Why?

[offshore_arab83]

He had been dodgy defensively at right back at Ayr and v Arbroath but the last few mins done brilliant attacking wise to help us win that game, he needs to step it up but yea back to RB asap

Badly missing Robson

agree mate but we didnt really miss him against Morton? Would say we missed Butcher more. The defensive line up was a weird one last night. Aye Butcher was missing fae midfield but i wouldnt have changed the shape from last week.

[JamesMcClean]

We actually seem to do OK at the ‘bigger’ grounds like Dunfermline, ICT and Ross County last season. It seems to be at these schitty, glorified Junior grounds like Somerset Park and Recreation Park where we just can’t do it. We’ve now played 6 games at these two grounds over the last two seasons resulting in one draw and FIVE defeats. Just take a minute to take that in..............

[shed-buoy]

We actually seem to do OK at the ‘bigger’ grounds like Dunfermline, ICT and Ross County last season. It seems to be at these schitty, glorified Junior grounds like Somerset Park and Recreation Park where we just can’t do it. We’ve now played 6 games at these two grounds over the last two seasons resulting in one draw and FIVE defeats. Just take a minute to take that in..............

Again perspective, we should have done better however it does show up:

1 we're missing Connolly and Butcher who bring a bit more physicality to our play

2 Alloa played well and scored a good goal

3 it's a rubbish pitch and I think we should train more on plastic before these games. Even have a seven a side knock about (across park) instead of usual preparation to get a feel of the ball and it's pace/ stopping up etc before the match.

4 we will need more cover/ first choices coming in the January window

Shed rule!

[Chick A Saw]

Badly missing Robson

I really did not think i would see that comment on this, or any United forum!

[B4 i go]

Again perspective, we should have done better however it does show up:

1 we're missing Connolly and Butcher who bring a bit more physicality to our play

2 Alloa played well and scored a good goal

3 it's a rubbish pitch and I think we should train more on plastic before these games. Even have a seven a side knock about (across park) instead of usual preparation to get a feel of the ball and it's pace/ stopping up etc before the match.

4 we will need more cover/ first choices coming in the January window

Shed rule!

If ANY team does not train on plastic b4 playing a match on plastic pitch gets everything they deserve especially a team that has its own astro pitch.

[Chick A Saw]

If ANY team does not train on plastic b4 playing a match on plastic pitch gets everything they deserve especially a team that has its own astro pitch.

United did train on plastic before Friday, but you cannot account for what version a team uses and how they treat their pitch.

[JUSTaway]

Does Robbie have a game plan? If he does, I can't see it.

Other teams have one against us and it's so obvious that even the part-time team at the bottom of the league don't have trouble implementing it:

1 - Don't believe the hype, United players aren't that good. Close them down and show a bit of physicality and they can't cope.

2 - Leave our centre backs on the ball.

That's it.

And another thing - Alloa didn't sit in and try and hit us on the break. They threw men forward at times, which often left a bit of room for us but we didn't have the ability to exploit it in any way.

I agree with these sentiments, I found Friday totally deflating, and just wanted to completely forget about football as soon as it ended. I think it sometimes a bit of a cliché when you lose to question commitment etc.. I actually thought early on we tried to press Alloa, what was more depressing was that their passing, movement and creativity was so much better than ours, they regularly attacked us.

I'm not advocating punting the manager or anything, I just think the last 4 matches have shown this highly unlikely to be a foregone conclusion we might have hoped after a few high scoring early wins. Sprole looks decent on the left of midfield, but clearly Neilson doesn't rate him defensively, so injuries to Robson are going to affect us, and Watson is the kind ok decent back up until you actually have to play him.

I think the most damaging thing about Friday is teams will have no fear factor about playing us now, esp away from home where we are vulnerable. Press that back four and midfield, esp without physicality of Butcher, who would get a start in our defence or midfield, and we can be got at, the cover for Robson and Butcher is lacking, Bouhenna was closest player to Butcher.

The side passing around the back makes it so easy to play against, and the midfield too, def a case for starting with Appere in some of these games and getting support to shankland, it is criminal having a player of his quality then starving him of service.

And I highlighted this at the start of the season, we are ineffective at set pieces, Dundee aside when they were calamitous at the back, we don't carry much threat, we don't appear to have dead ball specialist, when mcmullan is taking corners it isn't a good sign. If we carried a decent threat, we prob would have at least nicked an undeserved draw Friday.

Long hard fight ahead, everyone capable of beating everyone, and hoping no one can find consistency.

[Chick A Saw]

I think the last time there was any effective creativity at a corner was when Willo was here, where him and Stanton managed to score when imagination was applied to the moves. Now, all wee seem to do is lump the ball into the box in forlorn hope that the big lads can get off the ground to head the ball.

When the defending team apply a modicum of resistance to our attackers, they are usually found to be unable to get off the ground with the same move repeated every time!