Harkes injury?

[Yeats 62]

He took a right good smack in the puss and played out the rest of the game with a fractured cheekbone, might have affected him a little

That is another very good point

[tHeArAb]

That is a very good point. I think Harkes and Stanton are decent and are good when everything is going well. Not so sure about when the sh*t hits the fan and everyone needs to stand up and be counted. There are not too many players in this squad that when required can take the game by the scruff of the neck and change things around.

Exactly. It's worth mentioning the two games Shedka has mentioned, Butcher still played, albeit in defence. The two games I highlighted as our worst, Butcher didn't play. The common denominator there is Butcher. Without him, we have no one to drag the team through and get a hold of games. Harkes certainly doesn't strike me as the type of guy to do that.

[TerryTheTerror]

Your are right about Butcher but being harsh on Harkes. Butcher is probably the only player we have that can do what you're saying.

[tHeArAb]

Each to their own, I just think he's a very average footballer who is doing OKAY at this level.

[shedka]

And our worst performances of the season were with him & Stanton in the middle, QOTS away and Alloa at home. Throw in the 2-1 great escape vs Arbroath if you want as well which was equally as brutal.

QOTS away butcher played but wasn't fully fit yet all it was not a duo of Stanton/Harkes and team wasn't at the races in general

Alloa at home was a very good performance.

[shedka]

Exactly. It's worth mentioning the two games Shedka has mentioned, Butcher still played, albeit in defence. The two games I highlighted as our worst, Butcher didn't play. The common denominator there is Butcher. Without him, we have no one to drag the team through and get a hold of games. Harkes certainly doesn't strike me as the type of guy to do that.

Butcher did play both of them

[shedka]

I really rate Harkes but he had things to improve on like being more direct and positive at times, easily our best midfield is him and Butcher though, the games you mention I don't think were games where we played just a duo in midfield of Harkes/Stanton

The two occasions we played them as a duo was the two I highlighted, Dunfermline away and Dundee home in August

[tHeArAb]

You're right, he played vs QOTS after missing the Alloa game through injury. We all that Butcher coming back would make a difference but he was clearly not at the races.
Stanton & Harkes were in the middle vs Alloa.

[shedka]

You're right, he played vs QOTS after missing the Alloa game through injury. We all that Butcher coming back would make a difference but he was clearly not at the races.
Stanton & Harkes were in the middle vs Alloa.

Not as a duo, it was Butcher, Stanton and Harkes

As Shankland was out, we were very good that day

[shedka]

Unless you mean Alloa away then yes, but the whole team was poor and it was a disjointed line up so hard to judge them on it imo