Kilmarnock V St.Johnstone - Saturday 10th September

[blueheaven]

Despite our recent blip of decent results, I don't think all that much has changed unfortunately. If we play like that against Celtic, our currently-pretty-good goal difference is going to take a battering.

I was really surprised we didn't introduce McLennan, who has looked really direct and made an impact in previous games. I wonder if there was some reason we didn't want to risk him on Killie's pitch.

On the bright side, we are getting forward more than we were in those awful early games, and that was a lovely finish from Bair.

 

[Aitchy]

19 minutes ago, blueheaven said:

 

I was really surprised we didn't introduce McLennan, who has looked really direct and made an impact in previous games. I wonder if there was some reason we didn't want to risk him on Killie's pitch.

 

 

Apparently he had popped his shoulder in training and was only on the bench to make up numbers.

Really disappointing performance last night. Matthews had his poorest game for us, full backs were really poor and our strikers got bullied by the Killie defenders. Dont like singling players out, but I really struggle to see what Ali Crawford brings to the team, especially in games like last night. He was a passenger. Likewise, I think James Brown can be a decent second choice right back or occasionally fill in at centre back, but he is definitely not a left wing back. 

Positives had to be Wee Max's cameo and Theo getting his first goal. Next three games look tough, Celtic (h), Livi (a) and Hibs (a). Need to ensure our performances are much closer to the first half performance against Dundee United if we are going to manage to pick up any points in these games. 

[Cagey]

22 minutes ago, Aitchy said:

Apparently he had popped his shoulder in training and was only on the bench to make up numbers.

Really disappointing performance last night. Matthews had his poorest game for us, full backs were really poor and our strikers got bullied by the Killie defenders. Dont like singling players out, but I really struggle to see what Ali Crawford brings to the team, especially in games like last night. He was a passenger. Likewise, I think James Brown can be a decent second choice right back or occasionally fill in at centre back, but he is definitely not a left wing back. 

Positives had to be Wee Max's cameo and Theo getting his first goal. Next three games look tough, Celtic (h), Livi (a) and Hibs (a). Need to ensure our performances are much closer to the first half performance against Dundee United if we are going to manage to pick up any points in these games. 

We have 30 + players and we have a guy plus spooney to make up the numbers ?.

We have played the 3 bottom teams and only picked up 4 points.

Funny old game Saints 60_40 % possession v United 2_1. Killie v Saints 40_60% possession 2_1 Killie with the teams with 40% possession playing the other one off the park.

[blueheaven]

59 minutes ago, Aitchy said:

Need to ensure our performances are much closer to the first half performance against Dundee United if we are going to manage to pick up any points in these games. 

Hate to say it but I really do wonder how much of that performance against United was due to United being awful. Killie aren't exactly great either but they handled us pretty comfortably.

 

31 minutes ago, Cagey said:

We have 30 + players and we have a guy plus spooney to make up the numbers ?.

In fairness, I think pretty much all the players not in the squad last night were missing due to injury: Davidson, Kane, Montgomery (who I assume is injured?), Carey, Booth and Phillips. That's a fairly significant injury list, although how much better we'd be if everyone was fit is probably debatable.

Max aside, we had none of our own youth development players on the bench last night. 

 

[sixties saintee]

52 minutes ago, blueheaven said:

Hate to say it but I really do wonder how much of that performance against United was due to United being awful. Killie aren't exactly great either but they handled us pretty comfortably.

 

In fairness, I think pretty much all the players not in the squad last night were missing due to injury: Davidson, Kane, Montgomery (who I assume is injured?), Carey, Booth and Phillips. That's a fairly significant injury list, although how much better we'd be if everyone was fit is probably debatable.

Max aside, we had none of our own youth development players on the bench last night. 

 

Monty got a broken small toe.

[Aitchy]

1 hour ago, blueheaven said:

Hate to say it but I really do wonder how much of that performance against United was due to United being awful. Killie aren't exactly great either but they handled us pretty comfortably.

 

That would be my concern. We beat Dundee 3-1 last season and most of us were feeling pretty optimistic about the season ahead, only for us then to go on and win only 1 game out of 17 played. As I said in the Dundee United thread the other day, I don't see that happening this season due to seemingly having more experienced characters in the squad and more of an attacking threat, but after last season and and last nights performance its very hard not to automatically feel pessimistic. 

 

[dunblanemike]

11 hours ago, Cagey said:

Chance to create a gap and move on and play relaxed football but we are almost back in the pack. We should have come out all guns blazing. If not in first half then the second when we were still in the game.

Saints 5 shots on goal 1 goal. Killie 2 shots on goal 2 goals.

According to same site we had 15 shots on goal in total, which does at least show some attacking intent. Did we actually touch the ball, apart from deflections, from their KO for the second goal? Kind of scuppered all guns blazing.

[blueheaven]

51 minutes ago, Aitchy said:

 As I said in the Dundee United thread the other day, I don't see that happening this season due to seemingly having more experienced characters in the squad and more of an attacking threat, but after last season and and last nights performance its very hard not to automatically feel pessimistic. 

