Home and Away

[big man]

I don't think we are fit enough to play all out attacking football. There must be a balance between Brewsters fitness which left the players kn-----ed on saturdays and Butchers were we don't seem to be able to play a sustained pressure game.

[12th Man]

My solution is to cover up the home dressing room door sign with 'away' thus fooling all the players that they are away from home and win more games.

the memory is removed from my brain that we haven't had many wins at home in the league for a good while and I will be just as hopeful for a win at the next home game.

[caleytillidie]

The players are far to nervous to play any sort of football at home. Each game starts and the minute someone makes a mistake or a misplaced pass you can feel the tension all around the ground. Instantly that affects the team and then we start getting this long ball stuff basically because no one wants to make a mistake. Lost count the number of times yesterday where the defence just pumped the ball long instead of playing it through the middle. I think thats our biggest problem. We constantly bypass the midfield. We dont seem to have a player in the middle that wants to take responsibility, drop off, demand the ball, get it on the deck and play the game. There is no one there who seems to want to make something happen, no one there to take the ball and make passes. Cox has got a lot of ability and got so much potential. Unlike others i actually like stratford and think he will come on to a game. We've got experience in duncan and its clear to see on yesterdays evidence that mcbain should be playing more often. But until our midfield stand up and be counted then i think we will continue to struggle at home

[Guest birdog]

Been thinking about this for a while and trying to give myself the perspective of a player and why they might have the fear at home. I think this could be a genuine problem that they do not want to let us down so they don't take the risks but thinking back to a time when we could be 1 or 2 nil down with 20 minutes left and we fans still had the belief the team could do it I firmly believe this was because, even though 70% of shots were wayward and hit the back of the stands or went out for a throw in, we fans knew that the team would have a crack at goal whenever possible and that about 30% of the next few shots would find the target needing just 2 more to creep in. Nowadays though I think the success rate would be about similar but we do not have the volume of shots going in meaning that every miss is costly. I'd like to see a team who viewed their misses as one shot closer to hitting the back of the net rather than an opportunity missed and I think the fans would pick up on that, bringing about a whole new attitude. Bring back the SFL growl.

[TSTtiger]

the reason we are so bad at home in my opinion is atmosphere or the lack of it, and for that i blame the club and spl regulations.

over the past few years we've been subjected to:

- over the top stewards

-allocated seating

-badly thought out designation of family sections

-tannoy announcements about unruly behavior etc

-poor treatment of fans by the club

-bad p.r.

etc etc

some of this was unavoidable, some was not but quite frankly its no fun going to the games anymore, its a chore, and i dont just mean because we always seem to play crap.the club have taken the fans for granted for too long and now its biting everyone in the ass.until they do something radical to improve the atmosphere then it'll never be a fortress as it once was.

i dont buy all this about teams coming here and sitting in. almost every team this season has come here and played us of the park.even yesterday, a decent performance by recent standards, the pars looked the better side for large spells and were not here to sneak a draw.

i dont buy its nerves either, although the fact that most of our bored disheartened fans get on their back too quick doesnt help matters.

i dont think i've seen so many of our fans more willing to have a go at each other than the away support ever and when your surrounded by whinging gits with no interest in having any football banter then no wonder.

if you look at our best home performances in recent years they've usually been big games,near capacity crowds and better atmospheres.there's nothing quite like packed sections to help the atmoshere and if the club got of their ass and left a whole section behind the goals unallocated where like minded noisy foul mouthed barstewards like myself could go without too much hassle we'd get some and we might even drown out the whingers while we're at it.

[Renegade]

Im serious, we need to play with atleast 4 upfront.....Im not crazy...

We currently play with 1 upfront no matter if we mean to play 4-4-2. One of your strikers always get pushed back or pushed to the wings. I think if we play 4-4-2 but have it that our two wingers get forward so its more of a 4-2-4 at times. Thats the way the likes of barca and such play. I know we arnt Barcelona, but its a start!

That's an interesting point. For a time last season I was fairly regularly puting up formations in the "Team for" treads that were 4-2-4, or similar sorts. As you can imagine, some were foaming at the mouth that someone would dare even consider breaking away from their beloved 4-4-2, or 4-5-1. I seem to recollect a few folk once going 4-5-1 with Odhiambo up front by himself! Seriously, you couldn't make it up.

What you say about Barca is interesting as well. Under Guardiola and previously under their last boss, Barca seem to go quite regularly 4-3-3 from the start that becomes a 3-2-5 when on the attack. Obviously the two wingers go foward as old style wingers and a defender goes forward and helps out in midfield. Does it work? Sure it does. Look at Man U right now (or last season anyway) they played a very fluid formation, and I reckon ICT seem offerly keen to stay in formation these days, something that could lead to a downfall.

