Was at the game last night against Aberdeen. Our performance can best be summed up as low tempo tippy-tappy pish. For about 15-20 mins of the 2nd half it actually looked like we were happy to just take a 1-0 defeat, such was the lack of urgency and fight. It got better after the subs but for all the nice wee triangles of passing, it's far too ineffectual. Tbh only the chance where Harkes was through and cut the ball back behind the striker can be classed as more than half chance (which Fletcher's header and Ross Graham's shot were). Teams in a relegation struggle won't stay up playing that way, especially away from home where our record is abysmal.
For a team which appears to be trying to implement a possession-based style we don't half give the ball away cheaply an awful lot. And it's happening throughout the team even with our supposedly 'better', more technical players, witness Middleton's 'pass' at their goal last night. Meanwhile, Levitt was back to playing in between the centre halves again. Behich, who has been decent since they worked out his best position, was also anonymous and Sibbald did nothing. I'd have to question why Tony Watt was sat on the bench all game as well since Fletcher wasn't getting any change out of their defence and we were crying out for something different.
A lot of people have said this is a repeat of 2015-16. It's not, it's a repeat of 1994-95 where we as a club thought we were too good to go down (even scudding Hearts 5-2 and Motherwell 6-1 along the way), never adapted our style and sleepwalked into relegation. Teams like Falkirk brought in boys who were up for the fight like Stevie Kirk and Mo Johnston, we sold Cleland and Bollan and brought in two foreigners one of whom never got out the reserves. That season we usually still looked decent against the teams in the top half of the league but kept losing against teams in the bottom half like Killie, Falkirk etc. Sound familiar?
Fox in some ways has made us better by stopping the scuddings we were getting under Ross. But, 1. We still have no idea how to play against team's who sit in against us and let us have the ball (The Killie game was a blip because Killie came on to us and were awful all night), particularly Smith and Edwards who's distribution are both laughably bad and actually are responsible for breaking down more of our moves than our opponents (Smith CANNOT pass the ball) and 2. We are mentally weak away from home. When teams step up a gear, we don't look up for the fight because we have one way of playing. Even when we go long, Fletcher wins nothing in the air in too many games (like last night). The boy Sadat has got ability and pace but will score nothing for us because of the way we play trying to (slowly) walk the ball into the net through a packed defence. I bet he'd score a bucketload for a Livingston or St Mirren who hit teams quickly on the counter. 1 win in the last 7 peeps.
Worrying. And that's before we get on to that absolute arsehole in the goal. He was actually unlucky with the penalty but everything else he does is just piss poor; kicking, positioning, saves virtually nothing and doesn't appear to think he is at fault for anything judging by his comments in the press having a go at the rest of the team after the Celtic game last week. Eriksson is horrendous as well but at least he is an ok shot stopper. Our two relegations in 1994-95 (Flapper Jorgensen, an unfit Alan Main and Kelham O'Handless) and 2015-16 (Junior keeper Zwick, Spaghetti Arms Szromnik and 3 months late Kawashima) were characterised by terrible goalkeepers in both seasons and unless this is addressed in January, it will happen again.
As much as we clearly need a right-sided centre half who can actually pass the ball, a ball winning central midfielder and a goalkeeper (I'd also add we need a better right back), what we need most is a new mindset.
It's ok though because the club think we'll be ok. At least I think that's what they think. Looking at those minutes from the latest SLG meeting you'd never know since they say absolutely nothing. A complete waste of time that has me questioning why I am shelling out money to DUSF every month if they are not representing fans frustrations and signing off on documents that are more redacted than the fucking Watergate papers.
Ken what, I probably am too negative but am getting fucking sick of this pish. For the money we are alleged to be shelling out we should be seeing better than being bottom after 16 games. And looking at this picture below, fuck me.
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