[Raving On]

I can safely say that's our worst league performance in years. Really really disappointing.

[ConanTheLibrarian]

Did we deserve to win?

[Gnash]

ConanTheLibrarian, on Dec 15 2007, 17:18, said:

Did we deserve to win?

Yes, but Queens were poor. We were diabolical.

[Raving On]

Yes, although we started well and went downhill when Cramb was taken off (dropped by the stretcher carriers!). The penalty was a stick-on despite the protestations of the Queens fans.

From there we went downhill. Hogarth had an absolute nightmare for Queens' first although was relatively untested despite QotS pressure until half-time. I felt we started the second half fairly well actually with David McKenna lobbing just over and I'm sure we had another half opening. Anyway, the 2nd Queens goal came from a breakaway from which we should have had an effort on goal from and failed. The Doonhamers broke, won a foul on the right. Free-kick was easily dealt with but the clearing header was poor. Fell to Tosh who volleyed home as sweet a goal as will be scored in Britain today.

From there we were shambolic although Bell did hit the post. Penalty at the end in reflection was the correct decision although I was dubious at the time.

My match report makes the game sound much closer than it was due to my forgetfulness when it comes to Queens' chances. I remember Dobbie had a miss to rival Darcheville after the 2nd and Hogarth redeemed himself a little with a good save

I'm going to try not to read this thread again as it will no doubt remind me of 2 of the most depressing hours of the year.

[Gnash]

On a slightly more depressing note for Stirling fans - the league table does not make good reading. Anything less than a win next week and we are in severe trouble. We could be effectively down by the end of the festive period unless we pull our fingers out.

[Ray Vaughn]

Let's not kid ourselves on - we are down now.

We've won just ONE game all season! Where are the points going to come from to close the gap.

Time for Moore to go methinks.

[vikingTON]

Ray Vaughn, on Dec 15 2007, 18:18, said:

Let's not kid ourselves on - we are down now.

We've won just ONE game all season! Where are the points going to come from to close the gap.

Time for Moore to go methinks.

January 2nd - Morton (h)
Happy to help.

[veteran]

A poor game from a football point of view.Very little good possession football from either side and the ball spending too much time on the air.
The penalty was a penalty.The challenge from Harris was rash and worse still it was not needed as there was no direct threat to the Queens goal.
Tosh scored a great goal but could have cost us a goal two minutes before when he was caught dithering on the ball in midfield and left us completely exposed at the back.
Pleased with the result but the performance left a lot to be desired.

[gmca]

ConanTheLibrarian, on Dec 15 2007, 18:18, said:

Did we deserve to win?

Outplayed us in all areas of the park, but didn't look as dangerous up front as most teams in the league I thought.

Great goal by Tosh to give you the lead, but might have (unluckily) had to settle for a point if it hadn't gone in.

[kirkyblue2]

veteran, on Dec 15 2007, 18:29, said:

A poor game from a football point of view.Very little good possession football from either side and the ball spending too much time on the air.
The penalty was a penalty.The challenge from Harris was rash and worse still it was not needed as there was no direct threat to the Queens goal.
Tosh scored a great goal but could have cost us a goal two minutes before when he was caught dithering on the ball in midfield and left us completely exposed at the back.
Pleased with the result but the performance left a lot to be desired.

I was hoping we could build on this result but it sounds like another false dawn.

Can we trust Chisholm to make decent signings in the window?

[Fast_Action]

vikingTON, on Dec 15 2007, 18:25, said:

January 2nd - Morton (h)
Happy to help.

And despite our good showing against Livi today, you could still be in with a shout next Saturday. Though I feel a bit more confident about us staying up tonight.

[Gnash]

Fast_Action, on Dec 15 2007, 18:41, said:

And despite our good showing against Livi today, you could still be in with a shout next Saturday. Though I feel a bit more confident about us staying up tonight.

We'd have to improve massively. We are leaking goals all over the place at the moment - 14 in 4 games. Queens almost doubled their away goals tally today.

