Eagle4Caley

I here what your saying, but it would be nice to have the option of a big guy, who might hold the ball up, or knock on for guys like Samuels to play-off... and be in the middle for crosses from the wings, because for all their qualities it's asking a lot for guys like Mckay, Samuels, Hardy to take on CB's bigger and stronger for 90+mins. Let's be fair for certain games where we were under pressure like Arbroath away and St Johnstone, the ball is going to get hoofed. I was thinking how last year Todorov won so many headers for us. Obviously not always easy to get a big guy who isn't just a carthouse for the money we can pay.

Wow...what a game! After that first 45minutes, when we were lucky to not be 4 or 5 nil down. As the saying goes though you have to score when you're dominating the game, and St Johnstone didn't score enough. I can understand the line-up when you consider that neither Chalmers or Smauels have stayed on the pitch for the whole of any match, and Allardice had played less than 5 minutes in 4 months. In theory playing 3 CB's at the back using Welsh was partly to compensate for not having Devine to partner Broadfoot, and gave us 5 at the back or 4 in midfield to suit passages in play. Also with no Sutherland, a way had to be found to occupy the St Johnstone backline [although Hardy is a bit slow and weak at times]....Whatever the plan was, it didn't work in a spectacularly bad way, and I started to think it might be a blessing as there is no way that line up survives in the Premiership. Dodds therefore deserves great praise for reorganising at half time, and despite what the Sky commentators were saying, you could see we had taken back some of the control of the game from the restart. We were a completely different side in the 2nd half. Samuels made a real difference, he is probably playing the best in his entire career, a decent run in the team and he is developing some strength, control and intelligence to go with his undoubted speed. Chalmers worked hard in defence as well as being a bright spark around the front line. Going to a back 4 with Welsh back in the midfield with some complacency from St Johnstone started the process of regain parity, so for me I felt we were going to get a goal back before we actually did. Allardice added calmness when he came on, let's hope he has no reaction to the game and is available for Monday. As for McAlear, given that he has been a bit 'off-the-boil' during the run in and play-offs, those goals were sublime. Despite the Sky commentators narrative, if Samuels was offside [I don't think he was] then it was marginal, whilst McKay was already getting up from being headbutted by McCart, which may have swayed the ref's thinking not to stop the game. Davidson's moaning about the goal has more to do with realising he had perhaps thrown the tie away, especially after taking off Hallberg and Middleton when he did. McAlear's free kick really was a thing of beauty {the free kick came from another decent build up from Caley too] I would not have been surprised if we had pinched a 3rd goal [but that would be greedy of me] The 2nd leg is definitely up for grabs now, with Devine returning, meaning Deas can go to the left back position to nullify the threat of Rooney, perhaps with the help of Chalmers. Dodds will be wondering if Allardice is up for starting bearing in mind this leg could go to extra time [I'd probably start with Hyde], which if it happens might be harder on Caley than St Johnstone [legs-wise]. I suspect the strategy has to be to score first, so Samuels might also start. This leaves the likes of Duffy, Harper, Hardy and Doran to come on later along with Allardice to try and keep St Johnstone at bay. BTW great to see such a decent crowd in, for such an important game, lots of home support including the young crew on the West stand, to counteract a large St Johnstone following. We can definitely do based it on what I saw in the 2nd half and with reinforcements for the return leg, but it could feel like the longest 90mins. or 120 [Dear God no!] of our Caley lives.

Yes it wasn't great watching, but Arbroath strung 5 across the middle, the wind was terrible, and the pitch didn't run true, so even passes on the deck were difficult, and several times the ball got stuck up and players legs ruining chances [for both sides]. Yes it was the same for both sides, but Arbroath will be used to playing there week after week, which probably explains their excellent home record. I did wonder why we didn't try playing out from the back from Ridgers, but would it only work if Arbroath went for a high press, and the way the ball was bobbling around probably not the best tactic. It also rather explained why Samuels come off at half time, as he was not going to get very much out of that pitch [and let's be fair his first touch ball control needs a bit more work] Fortunately two good pitches to play on for the final, and St Johnstone will be a bit more open, which should help us.

