Loads of comments after the Tynie performance. I am simply putting it down to "a bad day at the office". We got our tactics wrong, we put out the wrong formation BUT we were holding our own before we were blitzed by - lets say three well fashioned and executed goals. The League has to be our focus. Some people are asking for wholesale changes BUT we don't have the squad to do that. Would like to see how the others would change it around for Falkirk. Me I would drop Rooney, replace at full back with Brad McKay and bring McCart into the middle with Donaldson. Up front I would pair White and Austin. I suspect that White would be much better with a player up beside him and Austin must surely have a point to prove. An alternative which will not happen YET is to pair up Austin and wee Danny McKay. Now midfield is the problem area. Doran has clearly got to be given time and space to be the playmaker but he has to do a lot more work as well. He looked good but was static at Tynie. It probably will not happen but I would go for Calder and Walsh wide and Doran and Polly in the middle. One sitting (probably Doran) and Polly in a roving role. That also means a high line defence. SO ??

RIDGERS

McKAY  McCART  DONALDSON  TREMARCO

CALDER  DORAN  POLWORTH  WALSH

WHITE  AUSTIN

I agree with most of what you’ve got there, I’m still not totally convinced Austin is what we need. As far as I’ve seen he likes to get in close to the goal and take a shot when he’s almost certain of scoring but, in my opinion, we really need that player that’s going to take the shot from the edge of the box when they get the chance. I thought that could be White or Oakley, hopefully one of them will shine!

Also, I like Elouzedi, he’s got great pace to get up to the back line with the ball, just needs to get a good cross or two into the box and we may start seeing some goals.

As for the match itself, does anyone know if tickets for this will be sold by ICT prior to the game or just pay at the gate?

18 minutes ago, Inverwegian said:

I agree with most of what you’ve got there, I’m still not totally convinced Austin is what we need. As far as I’ve seen he likes to get in close to the goal and take a shot when he’s almost certain of scoring but, in my opinion, we really need that player that’s going to take the shot from the edge of the box when they get the chance. I thought that could be White or Oakley, hopefully one of them will shine!

Also, I like Elouzedi, he’s got great pace to get up to the back line with the ball, just needs to get a good cross or two into the box and we may start seeing some goals.

As for the match itself, does anyone know if tickets for this will be sold by ICT prior to the game or just pay at the gate?

If you have a season ticket you can add your 'ticket' on there, as Falkirk use the same system. 

Not sure about non season ticket holders tbh.

I considered Elbouzhedi. I have only seen glimpses of him but I was impressed at the close of last season. I would love to see Elbouzhedi and wee McKay up front together.

As McCart Trafford Calder Oakley Dan Mackay all started against Fort we can presume they won't be starting on Saturday. I would guess the only change will be Austin in for Trafford. A 4-4-2 diamond with Chalmers sitting Polly and Doran wide and Walsh in the hole. 

Only other thing is maybe Welsh being thrown in but not sure. 

I would have McCart in for McKay but looks like it won't happen

Be interesting to see Robbos team lineup for first game of the season.

 

2 hours ago, Stirling Observer said:

As McCart Trafford Calder Oakley Dan Mackay all started against Fort we can presume they won't be starting on Saturday. I would guess the only change will be Austin in for Trafford. A 4-4-2 diamond with Chalmers sitting Polly and Doran wide and Walsh in the hole. 

Only other thing is maybe Welsh being thrown in but not sure. 

I would have McCart in for McKay but looks like it won't happen

That may well be the case but I am really not sure that Doran/Polly works, especially putting both out wide. Sill us armchair managers may have got it all wrong ?!!

4 hours ago, Inverwegian said:

I agree with most of what you’ve got there, I’m still not totally convinced Austin is what we need. As far as I’ve seen he likes to get in close to the goal and take a shot when he’s almost certain of scoring but, in my opinion, we really need that player that’s going to take the shot from the edge of the box when they get the chance. I thought that could be White or Oakley, hopefully one of them will shine!

Also, I like Elouzedi, he’s got great pace to get up to the back line with the ball, just needs to get a good cross or two into the box and we may start seeing some goals.

As for the match itself, does anyone know if tickets for this will be sold by ICT prior to the game or just pay at the gate?

Falkirk response on P&B - "I think that the main stand is all ticket so, if you're put in there, you'll need to get a ticket from the club shop prior to the game. If you're in the North Stand then you can pay at the gate. It'll depend how many you expect to bring. <200 I would imagine you'll be in the main." 

18 minutes ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

That may well be the case but I am really not sure that Doran/Polly works, especially putting both out wide. Sill us armchair managers may have got it all wrong ?!!

Neither Doran or Polworth have really been playing wide. Our only width comes from Tremarco or Rooney.

Iv not been to any games thus far but thought it may have been a narrow diamond set up in the 4-4-2 with Walsh given a bit of freedom to roam.

