Qo'S vs' D'umbarton

[Fae_the_'briggs]

Was thinking, if we put some apostrophes into McIntosh's name, would he maybe score some goals.

Also well done Bob Park for restraining himself from joining in the celebrations at the second goal.

[Artemis]

3 hours ago, MallanandFlanagan said:

A good first of the first half and first of the second half for me. I thought number 20 Mohammed played really well for Dumbarton too. Hewitt rightly getting man of the match. I was hoping for a third goal. I can’t remember the last time we won 3-0 at home in the league. 

If you mean exactly 3-0 it was on 5 March 2022 against Morton. 
Since then, there was a 4-1 v Edinburgh City on 17 September 2022 and 4-0 v Montrose on 19 November 2022. The last home league win by a 3 goal margin was the 4-1 v Kelty on 6 May 2023.

Queens have scored two goals in each of their 4 home league games this season (and in each of the two before that last season) winning all 6 games. No goals in 4 away league games so far.
Edited to add the last time Queens scored 3 goals in a league game (home or away) was against Edinburgh City on 16 December 2023 at Palmerston. So 2 is the most they’ve scored in a league game so far in 2024.
 

Edited Saturday at 20:42 by Artemis

[Skyline Drifter]

54 minutes ago, Artemis said:

If you mean exactly 3-0 it was on 5 March 2022 against Morton. 
Since then, there was a 4-1 v Edinburgh City on 17 September 2022 and 4-0 v Montrose on 19 November 2022. The last home league win by a 3 goal margin was the 4-1 v Kelty on 6 May 2023.

Queens have scored two goals in each of their 4 home league games this season (and in each of the two before that last season) winning all 6 games. No goals in 4 away league games so far.
Edited to add the last time Queens scored 3 goals in a league game (home or away) was against Edinburgh City on 16 December 2023 at Palmerston. So 2 is the most they’ve scored in a league game so far in 2024.
 

All accurate. I'm loving the work at the other end of the pitch though. 4 goals conceded in our opening 8 league games. That's the same number as we conceded in our opening game alone in each of the previous two seasons!

I had a look back to see how that stands up against recent years. The last time we had a better defensive record this early in the season was the 2012/13 record breaking year when we actually only conceded 2 goals in our opening 8 games, both of which were scored by Ayr in a 4-2 win for us. We kept 7 clean sheets in the other 7 games. We conceded another 2 (and were held to a 2-2 draw by Stenhousemuir) in game 9 that season so if we were to get a clean sheet next weekend we'd be matching that title winning side. It went on to only concede 23 goals all season.

As an aside, 2016-17, return of Dobbie season. Gavin Skelton's side had a great start and also conceded only 4 in the first eight games. The wheels came off for that team in game 9 though, losing 5-0 at home to Morton and it was Hogmanay before they kept another clean sheet. I'd prefer to follow the 12/13 pattern than the 16/17 one!

[Cardle is Magic]

No reason Queens - or just about anyone - can’t win L1 this season.

Seems to be incredibly close judging by the opening quarter; Queens are top but wouldn’t have even been in the Top 4 if they’d lost!

[Otis Blue]

8 hours ago, Cardle is Magic said:

No reason Queens - or just about anyone - can’t win L1 this season.

 

Seems to be incredibly close judging by the opening quarter; Queens are top but wouldn’t have even been in the Top 4 if they’d lost!

Yep, no real stand out sides this season, no "big" clubs in the league either - so a great opportunity for the likes of Queens and a few others.

For me, it'll be between Alloa, Kelty, Arbroath, Montrose and Queens. I've still no idea whether or not ICT will get their mess sorted out in time.

[Artemis]

12 hours ago, Skyline Drifter said:

All accurate. I'm loving the work at the other end of the pitch though. 4 goals conceded in our opening 8 league games. That's the same number as we conceded in our opening game alone in each of the previous two seasons!

 

To extend the comparison - after the first 8 games last season, Queens had conceded 16 goals.
And it took 30 games to get 4 clean sheets.
 

[O'Kelly Isley III]

5 minutes ago, Artemis said:

To extend the comparison - after the first 8 games last season, Queens had conceded 16 goals.
And it took 30 games to get 4 clean sheets.
 

I wouldn't get too excited, a more incisive team than us would have scored yesterday.  But we didn't and can have absolutely no complaints.

