St Johnstone v Motherwell 28/09/19


tucker
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My two cents worth:

I found that display very worrying- not because I couldn't see any positives, but rather because the team on the whole looked extremely naive and it's effecting the decision making both front and back.

Holt looks just the player we've needed, Ralston is an obvious improvement on Duffy, May looks sharp enough, McCann looks like he's ready to play regularly and yet I came away worried because we are unable to do the basics of the game and at times under no pressure we were choosing the wrong options or simply playing very slack football.

Kerr was miles behind his previous performances last season. Some of his passing was dreadful and there's no excuse now when in both Holt and McCann we have two players looking to get on the ball. Gordon (who I've championed before) wasn't much better and looked flat footed on more than one occasion. I thought Tanser was bullied at points and all four of the back four would make very naive decisions.

Whilst it's great to see Wright back and he's bound to be rusty, he was very slack with some of his passing. The whole midfield worked hard, but there was little creativity. Everything felt forced and the link up play just want there. Just have to hope it comes with time together.

What really annoyed me is that is was clear Motherwell wanted to make the game disjointed in the second half and disrupted play with several "falling over moments" and yet time and time again our players seemed to make it easy for them to go down by barging into the back of them, etc rather than just applying pressure and trying to force mistakes... It simply allowed Motherwell to keep taking the flow out the game. They managed the game in the second half very well.

The next four games are vital- no doubt about that.

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Very disappointing today. We are too small and easily edged off the ball. We so need a big target man up front beside Stevie May, a sort of younger Macca

We rarely looked like scoring and didnt work their keeper hardly at all.

Totally fed up at the moment and cannot see a win coming.

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10 minutes ago, akuram said:

Very disappointing today. We are too small and easily edged off the ball. We so need a big target man up front beside Stevie May, a sort of younger Macca

We rarely looked like scoring and didnt work their keeper hardly at all.

Totally fed up at the moment and cannot see a win coming.

Clark, Gordon and Kerr are not small. They should all be dealing a lot better with crosses at the moment.

We can't defend and can't score goals. Worrying times. 

Penalty strike was poor.

A defeat in Dingwall and I fear for us.

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24 minutes ago, SlickDT said:

My two cents worth:

I found that display very worrying- not because I couldn't see any positives, but rather because the team on the whole looked extremely naive and it's effecting the decision making both front and back.

Holt looks just the player we've needed, Ralston is an obvious improvement on Duffy, May looks sharp enough, McCann looks like he's ready to play regularly and yet I came away worried because we are unable to do the basics of the game and at times under no pressure we were choosing the wrong options or simply playing very slack football.

Kerr was miles behind his previous performances last season. Some of his passing was dreadful and there's no excuse now when in both Holt and McCann we have two players looking to get on the ball. Gordon (who I've championed before) wasn't much better and looked flat footed on more than one occasion. I thought Tanser was bullied at points and all four of the back four would make very naive decisions.

Whilst it's great to see Wright back and he's bound to be rusty, he was very slack with some of his passing. The whole midfield worked hard, but there was little creativity. Everything felt forced and the link up play just want there. Just have to hope it comes with time together.

What really annoyed me is that is was clear Motherwell wanted to make the game disjointed in the second half and disrupted play with several "falling over moments" and yet time and time again our players seemed to make it easy for them to go down by barging into the back of them, etc rather than just applying pressure and trying to force mistakes... It simply allowed Motherwell to keep taking the flow out the game. They managed the game in the second half very well.

The next four games are vital- no doubt about that.

Exactly this. Worried also that Motherwell are no great team. These are the games we'd have ground a result out of in years gone by. Whole back 4 is too weak and Clark is giving me the fear at the moment. He does not control 'his' area at all.

Holt did ok and was at least vocal, but faded. Overall, the team is lacking leaders. I'd have Liam Craig in there somewhere (fitness aside) aswe need someone on the pitch to noise them up. Vihman must be poor in training not to get in this side. 