[StockholmSyndrome]

What I want to know is this: why are we no longer using our pitch to our advantage? We have one of the widest playing surfaces in Scotland and it's just tailor-made for wingers. We always used to play best at home when we used wingers and attacked the other team. Seems like ancient history now...

[alternative maryhill]

What I want to know is this: why are we no longer using our pitch to our advantage? We have one of the widest playing surfaces in Scotland and it's just tailor-made for wingers. We always used to play best at home when we used wingers and attacked the other team. Seems like ancient history now...

That's an excellent point. With Imrie and Rooney playing wide we should be able to exploit the width of the pivtch far more than we appear to do. Having said that, we'd also need someone supplying quality passes from central midfield. Sanchez has the vision, but does he have the strength?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

This thread just gets better and better - this is the true voice of the fans.

[DornochCaley]

Im serious, we need to play with atleast 4 upfront.....Im not crazy...

We currently play with 1 upfront no matter if we mean to play 4-4-2. One of your strikers always get pushed back or pushed to the wings. I think if we play 4-4-2 but have it that our two wingers get forward so its more of a 4-2-4 at times. Thats the way the likes of barca and such play. I know we arnt Barcelona, but its a start!

That's an interesting point. For a time last season I was fairly regularly puting up formations in the "Team for" treads that were 4-2-4, or similar sorts. As you can imagine, some were foaming at the mouth that someone would dare even consider breaking away from their beloved 4-4-2, or 4-5-1. I seem to recollect a few folk once going 4-5-1 with Odhiambo up front by himself! Seriously, you couldn't make it up.

What you say about Barca is interesting as well. Under Guardiola and previously under their last boss, Barca seem to go quite regularly 4-3-3 from the start that becomes a 3-2-5 when on the attack. Obviously the two wingers go foward as old style wingers and a defender goes forward and helps out in midfield. Does it work? Sure it does. Look at Man U right now (or last season anyway) they played a very fluid formation, and I reckon ICT seem offerly keen to stay in formation these days, something that could lead to a downfall.

It would have been diffrent when we were in the SPL as if we lost goals it was hard to get back so defending was always going to be the main option, but now we are in an attacking league and we are too scared to do it. I think we are on the same wavelength on this one

What I want to know is this: why are we no longer using our pitch to our advantage? We have one of the widest playing surfaces in Scotland and it's just tailor-made for wingers. We always used to play best at home when we used wingers and attacked the other team. Seems like ancient history now...

Exactly what i mean. If we play 4-4-2 but have it that our wingers make it a 4-2-4 at times then we will be flying! We would rip teams appart but thats not going to happen under the current reigme im affraid.

[Guest Mahonio]

I say we would play 4-3-3 when at home because we would have approx 5 players (3 strikers and the 2 wingers) who would be going forward when we are attacking and then 5 when defending (4 defenders and the CM) or maybe the sitting defender who could also go forward when attacking or is this more or less like the formation Renegade or IHE talk about?

Discuss.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I say we would play 4-3-3 when at home because we would have approx 5 players (3 strikers and the 2 wingers) who would be going forward when we are attacking and then 5 when defending (4 defenders and the CM) or maybe the sitting defender who could also go forward when attacking or is this more or less like the formation Renegade or IHE talk about?

Discuss.

Careful - many of the posters on here will be confused by that - some of the coaching staff may be as well. You play to your strengths and try and exploit the weaknesses of the opposition (if you watch them !!). I feel that we will always reap dividendes by playing on the break away from home but we really do have to adopt a more attacking. more "carefree" approach at home.

Stan alluded to the 4-2-3-1 away formation and that sounds like an option - and could also work at home in the SFL - that would certainly bring along a bit of consistency as well.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I just cant believe that this thread was not noticed at the TCS - The Ayr performance mirrors the comments

HOME - pl 5 w 0 l 3 d 2 f 5 a 10 pts 2 : AWAY pl 6 w 4 l 0 d 2 f 13 a 4 pts 14

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

HOME - pl 6 w 1 l 3 d 2 f 9 a 11 pts 5 : AWAY pl 6 w 4 l 0 d 2 f 13 a 4 pts 14

On the up ?

[Georgeios]

I think that this morning TB had the team away on a bus somewhere doing his team talk, Rooneys BM wasnt in his Drive when i got to my old ladys, i normaly wait for him to leave before i leave for the game, that way i know i'll not miss kick off. ... oh and before anyone asks, my folks live beside him, his grass looks ok these days.