hislopsoffsideagain

Could Yogi not have warned us in advance that he was planning to tell the players to treat it like a preseason friendly? I wouldn't have wasted my evening if I'd realised.

Thanks Scotty - that's a lot of work (I should know, I did it for a few seasons). Really appreciate it.

That was just the pits. We've scored just twice from open play in our last five home league games and it's easy to see why. A draw is a decent enough result on paper, but our lack of ambition was really depressing. Storey had to exhaust himself chasing shadows and lost causes for 70 minutes; on the rare occasions he got the ball, he would look up and see no teammates within 30 yards of him. This was very much a night for playing someone like Roberts close to him because Hearts pushed high up the pitch and made it difficult to pass out from the back; in his absence we used Vincent in that role in the second half and he contributed nothing. As for Williams up front at the end...what was the point of that? It's becoming harder and harder to understand what Yogi's plan is. With so many deep lying midfielders in our team it was scary how often Jamie Walker found space in between the lines in the second half. Our midfielders looked knackered despite doing relatively little running - is a lack of fitness the reason why we've conceded so many late goals this season? Here, we escaped that fate because of a very good Fon Williams save. Meekings is not a right-back. He was caught out of position multiple times down that flank. I just want this season to end and to forget about it.

Firstly, paragraphs are underrated. Secondly, the SPL no longer exists. Thirdly, we had a very attacking side under Butcher, scoring more goals in 2012-13 than any other top flight season in our history. Our average of two league goals per game when he got us promoted was pretty impressive too. Fourthly, "local players" - only Ross, Munro and Shinnie from that list weren't signed from other clubs. The others simply stayed here for a long time, which makes them no different from Draper, Warren and others currently at the club. We've never had a squad mainly built of local players - in fact we've barely had any local players. It's never harmed us before. I'd rather have a guy from down south who can play a bit than a local boy who can't. Fifthly. "442" - the only thing that bothers me more than Mike Bassett "Four-four-f******-two" types are those who insists we need a big man up front. Anyone who watches football with even half a brain knows that formations and systems are largely overrated these days - one team's 4-2-3-1 involves four forwards and is very attacking, and another team's 4-2-3-1 involves five midfielders and is very defensive. If the poster can name one elite team who play an orthodox 4-4-2, I'd be surprised. As for our "tried and tested 4-4-2", I'm not sure we've played such a system regularly since Wyness and Dargo were up front. Even then, Wyness used to drop deeper so it was more of a 4-4-1-1. I suppose we went with Rooney and Foran up top in the last few weeks of the promotion campaign. Sixthly (is that a word?), why people think Foran would be a good coach is not clear - there is more to coaching than loyalty to a club and a willingness to shout a lot.

Dunno about £3k/week, but I have heard from good sources that Dundee are paying way more than we can offer, thanks to their American backers. I'd reckon they now have the fifth biggest budget in the division, behind Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and Dundee United. If they're offering James 'made of glass' Vincent a three year deal, they clearly have more money than sense.

I can't remember the last time I left a game so demoralized. Both teams were utterly hopeless - the difference between the two was that it was us who made the blunder that gifted them a goal. We only ever seem to concede goals either from set pieces or from giving the ball away within 30 yards of our own goal. It would be nice if opponents actually had to work a bit to score against us. Once they got in front, Accies were properly cynical - lots of niggly fouls, lots of injury feigning, unbelievable time wasting. Good for them. They're fighting for every point because they're worried about going down. Our lot need to realize that they're in a scrap to avoid eleventh as well - they don't seem to have twigged yet. Yes, we were short of players today, but it's not as if we were playing kids. These guys are all seasoned professionals, and too many of them were **** poor today. I'd give Williams and Horner pass marks for effort, and Fon Williams didn't do anything wrong. The others were rotten. My faith in Yogi was badly shaken today. The tactical plan was poor from the off - Wedderburn was constantly outmanoeuvered and outmuscled by Carlton Morris, a rubbish striker who has scored three goals against us this season and just one in his other twenty-four games. Draper in defence would have been far more sensible. Playing Hughes up front was laughable in the first half, as we kept punting the ball over his head; when he made it stick, he never got any support unless Roberts was racing up to support him. In the second half, when the game was open (and far more conducive to our passing play) we instead subbed off Roberts and brought on Foran to play up front...and spent the last half hour punting straight long balls. We had been on top when they scored, for god's sake. Of all the times to ditch your principles, this was the worst by a mile. When we eventually got Storey on, we stuck him out wide where he couldn't get into the game. It was also embarrassing to see Yogi berating the stand-side linesman when they scored - because of a throw-in he gave against us in their half a full 90 seconds earlier. Firstly, it was the right decision (not that it stopped the folk around me giving said linesman dog's abuse for the rest of the game) and secondly, it had nothing to do with the goal we conceded. Pretty pathetic. As for the laugh and joke he was having with the Accies dugout with a few minutes still to play, well I'd prefer he was concentrating on us! Not good. Not good at all. There's a lot for us to worry about.

