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Originally Posted by PT_Arab

This was the first game I have attended for a while. Thoroughly enjoyed it, but obviously disappointed at the result. I thought we did really well against a quality side that no one gave us a chance of beating. Definitely felt like I got the full ?17 worth out of that game.

Couple of observations - I thought our midfield pretty much evaporated in the second half. Our defending started at the edge of our own box, when it should start much further up the pitch. Similar in an attacking midfield capacity - shortly after Owen Stirton came on, he got the ball and tried to go forward. When he ran out of space, there was no one ahead of him to pass to so he turned back looking for a pass and there was no one there either. So we lost the ball and set up another dangerous attack for them.

Kucherenko at penalties (both last night and v Hearts) he just seems to dive to his right every time, and it's almost as though the Rapid players knew this. He never got a sniff. Is that a strategy? Keep diving to the right and eventually you'll guess the right way?

I think the outcome of the tie could have been different had Sapsford come back out for the second half, but we'll never know. Pretty annoying one that.

I just hope we can put the disappointment to one side and refocus for the rest of the season. I think it was after the Mypa debacle that certain players lost interest and our season unraveled.

I don't see us getting past Kilmarnock on Sunday - I just think the shortage of players, the tiredness and the disappointment will be too much. I would love to be wrong obviously.

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Last night was a far cry from the Mypa decacle

I wouldn't be risking Sapsford on any plastic pitch. Ideally I'd leave out Esselink, KK, Sevelj & Dolcek. We have Luca, Eskensen, SCH to come in. Would Goodwin go with a back four in Luca SCH Iovu and Ferry?

Last night was something to savour. The atmosphere and taking the game to Rapid Vienna in the first half. Scoring goals is how you make the opposition think they are in a game instead of this possession pish that does nothing for your cause. Sapsford going off let Rapid Vienna off the hook.

However what shone through is that the cost of this team compared to Rapid Vienna is huge in monetary terms. However football matches are not won on how much money has been spent to assemble a squad. The hunger, determination and fight from this squad is worth more imo.

Goodwin has to get enormous credit for building this squad that has pace, trickery and dig. Just needs to sign an Argentinian striker to complete the squad which for me, when fit, has competition for places which should bode well for the rest of the season.

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Originally Posted by PT_Arab

This was the first game I have attended for a while. Thoroughly enjoyed it, but obviously disappointed at the result. I thought we did really well against a quality side that no one gave us a chance of beating. Definitely felt like I got the full ?17 worth out of that game.

Couple of observations - I thought our midfield pretty much evaporated in the second half. Our defending started at the edge of our own box, when it should start much further up the pitch. Similar in an attacking midfield capacity - shortly after Owen Stirton came on, he got the ball and tried to go forward. When he ran out of space, there was no one ahead of him to pass to so he turned back looking for a pass and there was no one there either. So we lost the ball and set up another dangerous attack for them.

Kucherenko at penalties (both last night and v Hearts) he just seems to dive to his right every time, and it's almost as though the Rapid players knew this. He never got a sniff. Is that a strategy? Keep diving to the right and eventually you'll guess the right way?

I think the outcome of the tie could have been different had Sapsford come back out for the second half, but we'll never know. Pretty annoying one that.

I just hope we can put the disappointment to one side and refocus for the rest of the season. I think it was after the Mypa debacle that certain players lost interest and our season unraveled.

I don't see us getting past Kilmarnock on Sunday - I just think the shortage of players, the tiredness and the disappointment will be too much. I would love to be wrong obviously.

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It's too easy to say we say too deep second half. I think you need to credit RV for passing us back like that. As you alluded to, losing Sapsford probably helped RV on this front.

Great game, great performances from both sides. Shame about the final result but, honestly, I thought we'd get pumped by them in one of the legs.

Need to sort out the defending at corners though, it's criminal. :(

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Originally Posted by Arabs4ever

I wouldn't be risking Sapsford on any plastic pitch. Ideally I'd leave out Esselink, KK, Sevelj & Dolcek. We have Luca, Eskensen, SCH to come in. Would Goodwin go with a back four in Luca SCH Iovu and Ferry?

