St Mirren v Dundee United Championship 15/10/16

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

I thought it was a big improvement in terms of how the team went forward, much more direct. If we continue to play in that manner I think we'll climb out of trouble. Feel bad for saying it, but as others have said I also think Naismith was very poor. Slow and indecisive throughout, not the player he was before his injury. I hope he can improve, but if not needs to be dropped. Thought Irvine was superb today, Hutton and Mallan both greatly improved. Personally I'd like to see Ross give Sutton and Clarkson a few games up front together as I think defences wouldn't like having to deal with them both. Walsh should be starting too.

Certainly there is a bit of hope...

Was amazed to see how far up the park Naismith was today very positive from Ross. Think you are being a wee bit harsh on Naismith. Agree he is not the same player however I did see an improvement.

[dr rotund]

Small signs of improvement but same result. JR has a huge job on his hands, early days though.

[Callum Gilhooley]

2 hours ago, TopCat said:

HT 0-1.

Wasn't much in the game up till the goal, no chances for either side really. Then a wee break of the ball and the United fella is one on one and he finished it well.

We are huffing and puffing but need to do better. We are bottom of the league, we can't keep losing games.

 

No shit sherlock !!

[ford prefect]

If only we'd appointed Gus... apparently has messianic qualities

[Tam M]

For the first time this season I've left disappointed about the result, but not about the effort that the players put in.

I felt the first half was pretty even with neither side creating anything to write home about, but we looked the more likely to make something happen. United' goal came from Irvine injuring himself and the team weren't quick enough to organise themselves leaving a big gap at the back.

I'm glad the whistle at HT came quite soon after that as the heads went down slightly, but credit to Ross who got them back fighting in the second half.

The second half I felt went pretty much the same way as the first half, with Dundee United taking advantage of another defensive blunder. We didn't really create any clear cut chances until after United went two nil up.

Overall I feel a draw would have been a fair result, but United took advantage of two mistakes we made, and we were unable to take advantage of theirs.

In the grand scheme of things I wouldn't have been expecting United to be one of the teams we would be beating at the beginning of the season, it's just as time passes we are more and more desperate for a league win.

I did think there was a huge improvement in terms of effort and organisation. Rome wasn't built in a day, but I was impressed with the pressing game we tried to play and as time goes on we'll get better. A few wins will do wonders for the confidence.

I think results today killed any small hope of sneaking a play off place, we just need to spend the season focusing on getting as high as possible in the league. The first priority being to get into 8th then start looking at the teams above.

[Dalrybud]

Can't believe people are still talking as if we had an outside chance of a promotion play-off spot. On what basis? We are the poorest side in the division by a mile. This is not a side that has endured a run of rotten luck in games, resulting in defeats. It has deserved every loss that has come its way.

Jack Ross finds himself in exactly the same position as Alex Rae was when he arrived. Take an overrated and underperforming group of players and try to formulate a plan to scrape enough points together to survive in this division.

The only difference is that off field we have a new Board which has (hopefully) the ideas and energy to give the management team some hope and cash to improve the playing staff.

Otherwise the downward will spiral continue.

[Drew]

54 minutes ago, Soctty said:

A better performance today, but need to cut out stupid mistakes at the back. Created far more today than in previous games I've seen, and were more competitive in 50/50 balls.

Hutton, Baird, Mallan, Morgan & Shankland our best on the day. Clarkson should have done better with a couple of decent chances.

Hardie looked good in possession, until the final ball - wasn't his day. Sutton won his fair share of flick ons but not involved enough other than that.

I'm optimistic we can start picking up points - if we can cut out the suicidal defensive errors.

 

This.

As my mate said as we were leaving, things must be looking up if team applauded at the end despite the defeat.

I thought Hutton was much improved, and Irvine deserved his MotM award (I've never understood why he gets a lot of stick). Baird very good, and McKenzie was fine up until his daft lapse that gifted Utd their second.

