Falkirk

[JRSLEFTPEG]

Another big game ( aren't they all ?) in our quest for a play off place . The Bairns will be desperate to bounce back after two defeats at a place where we don't normally do well. I felt Paul Burns was a big miss on Saturday and he returns for this one . We missed his 'edge' in the middle of the park and his closing down of opponents. McShane and Kerr are nice passers but don't make life too difficult for their opposite numbers ( McShane especially). Clark or Antell will start depending on how ready Clark is . McKenna is missing but either Carmichael or Russell can fill in out wide. I would take a draw now and this wouldn't be a bad result . Is everyone else noticing Dumbarton sneaking right up on our shoulders ?

[nithvalley]

Dumbarton aren't really "sneaking up" as they have been above us in the table for most of the season.

They have had some outstanding results this season and have no doubt surprised many people.

I remember all the moaning and groaning when they beat us at Palmerston early in the season with many in disbelief that could actually happen.

Alloa, Cowdenbeath and Dumbarton seemed to be dismissed by many Doonhamers.

There are no easy games in this Division.

Our away wins at those three have been every bit as hard-earned as any other points.

[Katboy31]

Another hard game coming up at Falkirk. One of the places we never seem to do too well at. Think I've seen us win there once! Falkirk come off the back of two bad results but I fancy them to be confident of pulling it off on their own ground.

For me, the return of Burns will be pivotal for us. Kerr & McShane are nice passers but both for me lack graft. I think this weekend will be too soon for Zander Clark so Callum Antell will continue in goal.

Provided we play to our strengths we are capable of taking something from this game. I look forward as ever to the trip up and hopefully an enjoyable match.

[arrol1919]

A game we can't afford to lose with the league being so tight . I'd happily take a draw right now but an away win would be gratefully received .

Another two tough games coming up after tomorrow against Dumbarton & Hamilton . This is when we'll see if we're serious challengers for a playoff place .

Exciting times ahead

[qosdreamer]

A draw certainly wouldn't be a disaster as others have said.We will certainly miss McKenna as he has been great for weeks,immense last Saturday.Burnsy will be straight back in the team and McShane and Kerr will have to improve their game.I would be surprised if Danny gets the nod from Jim,much more likely Russell who must keep his discipline and see his markers booked for a change.The win is not beyond us bat a point would be acceptable.

[Lefty3]

Another tough fixture in prospect,Falkirk will be far tougher at home, they were poor a fortnight ago.Our new signing may make the bench, but like other posters it's the midfield i'm worried about.Mc Kenna has so much power and drive about his game, which will be sorely missed.Thankfully Burnsie will be back, but the midfield is so lightweight.I would start with this team if all the players are fit.

ANTELL

MITCHELL DURNAN HIGGINS HOLT

DOWIE

PATON KERR BURNS


REILLY LYLE
Dowie as the holding midfielder, i'm sure he could protect the back four, and is a decent passer as well. C'mon Queeeeeens!

[aloreburn]

Hard game today at a place where we rarely win


Does anyone think we can win at Falkirk today ?????

[rjc_1988]

Not a happy hunting ground but we can win there.

Sincerely hope we don't revert to 4-2-3-1 to accommodate Russell in that wide left position. No objection to Russell being picked up front with a partner but for some reason that hasn't been seen as a viable option?

Kidd may come into midfield but not having seen him have no idea what type of player he is. Mitchell may be an option here if he picks Kidd at right back but personally I wouldn't tamper with back four that has been pretty solid.

With the spate of goalkeeping sending offs recently I hope we can avoid pressing the self destruct button and give ourselves a great chance of winning this one

[JRSLEFTPEG]

Just arriving in Falkirk now . Never seen us win here although I know we have but not often. Wouldn't muck about too much with the back line . Even though the young Celt can play RB , we have a very capable guy there anyway . I feel that a centre mid two of McShane / Kerr would be too physically weak and we would struggle to get a foothold in there so I expect Burns and one or the other to start beside him. Enjoy the game and hopefully we are smiling come 5 pm.

[Northfield53]

Not happy yet another poor ref decions goes against us.When will we get something to go for us can,t remember when we last got a pen.We have never had one for a hand ball like that.
We are not scoring enough goals McHugh does a lot of work but he was never going to score a lot of goals.
We needed a pen box striker but I suppose they cost money so the cheap option was McHugh.

[JRSLEFTPEG]

That was a very tough one to take . We weren't great in the first half but were the better team in the second and deserved something from it. A soft hand ball award right at the end and we were sunk. We must be due a rub of the green off the men in black because at the moment , nothing is going our way. Another surprise by McIntyre in starting Burns at left midfield . It was down this side in the first half that Falkirk were making lots of inroads with Holt often having two men bearing down on him. We looked far better balanced when Burns went into the middle and Russell went left . To me , McHugh doesn't look any better than what we have and shouldn't start in front of our own signed forwards .Positives were Danny looking hungry when introduced and an eager performance from a player that I am not always convinced bout. Yes , McShane competed and played well.

[Edqos1]

Very painful. The last goal we let in during open play with 11 men on the park was Alloa on 11 Jan.
Not a great game, better second half than first, but we did not deserve that.
Agree that McShane had a good game.
No idea whether it was a penalty or not, miles away.
That's the third time in a row I've seen us lose to a late goal at Falkirk.
Sighs...

[John_fi_Skye]

Very sore. A draw would've been a fair result. At least the team's now playing as well as anybody in the division, and they say luck evens out over the season. I think we'll finish fifth or sixth, and go on to do better next season.

[Dariusz]

yeah Falkirk were better in 1st half, but we controlled the 2nd half. So tough to take at the end. Didn't see who handled it, but we definately deserved something from the game.