I have heard tales that Dundee have far greater resources at their disposal, courtesy of their American backers (a good source tells me that Rory Loy is on £3k/week, for example!) and so I'm not surprised that they could offer higher wages to both. I like both Vincent and Williams, and I'd be disappointed if either left. However, part of my anxiety is that, whilst it's possible we could replace them with superior players (maybe, in Ryan Williams/Liam Hughes, we already have) they are proven commodities - we know what we are getting from both. Vincent, it must be remembered, was signed by Butcher for a particular role - to play in an advanced midfield position and bust a gut, doing the running so that the likes of Doran didn't have to. And he did that very well until that injury. When he came back, Hughes had come in and Vincent certainly took some time to adapt to the new style - but he has managed it and was playing well this season until he got injured again. He has a great engine and has a wonderful knack for being in the right place to pick up the second ball. The downside is very much the injuries - he's only played 67 games in 2 and a half years, which isn't great, and he has had too many periods where he has been unavailable for 2-3 months at a time. Williams is actually quite a limited player, but one who works so hard that he is a far greater asset than many naturally gifted contemporaries. And players with his sort of pace don't grow on trees. He does feel to me like a jack of all trades and master of none though - not quite good enough at beating a full-back or crossing to be an out and out winger, not quite robust enough for central midfield, not defensively savvy enough for left-back (though I thought he might grow into that role given time). But you can trust him to put in a shift and do the job he has been given. To lose either would be a shame. But neither are anywhere near irreplaceable.

Excellent performance, I thought - though had Ash Taylor not handed us an equalizer on a plate the game might have been very different. Yogi's tactics last night seemed a bit crazy - effectively using Roberts and Storey as wide forwards rather than playing a central striker - but they generally worked well and seemed to prevent Aberdeen's full-backs from bombing on as much as they normally would. I couldn't really fault any individual performance. Gary Warren was outstanding, I thought. That's the best game I've seen Vigurs have since he came back - scoring that goal seemed to really lift him and he put in a great shift. Yes, our name came up in the Collum lottery, which certainly helped. Aberdeen were honking after they went behind though. At 3-1, I thought we looked more likely to score than they did. Wouldn't be surprised if Draper got a letter from the compliance officer this week...though Aberdeen fans probably shouldn't throw stones whilst they still have Peter Pawlett on their books!

I'm a bit relieved that we came away with a point. The game got crazily open in the last 20 minutes and they were at least as likely to score as we were. Not often that one can criticize the centre-backs after a clean sheet, but both Devine and Draper struggled in possession and made several errors. Fon Williams made a couple of absolutely stunning saves to keep Partick to nil. In attack, I think Lopez has had enough opportunity. He was dreadful again. He makes too little effort to offer himself for passes into feet - compare that with Mutombo who is always looking for it. More damningly, his lack of pace completely wrecks out attacking plans - defences can play high up the pitch because there's no threat of Lopez getting in behind. That means we're far more cramped when in possession and find it harder to work our way into the final third. A quick forward (eg Mckay, Watkins, even Ofere who was far more mobile than Lopez) stretches play, forcing defences to start in a deeper position and therefore leaving more space in the midfield area for us to work in. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Mutombo as a lone striker in the near future, perhaps once Doran is fit and available again.

