans.  Always ask yourself if we would receive much sympathy from other clubs and their fans if we were in that position again… I doubt it.

I can confirm ICT were definitely one of the clubs who voted against us. Happy to post the list of fors & againsts again at some point if anyone is interested, but for now on to today's game...

[DiamondDownSouth]

47 minutes ago, Kenny_m said:

Really can't believe that starting 11.

It is what I expected except for the Lewis McGs - I thought it would be McGregor to start in a front two, rather than McGrattan in midfield.

Edited 8 hours ago by DiamondDownSouth

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds]

Not a terrible performance, but not a good one. There’s still obvious problems that are persisting too. Neither Johnson or Graham are confident in playing it out from the back and both seem to hesitate and panic. Still not really sure what McGrattan offers. The game felt like it could have been for the taking but we just weren’t urgent enough at the end. I think a draw was probably fair and being completely honest we didn’t create as much as we should have. Dunfermline are just as poor as us which is a bonus.

[Mr November]

Reid going off is a concern, in that our only forward options if he’s out are two guys who can’t hold the ball up. Reid wasn’t perfect today but he put himself about and caused a few issues, though I think he clearly needs a partner up there. I know the goal came while they were up front together but I didn’t think we looked much of a threat with Wilson and McGregor up front together.

[Peaked in the 90’s]

It’s very apparent we’ve lost the pace & dynamism in the final 1/5th. There were a couple of moves today that were quick movement up the park and both ended with longish range shots by Gallagher. Apart from those,  no real urgency and quick movement around the Dunfermline box. Makes you realise how much McGill and Callum Smith added into the mix

[Mr November]

13 minutes ago, Peaked in the 90’s said:

It’s very apparent we’ve lost the pace & dynamism in the final 1/5th. There were a couple of moves today that were quick movement up the park and both ended with longish range shots by Gallagher. Apart from those,  no real urgency and quick movement around the Dunfermline box. Makes you realise how much McGill and Callum Smith added into the mix

It’s a weird one, as there’s probably an argument our attack was better in League One than it was last season. Todorov added some variety but we never really replaced Smith who added loads with his energy, pace and goals and only found form when we stopped playing with wide players.

That was the obvious area for improvement this summer and while losing players in other positions like Rae, Telfer, Megwa etc can’t be helped, the fact we now have an even weaker and less well-rounded set of forwards this season is really disappointing.

We still have pace in McGregor, and to an extent Wilson, and height in Reid. We don’t have anyone who can do offers a couple of things though, they’re all quite one dimensional. I’ve discussed Smith above but while McGill was unconventional he was a threat and his hold-up play improved last season and while Gallagher struggled as the season went on, his link up play was much better than any of our current options.

[airdrieman]

Will take the point in the end, given the circumstances. Good to ‘stop the rot’ so to speak. But that’s not really a result that does us any favours. If we can’t beat the other worst team in the league at home, when they play like that, who can we beat? Thought Hancock, MacDonald and Frizzell were probably our best on the day and the wing-backs are really our only route to goal at the moment. Big Reid had some joy getting in behind and he is at least something of an outball. Again though, we really need better upfront. While he was maybe unfortunate not to get a penalty, a better striker scores that opportunity when he turned the defender in the box. But like I said, he’s ‘something of an outball’ at least, so him going off injured is a concern. That’s another week where Ben Wilson has done f**k all and Lewis McGregor has done Lewis McGregor things like run the ball half the length of the pitch and right into Mehmet’s hands. Whilst the goal did come with those two on the park, it’s hard to see us scoring or sustaining any sort of forward momentum or pressure when it’s those two upfront. We at least did create some chances today but that’s maybe more of an indictment of Dunfermline than anything else! 

For me, I’d like to see Kieran Wright get a shot in goal at Firhill. I’m not sure how good he is with the ball at his feet, but I’m apoplectically cringing every time Johnson passes a goal kick to either Badley-Morgan or Graham and there’s a forward bearing down on the three of them within seconds. He is a good keeper, and I’m not sure if it’s primarily a confidence thing, but his distribution is poor and I don’t think the three of them are good enough (yet) to be playing out from the back in the manner we’re asking them to. And continuing the way we are won’t help their confidence or distribution any either. I do think the midfield could help the three of them out by showing for the ball quicker and better. The last few seasons, including under Murray, it’s always been clear to me where each midfielder is playing and what their role and responsibility is. That’s not clear to me at all at the moment, for instance, who should be playing deeper and there to pick up the ball in the way McCabe, McMaster and Telfer always was. I’m sure we will get better at playing out from the back once McCabe, McMaster and Wilson all return from injury. But how long can we keep saying that? And how long before it’s too late by that point? 
 