As during the Dundee game, any big defensive howlers today came from Dowie, gifting a 1 on 1 chance in 1st half to Falkirk which should have put us 1-0 down. He is good most of the time but every now and then drops a clanger. He should be a good back up man for the proven partnership of Durnan/Higgins and I cant understand why the manager keeps breaking it up. (I know Higgins was red carded recently and had to serve a ban but he should have been brought right back in).

I thought Danny Carmichael was really lively when he came on and we looked a different animal after his introduction. Would be nice to see his confidence return and for him to get a run in the team.

[rjc_1988]

Our game awareness is just so bad. Even in our recent mini revival we have :-

- finished a totally winnable away fixture at Morton with 9 men
- conceded a stupid penalty at Livvy where Mitchell thought he would be clever and nudge the forward and get away with it even although there was no chance of the player scoring
- gift wrapped the points v Dundee by conceding another penalty and double whammy sending off
- fail to see the match out today by conceding what looks like a very soft award but if you know that a penalty invariably results in a goal you simply have to be so careful


Teams are not gift wrapping similar awards up for us. We have not had a penalty since the Livvy away game when the Ref blundered badly in the second game of season. If it is not crazy dismissals it is penalties!!

As others have said we were simply awful in first half and it took the Manager an eternity to see that Falkirk's full back Duffy was having the run of the park down the right - he was getting 2 v

[Tam_o_Terregles]

Typical rather dour encounter in awkward conditions. Not a lot between two sides trying not to lose.
As others have said, what was going on with our midfield when Kerr was in the middle and Burnsy was wide LEFT???!!!!
It was a car crash waiting to happen. Falkirk made hay down their right the whole half, or at least until Paton went off with a tweaked hammy.
At least when Russell came on Burnsy went to the right and we had more balance.
Predictably McHugh started ahead of Gavin and, I suppose, the manager was expecting a repeat of the last game. Well, predictably, it didn't work. McHugh didn't miss a sitter and Gavin didn't score.
What's wrong with starting with your best 11 and with people playing in their best positions?
Or am I being too Fantasy Football Managerish?
Can't comment on the pen. Too far away but I was surprised it was given - nothing obvious seemed to have caused it.
Reasonable second half performance had raised hopes of a deserved draw. Shame!

[Dariusz]

according to reports it was Chris Mitchell who handled it.

It was a shame that it took an injury & forced substitution to give the team more balance. Hopefully Paton injury isn't too bad.

Next week's game v Dumbarton at home is absolutely crucial now. A win for us and we go 2 points clear in 4th spot. We lose ... they go 4 points clear in 4th.

[JRSLEFTPEG]

RJC nails it on the head saying that we continually give gifts to the opposition and they don't reciprocate back. We have been the calamity kids of this division no doubt. This was a comfortable draw at least , infact, we were the team most likely to win and then disaster. Normally , dislike people blaming refs but I am looking for a bit of the "decisions even themselves out over the season" saying to happen now as we are due a few favourable ones .When is the last time we got such a soft , important match winning penalty at the death of a game or any soft one ?

[Tigerqueen]

That was a very tough one to take . We weren't great in the first half but were the better team in the second and deserved something from it. A soft hand ball award right at the end and we were sunk. We must be due a rub of the green off the men in black because at the moment , nothing is going our way. Another surprise by McIntyre in starting Burns at left midfield . It was down this side in the first half that Falkirk were making lots of inroads with Holt often having two men bearing down on him. We looked far better balanced when Burns went into the middle and Russell went left . To me , McHugh doesn't look any better than what we have and shouldn't start in front of our own signed forwards .Positives were Danny looking hungry when introduced and an eager performance from a player that I am not always convinced bout. Yes , McShane competed and played well.

From the other end of the ground I'd have to agree 100% with this.

Ba

[ALBERTZ_11]

Who was Queens' captain today?

[Edqos1]

I think Durnan had the armband?

[Auld_Chippy]

The old cliche "a game of two halves" was never more appropriate than in this match. We were lucky not to be at least a couple of goals down going in at the interval as Falkirk's wide players had the freedom of the park and set up several good chances which were thankfully missed. Second half was much better with Carmichael and Russell giving us more width and all the players stepping up a gear to put sustained pressure on Falkirk. Just when it looked like we might have to settle for a draw, which would have been quite acceptable, we got the obligatory kick in the "Jacobs" with a soft penalty awarded against us. A poor call by the Ref? possibly, going by the evidence of some photos.
IMO Kerr and McHugh just don't cut it for me and it's possibly no coincidence that we improved after they were subbed. Good to see Danny getting a decent run out and looking more like the player we know he can be. Russell put his recent indiscretions behind him and showed why he is feared, and hated, by op

[QOS_MAD_ADMIN]

Disappointing outcome again and the failure to sign a natural goal scorer has come home to roost.

However we must move on and the next two home games are crucial.

Hartley is now under pressure at Dundee after that disaster for them at Cow and Beef !

[Auld_Chippy]

Disappointing outcome again and the failure to sign a natural goal scorer has come home to roost.

However we must move on and the next two home games are crucial.

Hartley is now under pressure at Dundee after that disaster for them at Cow and Beef !

Agreed that the next two home games are crucial, as are all games from now 'til the end of the season. We may not have a "natural" goal scorer but we have players in the team capable of scoring if given the right service and played in the right formation. As I said in my previous post McHugh and Kerr add nothing to the team, perhaps ok as squad players, and may have been signed purely to add competition for places and to gee up the players we already had.
As for Hartley being under pressure, Dundee's fate is of little significance to me at least, but whose shoes would you rather be in as a Manager? Hartley's, whose side is more or less guaranteed to finish high in the play-off pl