I'm bored now lol, have been busy watching Heineken Cup final then had a few hours playing Fifa 21 so now waiting until New Zealand v Australia test starts in a few hours so I thought I'd start the thread for the Ayr game :-P.

To be honest, not one player could complain if they got dropped and Tbh, I do hope there are wholesale changes! 

Ridgers 

Duffy, Deas, Devine (can't be any worse than dud McKay), McHattie 

McGregor, Welsh, Vincent, Allardice 

Mackay and Keatings. 

Edited October 17, 20205 yr by CaleyTennis

We will have Kennedy available and hopefully some of our injured players back.

43 minutes ago, Robert said:

... hopefully some of our injured players back.

How many seasons now have we been saying this? 

I know, but it seems worse this season and it would be good if the club could give us an update on what the injuries are and how long we may be missing the likes of Carson and Doran. 

Demands wholesale changes to the starting XI then makes one change. Sound.

4 hours ago, RiG said:

Demands wholesale changes to the starting XI then makes one change. Sound.

OK then, you do better!!!

 

I really don't like saying this but tough, it's, how I feel! This forum is becoming a joke and quite frankly, I'm beginning to wonder why I bother posting because it's so f***ing cliquey, and some posters like myself and a couple of others get nothing but criticism every post we put up, nobody else gets this, it's friendly debate but with me and the others it's "what are you talking about, you have no clue" or anything bullying. 

 

Now I know I've had warnings on pm via Scotty but it's gone to far now, I'd quite happily deactivate my account but I feel that would be unfair, as are the comments I get but, no the mods keep saying I'm overreacting which is bullshit, why should I come on here when I'm not allowed an opinion before people jump on my back!! 

Edited October 18, 20205 yr by CaleyTennis
Rant

55 minutes ago, CaleyTennis said:

OK then, you do better!!!

Given that half of our first team are injured the team largely picks itself. Assuming that the likes of Devine, Sutherland etc. are not fit enough to come back I would prefer something along the lines of...

Ridgers
Duffy Deas McHattie Harper
Vincent Welsh Allardice
MacGregor Keatings Mackay
 

McHattie was incredibly limited getting forward on Saturday and I think Harper is much better supporting the attack although perhaps he isn't as solid defensively and that will be a test for him given the wide men he is likely to be facing against Ayr. However, I'd be happier with Harper in there and an adjusted defence to get Mckay out of there. Duffy seemed relatively decent getting up and down the right although not as effective as Rooney was last season. Regardless, I'd be up for the LB and RB to be given licence to get up and down as much as they can to support the attack.

At times on Saturday it seemed we were playing a 4-1-3-2 with one of Welsh or Allardice sitting. It may be that a midfield trio of Vincent, Allardice and Welsh would provide a degree of solidity and offer additional protection to the defence with / if Duffy and Harper get forward and Welsh is always good for offering for a short pass for the CBs. Vincent and Allardice are very fit and have a solid work rate to help cover the flanks if required.

Up front we are limited. Assuming Sutherland doesn't make it I would look to swap MacKay and MacGregor so they are playing on their stronger foot. Macgregor time and time again slowed down attacks on the left flank as he looked to cut back in on his stronger foot. Whilst this can work it is normally helpful to have someone going down the left side to try and pull a defender away to create space but this didn't happen as McHattie sat back and left MacGregor somewhat isolated. 

The players can easily move around into different formations if we want (it can easily mesh into a 4-2-3-1 for example) and whilst it doesn't have a lot of creativity or goals it's probably as good as we can expect right now given the personnel available to Robertson. Width provide by the full backs and MacGregor / Mackay, a bit more of a reliable CB partnership (i.e. no Brad Mckay) and three midfielders who can all rotate between defensive and offensive duties.

ETA: Regarding the rest of your post you need to accept the fact that if you post something on here not everyone is going to agree with you. I don't expect everyone to agree with my suggested line up but I'm not going to get upset about it.

Edited October 18, 20205 yr by RiG

CaleyTennis and RiG please kiss and make up.

Failing that, I invite you both to Pyongyang for a Rocky 4 style way off settling things on Christmas Day. 👊

RIG, can you maybe go i to more detail on your team selection.....

2 hours ago, CaleyTennis said:

OK then, you do better!!!

 

I really don't like saying this but tough, it's, how I feel! This forum is becoming a joke and quite frankly, I'm beginning to wonder why I bother posting because it's so f***ing cliquey, and some posters like myself and a couple of others get nothing but criticism every post we put up, nobody else gets this, it's friendly debate but with me and the others it's "what are you talking about, you have no clue" or anything bullying. 

 

Now I know I've had warnings on pm via Scotty but it's gone to far now, I'd quite happily deactivate my account but I feel that would be unfair, as are the comments I get but, no the mods keep saying I'm overreacting which is bullshit, why should I come on here when I'm not allowed an opinion before people jump on my back!! 

