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Berwick Rangers 2017/18


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  • 2 weeks later...
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It's clearly been on ominous start, once again - and while identifying the problems, he sounds at a loss as regards executing the solutions.

1pt in LC section (and that was v team currently propping-up SPFL2). Daylight robbery to beat Clyde... thumped at Stirling... humiliated v Annan. OK we beat Kilmarnock Boys.

Excellent roof, though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Robbie Horn will have learned a lot about the squad from that display against QoS.

He has a good keeper, though he looked a bit shell shocked towards the end. Not surprising having conceded 10 in 2 home games.

Godinho looks an excellent signing, solving the problem right back slot immediately.  Mackinlay looked decent at left back too, so these 2 full backs release Notman and McDonald to play further forward. However, despite having dozens of centre-halves, it remains a problem area. Fairbairn looked like he hadn't played a game for months, largely because he hasn't. (He also seems to have shrunk while he's been away). Maybe he deserves another chance, as he did OK in the first half. Fleming was good, but he does need an experienced guy next to him, so I doubt if Waugh is the answer 

Midfield was really poor yesterday against a very good opposition. Pat Scullion may have the heart of a lion, but he has the footballing skill of one too. He is also nowhere near fit enough, looking utterly knackered by half time. The defensive qualities of Tommo are well hidden, but he is a Chieftain tank compared to McKenna. You just can't have these 2 (and Scullion) in the same midfield unless your aim is to make the limited Stewart look especially useless. 

Hard to judge Murrell in a game like that, though I was disappointed with the touch of both him and Rutherford. However, the latter surely has nothing much to fear from Watt. 

If Robbie wants 4-3-3, he needs to pick a strong and mobile midfield. Any 3 from McDonald, Lavery, Notman, Phillips, Stewart. And up front, 3 from Murrell, Rutherford, Irving, Tommo.

Edinburgh City will be a crucial game next week to see if this lot really can play football for 90 minutes under the new boss.

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Its a tough one to take too much from. For what it's worth, I thought Scullion had a shocker. After a solid enough first half, a few notable lapses in concentration apart, he let himself get frustrated and began bombing out of his defensive midfield position closing down QotS centre backs. If I recall rightly 2 of the goals came from QotS walking through at ease with him AWOL, whilst Thomson picked up a knock on one attack that had the same effect.

Our shape first half was very good and we were tough to break down - an encouraging sign. But though we won't face sides as good as them each week and we may well have a more attacking outlook about us in other games, we can't afford lapses of concentration and frankly stupid decision making to give teams golden opportunities.

Jonny didn't look great but he's not match sharp. In the first half he had protection and handled what he needed to well. As soon as he was exposed he struggled. I thought Rutherford had a poor game, struggling to get the ball out from under his feet and sympathise with Murrell, who had been doing a good job leading the line in relation to bringing others into play and finding the net. I expect we'll see more of that though, so it'll be interesting to see how he adapts.

Godinho had a solid debut and I think he'll prove an astute addition but I'm already a little worried about the 4-3-3, simply because of the resources we have to hand. Coughlin hasn't really brought in any wingers so I guess we'll be reliant on the likes of McKenna, Murrell, Thomson and Lavery to plug those gaps. They're all capable but I'm not sure any are natural and I don't know if we'll achieve much width as a result - Thomson appeared to start wide right and naturally drifted inside on Saturday for example

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Would be nice if it translates to the senior squad,however am already concerned we are caught up in the same group struggling at the foot of the table. How RH does with coffs squad is anybody's guess. It seems he is basing it all around Scullion. A seeming running joke with other clubs supporters. We need a leader, someone who knows how to play and lead. Naturally got to give Robbie a chance but worried squad just hasn't got enough guile and guts.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wasn't at Stenny today, but reports suggest we had lots of possession and played some decent football. But once again, some awful defending lost the match before the attack got their boots dirty. 

16 goals conceded in 7 league games. (And we won 3 of them!) and another 12 in 6 cup games.

Robbie Horn has - understandably - tried to steady the defence by sticking with 2 experienced central defenders in Fairbairn and Scullion, hoping they will develop a strong partnership. Not much sign of that to be honest.

The alternatives though are youngsters - Waugh and Fleming - and that is just as risky. 

Perhaps the truth is that we need to change the system to a back 3 by bringing in Fleming, and playing McDonald and Godinho as wing backs. That means dropping Mackinlay, Scullion or Fairbairn, none of whom could really complain if it were them.

This post would be considerably more interesting if I'd gone to the match and got pissed.

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22 hours ago, Redcar said:

 

This post would be considerably more interesting if I'd gone to the match and got pissed.

If you had, you would have been barred and having to watch the game on twitter with the rest of the Bereek radgies

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37 minutes ago, dougster said:

If you had, you would have been barred and having to watch the game on twitter with the rest of the Bereek radgies

Suspect the Twitterman was himself barred. Twitter coverage was virtually non-existent.

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