Langfield gives me the heebeegeebees, unfortunately, I don't imagine he instills much confidence in the defence.

Poorer performers were Naismith and Hardie. Shankland ate all the pies, but made a decent contribution when he came on.

There are hopeful signs, but when you're in the shitter, things seldom fall for you.

 

[shull]

Was that pressing game, everybody is impressed with, the amount of time we passed it sideways and backwards at a snail's pace. 

We are a joke at Football and the players are atrocious. 

Hopefully Jack can work miracles. 

Good luck and best wishes Sir. 

 

[shull]

 Langfield 

[shull]

McKenzie didn't make a daft lapse. 

He is just shite at football. 

It was a f**king header all the way. 

He tried to trap it 

[BuddieinEK]

Was that pressing game, everybody is impressed with, the amount of time we passed it sideways and backwards at a snail's pace. 

We are a joke at Football and the players are atrocious. 

Hopefully Jack can work miracles. 

Good luck and best wishes Sir. 

 

You really don't know much about football tactics, do you?

Why would we press the opposition when we were in posession of the ball.

The sideways and backwards passing is called retaining posession.

Believe it or not, the opposition cannot score when we are in posession!

However... When the opposition managed to get posession, we pressed them very high up the park, and worked incredibly hard to do so.

I suppose it is easier just to moan!

[foxbar_bud]

I thought Hutton had a really good game today, plenty of graft and held onto the ball well. I can't say the same about Quinn, he's constantly hiding IMO! He never looks for the ball and while I get Hutton was racing about closing players down Quinn was plodding about.

Like a few have said certainly more effort today. Hardie was poor and Walsh should start for me.

I thought big Jason was better than he's been all season but still some improving to do. The keeper position is going to be a problem all season, Langfield doesn't fill you with confidence but IMO he's a better shout than Gallacher.

[Sonny]

I think Jason's problem is fitness. Thought he was good in the first half and constantly pressing forward and closing down. However by half-time he was absolutely knackered resulting in being slow to get back in the second half although he continued to push forward.

[the barrhead teacher]

Disappointing result but overall a huge improvement on what we have seen so far this season. First goal l thought was a little unlucky, second a typical lapse, but for much of the rest of the game we more than matched them. Agree Hutton and Naismith were much better than l have seen. Good pressing play. Downside was lack of urgency going forward and lack of movement off the ball. On a number of occasions good play broke down as Walsh or Morgan ran out of options. Also the two gilt edged chances for clarkson and Walsh should have at least tested the keeper. Ross has work to do but he should have seen clearly what that is from today's efforts.

[FTOF]

I think shooting practice is in order.

We had numerous clear cut shots on goal that were poorly struck and were easily saved by the 'keeper.

We had two cleared off the line, along with Clarkson's and Shankland's attempts; the latter being a superb piece of football.

We were better today, but the second goal killed us off at a time when united were looking pretty toothless.

I thought Hutton looked a different player today. I've been a big critic of his, but today he looked like a football player.

I'd start Shankland in place of Hardie v Hibs.

 

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

I didn't feel cheated out of the admission money today, so that's a start.

[shull]

34 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

 

You really don't know much about football tactics, do you?

Why would we press the opposition when we were in posession of the ball.

The sideways and backwards passing is called retaining posession.

Believe it or not, the opposition cannot score when we are in posession!

However... When the opposition managed to get posession, we pressed them very high up the park, and worked incredibly hard to do so.

I suppose it is easier just to moan!

 

We are shite. 

We do not have skilled football players to pass it among ourselves. 

Can they not try going forward with a pass or even running with the round thing. 

Dire and boring. 

[FTOF]

37 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

 

 

You really don't know much about football tactics or anything else, do you?

 

 

FIFY.

[shull]

37 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

 

You really don't know much about football tactics, do you?

Why would we press the opposition when we were in posession of the ball.

The sideways and backwards passing is called retaining posession.

Believe it or not, the opposition cannot score when we are in posession!