I’ve got no problem at all with you having an opinion, and in fact I broadly agree with your opinion that Brad McKay probably isn’t good enough for any team with hopes of promotion from this league. What I do have a problem with is your repeated name-calling and personal attacks on our manager. What exactly has a man who has achieved successive third and second-place finishes, against better-resourced teams with a reduced budget each season, done to warrant being called a ‘stupid donkey’ by you? Frame your criticisms in a respectful manner and no-one will have a problem with them; continue to hurl insults at people and it renders all your accusations of being bullied and picked on as rank hypocrisy. 

57 minutes ago, tm4tj said:

RIG, can you maybe go i to more detail on your team selection.....

I'll draw a picture for Alan Simpson.

2 hours ago, RiG said:

Given that half of our first team are injured the team largely picks itself. Assuming that the likes of Devine, Sutherland etc. are not fit enough to come back I would prefer something along the lines of...

Ridgers
Duffy Deas McHattie Harper
Vincent Welsh Allardice
MacGregor Keatings Mackay
 

McHattie was incredibly limited getting forward on Saturday and I think Harper is much better supporting the attack although perhaps he isn't as solid defensively and that will be a test for him given the wide men he is likely to be facing against Ayr. However, I'd be happier with Harper in there and an adjusted defence to get Mckay out of there. Duffy seemed relatively decent getting up and down the right although not as effective as Rooney was last season. Regardless, I'd be up for the LB and RB to be given licence to get up and down as much as they can to support the attack.

At times on Saturday it seemed we were playing a 4-1-3-2 with one of Welsh or Allardice sitting. It may be that a midfield trio of Vincent, Allardice and Welsh would provide a degree of solidity and offer additional protection to the defence with / if Duffy and Harper get forward and Welsh is always good for offering for a short pass for the CBs. Vincent and Allardice are very fit and have a solid work rate to help cover the flanks if required.

Up front we are limited. Assuming Sutherland doesn't make it I would look to swap MacKay and MacGregor so they are playing on their stronger foot. Macgregor time and time again slowed down attacks on the left flank as he looked to cut back in on his stronger foot. Whilst this can work it is normally helpful to have someone going down the left side to try and pull a defender away to create space but this didn't happen as McHattie sat back and left MacGregor somewhat isolated. 

The players can easily move around into different formations if we want (it can easily mesh into a 4-2-3-1 for example) and whilst it doesn't have a lot of creativity or goals it's probably as good as we can expect right now given the personnel available to Robertson. Width provide by the full backs and MacGregor / Mackay, a bit more of a reliable CB partnership (i.e. no Brad Mckay) and three midfielders who can all rotate between defensive and offensive duties.

ETA: Regarding the rest of your post you need to accept the fact that if you post something on here not everyone is going to agree with you. I don't expect everyone to agree with my suggested line up but I'm not going to get upset about it.

Maybe time to shire things up and play a 3-5-2 with the full backs playing as wing backs given our lack of natural wide players further forward. If Devine is fit enough to start, but our other casualties don’t make it, that would mean something like:

Ridgers

Devine Deas McHattie 

Duffy Vincent Welsh Allardice Harper

Keatings Mackay

Just a thought but we did well in that formation in the last game before lockdown. 

Edited October 18, 20205 yr by Robert

2 hours ago, aaroncoganshogun said:

CaleyTennis and RiG please kiss and make up.

Failing that, I invite you both to Pyongyang for a Rocky 4 style way off settling things on Christmas Day. 👊

I'm up for that if RiG is :-), I get that I overreact sometimes, that's what I usually get told on pm anyway :-P.

I am not here to cause trouble, anyone that knows me knows how laid back and caring I am, I work with kids for God sake so that proves how likeable I am. I get passionate about sports, especially ICT, Scotland and British Tennis, maybe so much that I do get confrontational and overly aggressive in my choice of words. 

I always took being a donkey as less aggressive hence my use of it, Tbh I would rather be called a donkey than a ICT b***** or Highland Hun etc both of which I have been called on Facebook by Celtic fans. 

But its not only RiG though, I've had criticism aimed at me constantly by Highland capital, Alternative Maryhill (here and Pie and Bovril). 

Let's call a truce here :-P, I will promise not to post on here directly after a match, win or lose but the mentioned people have to apologise to me in return for their constant criticism :).

Let's all be adults here, I am an administrator on an Andy Murray fan group on FB and Tbh, I get how hard it is to run groups and keep everyone happy. 

I'll leave at that until next Saturday when I'll browse the match day thread for Ayr but after the match, I'll watch Glasgow v Ospreys instead of posting here :). 

 

2 hours ago, Robert said:

Maybe time to shire things up and play a 3-5-2 with the full backs playing as wing backs given our lack of natural wide players further forward. If Devine is fit enough to start, but our other casualties don’t make it, that would mean something like:

Ridgers

Devine Deas McHattie 

Duffy Vincent Welsh Allardice Harper

Keatings Mackay

Just a thought but we did well in that formation in the last game before lockdown. 

I agree that line up has a bit more flexibility and given the injury situation could match up to Ayr better. Hoping Shane Sutherland will be fit enough to make the bench too and come on for the last 20 minutes.

I had hoped that this would be an enlightening thread based on footballing discourse (thank feck for RIG). Fer fecks sake PM each other if off topic. With what surrounds me football just doesn't seem so important at the moment but I'd rather pop on here to be informed.