So Duffy would be available for the 2nd leg, but Devine might also be available for the 2nd leg? I hadn't realised that. If we win any appeal and Devine can play in the first leg, then things don't seem so bad. Sutherland is the big miss I reckon as, he is the most physical presence upfront, maybe McAlear will be pushed higher up, to help out, but we may need a third midfielder in the middle of the pitch.

What a result, fantastic penalties, I was almost in tears at the end of that. Conditions terrible for a decent game, wind spoiled it, pitch poor, which fortunately also nullified any threat from Arbroath bar one chance (I think they had 24 shots but only 2 on target) fair play to them they got in our faces and we couldn't play any sort of passing game, but even running with the ball was tough the way the ball bobbled around Willie Collum is a terrible advert for Scottish referees, how he sent of Devine is beyond me, Duffy very unlucky , he was done for a bit of a lunge despite clear getting all of the ball and barely any of their player who made a meal of it. Hope we can appeal Devine because the defence has been excellent. Good news is we will have two decent pitches to play on. bad news is we will miss Shane [and Walsh], Good news is in Chalmers, Doran, Mckay and Samuels we have players who can do some damage to St Jonhstone [ if we keep the ball on the deck] Will Allardice play a part, and is there anyway we can wheel MacGregor out? As we will need everyone we have over two legs Special mention to Hardy for that great run in the 2nd half, if he had got the ball on target, that might have been goal of the season...think he will play a decent part over two games And well done Broadfoot, for MOTM performance, who must now have two black eyes! Can we keep all the players on the pitch for the next two games? and NO objects on the pitch! [Great turn out though]

Yes 0-0 isn't a bad result, as the 2nd half showed that as a team we have plenty in us to get goals, even if it didn't go our way on the night. 1st 30mins was a bit of a shambles, but I think Arbroath will rue not scoring when on top. Come Friday I think I would start with Sutherland in the middle to win and hold some ball, with Samuels alongside, Chalmers sitting deeper in the middle, Harper on the left. That gives a fresher Mckay and then Doran to come on later, or Allardice, Hyde if protecting a lead. Given how good Duffy was as CB when we beat them 3-0, I'd be tempted to play him instead of Broadfoot, who I think still does OK but can get turned too easily and probably should be told not to go forward. Feel quietly confident [in a 'whatever you do don't express any confidence out loud coz you'll jinx it' sort of way] The Pink strip is a must.

Back in London after my trip up...well worth it Firstly the pitch was awful, could have cost us in injuries, goals conceded, bookings due to mistimed tackles, so getting through the game with a win was terrific, although gutting for Walsh who had looked bright Second the support was magnificent, and some great songs, it reminded me of some of the great nights at Palace when the crowd are in full cry, awesome stuff. Overall everybody did a great job over the 90+ minutes, although I could have done without the Carson backpass [I'm blaming the pitch] Hardy did better than I expected when he came on, his reverse ball to Sutherland for the 2nd goal was great, terrific pass from Shane and great movement from Samuels [I have high hopes for him]. Generally speaking we were better in all departments, but the pitched levelled it a bit, and football can do funny things so the mantrea 'one game at a time' definitely rings true here A real bonus to see Allardice on the subs bench, he looks pretty trim, MacGregor I'm assuming rested because of a slight knock or reaction, let's hope both get the opportunity to play against Arbroath if [IF] we finish the job on Friday. Finally first time I have seen Hyde, he looks quite a 'tank' [in a strong way] another bonus from the academy

Good way to close out the normal season before the play-offs with nearly all the objects achieved with Walsh getting on the scoresheet twice along with Sutherland, MacGregor getting a good performance in, good game time for Harper, bonuses in Hyde, Hardy scoring!, no bookings and injuries bar Duffy, let's hope that is not serious. For a brief while with Raith winning and Partick losing heavily I was checking routes to Kirkcaldy! Let's take one play-off game at a time and see how far we can get..... I think we have enough in each area of the pitch to have some confidence

Yes, That will proper screw me up!