Edited Sunday at 10:44 by O'Kelly Isley III

[19QOS19]

17 minutes ago, Artemis said:

To extend the comparison - after the first 8 games last season, Queens had conceded 16 goals.
And it took 30 games to get 4 clean sheets.
 

Can't be right. We're no better than last season apparently. 

 

12 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

I wouldn't get too excited, a more incisive team than us would have scored yesterday.  But we didn't and can have absolutely no complaints.

The reality is there aren't many, if any, sides in the division who would have taken the two good chances you had. We've gave sides a few chances in the games I've seen us play but so far we've yet to concede more than 1 goal in a game. 

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

It’s now over 19 hours since the full time whistle and we still don’t have the @Jan Vojáček post match roundup. This simply will not do.

[Artemis]

2 hours ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

I wouldn't get too excited, a more incisive team than us would have scored yesterday.  But we didn't and can have absolutely no complaints.

That doesn’t really affect the comparison, though, unless you believe that all the teams Queens played last season were more incisive and didn’t miss as many chances as the ones Queens have played this season. I suppose conceding a quarter of the previous season’s total so far could be down to poorer opposition and their ability to take chances but I think it is unlikely to be entirely due to that. Maybe if we had xG stats for both seasons we’d get a better idea.
Edit - I did a quick rough and ready comparison of the total goals scored by Queens opponents after 8 games last season and this (excluding goals against Queens). Last season, the total was 90 goals. This season it is 69. So, we could maybe say about 25% of the reduction is due to the difference in quality of the opponents’ ability. Or, you’d expect Queens to have conceded 12 when the actual is 4.

Edited Sunday at 12:53 by Artemis
Second edit to correct numbers.

[Jan Vojáček]

31 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

It’s now over 19 hours since the full time whistle and we still don’t have the @Jan Vojáček post match roundup. This simply will not do.

Jan is battling a lergy so wrote his report last night and went right to bed, and is currently sitting in front of the TV in a blanket pretending yesterday didn't happen. Slacker that he is.

[rockson]

20 hours ago, 19QOS19 said:

 

 

Was pleased to see Orsi subbed. His end ball wasn't all that good

It never is.

[Otis Blue]

3 hours ago, Artemis said:

That doesn’t really affect the comparison, though, unless you believe that all the teams Queens played last season were more incisive and didn’t miss as many chances as the ones Queens have played this season. I suppose conceding a quarter of the previous season’s total so far could be down to poorer opposition and their ability to take chances but I think it is unlikely to be entirely due to that. Maybe if we had xG stats for both seasons we’d get a better idea.
Edit - I did a quick rough and ready comparison of the total goals scored by Queens opponents after 8 games last season and this (excluding goals against Queens). Last season, the total was 90 goals. This season it is 69. So, we could maybe say about 25% of the reduction is due to the difference in quality of the opponents’ ability. Or, you’d expect Queens to have conceded 12 when the actual is 4.

Fair to say that the league this season just doesn't have the quality that Falkirk and Accies had last season. Pretty sure we'd have conceded to those two sides this season as well.

[FifeSons]

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/fu97AvpF1Fj96e89/?mibextid=KsPBc6

[Katboy]

Not much to add to this that hasn't already been said.  Four league wins in a row and top of the table is an unusual position for us to be in following the messes from recent seasons.    We can only be happy about that, and long may it continue.  

However, we have get away from this obsession with playing it short at goal kicks.  We are clearly not moving it fast enough, and teams are catching on to this.  A high press (as was seen on occasion yesterday) will result in possession being given away in dangerous areas.  Only a matter of time before this costs us a goal.

[19QOS19]

1 hour ago, Katboy said:

Not much to add to this that hasn't already been said.  Four league wins in a row and top of the table is an unusual position for us to be in following the messes from recent seasons.    We can only be happy about that, and long may it continue.  

However, we have get away from this obsession with playing it short at goal kicks.  We are clearly not moving it fast enough, and teams are catching on to this.  A high press (as was seen on occasion yesterday) will result in possession being given away in dangerous areas.  Only a matter of time before this costs us a goal.

We've won the last 4 games doing it so I'd be reluctant to get away from it. We definitely need to pass the ball quicker but what some folk seem to be missing when the opposition is pressing us high is that they then leave gaps at the back that we can exploit if we can move it quicker. 

