PerfICT

The problem in the cup game at Celtic was going 4-4-2. This played into Celtic's hands, with space between the lines for their playmakers to exploit. I agree with top six - play narrow in defence and let them have it out wide: Physically narrowing the pitch is also not a bad idea. Play Draper and Tansey in front of presumably Laing/Mackay and Warren (McCart not available). Keep some pace out wide and Mckay up front. In short, no need to change anything other than enforced replacement of McCart. Any news on Tremarco and Mulraney - could do with both of them to be fit, although Raven and King are ready replacements. What's up with Doran these days? Mesaage to RF - not 4-4-2 against these guys!

How right you were, NJ, how right you were!

OK, I'll try to do this again...in the right thread! Fon Williams: 9 - several important saves at key moments Raven: 7 - was given a torrid time for first 10 min, but settled and then put in a good stint at left back McCart: 7 - a couple of dangerous passes that got cut out, but a promising prospect Laing: 6 - reasonably solid, but a needless late challenge for the penalty Tremarco: 4 - early substitution after injuring himself making an important block on Waghorn Draper: 7 - getting back to his best - got his foot in to win ball constantly Tansey: 8 - back to his best. Great strike for the goal, despite deflection. Even better one later, but saved Cole: 6 - relatively quiet first half, but grew into the game and caused problems in the 2nd half. Crossing needs to improve Polworth: 7 - continues to polarise the support! I like his energy in the centre of midfield and he got lots of attacks rolling Mulraney: 7 - really dangerous in the first half. Such a shame he got injured! Mckay: 10 - everything you want in a lone striker: fantastic hold-up and link-up play, clever runs, harrying defenders, winning penalties and smacking overhead kicks into the net in the last minute Mackay (Brad): 7 - did well when he came on for Tremarco. Thought he gave away pen, but it was Laing Vigurs: 2 - I suppose at least he had the nuts to take the penalty, but it was tame. Made an important block in the last minute King: 3 - didn't have much time to shine Foran: 8 - delighted he stuck with the successful formula and it paid off. Curious decision to take off Draper for Vigurs, unless he had a knock Ref: 6 - did OK throughout and got both penalty decisions right. Really annoyed me for not booking the Rangers player for delaying a throw in to allow his team-mate to do up his lace!

...yes, now! Followed CaleymadinBerks down the wrong road!

Small things all add up. Firstly, Richie has found a shape that works, packing the midfield with energetic players and pace out wide. Secondly, everybody has upped their game, fighting for every ball and covering for each other. Thirdly - and this cannot be over-stated - Billy Mckay. He hasn't scored many (yet), but his work-rate, intelligent runs, ability to hold the ball, link play and rush defenders, is massive. What a difference when the ball is cleared and a blue shirt is there first to bring in the midfield and get an attack going. Compare that to when we hat Doumbouya, when he rarely got to the ball and when he did, it bounced back to the opposition for them to launch another attack.

...totally confused by POY thread - I and a couple of others have voted in a thread for the Hearts game which has been reposted? Is the title just wrong (although subs and ref are also from Hearts game) or have I lost it after finally seeing our team win?

Fon Williams: 9 - several impressive saves. Great to see the big man back on form Raven: 7 - was given a torrid time for first 10 min, but settled and then put in a great stint at left back McCart: 6 - there's a good player in there in time. Some important blocks, but a couple of wayward passes that put us under pressure. Laing: 6 - solid enough but missed a couple of headers. Tremarco: 4 - made an important block when he was injured. Only got about half an hour. Hope he's OK. Tansey: 8 - best game all season. Tackled and fought, scored and had a fantastic strike brilliantly saved Draper: 7 - put his foot in all game to win tackles. Back to near his best. Not sure why he was subbed Mulraney: 7 - was electric just before half time and gave Wallace the runaround. Shame he went off injured Polworth: 6 - gives us energy in central midfield, but not quite at his best tonight at times. Ran his heart out. Cole: 7 - started slowly, but grew into the game and was a threat throughout the 2nd half Mckay: 10 - tireless effort throughout. Hold-up and link-up play excellent, annoyed defenders all night, won a pen and scored a cracking overhead kick Brad Mackay: 6 - solid, but (I think it was him) gave away a soft pen after the ball had gone Vigurs: 2 - only on for about 5 min but hit a weak penalty that was easily saved. I think penalties need to revert to Tansey! King: 3 - not on for long and did OK. Foran: 8 - made the right call to stick with the successful formula from the Hearts game. Draper for Vigurs was odd, but maybe he was carrying a knock Ref: 6 - did OK throughout. Couldn't really see the Rangers penalty, but it looked like a late one. Billy's was clear-cut. Ridiculous to allow a Rangers player to tie his shoelace before a throw-in.