However... When the opposition managed to get posession, we pressed them very high up the park, and worked incredibly hard to do so.

I suppose it is easier just to moan!

 

Yir right though, the opposition cannot score when we are fannying about at the back. 

Finish 0-0? 

McKenzie and Naismith 

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

8 hours ago, shull said:

We are shite. 

We do not have skilled football players to pass it among ourselves. 

Can they not try going forward with a pass or even running with the round thing. 

Dire and boring. 

You're too caught up on the tannoy system and in great need of an eye test old yin. I came away from the game looking forward to our next game.

[shull]

We are going to be the best pressing Team in Scotland. 

Pish 

Just attack and score f**king goals. 

[Sonny]

Although Sutton and Hardie tried hard I felt they were our weak point today. Hardie has pace to burn but cannot control a ball (Bambi on Ice springs to mind) and his shooting is pretty toothless. Sutton was winning high balls and closing down until he was also knackered but really did not do too much. Change up front required next game. And today was easily Irvine, Hutton and Mallan's best games for us and McKenzie looked good until his fateful error. Lots of positives (unless your name is Shull).

[Stuart Dickson]

31 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

 

You really don't know much about football tactics, do you?

Why would we press the opposition when we were in posession of the ball.

The sideways and backwards passing is called retaining posession.

Believe it or not, the opposition cannot score when we are in posession!

However... When the opposition managed to get posession, we pressed them very high up the park, and worked incredibly hard to do so.

I suppose it is easier just to moan!

 

I'm like Shull when it comes to this issue of "retaining possession". Ultimately it's not. What St Mirren were doing against Falkirk was nothing more than building possession stats whilst trailing against the opposition and failing to take the game to them. It's a common thing in the SPFL and it's pervaded itself into the National squad. The "tactic" if you can call it that - appears to be that the back four plus one midfielder will pass the ball around between them making sure they get plenty of touches, whilst everyone else on the park takes their time getting back to their defensive positions and has a nice wee break. There's seldom movement infront of the ball, players stand static, and at the end of a period of passing around the back it always seems to invariably end with one of the full backs aiming a long punt forward that is supposed to be a "diagonal ball". It's rubbish football, fine when your team are winning and wanting to kill the game, a load of shite when your team is losing and chasing to gain something out of the game. 

I thought St Mirren did this a lot less today but they were still guilty of turning a promising opportunity to get forward into one where they turned back on themselves, gave the United players time to retake their defensive positions whilst the ball was passed around the back. At one point in the second half St Mirren actually went from Ryan Hardie being in a promising 2 v 3 situation 36 yards out to passing the ball back to Jamie Langfield who punted the ball forward under pressure. 

I remember reading an article on Walt Disney where it said that although his films were often filled with superb catchy musical scores, every single one of the tunes that were put in his movies had to have the purpose of moving the story on, if it didn't it wasn't used. Passing the ball around the back four should be cut from the scenes at football matches unless it's being used to progress the story. Retaining possession to run down the clock to ensure a point or a win is fair enough, but there's no point in slow build up play when your team are chasing the game. 

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

left the game at 4.30 to catch the train was there any changes made and how did they play. cheers. 

[Stuart Dickson]

26 minutes ago, Sonny said:

I think Jason's problem is fitness. Thought he was good in the first half and constantly pressing forward and closing down. However by half-time he was absolutely knackered resulting in being slow to get back in the second half although he continued to push forward.

Nah. His fitness looked better today. Certainly not blowing out of his arse early on. However he was still wasteful. I can get the playing the ball out of play to safety part of the game that he has. That's fair enough, but he really needs to start picking out targets instead of playing the lazy ball down the line to no-one that he does so often. Someone also needs to teach St Mirren players that it's a good thing to carry the ball forward towards the bye line. The early crosses from deep are far too easy to deal with. Taking the ball further forward causes defenders far greater problems but St Mirren don't appear to have any players capable of doing that.