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That was poor.  Lineup looked good at warm up but then tactics seemed to nullify any thought of attacking flair and hunger.

Motherwell were hungrier, up for a challenge, scored from one of few chances and seen the game out.

Half chances here and there and missed pen.  Didnt think there was anything between the teams to be honest. 2 keepers with not too much to do.

I could slag every player off, but it's the formation and tactics that sucked more today.   Motherwell are no great shakes but they are a 'team', we are disjointed and no mojo.

Another game and more teams pulling further away. Still not alarmed but pressure is now firmly on to get that first win!!!!  Table reading worse now than it has all season, shite!  If we dont start scoring goals soon, eg May starts scoring we are doomed aka Thistle, Dundee etc, who by all accounts half decent with no poke!

20190928_194106.jpg

Edited by Dave H
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1 hour ago, andrew said:

When their keeper had the ball he had three players to pick from with only May up there. Time after time they built from there. When Zander had the ball there were two Motherwell players minimising his options so go long. Basic, but obvious. Only one aspect of our flawed game plan.

Motherwells press was well deployed all game.  The top 3 were still pressing in the last 10 minutes.  We had no press and decided we'd let them come easily into our half before looking to get the ball back.   They seemed hungrier.

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55 minutes ago, SlickDT said:

My two cents worth:

I found that display very worrying- not because I couldn't see any positives, but rather because the team on the whole looked extremely naive and it's effecting the decision making both front and back.

Holt looks just the player we've needed, Ralston is an obvious improvement on Duffy, May looks sharp enough, McCann looks like he's ready to play regularly and yet I came away worried because we are unable to do the basics of the game and at times under no pressure we were choosing the wrong options or simply playing very slack football.

Kerr was miles behind his previous performances last season. Some of his passing was dreadful and there's no excuse now when in both Holt and McCann we have two players looking to get on the ball. Gordon (who I've championed before) wasn't much better and looked flat footed on more than one occasion. I thought Tanser was bullied at points and all four of the back four would make very naive decisions.

Whilst it's great to see Wright back and he's bound to be rusty, he was very slack with some of his passing. The whole midfield worked hard, but there was little creativity. Everything felt forced and the link up play just want there. Just have to hope it comes with time together.

What really annoyed me is that is was clear Motherwell wanted to make the game disjointed in the second half and disrupted play with several "falling over moments" and yet time and time again our players seemed to make it easy for them to go down by barging into the back of them, etc rather than just applying pressure and trying to force mistakes... It simply allowed Motherwell to keep taking the flow out the game. They managed the game in the second half very well.

The next four games are vital- no doubt about that.

Yeah, Motherwell were more professional than us & not afraid to foul.

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53 minutes ago, akuram said:

Very disappointing today. We are too small and easily edged off the ball. We so need a big target man up front beside Stevie May, a sort of younger Macca

We rarely looked like scoring and didnt work their keeper hardly at all.

Totally fed up at the moment and cannot see a win coming.

Think Brian Graham would have got at least 2 today. There were at leat 4 crosses from left totally missed today.

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2 hours ago, Bruno Strasser said:

Kerr has gone back since we lost Shaugnessy. Him and Gordon were very poor.

Joe only on the bench today for a struggling Southend. Didn't think we would him and Ando so much but we would not be losing so many goals with them still here.

Thoughts!

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4 hours ago, RandomGuy said:

They win games, we dont. 

Like who? Some of the names folk mention terrify me.

When a managerial post becomes available the number of applicants can be over 50....60 more even. I'd not be too worried about finding a manager, especially if the ship is sinking with captain unable to alter course.......

Not ideal, but might be time.

 

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4 hours ago, RandomGuy said:

I think we're down. 

We only look decent when the opposition are already ahead and sitting in a bit protecting their lead, and even then we cant score.

The goal we conceded was embarrassing, yet again. I've forgotten the last game we didnt concede a soft goal in.

Lose next week and we're ****ed. You look at St Mirren, Hamilton and County as the "bottom three" sides before the season starts, we're already adrift of two of them, and the third we play away in a couple of weeks.

