I was devastated when Roberts missed the penalty to put Hearts through and thought we would bounce back against St Mirren but of course they went and bet Celtic and got tons of confidence to beat us 2-1 which hurt as well given we had all the possession throughout the match. Another long trip to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup today and Foran and A Shinnie both off injured within the first half an hour and by the sounds of it we had most of the possession and still lost 2-0. Has our form dipped since that semi final and has the players confidence dropped?? It is only three games but we don't look the team that beat Aberdeen so convincingly in the second half. The problem is that we have had no injures up until now but with Shinnie and Foran missing it is a massive worry. Can we hold onto second in the SPL??

Personally I think the winter break, extended due to the postponement of the derby game at new year, has knocked out some of our momentum.

We'll perhaps kick on now that we only have the league to concentrate on, and to be realistic, we're not yet guarenteed a top 6 either.

Celtic and Motherwell in our next 3 games. Here's hoping we can take at least a point!

I was devastated when Roberts missed the penalty to put Hearts through and thought we would bounce back against St Mirren but of course they went and bet Celtic and got tons of confidence to beat us 2-1 which hurt as well given we had all the possession throughout the match.

Its football .. it happens .... St Mirren also beat us the weekend after the "SuperCaleyGoBallistic..." result. Even Chic Young said in his interview with TB today that we deserved something from that game.

 

Another long trip to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup today and Foran and A Shinnie both off injured within the first half an hour and by the sounds of it we had most of the possession and still lost 2-0.

We had 53% they had 47% according to BBC stats. Other stats also show things like shots on goal were pretty even (8/6 to Killie). it was a mistake that led to 1-0 lead and the second was scored when we were trying to push forward to grab a late equaliser.

 

Has our form dipped since that semi final and has the players confidence dropped?? It is only three games but we don't look the team that beat Aberdeen so convincingly in the second half. The problem is that we have had no injures up until now but with Shinnie and Foran missing it is a massive worry. Can we hold onto second in the SPL??

Our form hasnt dipped !!! We lost a cup game against SPL opposition on penalties last week, we were apparently unlucky not to take something from our away league game in midweek, and today it was by all accounts fairly even until the first goal went in ... we went chasing an equaliser and got hit with a sucker punch .... Thats not a dip its unlucky. Of course this will be a full blown crisis if we dont put 5 past Celtic next week (sarcasm)

 

Seems you know more than Terry Butcher does about the extent and level of the injuries. He has just been on the radio stating that Shinnie felt 'tightness' not a pull or tear and would be assessed with a scan next week. Foran had someone land on his knee and again, they will have to see how it is in a day or two.

i dont think it has

i have said on forum repeatedly that we have a team of eleven that picks it self every week. we have been lucky with suspensions and injuries up to now.

the players must be knackered travelling 3 times this week, playing extra time, against good teams.

 

think tel said it himself in interview today after game that when foran and "our best" player shinnie were taken off we have only youngsters on the bench.

killie had hefferman who came on and scored 2 goals.

he was stating the fact that we have a squad short of depth.

 

sounded down out of 2 cups, surely barnsley not on his mind

i dont think it has

i have said on forum repeatedly that we have a team of eleven that picks it self every week. we have been lucky with suspensions and injuries up to now.

the players must be knackered travelling 3 times this week, playing extra time, against good teams.

 

think tel said it himself in interview today after game that when foran and "our best" player shinnie were taken off we have only youngsters on the bench.

killie had hefferman who came on and scored 2 goals.

he was stating the fact that we have a squad short of depth.

 

sounded down out of 2 cups, surely barnsley not on his mind

 

what does this mean? we lost, it happens and for the reasons you have stated. What has Barnsley got to do with it?

I don't think that the semi final has anything to do with it. From fan's reports of games on Twitter we don't seem to be playing too badly. Yes, it's two disappointing results but 3 away games in the space of a week is a tough ask. 

