Fine margins throughout. Fine margins between Killie being streetwise/clever and being diving gits. Power and Dicker controlled the game by drawing free kicks. Played the ref in the way Tommy Wright has encouraged his whole career. We played into their hands though and should have expected it.
Fine margins that the 4-3-3 approach didn't work out today. Helps Harkes, his busrting driving runs are his strongest suit and that formation helps that. That formation relies on massive work from the wide forwards. Losing Sporle was a shame. McNulty to me doesn't work hard enough for that formation. Just wasn't Appere's day. Normally he would have delivered more than that.
Fine margins throughout the league. Couple of good chances late on would have had us in touching distance of top 6. I agree it is frustrating that we had to take Fuchs off. Let's not forget we were under pressure before Connolly came on though. Actually the back 3 move gave us the chance of creating the two chances we had late on. Clark was better with Shankland in the 10 minutes he was on than either McNulty or Appere were for the rest of the game. Perspective depends on how you interpret the Connolly for Fuchs change therefore.
Ultimately we didn't do enough to merit winning today's game and result is we will miss top six by relatively little. Are we much different than Livi to Killie though? Only Fine margins between us all. Top 4 ahead of that. Hamilton compete above their level. Ross County are the worst team I have seen in years. Realistically we are probably mid table in the Livi, St Mirren, United, St Johnstone, Motherwell and Killie table.
I do think we have more to build on than many of those teams with whom we actually compete. Nearly able to focus on next season now
Split emotions for this one.
on the one hand, its a missed opportunity esp when we went a goal ahead but on the other hand, we didn't lose and keeps in a fairly safe position in the league.
It reminded me of watching a Tommy Wright St Johnstone v A Jackie United team. Bullied, they were more street wise and played right into their hands pretty much the whole game. Sporle going off was a blow as it loses the balance in the team and his energy. Appere didn't have a great game but he works his backside off for the team! Fuchs was close to getting sent off so the decision to take him off was right but Connolly coming on changed our formation to suit them again and allowed them to put ball after ball into our box.
We still had two big chances to win it which is frustrating as they fell to the players you wanted to. At the end of the day considering we took a doing from them earlier in the season, a draw isnt the worst result all things considered.
Final point- I'm glad to see people are starting to notice that Marc McNulty is vastly overrated. He has been very poor for us ever since he signed but seemed to get forgotten. Give me Appere or Sporle or Clark over him all day long! We look a better team without him in the team.
With the players we have, we must NEVER play 3 central defenders again. Everyone that has watched us regularly this season can see this and surely today has finally convinced the manager.
Also, it would be good to see Clarke playing as a forward up front with Shankland, rather than the half-forward/half-midfielder role he's been asked to play previously.
I would have hooked him immediately and brought on ANY of the women side.........
I really want to like MM, I think he has done a decent job with this squad of ****e players (still don’t think RN would have got more points than MM with this team).
Yesterday though, his subbies killed us. Sporle caused problem, not because he’s quality, but because he’s direct. We have Bolton on the bench, like for like sub, and yet he sticks on a striker.
Killie start over powering us in the midfield, so he takes off our best player for a ****e centre half. That was when you new the game was up.
Clark made a positive impact when he came on, pity our top scorer only got 7 mins.
Let’s just get this season done with and hopefully there’s some money to rebuild in the summer for a more normal 2021/22 season.