Hamilton game

[Handsome_Devil]

Yep, there is no point in getting hung up on the numbers in the formations - these days 4-3-3 is 4-5-1 quickly enough if you want or 3-4-3 or god knows what else.

As above, the problem is too many of our players simply aren't good enough and while you can carry a couple of honest but limited folk when there's better players around them, they currently make up 80-90% of our outfield. And I think with no more than a couple of exceptions it's ability rather than attitude.

The plus from the last few weeks is we've shown we can at least sometimes hold our own with the other guff and accept gifts when offered. We're only a couple of more wins away from creating a gap to the bottom three, do that soon and we'll hopefully be able to see safety by April rather than May...

But it won't be pretty whatever happens and summer needs a ruthless cull of virtually everyone out of contract and continued efforts to bullet some of the mistakes we currently have on the books for next term.

[LawSteelman]

I would also add that our scouting system needs looked at. Our obsession with recruiting from the lower leagues in England has been more miss than hit over the last three years and in that same time our best players have been Turnbull(obviously, a top quality player), Campbell(a genuinely good and committed player that we’ve developed), Gallagher(at least the August ‘19 to March 20 version) and O’Donnell (before he decided he was too good for us).

Personally I would have signed Kyle Lafferty, a genuinely proven goalscorer in the Scottish top league. Instead he’s joined Kilmarnock while we’re left with several ‘forwards’ who don’t score goals.

[dasdeid]

We retained O’Donnell hoping for Scotland Euro cash should he be selected. IMO he’s vastly overrated and should have been released January. We can ill afford his salary and have doubts will be selected on his current form from a M’well team that’s under performing. Same could be said for Gallacher but appears no one (Celtic) came for him January window and his purple patch now history.

We have too many phuds and wonder how St Mirren and Hamilton have acquired players that make can an impact when ours are simply crap/average. I blame Robinson for poor recruitment past 18 months. Will son Harry become a player (?) … I doubt it. Perhaps GA loans will make a difference and hopefully introduced soon and before our confidence irrecoverable.

[Handsome_Devil]

I don't think we're more obsessed with the lower leagues in England than anyone else at our level, it's simply the only (big) market that there is.

The top level of lower Scottish players will nearly always move for more money to Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Dundee (United). Hibs splashed 250k on Nisbet and enough to persuade St Mirren to part with a player under contract they wanted to keep to a league rival - I know how much you love hearing 'we can't compete with that' but...we can't compete with that :-)

To get Gallagher and Polworth we had to outbid peers - clearly we can pick a couple of top targets to do that with but you don't have to be a football expert to see that the number of available players from Scottish sides who would improve us is hugely limited or a finance expert to figure out we can't do that on more than a handful of players because St Johnstone, St Mirren, Kilmarnock etc are all targeting the same folk.

We can't change the market we operate in, changing Foyle is a much more realistic prospect.

[Handsome_Devil]

O'Donnell was an upgrade on what we had when we signed him and he's done ok. Not great but fine and given the work needing done elsewhere I can understand why we didn't volunteer to create another problem to solve in January.

He'll be in the Euro squad for the same reason he was called up in the first place, there's no one else.

[LawSteelman]

I don’t dispute that O’Donnell is a good player, it’s just his attitude and application that I have a problem with.

[skippy91]

Todays result and performance was nothing short of embarrassing. To be beaten by team sitting at the bottom of the league for the third time in a season, conceding 8 goals in the process. We have single handedly boosted their points total by 9 points, they would have be cast adrift at the bottom if it was not for our generosity (sorry I mean lack of professional pride and ability) .....Or maybe we should accept the games against Hamilton (like the OF games) are a bonus for us, anything we take from them is a wee extra, rest a few of our stars and accept a defeat graciously. After all our league position remains unaffected after todays embarrassment. FFS
GA has a huge task trying to balance motivating our players against kicking their arses enough to survive in this league, when many know within themselves that they will be plying their "trade"elsewhere next season and don't really give a ph@#k!!!
Todays result and performance must really help Alan Campbell make up his mind about not extending his contract with us next season.

[dasdeid]

Todays result and performance must really help Alan Campbell make up his mind about not extending his contract with us next season.

Campbell’s mind already made. He’s performing very well in a team devoid any mid-field to assist his obvious talent.
He will have many suitors and deservedly so

[skippy91]

That's my point he must realise his talent will be better supported away from FP.

[Wellup4it]

That's my point he must realise his talent will be better supported away from FP.

I think he realised that several months ago. Not a popular view, I know, but he's been posted missing for several months. He's now part of the problem not the solution. His contribution yesterday was exactly the same as many of his colleagues; in other words nothing.