The Sons v The Loons 19/8/23

[Silverton End]

With a Loon being a boy/son in Scottish regional dialect this thread could be titled Sons v Sons.

Lynas at right back, Carlo more central & Ryan Wallace if fit, up front fed by Shiels & Orsi please Farrell

Forfar yet to score this league campaign, Saturday could be your day as we seem generous in conceding a late goal.

 

 

[O'Kelly Isley III]

Even this early in the campaign this is a big game for both teams.  Defeat for either will puncture a lot of the pre-season optimism.

[BallochSonsFan]

I hope we make changes. It should have been clear to anybody who witnessed the shambles on Saturday that Shiels isnt a striker and that Gray injected some much needed drive into midfield. I think we need to make changes. I wouldn't be against Lynas at right back and Carlo pushing into midfield. We really need to try and make the best of the forward options available - Wallace has to start if he's fit and I'd like to see Orsi starting too. Can Hilton play wide left and cut inside? 

Any win is important on Saturday, but from a Sons perspective I think a performance is as important. An ugly, tight 1-0 win is 3 points, but I think we need to see more than that from this squad. I want to see us playing with confidence and creating chances. If we can't start doing that then all of Faz' talk pre-season about playing a more expansive and ambitious style this season is just that - talk.

We need a win. But equally we really need a much improved performance.

[The Moonster]

Tough match against The Athies but hopefully we can get back to winning ways with some more guys coming back to fitness.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

After spunking themselves silly following their League Cup campaign The Athies boys will be disappointed with their start to the league campaign. It’s not the result the champions elect would’ve expected nor wanted. 

They should be expecting a result against a Stevie Farrell side who look out of sorts and a bit disjointed. 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Bring Back Paddy Flannery

[Frank Quitely]

How many league wins did we have off the bat last season - seven, eight ?  Well this time we're going for draws.

[Jan Vojáček]

1 hour ago, Frank Quitely said:

How many league wins did we have off the bat last season - seven, eight ?  Well this time we're going for draws.

Seven straight league wins. Was a nice easy Magnificent Seven headline, so it sticks in my head!

I agree with BSF ahead of this. A result is important, but a good performance is even more important after last week. Turn in a good performance and get a point and I won't be too downbeat. Turn in another disjointed showing and get a point (or maybe even all three) and I'll be a bit more concerned.

We've got options and, whilst chucking the baby out with the bathwater isn't needed, I do think we should freshen it up a bit. Hopefully tomorrow's game with Killie B will be useful to get some minutes in the legs of the likes of Malcolm, Wallace, Orsi and Gray ahead of this.

Brett Long

Aron Lynas Sean Crighton Mark Durnan Greig Young

Carlo Pignatiello Ryan Blair Finlay Gray

Tony Wallace Ryan Wallace Matty Shiels

Subs: Harry Broun, Gregg Wylde, Blair Malcolm, Kalvin Orsi, Div Wilson, Ross MacLean, Jinky Hilton.

That's, perhaps, harsh on Jinky Hilton. But I feel like we've only seen flashes of what he can do since the real stuff started. And I want to see that midfield three together. You could maybe start Jinky over Tony Wallace, but he's the most natural finisher we have and I like the sheer aggression and physicality of a Lynas/Carlo/T.Wallace right hand side. Quite interchangeable too.

Likewise I like the pace we'll have on the left between Shiels and Gray. We were really only operating at one speed (pedestrian) on Saturday when Ruth was forced off and Shiels moved into a more central role until Gray came on.

Some decent options on the bench if they are needed to change things up too.

0-0.

[FifeSons]

I’m coming up for this, so looking forward to it, despite how underwhelming Saturday sounded. Last season we had folk all over the park chipping in with goals, so the lack of a prolific striker wasn’t as big a deal (though it certainly wouldn’t have hurt to have had our own Goss/Carrick/Hester). It would be nice to get back to that and see a few guys really stepping up.

Edited August 15, 2023 by FifeSons

[Silverton End]

40 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

I’m coming up for this, so looking forward to it, despite how underwhelming Saturday sounded. Last season we had folk all over the park chipping in with goals, so the lack of a prolific striker wasn’t as big a deal (though it certainly wouldn’t have hurt to have had our own Goss/Carrick/Hester). It would be nice to get back to that and see a few guys really stepping up.

Hopefully a good performance & 3 points to make your trip a good one.

[FifeSons]

7 minutes ago, Silverton End said:

Hopefully a good performance & 3 points to make your trip a good one.

At least this trip won’t be called off because of a 6-0 humping prior to it!

[FifeSons]

It was actually my fault we dropped points on Saturday. I was giving a best man’s speech at exactly 4.45pm, which I opened by saying it was a very special day… because Dumbarton had just beaten Spartans 1-0. The words had barely left my mouth before they equalised. Sorry all.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

2 hours ago, Jan Vojáček said:

Seven straight league wins. Was a nice easy Magnificent Seven headline, so it sticks in my head!

I agree with BSF ahead of this. A result is important, but a good performance is even more important after last week. Turn in a good performance and get a point and I won't be too downbeat. Turn in another disjointed showing and get a point (or maybe even all three) and I'll be a bit more concerned.