[Rinky Sidebottom]

First game for a few weeks and quite frankly Stirling Albion were a disgrace to their fans. It cost me £30 today and I don't think anyone would claim today was value for money, it was dire very dire.
Stirling are not going to get off the bottom of the league on this and other showings I have witnessed this season, players like Aitken, Hay, Forysth, Hogarth, Harris & Easton look completely out of their depth and at times today Easton, Aitken & Forsyth were embarrassing.
I'm now aware that Forsyth may have been unwell today and only played due to the lack of players, that said he has been pants every time I have seen him.
Cramb's injury changed the game, any news on him?
The QoS 2nd goal was a cracker, full marks for Tosh for that goal.
Why are all the Albion players about 10 - 11 stone, 5 foot 9 inches (except Graham) and not very physically strong, do they possess any physically strong players?
Thought Stirling Albion players would give 100% at all the games this season and that this would make up for the lack of ability, sharpness and general fitness, sadly once again many (if not all) of them failed.

This post has been edited by Rinky Sidebottom: 15 December 2007 - 19:32

[Skyline Drifter]

Thought what was comfortably the better side won the game as they deserved too. I realise Albion were down a few players whilst we were only down two long term injuries but there was a clear gap between the sides on the park at least.

Think it's harsh to say as one Albion fan above did that we were poor. We've played better this season (we played much better in a 0-0 draw a fortnight ago) but we did okay and it would have been a very rough justice if we hadn't won.

We could have been up early as Graham forced a fine save from his own keeper and O'Connor wasn't alert enough to get the rebound.

Personally I thought the penalty we had given against us was unbelieveably harsh. Cramb appeared to get a bad injury as he landed but that was unfortunate. I couldn't see a foul in it. Harris jumped higher, arms by his sides and won the ball cleanly. Cramb didn't really jump high at all and made it look far more than it was. I couldn't believe he gave a penalty for it though given his showing for the rest of the game I shouldn't have been surprised. Certainly Aitken gave MacDonald no chance with the spot kick.

Could have gone to pieces then but didn't. Hogarth was a bit lucky. I've seen keepers sent off for that and indeed less. He DID catch it in the box but he was well out of his box when he dropped the ball and I think he knew fine well both where he was and in catching it rather than chesting or kicking away that he was going to go out. I'd probably be a lot more annoyed he got away with it if we hadn't actually equalised from the free kick. People can talk about Dobbie's lack of movement all they want but when there's a goal to be had in the box he moves alright. Loose ball in the box and he was first there for 1-1.

Next hour turned into the Scott McDonald show as he booked players from both sides all over the place for precious little to be honest. For a time it was every foul's a booking! Eight bookings and only Hogarth (who deserved more) and Gilmour, whose tackle was a bad one, probably deserved it.

McKenna almost nicked a goal for Albion against the run of play but having got away with it we took the lead with a screamer from Tosh as a free kick wasn't headed far enough clear. What a hit!

To their credit Albion started throwing bodies forward after an equaliser though apart from a Bell shot that hit the outside of the post and was never looking like going in they didn't actually get very close to one. The bigger result was we had chance after chance in the closing spell. Dobbie missed a sitter from six yards set up by O'Connor (who was being fouled in the box as he set it up) and then Hogarth pulled off a fine save from O'Neill before Bingham's first touch on as sub was to run onto an O'Connor pass and get pulled down in the box for his troubles. Looked a stonewall award to me? O'Neill duly added to his penalty tally anyway with his first goal of the season.

Good result, decent performance, decent gap to 10th and even 9th now and in touch with Morton and Livi again for now. Good day.

Not bad for a pub team

This post has been edited by Skyline Drifter: 15 December 2007 - 19:57

[queenslad]

Skyline Drifter, on Dec 15 2007, 19:55, said:

Personally I thought the penalty we had given against us was unbelieveably harsh. Cramb appeared to get a bad injury as he landed but that was unfortunate. I couldn't see a foul in it. Harris jumped higher, arms by his sides and won the ball cleanly. Cramb didn't really jump high at all and made it look far more than it was. I couldn't believe he gave a penalty for it though given his showing for the rest of the game I shouldn't have been surprised. Certainly Aitken gave MacDonald no chance with the spot kick.