Now, that was more like it! Well done Richie for sticking with the successful formula! Stand out performances were Fon Williams, Tansey, Mulraney and Mckay! However, every single player played their heart out and showed they wanted it. You can't ask for more. A word for King Billy: his hold-up play was superb all night and he forced error after error from harrying defenders. Then wins the pen and, was there something else? Oh yes, back to goal, defender all over him and overheads it into the top corner. Take a bow sir, you will be our saviour. What a fantastic 90 min of entertainment- that is what football is all about.

After consistent errors of judgement, credit should be given to Foran for his team selection and formation played against Hearts. He now needs to back that up with pretty much the same tactics for the rest of the season, rewarding those who show the necessary commitment. IMO, what he does with Vigurs will be critical for our survival - the BBC report indicated that our midfield was energetic yesterday. Energy is what has been lacking and I don't think it is coincidental that we looked more energetic without Vigurs. Stick with the formula that works!

Every point's a prisoner. All things considered, that's a real bonus. Great for the guys after the tanking last week and the pen save by OFW can only give him confidence. How did we set up? Did we look more solid, or was it a fortunate result? Here's hoping that The Rangers and Aberdeen do the business tomorrow.

Sorted....I think! Can never quite remember whether Billy is McKay, Mackay, MacKay, despite the constant reminders during his first spell with us. Brad's arrival has only befuddled me further, let alone Cammy!

My revised starting XI: OFW Raven Laing McCart Tremarco Draper Tansey Doran Polworth Cole MacKay central defence is a risk whatever we go with and better to go with Draper in a holding role. Tansey is better in a deep role partnered by Draper and the centre halves will need plenty of protection. Our best performance of the season against Dundee had Polworth in CAM. Doran and Cole offer pace and trickery to set MacKay away.

Now 7-2, so our defence is better than Motherwell's! Let's try to be positive!

...at least we're not the only pants team in this league. Motherwell getting pumped 4-0 by Aberdeen at half time. 3 more and we'll no longer have the worst defence in the league! That, together with a rudderless Killie has to give us hope....at least until Saturday.

Vigurs is suspended is he not?

Do we really have XI for this one? God knows how to set up.... OFW Raven Draper McCart Tremarco Polworth Tansey Mulraney Doran Cole Mackay aaaah - I see that's the same as Rig! How original of me. Perhaps it shows that we only have one option! I reckon Foran will go: OFW Raven Draper McCart Tremarco Mulraney Polworth Tansey Cole Anier Mackay .....and we'll get pumped.

Hamilton - not just because of the abject performance but also because it finally wiped away any lingering delusions that bottom of the league is where we deserve to be.

There is no question that Richie's inexperience is costing us week after week. His response to our crisis is to go with experience in the middle of the park - sacrificing pace and invention. The Draper/Tansey/Vigurs midfield is catastrophic. Worse still when Polworth is played on the right. No pace, no invention. Despite warning signs about this formation for weeks, Richie persists with it at Parkhead of all places! 4-3-3 looked like our formation against one of the most mobile teams we've ever seen in Scotland! Utterly suicidal not to offer Warren and mackay protection with 2 holding midfielders who would deny space in that crucial part of the field. The frustration is that I think we do have a good enough group of players to get us out of the mire, but I don't have any faith in Richie to pick the right team in the right formation to do it. Play the same midfield trio in the next 3 games and we'll be thrashed in all 3, destroying any remaining confidence and dooming us. Vigurs needs to go and Doran, Cole, Mulraney need a chance in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Time is short.

