Big club mentality

[jwok]

O'Hara has scored penalties against Aberdeen and Ross County this season. I suspect no one, least of all himself, has any idea what caused him to place yesterday's spot kick in row z. I seems like a long stretch to blame it on wee club mentality.

[LawSteelman]

And yet he misses the biggest one he’s taken this season? Just like last season’s Mr Reliable from the penalty spot, Liam Donnelly, when he he missed in the shootout loss to St.Mirren.

It absolutely is down to the clubs mentality. Clubs who are able to win trophies do so because their players hold their nerve at the crucial time and very often that crucial time is in a penalty shootout. How many times have Liverpool won European finals on penalties? That’s what separates serial winners from everyone else. Obviously you don’t need to be a serial winner to have a good penalty shootout record, but you absolutely do need to have a small time mentality as a club to have as poor a record as we do in penalty shootouts that really matter.

[sieb1886]

t=Too defensive minded first half ...

[Handsome_Devil]

t=Too defensive minded first half ...

Certainly the performance with Watt in a 4-3-3 gives that impression but it also sounds like Watt came back from injury as quickly as possible and probably wasn't deemed fit to start. And would you have backed us to look ok in 4-3-3 without him (and Roberts) after recent efforts?

There's no doubt that playing in such a negative way to make it all about winning or losing is risky. Win (often) and it's tolerated, lose and the manager is under instant pressure. If you're not challenging for Europe (or in mid-season changing circumstances like us) in the league playing like that on purpose is basically a no go. If you lose a cup tie having not been seen to give a go you rightly get slaughtered.

Given Alexander has come in, done the main job of safety and had only an incredibly difficult mid-season window to work with, there's no point in going ott with worry. But previous clubs have reported that he tends to be a cautious manager - if he doesn't try to be more expansive after summer, he's basically saying I'll deliver success overall as each 90 minutes will be dire. Fine - but that has to be actual success. Finishing seventh or eighth because you're inconsistent with brilliant youngsters playing great football every second week is grand. Finishing seventh or eighth when your approach involves 5-4-1 v 10-man Hamilton is very much not...