My only problem with that is that the squad is quite used to a certain amount of rotation, so not really a problem, but if we lost say Deas, Broadfoot, Chalmers, Welsh, Mckay, Carson or Sutherland in a dead rubber game because of an injury, that would severely impact on the two most important games coming up. The likes of Walsh, Samuels, Duffy, Harper, Macgregor and McAlear would all benefit with the game time for different reasons, which will be beneficial in the play-offs. We do somewhat put Devine at risk I accept, but someone has to play! Anyway I'm all booked up for Glasgow now, really looking forward to it

I'm thinking a line up of Mackay Nicholson Duffy Devine Harper MacGregor Hyde McAlear Walsh Samuels Riddle We have to protect Deas with his yellow cards and Broadhurst coz of his age, so Devine gets to manage the backline. Mckay, Sutherland and Chalmers are our best attacking assets. Welsh has a crucial role to play and has yet to be severely crocked this season, lets avoid that. Doran obvs no chance, was he taken off as a precaution Saturday because he will be useful if we can get some minutes out of him maybe if we get past Partick Not sure if Nicholson is a RB, but would be nice to have the option as Carson is better for us in midfield, and Duffy definitely better at CB Harper MacGregor and Walsh will all benefit from game time We could start Joe Hardy up front, but I'm not sure he adds much

Hi CaleyTennis Think your being a bit harsh on some of our players, let's face it if they were that good they'd be playing elsewhere [as I often say at Palace about players costing a lot more] I understand your basic premise of selling a quality player in order to fund several quality players. That could work in the EPL where a really decent player could command a very big fee, and clever recruitment can find 2-3 decent players to come in [I'll ignore the sky high wages for mundane players bit for now] Unfortunately the Scottish leagues don't command such fees, I think we just about got 500k for Ryan Christie and he was a top prospect, Daniel Mackay I suspect went for quite a bit less, and I can hardly see MacGregor funding any sort of spending spree. Deas might well be off at the end of the season but if we got £100k I'd be surprised. Likewise any players who might be on decent wages are on those because we are trying to retain them. Your list of players to be retained does seem to rely on an awful lot of our young inexperienced players. As a club with a small average attendance , bugger all TV money, and few lucrative sponsorships we are pretty constrained, as to what we can afford. I also watch Sutton United who got promoted to the English League 2 last season from the National league, and there are several players there that would cost more than Ryan Christie to obtain for us [David Ajiboye would be one I'd love up here} So in reality when we lose one of our better players, it's quite a hard job just to replace them let alone achieve a 2-1 replacement ratio One priority this summer [assuming we don't get promoted] has to be to secure a decent pacy right back that allows Dave Carson to stay in midfield and not rely on Wallace Duffy who I think is better at CB [he certainly looked good there against Arbroath] this would offset Deas' exit if he went with us then relying on Harper at LB and he's decent enough there. That we still leave us short on CB cover, I'd actually keep Broadfoot, and then look to find a young CB prospect. If I won the lottery I'd certainly fund Logan Chalmers, but I reckon he'll go back to his parent club with reputation enhanced more likely to play for them. Norwich are going down so I expect Reece McAlear to get more chances in the English Championship [but I'd certainly keep him if I could] I like Tom Walsh, but in reality has he contributed that much? I'd keep Doran over him, either way we will want a winger who can stick a decent cross in on a regular basis. Samuels I think will come good next year, and a retained fully fit MacGregor will be an asset that would ortherwise cost more to replace. Welsh migh be the guy to move on if Allardice is fully fit. So my outs are Walsh, Welsh, perhaps Doran, Deas [only if hand is forced] Hardy [loan finished] along with McAlear and Chalmers unlikey to extend loans. In's would be a) a RB b) a winger c) a CB d) a holding midfielder. as an aside I wonder if we can get Scott Banks on loan from Crystal Palace, he'd slot in nicely in midfield [he's highly regarded at CPFC but chances are few in the PL] meanwhile does Lawrence Shankland want to come back to the UK? [although that would need real money not luncheon vouchers!]]