Last night was something to savour. The atmosphere and taking the game to Rapid Vienna in the first half. Scoring goals is how you make the opposition think they are in a game instead of this possession pish that does nothing for your cause. Sapsford going off let Rapid Vienna off the hook.

However what shone through is that the cost of this team compared to Rapid Vienna is huge in monetary terms. However football matches are not won on how much money has been spent to assemble a squad. The hunger, determination and fight from this squad is worth more imo.

Goodwin has to get enormous credit for building this squad that has pace, trickery and dig. Just needs to sign an Argentinian striker to complete the squad which for me, when fit, has competition for places which should bode well for the rest of the season.

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We cannot be leaving out Esselink, KK, Sevelj and Dolcek thats just mental. We have a 2 week break after Sunday for players to recover. We need everyone who is fit to be ready to give everything again on Sunday. Sapsford yeah if he's not 100% but we can't decimate the team for a game in a competition that we at least have a hope of winning at a ground that we never do well at. We might as well not turn up.

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Originally Posted by Arabdownsouth

We cannot be leaving out Esselink, KK, Sevelj and Dolcek thats just mental. We have a 2 week break after Sunday for players to recover. We need everyone who is fit to be ready to give everything again on Sunday. Sapsford yeah if he's not 100% but we can't decimate the team for a game in a competition that we at least have a hope of winning at a ground that we never do well at. We might as well not turn up.

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I just hope none of them end up with an injury like Louis Moult got last season at that ground. Is it true that the three clubs that have the plastic pitches are lodging an appeal to get the ruling thrown out that their pitch has to be grass?.................

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Originally Posted by Arabdownsouth

Last night was a far cry from the Mypa decacle

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Oh no, I'm not trying to compare the two in that sense, more just the effect it had on certain players who had offers to join other clubs but came to us as we could offer European football. Players who then performed very poorly seemed disinterested after we went out of the competition at the earliest opportunity.

By "certain players" I'm basically talking about Lee Miller.

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Originally Posted by PT_Arab

Oh no, I'm not trying to compare the two in that sense, more just the effect it had on certain players who had offers to join other clubs but came to us as we could offer European football. Players who then performed very poorly seemed disinterested after we went out of the competition at the earliest opportunity.

By "certain players" I'm basically talking about Lee Miller.

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Yeah I kinda knew how you meant it mate. I'd just like to hope that the experience of last night,even though it didn't go our way,would light the fire for this group of players to want to earn more of the same this season. I am sure thats going to be the case.

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Originally Posted by Arabdownsouth

Last night was a far cry from the Mypa decacle

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Yea agree, no comparison at all other than the final score

That was a god awful Utd side that shouldn't have been in Europe, that were 2-0 up at half time going on 5-0 against a very poor side

The last week was a Utd side giving everything against a better team that is better than all we face in the country outside maybe one or two, despite having no room to rotate effectively due to injuries and being unlucky in some ways not to progress to next round

Last night was an achievement to get 2 ahead, we were knackered end of first half then again midway second half, changes made, Sapsford injured too, bounced back and played will in extra time

Crowd showed the appreciation, I was proud of the team last night and pretty sure that is the consensus from the majority of the 12k Arabs in attendance

Will say I thought Kucherenko was great last night but didn't rate him in the shootout, thought he could have done better

So unlucky against a top top team but the goals we are losing this season is very concerning. Its almost like we need to score 3 or 4 to actually win a game. Offensively we look an absolute threat but every time a cross goes in our box I'm absolutely 5hitting it and teams will see the type of goals we are losing and go for the jugular.......but what an atmosphere last night. Can't honestly remember a night like that in the last 30 odd years at Tannadice.

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Originally Posted by Whitfieldarab

So unlucky against a top top team but the goals we are losing this season is very concerning. Its almost like we need to score 3 or 4 to actually win a game. Offensively we look an absolute threat but every time a cross goes in our box I'm absolutely 5hitting it and teams will see the type of goals we are losing and go for the jugular.......but what an atmosphere last night. Can't honestly remember a night like that in the last 30 odd years at Tannadice.

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It was something else the atmosphere, the city hasn't seen anything like it this century

What a club and what a stadium we have