Sheep

[Arabknight]

I was very, very critical of MM during that ridiculous run of Killie (4-0), Sevco (4-0) followed quickly by the Livi humiliation at home, the struggle to beat Kelty Hearts and then of course the absolute shocker of ‘first game in seven months’ Peterhead strolling to victory at Tannadice.

However, fair’s fair, although far from exciting, the ship has been steadied. A good barometer would be to compare the two games against the SSBs. The last one came off the back of the aforementioned run of games and let’s face it, it could and should have been at least 4 zip to the Sheep with a combination of bad finishing and Benji keeping us in it. Yesterday however, we were much more accomplished. True, the Sheep were pre-eminent in possession for much of the first half from about 10-15 mins in, but in no way did they cut us open like back in October. Second half, we were arguably the better team and in conclusion possibly could and should have won with ending up having the better chances over the 90 mins. This despite significant injuries currently affecting the squad.

In summary? We are improving. Baby steps yes - but as I’ve highlighted above over the longer term we are steadily getting better. We were much more competitive against the Sheep yesterday than back in October which is testament to improved organisation and getting to grips with this league. If you’d been offered last month that we’d lose just one from Hibs (A), Killie, Well, Celtic(A) and Aberdeen (A) you’d have bitten the hand off. Yet, that’s what we’ve just achieved. We may end up just missing out on top 6 but I’m getting increasingly confident that we’ve got enough in the tank to comfortably avoid getting anywhere near bottom two.

Keep it up United.

Agree with this ^^^

[Yeats 62]

[QUOTE=JamesMcClean;39662412]

If you’d been offered last month that we’d lose just one from Hibs (A), Killie, Well, Celtic(A) and Aberdeen (A) you’d have bitten the hand off. Yet, that’s what we’ve just achieved.

Totally agree with that statement, as most would I'm sure But it's like looking at another teams stats when you have no real interest in that team. You don't know the ins and outs of the matches or formations, possession, shots on and off target etc, you just see the the results.

There is a bigger picture going on behind the scenes with these results , which we are all well aware of,and I'm no fan of the (lets not lose at all costs) style of football, but I am beginning to see how this might keep us in this league until time for a re-shuffle.

In saying that , against Aberdeen we seemed to be able to do both things, defend in depth, clear lines when required , and..... create a few chances.

In the post match interview Mickey said he was now going to attack the next bunch of fixtures. Really hope we do, there isn't a lot to fear from most of these teams.

New Year gless now............ STILL half ful

[ARAbCHNID]

Nice positivity Big Ron but I rather fear lose to the Fermers next Saturday & your glass will be well & truly hauf empty.

But yeah, the 2nd half at Pittodrie was like more 'normal' fare & not watch-between-closed-fingers stuff. Are we getting somewhere at long last? And that with 3 or 4 first picks missing.

[Yeats 62]

Nice positivity Big Ron but I rather fear lose to the Fermers next Saturday & your glass will be well & truly hauf empty.

But yeah, the 2nd half at Pittodrie was like more 'normal' fare & not watch-between-closed-fingers stuff. Are we getting somewhere at long last? And that with 3 or 4 first picks missing.

Trust me.... it will take a LOT more than that to half-empty meh gless I've been through thick & thin. Witnessed the great and the sh ite. The team still means exactly the same to me though no matter what. We've seen them all come and go, some good, some great (RIP Jim) and some no quite Jim but..... tried their best and did quite well.

And yeah.... quite a few guys missing and still got a point.

Gless getting even fuller as I'm typing

[GUNBOAT]

What really annoys me about the league this season is no team is getting cut adrift to give us breathing space.It did at one time look like the Accies were doomed but they have performed their usual mid season miracle,it then looks like the Staggies are on the slide then ruthless Roy sacks Dracula and they beat Hibs away.
Livingston were struggling so Holt resigns and now they are in the top 6,Killie manager is on the brink then they get a couple of results and now its Motherwell dropping like a stone so their manager also falls on his sword.At least we have avoided all that upheaval of changing managers because history tells us that it never really works out well in the long run.

[LSArab]

Other teams have employed the manager bounce well.

I’d like to get it sorted ASAP to know what’s happening with all the 3-0s that were awarded.

Motherwell could be in trouble if they don’t get their walkovers as expected

[Yeats 62]

What really annoys me about the league this season is no team is getting cut adrift to give us breathing space.It did at one time look like the Accies were doomed but they have performed their usual mid season miracle,it then looks like the Staggies are on the slide then ruthless Roy sacks Dracula and they beat Hibs away.
Livingston were struggling so Holt resigns and now they are in the top 6,Killie manager is on the brink then they get a couple of results and now its Motherwell dropping like a stone so their manager also falls on his sword.At least we have avoided all that upheaval of changing managers because history tells us that it never really works out well in the long run.

Correct.... in the long run, everything usually calms down and everything re-settles, including the dressing room back stabbers who laid down tools coz they were told they weren't up for it, and the new contract available players etc. But........ when the dust settles, the same guys who weren't up for it the last time , will usually be the same guys who yet again can't be bothered to play for the shirt,fans or new manager.

We have avoided that upheaval as you say ...... That is a good thing.

[JamesMcClean]

The new manager thing can be totally hit or miss. For every miracle turnaround such as AgentMac with Coonty in 2016 or Big Sam with everybody since, well, forever (), there is a Mixu with ourselves or AgentMac (90), this time with the Funny Lot. It’s a total lottery and better to not be in the position of having to roll the dice in the first place.

[Yeats 62]

The new manager thing can be totally hit or miss. For every miracle turnaround such as AgentMac with Coonty in 2016 or Big Sam with everybody since, well, forever (), there is a Mixu with ourselves or AgentMac (90), this time with the Funny Lot. It’s a total lottery and better to not be in the position of having to roll the dice in the first place.

Agree yet again, but the long term outcome isn't quite the same as the new manager bounce thing. I'm sure loads of clubs have been ecstatic with the first few games with a new manager and the extra whatever the players are showing. But......... Any player can raise their game for whatever reason. It is keeping players motivated, interested (beyond their salary) etc, and that is becoming hard these days. The amount of tackles I watch players these days pull out of , or not even want to get involved in, and nothing ever mentioned about it, tells me something. Femily, Hoose , car , claze, phone .............club! (kiddin' obviously hmmmm

[darrenshedtastic]

I was pleasantly surprised by how we played v sheep. when i saw the lineup, I did worry esp with some big players missing again. First half i thought we soaked up pressure fairly well but just lacked that quality when we won the ball but defensively solid enough. 2nd half i thought we were good. we were able to keep the ball well and caused aberdeen problems going forward. I think this was due to having someone like Powers in the middle of the park. DP is good at keeping the ball and keeps things ticking over well. Harkes and clark were starting to find themselves further up the park due to having better defensive cover behind them. This also allowed the Wingbacks to get forward more (Robson's lack chance is an example of this)

by having a few players comfortable on the ball in a position that suits them and the formation, we looked far better in that shape than we have all season. Having Neilson at the back i think made a big difference too. He is composed and comfortable on the ball at the back so suddenly we weren't just launching it forward all the time, we were picking passes and keeping possession. Appere up top worked very hard and ran channels well all game. Shankland looked more like his old self. Defensively we were fairly sound but attacking wise we looked more of threat as we were capable of keeping the ball which sustains more effective attacks.

Overall cant grumble about the result, we all would have taken a draw beforehand but slight disappointed we only came away with a draw after playing so well in 2nd half. Something to build on when playing that formation. I hope to see powers, Appere or neilson retain their position in the team but doubt they will with Edwards, Butcher, Fuchs or McNulty back by Saints game