Rather hoped Caley would clinch 3rd place so I could confirm travel up to Glasgow for the 3rd May...assuming Partick don't blow 4th place in favour of Raith! I have a hotel reserved, and a ridiculously priced rail ticket home to London in my pocket [£26!]....So only quandary is do I go for the flight up now or wait until Saturdays results? [I think I can wait 4 days!] Somehow I wasn't surprised that QoS did us...they had much to lose, and Dumfries is a long way to go. Morton away Saturday might prove better, but only if we seize the initiative straightaway

Looks like the 'Top Four', have all served the one match suspension, probably only Deas could get to 12 before the play-offs [for a 2nd ban], so might be worth playing Harper at LB after Q0S. Might be worth starting with Duffy in the last games instead of Broadfoot to rest him. Think we need to protect Carson a bit as well. Be good to give MacGregor game time after QoS, plus Samuels

What a result! Was always going to be a tough match, but to win like that after going one Nil down was hugely impressive, helpful that Carson came on and played like the Carson of old in midfield. Their goal seemed to come from Broadfoot being wrong footed and off balance, which was a shame because our defence was pretty good. Shane Sutherland seemed to be rather nullified operating on the right, and much as I like Duffy [as a CB] I'm not sure he's fast enough as a RB, although he went forward well. Samuels impressed me a fair bit in the second half, was much more involved and had two dangerous chances, I think there is defo a player there. Likewise Chalmers probably the MoTM for me although BBC Scotland gave it top McKay. We were a bit quiet in midfield until Carson came on, but maybe Kilmarnock were set up better. The non-winning slump over Jan/Feb has obviously cost us automatic promotion, but we seem to have everyone back fit now bar Allardice....probably hard to over-estimate the effect of not have him, MacGregor and and off-form Carson in the team, whilst trying to bed in 4 new boys. Can we catch Arbroath?? Could be the difference between going all the way of not in the play-offs [Partick are a bit of a bogey team for us].... I feel we have a strong enough defence, and enough attacking assets, and still think Doran and Walsh have big parts to play We need to play as many of our Play-off games in the pink strip, it feels lucky. Starying to think about coming up for a play-off game....away to Partick a possibility

Wasn't too sure when I first saw it, the overall effect would be the greater if the stripes continued onto the shorts.....but I think it's a great shirt for casual wear

Incredible how a run of 11 games without a win, can be followed by a winning run, two of which we're definitely deserved. Key goals prevented at key times, and key goals cored at good times. Sounds simple doesn't it. The crazy thing is we have lost just (JUST) 3 games in 13 this calendar year. Maybe that does set us up better than we think for the run-in. McAlear has stepped up to cover the loss of Allardice [and what a great goal he scored], and we are seeing some returns from the loan players, and at last Samuels. We're are a bit short of numbers. so the return of Devine, and in particular a fit MacGregor are important (and obvs Pearson was on international duty). I think Doran and Walsh have big parts to play in the run-in, and that 2nd spot if claimed on the last day could be a deciding factor too. The defence feels fairly solid, and Dodds seems to be able to shuffle the side around to get goals from people. It feels like we have some momentum, and the squad is happy and harmonious. Let's hope for a good April, with a proper spring in the step!

Looks like a nerve-racking run-in for everyone....getting something out of Dunfermline on Saturday sets us up quite well [we need a repeat of the Arbroath game], after that Hamilton [or bogey team this season] are the last game of the season, which might be fortunate Kilmarnock might be favourites to go up, by my gosh their run-in is interesting....after Partick on Saturday they have Almost anything can happen in those games!