We've got options and, whilst chucking the baby out with the bathwater isn't needed, I do think we should freshen it up a bit. Hopefully tomorrow's game with Killie B will be useful to get some minutes in the legs of the likes of Malcolm, Wallace, Orsi and Gray ahead of this.

Brett Long

Aron Lynas Sean Crighton Mark Durnan Greig Young

Carlo Pignatiello Ryan Blair Finlay Gray

Tony Wallace Ryan Wallace Matty Shiels

Subs: Harry Broun, Gregg Wylde, Blair Malcolm, Kalvin Orsi, Div Wilson, Ross MacLean, Jinky Hilton.

That's, perhaps, harsh on Jinky Hilton. But I feel like we've only seen flashes of what he can do since the real stuff started. And I want to see that midfield three together. You could maybe start Jinky over Tony Wallace, but he's the most natural finisher we have and I like the sheer aggression and physicality of a Lynas/Carlo/T.Wallace right hand side. Quite interchangeable too.

Likewise I like the pace we'll have on the left between Shiels and Gray. We were really only operating at one speed (pedestrian) on Saturday when Ruth was forced off and Shiels moved into a more central role until Gray came on.

Some decent options on the bench if they are needed to change things up too.

0-0.

I'm normally pretty much on the same page as you Jan, but not on this occasion.  I think you are being unfair on Hilton; I watched him closely on Saturday and his body language suggested that he wasn't too happy about something, perhaps the fact that he didn't seem to have any defined role.  Every time I saw him with Stranraer he impressed me, so we need to get that version up and running, and that can only come about with appearances.

Tony Wallace also concerned me.  He came on as a sub after half an hour on Saturday but as the game wore on he looked to be struggling, I hope this is just him getting fully up to speed.  And I'd love for Blair Malcolm to press Ryan Blair and Div Wilson hard for a midfield starting place, as current the lack of pace in there is worrying.

Tomorrow night is a chance to experiment and we need to hope that we escape without any more injuries.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

2 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

I'm normally pretty much on the same page as you Jan, but not on this occasion.  I think you are being unfair on Hilton; I watched him closely on Saturday and his body language suggested that he wasn't too happy about something, perhaps the fact that he didn't seem to have any defined role.  Every time I saw him with Stranraer he impressed me, so we need to get that version up and running, and that can only come about with appearances.

Hilton has been poor in our last 3 or 4 games. The game completely passed him by on Saturday and he’s playing in the position he claimed he wanted to play in when he gave an interview to the Lennox after we signed him. I’d expect a player of his experience to be able to influence the game regardless of his role or where he is playing and I’d be expecting far better performances from him, especially when he showed what he’s capable of in the early cup games and friendlies. He claims he wants to play as a number 10 but I didn’t see hellish much link up between the midfield and the attack on Saturday involving Mr Hilton.

Funnily enough, in that same interview he had a wee moan about Stranraer playing him up front and not enjoying it nor thinking it suited him. 

[Dan Steele]

5 hours ago, The Moonster said:

Tough match against The Athies but hopefully we can get back to winning ways with some more guys coming back to fitness.

 

4 hours ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

After spunking themselves silly following their League Cup campaign The Athies boys will be disappointed with their start to the league campaign. 

 

But having taken the bait I'd say if Skelly is back and Nditi and Brindley play an attacking down the flanks game, with a solid defence then Forfar/The Loons might just win.

[C_titz]

Forfar 0 anyway 

[O'Kelly Isley III]

2 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

Hilton has been poor in our last 3 or 4 games. The game completely passed him by on Saturday and he’s playing in the position he claimed he wanted to play in when he gave an interview to the Lennox after we signed him. I’d expect a player of his experience to be able to influence the game regardless of his role or where he is playing and I’d be expecting far better performances from him, especially when he showed what he’s capable of in the early cup games and friendlies. He claims he wants to play as a number 10 but I didn’t see hellish much link up between the midfield and the attack on Saturday involving Mr Hilton.

Funnily enough, in that same interview he had a wee moan about Stranraer playing him up front and not enjoying it nor thinking it suited him. 

You are right about the lack of link-up on Saturday but it wouldn't have mattered who was in that role as the build-up was so laboured and across and back the pitch, resulting in frequent hoofball.  Hilton made three or four runs into space in the first half but he seldom received a pass; a couple of our guys, Blair and Wilson in particular, seem trapped in the ultra-cautious mindset of last season, and that to me is a bigger concern than the recent form of a new signing who we know can play.

[Bridie Vision]

5 minutes ago, C_titz said:

Forfar 0 anyway 

Probably 0-0. We don't concede goals, but neither do we score goals.

[ScottishLoon]

You'll probably hit the inside of our post at some point like stenny and elgin have in our first two league games.

[nofixedability]

What is record for consecutive 0-0 draws? Asking for a fiend.

Also was sick in my mouth to that Athies bait, cheers cuntos.

[Frank Quitely]

9 hours ago, nofixedability said:

What is record for consecutive 0-0 draws? Asking for a fiend.

Also was sick in my mouth to that Athies bait, cheers cuntos.

Aye, I hate when folk call us 'Dumbo' so let's can the 'Athies' nonsense.  We don't want to fall out as Station Park is one of the most pleasant grounds in the country to watch a 0-0 draw.