Confirmed by the official twitter feed this am. My reaction:

Goodness, gracious me. What the hell was that? First, the caveats: any team in this league bar Celtic and Aberdeen struggles with a few players out - today we missed Brill, Tremarco, Vincent, Foran, Doran and Roberts (some of whom may have started, and some of whom may not have). Then we lose Warren and Meekings to injury. But still, we could have easily lost that four- or five-nil. Owain Fon Williams was outstanding (he even made a wonderful save for their goal, but Fletcher got to the rebound first), and it was just as well. Motherwell missed several other chances. We on the other hand, managed three shots on goal and none on target (according to the BBC). The three shots were a Tansey free kick deflected well wide, a Tansey shot from distance that went miles high and wide, and a Lopez shot from distance that was closer to the corner flag than the goal. And it's not as though we were fizzing crosses across the face of goal or anything. Their keeper could have spent the match leaning on his post and reading the newspaper. I know we were short of players, but the tactics were terrible. Raven (when played out of position) and Meekings offer no attacking width. There is no point to playing both Wedderburn and Draper, they are so similar in style that they are practically two cheeks of the same fat backside. Williams needed to be at left-back from the off, just to give us a bit of width. Raven was also dreadfully exposed by Marvin Johnson's pace. Johnson and Chalmers kept getting into the space left by our full-backs when they bombed forward...with our twin defensive midfielders nowhere to be seen when they should have been covering. We were a shambles from the off - Warren's panicky hack on McDonald in the first minute set the tone. I know folk will bemoan our passing around at the back but Tansey's blunder was not because he was under pressure - he simply played a lazy, blind sideways pass. What he was doing that deep at that point (and many others in the first half), when we already had two defensive midfielders, was beyond me. Subbing Wedderburn and bringing on Mutombo was a desperate move, but the right one. Mutombo had several good touches, though whether he has some substance, or is just a Fancy Dan, remains to be seen. He at least went looking for the ball, which is more than can be said for Lopez. The Spaniard must have touched the ball about ten times...and nearly every time it just bounced off him. He didn't get much service, but nor did he compete with the Motherwell defenders or make an active effort to offer himself for a pass. He's had three starts now and if this is as fit as he's going to get, then god help us. I felt sorry for Ryan Christie, who kept getting caught in possession because no-one in front of him was ever looking for a pass. He got more and more frustrated as the game went on, and made more and more mistakes. It was a sign of the way our day was going that we lost both Warren and Meekings, which left us with a threadbare back four. Devine was alright to be fair; it must be said that Polworth was decent enough in the second half but just offered more of the sideways passing. Horner wasn't much cop, but then we had no other options, really. So, in conclusion, that was terrible - maybe even worse than any performance in the whole of last season. But surely once our injuries are cleared we'll be fine...right?

Probably echoing a lot of what's been said before, but here goes... We were unlucky to lose that. Our performance was excellent, especially considering our lack of competitive games. The passing in the first 15 minutes was particularly impressive, and their goal was a huge blow because it came well against the run of play. I wish fans would show more patience with the passing game. They pass sideways to keep possession and to create space - it's a far better idea than punting hopeful long balls. The individual performances: Fon Williams - I imagine he'll be fine with a game or two under his belt, but he looked rusty and my first instinct was that he should have kept that free kick out Meekings - looked like a centre-back playing out of position. Defended well. Was willing to get forward but offered nothing in attack Warren - Excellent, hard to remember him putting a foot wrong. My MOTM Devine - Does look dodgy in possession on occasion but played well Williams - Needs to work on his positioning when we're defending, but he was a great outlet. Give him a few more months to learn the position and he'll do very well Wedderburn - Looks like he ate one of the subs for his pre-match meal. Slow and ponderous, but actually decent in possession and broke up play quite well. He could be very useful once he gets up to fitness Draper - Not a great performance. Unnecessarily gave away the free kick they scored from. Gave the ball away too cheaply and too often. We probably only need one of him or Wedderburn for league games - who would you choose? Tansey - After a bright start, he struggled to have much influence until he dropped deeper later in the game. His set-piece delivery was good Doran - Looks like he's been eating salad all summer. Always looking for the ball and generally used it well Christie - It never quite came off for him in the final third, but his touch was good and he covered the whole pitch looking for the ball Lopez - Good with his back to goal, but will he score many? Can't really be judged until he is fully fit.