My first trip up North this season [thanks to Covid] with my wife, and we had bright sunshine for the whole game and a very decent win. A great start with two early goals, really settled the nerves, not sure what would have happened if that Arbroath attempt that hit the post had gone in, but we contained Arbroath pretty well for most of the match, even if some of the play was a bit agricultural, there were enough moments of good play from the side to come away in good heart. Sutherland was my MOTM, I felt he put in a very solid and classy display. Doran put in some excellent dead ball kicks, he looked more like his old self in parts, as did Dave Carson. I couldn't fault anyone for effort [Welsh/McAlear ran the midfield for large parts, and Billy M was busy and took his goal very well], overall the defence was pretty solid, and Mackay in goal looked really good. I kept an eye on Hardy a lot, and wasn't sure what he was contributing in the first half, he looks an intelligent player but was a bit powderpuff in challenges and slow, but his second half showing was so much better and he carved out a great chance that went begging. And a player who took me completely by surprise was Wallace Duffy, who hasn't really figured at all at right back, but was immense at centre back winning virtually everything in the air, was that a one-off, because if not he needs his contract extended. As the saying goes 'One swallow doesn't make a summer' and automatic promotion is now a distance dream, but although Raith also won [finally also], maybe Partick losing yesterday makes the play-off fight still 2 from 3. And maybe, just maybe Arbroath will run out of puff in the play-offs... Every match is now a cup-final. Aye, it it was a lovely trip up.

When you look at the players out, that's a pretty big miss, Obviously Doran needs to be fully fit to influence games, MacGregor was almost as influential as Daniel Mackay last season, popping up all over the place, and Devine out leaves us shuffling the defence, Allardice being out is just massive. The plus side seems to be Pearson, with Mckay back. The fact that Samuels has a contract suggests that the Club see him as having potential, are we seeing it on the pitch. I was rather hoping that Duffy would be more worthy of being an ever-present leaving Carson to move further upfield, along with Harper showing more of the promise of last season. We are operating on a thin squad at the moment, but if Arbroath can do what they are doing, that should give us the motivation. We are still not cut adrift from automatic promotion, and Kilmarnock still not dominating the division...that said Partick with all their games in hand are a threat Hopefully the weekend break coupled to a positive comeback against Thistle will help us out of the mid-winter malaise I don't think Covid can stop me and the wife coming up for the Arbroath game in a months time, really excited about this match and have a good vibe that we can win it! But then I am the eternal optimist.

We went through a similar phase last season, and harsh words were said then [particularily from some supporters on here] But the side rallied. It's possible that some of the lads were feeling a bit sorry for themselves without key senior players in the squad and perhaps thinking that beating Killie three times in a row is a big ask....Yes, it shouldn't happen, but much of football is what goes on between the ears. Hopefully 4 young eager newbies with some tricks up their sleeves and some energy might be the small thing that re-focusses minds and changes the dynamic of the side. Anyway despite the disappointment of Covid denying me a trip up yesterday, the wife and I are up for the Arbroath home match in March, so here's hoping it's still all to play for

Sounds like we lost a tight game, but also encouraging that the new boys have something about them which could be the lift we need...If we can get back the players we had last season in Carson and MacGregor soon, I have high hopes [Whats the new's on MacGregor's injury?].... I'm the eternal optimist!

Would be just about the only consolation for me Absolutely gutted that testing positive for Covid on Thursday has robbed me of the trip which I have been planning for months [I booked the flights at the end of August!] I mean just what is the effing point anymore! That's five times I have missed out on games with games called off, moved, restrictions, illness etc.... It's a bit tough when you're flying up from London Anyway hope it goes ahead and we spring a surprise to lift what seems like gathering gloom I'm still pissed off though

Yet in seasons past and this, McKay, Doran, Allardice, Carson, Welsh, MacGregor, Deas, Walsh, Harper, Ridgers would all be considered quality players or top prospects....but obviously there are concerns about form or fitness, and as a club with a small budget it's not possible to provide the squad depth. I would add to that Shane Sutherland who has at times been instrumental in good performances, and McAleer who has performed decently since coming here. Losing Allardice is a big blow, as is being unable to get Doran back to 100%. That said we are still in 2nd place [obvs Kilmarnock will have a say in that] and still in touch, and after a great start we just need to hang in there and see if any of the additions will provide a spark. We seem to have brought in pace and width to the side, let's hope we've bought in guile as well

Or lack of money.... Have we had any attendence over 2000?