Raith Away

[JamesMcClean]

I’ve only just calmed down (a bit) from Friday to post. Firstly, we only have ourselves to blame for that - 100%. With the amount of ball and possession we had, we didn’t create anywhere near enough. Build up was too slow, there was not nearly enough intensity, Middleton offered the square root of phuck all and frankly, I think we were out to secure the draw and stay four points clear. When you do that you lay yourself open to the sucker punch. And that’s exactly what happened.

Having said all that, Raith Rovers are really not a very good team. How the hell they’ve managed to still be within one point is incredible really. In all the games we’ve played, the only time they’ve really looked dangerous was that 15 min spell at the start of the second half at Tannadice. Otherwise they’ve looked plain ordinary. Galling as it is though, the prime reason they’re on our heels is the head to head. Even if they’d all been draws, we’d now be a comfortable seven points ahead with a hugely better GD. Indeed, the fact that despite two wins and a draw, Raith are still one point behind us and twenty odd goals worse off, demonstrates that we’ve clearly been better and more consistent against the rest of the division.

Defensively I thought we were more than sound enough. A scandalous offside call for the first (if you look at it the back four have actually kept their shape and line perfectly leaving the Funster a good half yard off) and the second is just a one in a million job. Infact, did Walton do anything else that’s pick the ball out of the net? I’m struggling to remember much else.

Offensively though it was phucking awful and is symptomatic of things from probably the 6-0 against Arbroath onward. Far too slow. Far too ponderous and constantly allowing Raith to get settled in to their defensive shape. This against a team who must have had frailties going in to the game given their recent record.

Schithousery - we really need to counter this nonsense. Whether it’s Morton or Friday night, we need to be dealing with this. Classic example was Hamilton on Walton with 10 minutes to go. Hamilton knew what he was doing and was a calculated effort to fire up their support. Having seen it, it was 100% a red card. What Walton should have been doing was going down like he’d been shot by a sniper while the rest of the side should have been immediately surrounding the ref. Instead? Walton just gets straight up, gets involved in hand bags and incredibly ends up with the same punishment as the perpetrator. Meanwhile, his team mates sit back and just watch it unfold rather than getting wired in and backing their keeper. We need to start to man the phuck up because, trust me, it’s going to get worse before this season is out.

Finally, Docherty. Once again out and once again a massive, massive miss. Has any one heard what the Jackanory is this time? We need a fit him back. Badly.

[ianharab]

Agree James , we are so predictable going forward , first half wasn’t to bad but second half created next to nothing , Goodwin badly needs to have a re think , never see a midfielder making a run beyond the striker , wingers coming inside etc , same old ponderous pish

[tHeArAb]

Finally, Docherty. Once again out and once again a massive, massive miss. Has any one heard what the Jackanory is this time? We need a fit him back. Badly.

Have heard 4-6 weeks from a few different folk. Be aswell writing him off for the season at this rate, if true.

[weegiearab]

I think Doc might be dealing with some off field issues as well as injuries. Hopefully he'll be back in the fold in the very near future.

[Monifieth Arab]

That was a very very scary read,the academy stuff was probably the most frightening.

Does anyone actually think the academy system now is producing better football players than the days of s signings? Back in the day the kids signed with the professional clubs could play with their boys team where they were booted up and down the park by the lesser players but it taught them how to take a tackle, how to avoid a bad tackle, how to tackle back. All this possession play rubbish now means they rarely get tackled in the youths, then make the step up and find out there are players who will crunch them and they don't have the time they were afforded in the youth games, my opinion is that's why so many nowadays struggle to make the step up. Boys and youth football should be about getting the players ready and able to step up to the next level the current system certainly doesn't do that and we only really find out if players are ready when they have been sent out on loan, the good ones and the quick learners will thrive the ones set in to the way the youth teams play will not. Also we have probably all heard stories of the academy players strutting about school like Billy Bigballs, back in the day anyone behaving like that would have been put in their place by their school mates and team mates but now they are all cocooned together thinking they have made it. Sorry rant over.