Not bad for a pub team

Again I thought the keeper should have walked. It was a deblirate action to handle outside the box and he knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. Although there were two defenders bahind O'Conner he had a clean run through on goal and to me he denied a goal scoring chance

[queenslad]

The important thing about today was getting three points. Think how much worse the league would have looked had we drawn or lost.

A much better game than week but still a tendancy to play the ball too much in air. We are better playing to feet than head tennis or expecting Dobbie to get on end of O'conner flicks.

I thought Harris was rash with challenge on Cramb. He appeared to climb all over the back of the forward and was a set on pen. Thought keeper should have walked for handball.

Burns made a huge differnce to midfield. He was always a willing runner, willing to take on a defender and get a cross/shot in or take and play a simple ball. At times he switched with Tosh and played more centrally.

Goal by Tosh was as sweet as you will see all season. Like most weeks we then started to sit too deep. Too many players wanting to defend in penalty box and leaving acres of space just outside box for Stirling to explore. Fortunatly this week we didn't lose a goal but could have. Was it an inspired change by Chisholm. First play after Bingham came on he was on end of a O'conner through ball and with one touch he waited until he was inside the box and took the challeng. O'neil made no mistake from the spot.

[Distant Doonhamer]

Well deserved 3 points today. Screamer from Tosh. Well played the pub team

[Mak QOSFC]

It is now beyond an absolute fucking joke.

Chisholm must go!

[veteran]

I didn't think we played as well as we did against Clyde or indeed against Thistle in the first half last week.
I'm fairly sure some of the bookings were not for the fouls but for the reaction(mouthing)of the players booked.I thought the booking of Scally was for dissent.The Ref gave the foul and was ready to move on when took exception to what Scally said to him.
I thought both linesmen were poor in terms of offside decisions.The one in front of the home stand gave one decision apparently thinking the ball to be passed forward - it wasn't but he kept his flag up anyway.The other one gave a decision against Dobbie when he was just inside the Queens half when the ball was played.

[Skyline Drifter]

veteran, on Dec 15 2007, 21:13, said:

I'm fairly sure some of the bookings were not for the fouls but for the reaction(mouthing)of the players booked.I thought the booking of Scally was for dissent.The Ref gave the foul and was ready to move on when took exception to what Scally said to him.

I have to say in all honesty I don't think ANY of them were for dissent. He certainly wasn't interested in producing his book when a couple of times Stirling players very obviously kicked the ball away in protest at decisions. It just appears to be his style to want to pull players away and have them walk to him before he goes to his pocket.

[longjohn]

Thank Gawd for the 3 points

[RedWeb]

Skyline Drifter, on Dec 15 2007, 19:55, said:

Not bad for a pub team

Can someone please explain the relevance of 12 year old fanzine quote ? We have played QOS several times since then and it's not even remotely interesting or relevant any more to anyone except you. Time to give it a rest. You were a pub team in 1995/96...you're not now..I'm sure even big Steve would agree

As for the game...we were crap and I'm starting to get irritated losing to teams who are nothing special. Bring on the East Fife.

This post has been edited by RedWeb: 15 December 2007 - 21:39

[veteran]

We are definitely not a 'pub team'.
The fact that we often play like one has disguised our real quality very successfully.

[Skyline Drifter]

RedWeb, on Dec 15 2007, 21:39, said:

Can someone please explain the relevance of 12 year old fanzine quote ? We have played QOS several times since then and it's not even remotely interesting or relevant any more to anyone except you. Time to give it a rest. You were a pub team in 1995/96...you're not now..I'm sure even big Steve would agree

As for the game...we were crap and I'm starting to get irritated losing to teams who are nothing special. Bring on the East Fife.

Hopefully it's starting to irritate you as much as it irritated us at the time. It certainly appears to be.

This post has been edited by Skyline Drifter: 15 December 2007 - 22:49