Cant blame the winter break, we beat Aberdeen 3-0 right after it.

We've been a little unlucky this week, nothing else

I wouldnt say Mckay missing his sitter v Hearts was bad luck. He just did the same thing hes done all season in taking an extra touch, if anything we had a bit of luck in that game with the refereeing decisions.

Going back to Grant Street Clacher 

Sometimes things just don't go for you...despite best endeavours.

 

I was heartbroken for the team last week.  We matched a team with far greater resources than us for 120 minutes and then lose the game on a single kick of the ball.

 

Similar feelings today.  We were a little out of sorts in the final third, but you have to give credit to the team for still managing to get chances despite losing two of the teams most influential players to injury early on.

 

What's important is that nobody panics and tries to make it out to be more than it is....and full credit to the travelling fans today who showed real support for the team by staying to clap every one of them off the park at full time.

Exactly my words CaleyD.

I would just like to remind some folks here about the expectations and hopes last July. Let's see what happened with them:

1. Safety from relegation: Big check 15 games from the end

2. Positive season record against OTB: Nearly check, all we need is one point out of 2 games, and another if we drop to seventh or they miraculously climb to sixth.

3. One cup run: Big check

4. Signing key players on two-year contracts: Check for Meekings, G Shinnie and Mckay with a good chance to extend that list

5. Football on the deck instead of the hoof: Check. Not always as there are situations the hoof is simply necessary, but most of the time

6. Finding the net more often: Big big check

7. Better discipline: Check after a bad start. We had no one sent off since OTJ against Aberdire in October, or was that still September?!

I dont think what happened at Easter Road has caused this i think it was more the schedule. Had we beaten harts we still be on a high but we didnt and we were bound to have some hangover on wednesday due to the physical and maybe slight mental exertions the players had to cope with. But had celtic battered St Mirren then they also would not have been in a good place, as it was they were on a high and they had the better of the 1st half.But second half w really did control the game and even though we didnt create a hat full of chances we did have a few which we should have taken and would have seen us win the game. Yesterday though i think we the team we put out it is was always going to be hard especially if we lost the first goal. Killie are a decent side and the team that was put had mainly all featured the whole week and as seen foran came off and and shinnie also with shinnie's to do with with alot of football being played in a short space of time. All in all 3 away days with such a small squad was always going to be tough but the players get a break now and will hopefully be fresher for celtic and lets stick the boot into them again because there is still a lot the club could achieve and getting into the top 6 or higher could allow the club to keep hold of few more players so next season Butcher isnt looking to replace a whole team. With this we could maybe add 1 or 2 more experienced players to squad and have another cup run next year.

If we had somebody in charge who was tactical we would be OK.

I dont think the defeat has been a cause of anything. I do, however, wonder if all the hype and high expectations put additional pressure of the squad. On saying that, and I can only go by reports, we haven't been playing badly. We just haven't taken the chances we've created. Three hard games, all away, in one week didn't help. That happens in football. At least now we can get back down to the day to day stuff and concentrate on league business.

League run of 8 games then defeat, run of 8 games then defeat,   shall I put money on beating Celtic? 

 

At least there are no distractions now.  

The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley.

 

It's the nature of the beast.

 

I wish I had a penny for all the twists and turns of my life that were never remotely expected or could reasonably be foreseen. One minute you are up and another you are down and wondering what hit you.

 

Truthfully, the older you get the more tiresome this kind of turbulence becomes.Sometimes I have an insane longing for the pipe and slippers. Smile.

Then I look out  the window and see a wee boy kicking a football around and I forget the former.

 

But for a fan it should be stimulating, yes?

 

Mind, you, if you had an extremely even life without controversy or upset or struggle or having to fight for anything , would it be a boring one.? And what would you learn from  that life that was truly of real value at the end of the day.

Simple!  You should put money away so that you have an easy life in your dotage.

Dotage  Scarlet..........when does ours start?...........