FFS 

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Not sure if the break is at a good or bad time.  On one hand, bad as I'd like an immediate response from the players,  on the other hand good as it gives us time to sort the shitshow systems in intense training. Regardless, a minimum 4 points a must.

Edited by Melbourne Saint
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16 minutes ago, RandomGuy said:

Screenshot_20190929-005007_Chrome.thumb.jpg.f3445c94f15f1016803bc513d06dcd4f.jpg

First rule of defending set pieces. Make sure you win the second ball if you dont win the first. 

You definitely dont just all stand and stare while three opposition players sprint into the 6 yard box unmarked.

That is schoolboy stuff. 3 static Saints defenders, while well players running in. A standard training routine that Saints should easily defend.  

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8 hours ago, RandomGuy said:

Screenshot_20190929-005007_Chrome.thumb.jpg.f3445c94f15f1016803bc513d06dcd4f.jpg

First rule of defending set pieces. Make sure you win the second ball if you dont win the first. 

You definitely dont just all stand and stare while three opposition players sprint into the 6 yard box unmarked.

Surely Zander moves his feet and punches this clear?

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No one in the team had pass marks for me. I agree we did look better second half but as has been mentioned Motherwell were sitting in and letting us come at them. Even then we couldn't break them down. You can see the confidence draining away in the team and the anxiety rise. We have a great record in Dingwall and if we lose there I think we are a certainty for the drop. You look at Hamilton Livingstone and St Mirren all picking up points and they already have a buffer over us. Picking up a point at Aberdeen or Hibs is meaningless unless we beat the teams in the bottom half of the League. I would love to be proved wrong but at the moment I don't think we will even make the playoffs. Is there really a team worse than us in the League ?

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So the way many of us rationalised  the signing of a non scoring May was that the Dons played him wrongly, leaving him isolated up front not his game etc.......so we sign him and do exactly what the Dons did with him. It was excruciating to watch the poor guy run all over the place desperately trying to make something happen. We were shocking yesterday and that was our strongest possible team, no excuses about injuries or suspensions. We are in big trouble and reading many comments on here and elsewhere are like sound bites from other supporters whose team does go down - we just need to score first, if we can get a win others will follow, give the manager until Xmas, too good a squad to go down etc etc. We have a completely unbalanced squad with bang average players in key positions across the defence. It’s not going to end well and I have a real fear......so hope I’m wrong

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43 minutes ago, Bruno Strasser said:

No one in the team had pass marks for me. I agree we did look better second half but as has been mentioned Motherwell were sitting in and letting us come at them. Even then we couldn't break them down. You can see the confidence draining away in the team and the anxiety rise. We have a great record in Dingwall and if we lose there I think we are a certainty for the drop. You look at Hamilton Livingstone and St Mirren all picking up points and they already have a buffer over us. Picking up a point at Aberdeen or Hibs is meaningless unless we beat the teams in the bottom half of the League. I would love to be proved wrong but at the moment I don't think we will even make the playoffs. Is there really a team worse than us in the League ?

 

44 minutes ago, Bruno Strasser said:

No one in the team had pass marks for me. I agree we did look better second half but as has been mentioned Motherwell were sitting in and letting us come at them. Even then we couldn't break them down. You can see the confidence draining away in the team and the anxiety rise. We have a great record in Dingwall and if we lose there I think we are a certainty for the drop. You look at Hamilton Livingstone and St Mirren all picking up points and they already have a buffer over us. Picking up a point at Aberdeen or Hibs is meaningless unless we beat the teams in the bottom half of the League. I would love to be proved wrong but at the moment I don't think we will even make the playoffs. Is there really a team worse than us in the League ?

As you say the teams we have to beat are Hamilton ,Livi & St Mirren & maybe County who if they beat us on Saturday will be 11 points clear of us. Can't see Hibs & Hearts being in the dogfight at the end of the season so those points the the above mentioned teams are ahead of us could be vital.

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