Keeper and back four pick themselves (Esson, Raven, Meekings, Devine, Shinnie), as do Draper and Tansey in front of them and Ofere up front. Watkins will surely start too, but the question is if he will play up front in a 4-4-2 or wide in a 4-2-3-1. Seems to me that Christie, Williams, Ross, Doran and Vincent are fighting over the other two spots. Hard to leave Christie out, I think; I wouldn't be surprised if Falkirk sit back and try to soak up pressure, so we'll need him to unlock their defence. You could use that as a reason to pick Ross and Doran as well, but I reckon Williams will get the nod, as he will tuck in from the left to allow Shinnie to rampage, and cover him if necessary. So, for me, it's Esson - Raven, Meekings, Devine, Shinnie - Draper, Tansey - Watkins, Christie, Williams - Ofere. Subs: Mackay, Tremarco, Doran, Kink, Polworth, Ross, Vincent

http://www.tellhimhespele.com/episode-ten-bobby-mann/ Tell you what, chaps, this podcast is an absolute joy. Bobby talking through his career, and mostly about ICT - Paterson, Robbo, the win over Celtic, the first division title. The memories!

Opportunity for me to try out a new toy... http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=67jy8 That's assuming that Devine is available (he wasn't even a sub on Tuesday), any potential new signing (Kink?) won't be fit to start, and that none of our casualties (Brill, Doran, Vincent, Foran) are back. Warren and Watkins are suspended. We're down to the bare bones, aren't we? Edit: damn, couldn't get the graphic embedded in the post so just had to leave the link

Sounds to me like a few of the players are running on empty. It's not a surprise, given that we've used fewer players than any other Premiership team this season. That's four games in a row in which our second half performance has been poor, and I bet it's because they're tired. Trouble is, we really are short of options right now, and with Warren and Watkins suspended for Saturday we're going to be even shorter. Doesn't sound like Doran and Foran are coming back any time soon, and the situation with Devine and Vincent is unclear. But, barring Tremarco, I wouldn't have trusted any of the subs on our bench last night. If there is a silver lining, it also sounds like United are struggling at the moment too. And we're the ones who are 7 points ahead in the table. After Saturday, the fixtures stop coming as thick and fast for a bit - Raith on the 7th in the cup, then only one game in the next four weeks after that. That should give the guys a bit of rest. And it's a rest they've earned.

Agree with much of this, but can I check one thing? When you said the ref was inconsistent, you meant clueless and gutless, right? Yup, pretty much!

Like a lot of folk I was properly fizzing with frustration at full-time - at our players for blowing the lead three times, at their players for kicking us (and, in Magennis' case, shoving) and at the referee for a performance best described as 'inconsistent'. On reflection, though, it was just one of those days. We dominated for long spells. We played some decent stuff. And of the three goals that we conceded, two were really very unlucky - Eccleston gets a hugely fortunate break of the ball for the first, and the second was a great free kick that goes in via the post and Esson. The third equalizer was the most hard to stomach. We're far more vulnerable at set pieces than we used to be, and I think it's crazy that we keep three players up when defending corners. It just means there's more space in the box, which is one of the reasons why Obadeyi got a clear shot away. A lot of criticism for Esson from the folk who sit around me, but I thought it was harsh. He was unlucky for the second, and he'd have been struggling to fight through a scrum of players in the six yard box to get to the cross for the third. As stated elsewhere, Christie was absolutely magnificent today. He floated in between their defence in midfield and caused havoc. On a lot of occasions, I thought he was let down by less talented teammates who weren't on the same wavelength! Call me a pessimist, but I've never really believed that a second place finish was going to happen. However, today is the first day I've ever really thought that third place was on the cards, thanks to Dundee United's result. So let's look back on it as a point gained.