Ooft. That was dire. Good as Celtic are, ICT looked like amateurs. To go to Celtic Park with that formation was either bold or foolish. It turns out that "suicidal" was probably more accurate. First 15 min were OK, but after that, the space between our lines made it so easy for Celtic's flair players to operate. I still do not like the Tansey, Draper, Vigurs midfield - it doesn't work and Richie has to recognise it. Mulraney, Cole and Ebbe did OK when they came on, but the rest were poor. Draper was probably the best of the rest, but could have been sent off. How much that's dented the confidence will remain to be seen, but Hearts away will be all the more difficult now. You know it's bad when it looks like our best chance of staying up is an implosion at Ibrox.

Harsh on Forresjags to give a red dot for this! Haven't heard the interview, but if he was pleasant about his time here, then good on him. Perhaps a few months on the scrapheap helped him to remember what a purple patch he had with us and the fact that he wasn't quite in demand as much as he thought he might be brought some humility too. It will be interesting to see whether he can do anything with Raith - hopefully, we'll not find out first hand next season! Edit: I've neutralised the red dot!

Unsurprising turnaround in form, given that we've shipped half of the young lads out on loan + Sutherland has left altogether. Gives others a chance, I suppose....

The problem I have with Foran is his not learning from mistakes. He's inexperienced, so mistakes were inevitable, but sticking with untried formulas and with failing players has really hurt us this season. Form teams have a really strong spine, but ours has been flimsy all season, from back to front! Keeper, central defenders, holding midfielders and strikers have not performed consistently enough and have often been played out of position time and again. I couldn't make the game on Saturday, but watched some of it on Alba. Billy certainly gives us some bite up front and the fightback was heartening BUT our defence is a teabag! Averaging 2 goals a game in our net is certainly relegation form and RF hasn't found the formula to solve the problem. I'm not sure 4-4-2 is a great way to go to crack that nut: Our apparently powder-puff central defence needs all the protection it can get - the thought of Sinclair, Roberts and Armstrong playing between the lines in a 4-4-2 terrifies me. Let's see what Richie does next week. Summing up, we are where we are on merit (or lack of it). Much of the blame is on Richie but too many players have not turned up consustently this season. Tremarco and Draper (before injury) get good marks, with Doran improving, but that's about it. The problem is that we're going to have to do better than other teams against the top 5 AND more than hold our own against those around us...a tall order on current form, notwithstanding a spirited comeback on Saturday. It is do-able, but already needs another one or 2 teams to have a shambolic run over the next 10 games or so to give us a break. Testing times.

There's no way that we can afford to sack RF - he'd have to fall on his sword, which I doubt he'll do, given hive deluded comments recently. There's no faulting his passion, but a combination of poor judgement, blind obstinance and a shed-load of injuries has done for RF this season. Do we have the players to stay up? - absolutely. Have they been selected in sensible formations? Only on one occasion that I can remember. Vigurs is a luxury player and we need scrappers - there's no room for him in the midfield. Tansey's had a poor season and needed to be "rested" to shake him up. Doran is coming into form and only got a few minutes on Saturday. Cole and Mulraney are raw talents with pace - rarely played, even as subs. It's not as easy as we all suggest, this management lark, but RF is making a true shambles of this.

Game's a bogey. Richie not learning from his mistakes and still making poor selections with no balance. No advantage in getting new strikers in if the midfield has no width and no pace. There's a reason his predecessors played 2 holding midfielders: we have players who suit that role. We also have decent wide players, but they are on the bench. It might be too late already..

The Doumb has left the building