Do we really have more attacking threat than we did last season? I'm not convinced on that.

[garydavidson]

6 minutes ago, blueheaven said:

Do we really have more attacking threat than we did last season? I'm not convinced on that.

On a basic level we at least had shots on target which we never managed at points last season - should have maybe done better with some of them I would feel (from watching the highlights).

Danny Armstrong must have been taking lessons from Martin Boyle, very quick to hit the deck.

[rik2304]

Crawford doesn't fit our system. 

 

That's me being generous.

[Sergei]

5 hours ago, blueheaven said:

Hate to say it but I really do wonder how much of that performance against United was due to United being awful. Killie aren't exactly great either but they handled us pretty comfortably.

Part of it certainly was. I said in the match thread we were quite wasteful and thankfully United weren't good enough to take advantage of it. However there were also some very neat bits of play and to put the win down to United being awful wouldn't be right.

The passing was much worse last night though, for longer spells, Killie did more with the gifted possession than United and we looked like being back to last season despite a few bits of decent play. I still say that over the last few games the positives have far outweighed the negatives and we are making progress. Almost three steps forward, one back. 

[Aitchy]

3 hours ago, blueheaven said:

Do we really have more attacking threat than we did last season? I'm not convinced on that.

I think so. Based on the games I have seen this season we are carrying much more of a threat going forward. We don't have a clinical striker in the mould of Callum Hendry, but the signing of Clark means that we have a striker that is able to hold on to the ball and bring others into play as well as pose a goal threat. Stevie May has been revitalised by him. Murphy, Carey and McLennan also provide different attacking qualities.

Hard to replace the physical threat that Rooney provided, but I think Drey Wright has provided some good delivery's from the right full back position this year and Mitchell and Considine offer us a better physical threat in the box than Cleary and McCart.

[PSJ.84]

I think some of the stuff from last night has been a slight overreaction. It was a bad night - nobody comes away with pass marks, for me. Those sorts of performances and results happen over the course of a season. When we kept the ball on the ground, and were relaxed enough to keep it, we did manage to create a couple of little openings - that wasn’t happening last season. 
 

Agree with pretty much everything that’s been said with regards to Crawford. You can see there’s ability, but he’s far too lightweight and doesn’t get involved enough to be our attacking linchpin. I do have a wee bit of sympathy for James Brown - thrown in randomly, in a variety of different positions, to play the odd match here and there. However, I still don’t think he should be playing as a wing-back in a team with Crawford in it, and certainly not on the left. 
 

Time will tell if last night is the level we’re actually at, or if it was just a blip. 
 

 

[saintee in exile]

2 hours ago, rik2304 said:

Crawford doesn't fit our system. 

 

That's me being generous.

That's why CD gave him such a long contract !

[Shibbydoo]

1 hour ago, PSJ.84 said:

I think some of the stuff from last night has been a slight overreaction. It was a bad night - nobody comes away with pass marks, for me. Those sorts of performances and results happen over the course of a season. When we kept the ball on the ground, and were relaxed enough to keep it, we did manage to create a couple of little openings - that wasn’t happening last season. 
 

Agree with pretty much everything that’s been said with regards to Crawford. You can see there’s ability, but he’s far too lightweight and doesn’t get involved enough to be our attacking linchpin. I do have a wee bit of sympathy for James Brown - thrown in randomly, in a variety of different positions, to play the odd match here and there. However, I still don’t think he should be playing as a wing-back in a team with Crawford in it, and certainly not on the left. 
 

Time will tell if last night is the level we’re actually at, or if it was just a blip. 
 

 

Get Max on from the start ASAP

[Cagey]

5 minutes ago, Shibbydoo said:

Get Max on from the start ASAP

I would certainly play him before Crawford. He is not afraid of a tackle and that is what our midfield is missing.

[saintee in exile]

Yes very disappointing that Max isn't getting more game time.Especially ahead of Crawford.He's obviously a level headed talented footballer.Get him on the pitch before he gets snapped up for peanuts and we have barely used him

[sjfc99]

On 10/5/2022 at 7:33 PM, Havana Saint said:

.....yet again tonight shows what a ridiculous away kit for this season, having to revert back to last season. Can we make it yellow or white henceforth!???

COYS!!

Not sure why they couldn't wear the teal and magenta strip, no issues with a clash when both teams womens sides met recently.

[blueheaven]

16 hours ago, Aitchy said:

I think so. Based on the games I have seen this season we are carrying much more of a threat going forward. We don't have a clinical striker in the mould of Callum Hendry, but the signing of Clark means that we have a striker that is able to hold on to the ball and bring others into play as well as pose a goal threat. Stevie May has been revitalised by him. Murphy, Carey and McLennan also provide different attacking qualities.

Hard to replace the physical threat that Rooney provided, but I think Drey Wright has provided some good delivery's from the right full back position this year and Mitchell and Considine offer us a better physical threat in the box than Cleary and McCart.

I hope you're right. Certainly we've scored more goals so far than at this point last season (we only had 6 goals from 9 games last season - this season we have 10).