Hopefully we can remain in the mix until January where we can then fill the large gaps in the squad. I bang on about it every week but I’m still baffled that we didn’t sign another forward by the end of the window. Morton signed a striker on loan and he scored today in their 2-0 victory. What a concept!

[airdrieman]

Glad the Dunfermline fan who took ill is okay. And great to see the quick response from Prunty and the medical team. 

[Airdrie76]

4 minutes ago, airdrieman said:

Big Reid had some joy getting in behind and he is at least something of an outball. Again though, we really need better upfront. While he was maybe unfortunate not to get a penalty, a better striker scores that opportunity when he turned the defender in the box. But like I said, he’s ‘something of an outball’ at least, so him going off injured is a concern. That’s another week where Ben Wilson has done f**k all and Lewis McGregor has done Lewis McGregor things like run the ball half the length of the pitch and right into Mehmet’s hands.
 

I thought Reid played quite well today. Got stuck in and put plenty effort in. He’s pretty raw obviously and still learning so agree another striker would have been good. 
 

Appreciate you don’t seem to be a Wilson fan but he’s a penalty box striker and a good finisher. Playing him in that formation/team as things stand is going to see him struggle. I don’t think that’s his fault - zero chances again. We need to find a way to get the best out of him. Maybe that’s him and Reid together. The likes of McGratton and Mochrie don’t seem to bring much to the table after all. 

[airdrieman]

8 minutes ago, Airdrie76 said:

I thought Reid played quite well today. Got stuck in and put plenty effort in. He’s pretty raw obviously and still learning so agree another striker would have been good. 
 

Appreciate you don’t seem to be a Wilson fan but he’s a penalty box striker and a good finisher. Playing him in that formation/team as things stand is going to see him struggle. I don’t think that’s his fault - zero chances again. We need to find a way to get the best out of him. Maybe that’s him and Reid together. The likes of McGratton and Mochrie don’t seem to bring much to the table after all. 

I was surprised McCabe didn’t start Reid and Wilson. With the players we’ve got it seems to me that’s easily our best forward combination. I’m hoping that once Wilson scores one he’ll start scoring them all. But again, how long do we keep saying that for?  

[Airdrie76]

2 minutes ago, airdrieman said:

I was surprised McCabe didn’t start Reid and Wilson. With the players we’ve got it seems to me that’s easily our best forward combination. I’m hoping that once Wilson scores one he’ll start scoring them all. But again, how long do we keep saying that for?  

Yeah agree mate. At the moment it’s not working for him or the team as a whole. I feel for him as he’s shown he can score goals. But he’s not the guy to be playing up there on his own. 

[Kenny_m]

9 hours ago, Diamond1924 said:

And we apparently have the lowest budget in the league and should be happy with 8th place according to some? 

What an idiotic post, surely you realise that prize money doesn't equate to budget. Surely you realise that to get to the championship mean't running at a loss.

[Diamonds are Forever]

1 hour ago, Airdrie76 said:

I thought Reid played quite well today. Got stuck in and put plenty effort in. He’s pretty raw obviously and still learning so agree another striker would have been good. 
 

Appreciate you don’t seem to be a Wilson fan but he’s a penalty box striker and a good finisher. Playing him in that formation/team as things stand is going to see him struggle. I don’t think that’s his fault - zero chances again. We need to find a way to get the best out of him. Maybe that’s him and Reid together. The likes of McGratton and Mochrie don’t seem to bring much to the table after all. 

 

All strikers would love to be a 'penalty box striker' and get away with not offering anything until the ball is played to them 12 yards out, but the reality is we cannot afford to have a player like that against Championship standard teams (maybe against East Kilbride). As a team we have major flaws which I've been critical of, but not getting chances is partly the responsibility of the strikers too - their movement, game intelligence and role in the build up play to sustain attacks affects how many chances they'll get.

Calum Gallagher was probably as much of a penalty box striker as you'd get these days, yet still contributed plenty in general play (on his better days) and scored some incredible goals due to individual talent. If Wilson can't offer more than being a poacher then he'll struggle to make it further than Airdrie.

I'd stress I'm not saying Wilson can't or won't offer more, it's too early to say and obviously he is playing in a struggling side. But I'd not be giving something approaching a free pass because he's not being given a bunch of chances, he'll have to find ways of contributing to the team regardless of whether he scores or not.

Edited 1 hour ago by Diamonds are Forever