We actually haven't given away guilt edged chances to the opposition by doing it tbh (unlike when we've just hoofed it). The players are obviously comfortable taking the ball in these positions and as supporters we should maybe be confident in their ability as opposed to berating them for doing it; something I doubt helps them if they find themselves under pressure. 

As I've already said, we might lose the ball the odd time with this approach. But if we "hoof it" like some of the trumpets demand then we'll lose the ball almost every time. It's not about wanting to be Man City, it's basic football - keep the ball. 

[qos1990]

2 hours ago, Katboy said:

Not much to add to this that hasn't already been said.  Four league wins in a row and top of the table is an unusual position for us to be in following the messes from recent seasons.    We can only be happy about that, and long may it continue.  

However, we have get away from this obsession with playing it short at goal kicks.  We are clearly not moving it fast enough, and teams are catching on to this.  A high press (as was seen on occasion yesterday) will result in possession being given away in dangerous areas.  Only a matter of time before this costs us a goal.

We actually had a lot better success with it when Cochrane stopped doing it and O’Donnell took over. It’s ten times better than punting it to a lone striker up against 2/3 centre halfs to lose it. The manager is clearly sticking with it, so I’d suggest encouraging the players when they do it than get on their case. 

[Artemis]

15 hours ago, 19QOS19 said:

We've won the last 4 games doing it so I'd be reluctant to get away from it. We definitely need to pass the ball quicker but what some folk seem to be missing when the opposition is pressing us high is that they then leave gaps at the back that we can exploit if we can move it quicker. 

We actually haven't given away guilt edged chances to the opposition by doing it tbh (unlike when we've just hoofed it). The players are obviously comfortable taking the ball in these positions and as supporters we should maybe be confident in their ability as opposed to berating them for doing it; something I doubt helps them if they find themselves under pressure. 

As I've already said, we might lose the ball the odd time with this approach. But if we "hoof it" like some of the trumpets demand then we'll lose the ball almost every time. It's not about wanting to be Man City, it's basic football - keep the ball. 

An outfield player hoofing the ball from a goal kick is almost as risky as playing short because if you lose possession, the outfield player is playing everybody onside. Plus it is one player less (fewer) to be able to regain possession further up the pitch. 
The thing I genuinely don’t understand is why it is better to have an outfield player take, or receive, a goal kick within the penalty box compared with the “old fashioned” method of the keeper playing it short to somebody outside the box, usually a full-back. It is only since the defending team has been allowed players in the box at goal kicks* that this has become a thing. You can play short and keep possession without it having to take place inside your own penalty area.

I get that hoofing it means, at best, a 50/50 chance of keeping possession, with it being even more ridiculous to have an outfield player hoof it. I don’t understand why the only alternative is to play passes really close to your own goal.

*I meant since goal kicks didn’t have to be played beyond the penalty area. 

Edited Monday at 10:19 by Artemis

[19QOS19]

 

 

Surprised they never showed the Dumbarton penalty call. At the time I thought he was clearly offside but I thought McIntosh was clearly on and he was probably just off, so what do I know. 

Our second goal was even better than I remembered and probably better than the first. It all started from our own penalty box - who'd have thought it?! A lot of good chances created and every one was down to our passing and not "hoofing it". As I said, maybe we should trust our players ability rather than boo them? 

Hopefully continue to build on this next week. 

 

 

[19QOS19]

28 minutes ago, Artemis said:

The thing I genuinely don’t understand is why it is better to have an outfield player take, or receive, a goal kick within the penalty box compared with the “old fashioned” method of the keeper playing it short to somebody outside the box, usually a full-back. It is only since the defending team has been allowed players in the box at goal kicks* that this has become a thing. You can play short and keep possession without it having to take place inside your own penalty area.

If the plan is to build from the back then it won't work passing it to the full back from a kick off as the opposition will just stand on the full backs. The sides do that the now yes but we are allowed a player in there so we have a bit more time on the ball. I don't know the answer but my thinking would be that a midfielder is more capable and comfortable on the ball than a goalkeeper. A goalkeeper's instinct when under pressure is going to be to hoof it (something that happened in the first half and almost cost us a goal) whereas a midfielder has an entire career of having to deal with that pressure and not panic.