[shedka]

I’ve only just calmed down (a bit) from Friday to post. Firstly, we only have ourselves to blame for that - 100%. With the amount of ball and possession we had, we didn’t create anywhere near enough. Build up was too slow, there was not nearly enough intensity, Middleton offered the square root of phuck all and frankly, I think we were out to secure the draw and stay four points clear. When you do that you lay yourself open to the sucker punch. And that’s exactly what happened.

Having said all that, Raith Rovers are really not a very good team. How the hell they’ve managed to still be within one point is incredible really. In all the games we’ve played, the only time they’ve really looked dangerous was that 15 min spell at the start of the second half at Tannadice. Otherwise they’ve looked plain ordinary. Galling as it is though, the prime reason they’re on our heels is the head to head. Even if they’d all been draws, we’d now be a comfortable seven points ahead with a hugely better GD. Indeed, the fact that despite two wins and a draw, Raith are still one point behind us and twenty odd goals worse off, demonstrates that we’ve clearly been better and more consistent against the rest of the division.

Defensively I thought we were more than sound enough. A scandalous offside call for the first (if you look at it the back four have actually kept their shape and line perfectly leaving the Funster a good half yard off) and the second is just a one in a million job. Infact, did Walton do anything else that’s pick the ball out of the net? I’m struggling to remember much else.

Offensively though it was phucking awful and is symptomatic of things from probably the 6-0 against Arbroath onward. Far too slow. Far too ponderous and constantly allowing Raith to get settled in to their defensive shape. This against a team who must have had frailties going in to the game given their recent record.

Schithousery - we really need to counter this nonsense. Whether it’s Morton or Friday night, we need to be dealing with this. Classic example was Hamilton on Walton with 10 minutes to go. Hamilton knew what he was doing and was a calculated effort to fire up their support. Having seen it, it was 100% a red card. What Walton should have been doing was going down like he’d been shot by a sniper while the rest of the side should have been immediately surrounding the ref. Instead? Walton just gets straight up, gets involved in hand bags and incredibly ends up with the same punishment as the perpetrator. Meanwhile, his team mates sit back and just watch it unfold rather than getting wired in and backing their keeper. We need to start to man the phuck up because, trust me, it’s going to get worse before this season is out.

Finally, Docherty. Once again out and once again a massive, massive miss. Has any one heard what the Jackanory is this time? We need a fit him back. Badly.

Good post, agree with nearly all of it, especially the Hamilton/Walton incident, not sure we were playing for a draw, had we been clinical in front of goal the perception of that would be different

[shedka]

Have heard 4-6 weeks from a few different folk. Be aswell writing him off for the season at this rate, if true.

Hope the time frame is wrong but I quite liked Spoony in beside Sibbald, although thought that was a rare poor performance from Sibbald, allows us to play him without removing one of the regular front 4

Think we should start the same side vs QP, unless Gallagher is definitely ready to start

[ianharab]

I wouldn’t start with same side , needs serious re think about our forward play or lack of

[southwestarab]

Hope the time frame is wrong but I quite liked Spoony in beside Sibbald, although thought that was a rare poor performance from Sibbald, allows us to play him without removing one of the regular front 4

Think we should start the same side vs QP, unless Gallagher is definitely ready to start

I think maybe slot either Mochrie or Meekison in for Watt. He and Moult missed gilt edged chances on Friday night. In fact Watt had a fantastic chance prior to Rovers taking the lead. Only thing saving Moult is he scored and is more of a centre forward than Watt. You could also drop Middleton for one of the two youngsterbut he was decent first half so maybe not. Also he can put decent crosses in for Moult.

[Whitfieldarab]

I wouldn’t start with same side , needs serious re think about our forward play or lack of

Presuming Gallagher and Docherty are still out then who from our bench replaces anyone from Friday's starting 11? Sorry but our squad players are less than average and Friday's starting 11 is still our strongest starting 11 imo. There's a few need rested/dropped like Grimshaw,Kai,Watt and Middleton but we have no one to challenge these players positions so they'll 100% start the next game.