2 hours ago, RiG said:

Neither Doran or Polworth have really been playing wide. Our only width comes from Tremarco or Rooney.

Exactly. And on Sunday none of the midfield quartet appeared no know exactly where they were playing. Trafford to me is more of a central holding player. But Trafford and Chalmers were sucked off their wide stances. Perhaps that was also very clever tactics by Levein ?

I would like to see Eboulzedi playing wide left, he has pace and can beat a man and cross, and I'm not convinced with Rooney at right back. 

My team would be -

                                  Ridgers

Mckay    McCart     Donaldson     Tremarco

                             Chalmers

Walsh                 Polworth           Eboulzedi

                           Doran

                        Austin

https://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/2018/07/29/tickets-on-sale-for-season-opener/

 

Free entry for U12s!

Any face painting, trampolines, bouncy castles or childrens' entertainment.

As long as we win, I'll be happy. Only seen White briefly but he looks to have better game intelligence than Oakley.

What waterhole are we frequenting ? Railway Tavern ?

23 hours ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Any face painting, trampolines, bouncy castles or childrens' entertainment.

There's two big shiny water-horses not too far away to try and climb over.  

9 hours ago, Row S said:

There's two big shiny water-horses not too far away to try and climb over.  

Those are fab...one day I'll get to see them when ICT play away (unfortunately not tomorrow) ...I'dlove something in similar construction depicting an Eagle alongside the A9 near our stadium

I think Sean Welsh is available, considering how dreadful our central midfielders were at Tynecastle maybe he could be an option?

 

Butt is he fit enuff. Should we chuck him in head first ? Robbo usually does not do reactive changes unfortunately. I suspect that there will be few changes. Perhaps the only one to miss out will be Trafford.

4 hours ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Butt is he fit enuff. Should we chuck him in head first ? Robbo usually does not do reactive changes unfortunately. I suspect that there will be few changes. Perhaps the only one to miss out will be Trafford.

I suspect you're right about this, which worries me a wee bit as I think there are limitations in that line-up and formation that are ripe for exploitation by opponents. Lazy cut & paste of what I posted on P&B:

Really struggling to see what our best line-up and formation could be for this, on the back of our collapse at Tynecastle. For all that we finished last season very strongly, we did look worryingly narrow at times, and lacked pace in the centre of the park - both factors that should make us easier to defend against, and more vulnerable to counter attacks. Yet our summer signings and the way we've lined up in the League Cup games suggest that John Robertson is quite content to continue with this: until Calder came on against Hearts, our only real width came from the full backs, Rooney and Tremarco, and given that we were playing a back four, this placed pretty heavy demands on them, as well as increasing the pressure on the central defensive pairing. The current squad also shows a definite imbalance between nominally attacking players and more defensive-minded midfielders: only Trafford, and arguably Chalmers and Welsh fit into the latter category, and while Welsh hasn't appeared for us yet, neither Trafford nor Chalmers provide enough pace or aggression in that role to allow us to dominate games; we're crying out for a Draper-type figure there. Polworth could potentially do it,  but given that he had more assists than any other player in the Championship last season, we'd clearly be losing something in an attacking sense by playing him deeper. Robbo also seems determined to go with a front pairing of two big strikers, and surely we're likely to get more out of that system if we're getting the ball in from wide areas rather than everything coming through the middle. With that in mind, I'd like to see us try something like:

Ridgers

Rooney  Mckay  Donaldson Tremarco

Doran  Welsh Polworth Walsh

White  Austin  

Would have no problem with McCart replacing Mckay in that line-up, or Oakley replacing White; if Welsh isn't fit enough to be risked, then I'd rather Trafford than Chalmers as the sitting midfielder, with Polworth ideally playing a more box-to-box role. Daniel McKay also needs to be an early option from the bench, as he looks far pacier than anyone else we've got up front. Suspect, however that the team and formation that we see starting on Saturday will be quite different to this.          

Plans to make this game have been thwarted.

Robbo and his coaching staff are infinitely more qualified than me to decide on the selection and formation most likely to bring a result, so I'll make no comment on that.  All I'm looking for is that the players give the best possible account of themselves....can never ask for any more from them than that.

COME ON THE CALEY THISTLE!!!!

Boring **** - Not slow to give your opinions off the pitch so feckin beef up mun ?

Its a MUST win game!

26 minutes ago, CaleyD said:

Robbo and his coaching staff are infinitely more qualified than me to decide on the selection and formation most likely to bring a result, so I'll make no comment on that. 

I don't think anyone seriously believes that can tell Robbo how to do his job, but isn't a big part of the function of a forum to allow supporters to discuss tactics they'd like to see or that they think might work? It can't all be about discussing behind-the-scene politics or financial infrastructure or the state of the support and the club's relationship to it, even though these are important issues.   

Fecks sake Mary - Bouncy castles, food outlets, car parking and clean, accessible toilets are more important than an entertaining team and Championship points.