Meekings signs a two year deal!!!!!!!!!!!

We might not get on the TV, but if we get to the semis then I think that's where the big bucks are. Doesn't all the cash from the two games get shared between the four semi finalists? Make no mistake, this cup run is important for the bank balance. After all, we were barely in the black last season despite reaching the League Cup final.

County were set up to stop us playing, and that, combined with the awful weather and a rotten pitch, made life difficult for us. Given that we had little choice but to play long ball, I'm not sure we had a better option up front than Watkins, though playing Williams up with him was a strange move. Tansey and Ross were passengers and both should have been hooked much earlier. Watkins' goal was tremendous, about the only piece of quality from us in the first half. We did have our chances to put it to bed after the break though. From what I could see, the equalizer was a result of a ****-up from Esson, who should have had an easy take of a cross; he seemed to drop it and the ball hit Warren and went in. Esson's kicking was atrocious today, and he wasn't even trying to pass it out of defence like Brill usually does. I thought the back four generally did fine today, as did Draper and Shinnie in front of them, but in hindsight we really needed either Tansey or Ross in a more central role with Williams wide; our full-backs were very exposed, especially in the second half. I'd have taken a point before kickoff Frankly, it's a miracle that a football match came close to breaking out, given the conditions.

Given that we were going to lose Mckay for nowt in the summer anyway, £150,000 seems about fair - it's the equivalent of finishing one position lower in the league than we are now. We only got £50,000 for Don Cowie in a similar situation 5 years ago. The chairman's comments seem to imply that we'll be bringing in a replacement, possibly with some of the money. Let's face it, Wigan are a much bigger club than us; given that it isn't a derisory sum, it'd be unfair to deny him this opportunity to prove himself at Championship level. There's no question he's a huge loss though. Anyone who thinks he was 'over-rated' or 'not that good' is deluding themselves. Like all but the most elite strikers, he had lean spells in front of goal, but his movement off the ball was always terrific and his link-up play is excellent. His poorest spells for us - his first season, and the second half of last season - came because we weren't getting the ball to him at all. I'd claim that Mckay is currently the best striker in Scottish football not employed by Celtic (maybe with the exception of Adam Rooney). Is he good enough for the English Championship? The jury's out - defenders will be quicker and stronger than in Scotland. But he deserves to have a crack at it. Good luck to him.

There's a difference between shouting "Oh, f***" when we concede a goal, and screaming "Player X, you're a f****** c***!" The former is forgiveable (I hope so, because I've done it from time to time); the latter is not acceptable at a football match, in the street, or whatever. People like that should be thrown out, not tolerated.

If you're talking about Section D in the main stand, there are a couple of guys there who have been turning up for years to do nothing but shout abuse at both our players and the opposition, and occasionally other fans that ask them to be quiet. They're usually absolutely plastered. I can hear them from Section C, and it's often made me wonder what someone has to do to get ejected from the ground.

Well, that was rather easy. After an early barrage of high balls into the box from St. Johnstone, we took control and never relinquished it. Our passing in the first half was crisp and incisive, and I've never seen so many back heels at a game here! We understandably took our foot off the gas after the break - and even then we should have scored a few more. Yogi now has a selection headache - the type every manager wants, mind. He has Ryan Christie and James Vincent on the bench, plus Tansey and Raven to come back from suspension, but the starting XI last night played really well. In Tansey's absence, Danny Williams took the bull by the horns and was my man of the match; whilst he doesn't offer a Hollywood Pass like Tansey does, his movement with the ball made us play at a higher tempo that St. Johnstone couldn't live with. Nick Ross has been deservedly getting plaudits too, whilst Tremarco, not a favourite of mine normally, had a great game. His first touch remains iffy, but you could see his confidence shoot up after he set up Watkins' goal and in the second half he spent more time in their half than ours. This was a superb team performance, albeit against a St. Johnstone side missing some important players. Hopefully it impressed some of the folk who took up the Pay What You Can offer - which came on a night where, to be honest, ICT were so good that it would have justified the full admission fee.