The Queen of the South thread

[19QOS19]

Any comments from Queens fans at the game today? Feeling a bit less optimistic about the season now after the last two league games. Although looking at the league table everyone seems to be taking points off each other with the exception of Hamilton.

It's probably good to get a reality check. We should be looking to have a go at reaching 4th place, but with one or two injuries/suspensions our squad is stretched. We certainly should have enough to avoid relegation but winning this league won't happen. If we get our defence settled and a working midfield then we should be able to push for 4th (providing we avoid as stated injuries/suspension).

The positive I could give you is that we looked far better when Young came on. We started battling in the middle. With Kev to come in we should be able to pick points up. You can see we can be dangerous, something that never looked likely under Gus.

There is a lot to be worked on but hopefully it clicks quickly and we can have a go at the play-offs. I wouldn't like to bet on a winner of the league this year. As I think everyone will take points off everyone else. Give me that over last season's borefest any day of the week though

[Hawk]

My take on things after yesterday is that Durnan must play, he offers us a far better physical presence both while we defend and when we attack at set pieces.

As for the midfield, to start with yesterday our central three were not at the races. When young was introduced and we went to 4-4-2 we looked so much better. My preferred central pairing would be the same as last season with Young and McKenna. Kevin, as and when his clearance comes through would be a straight swap for either Young or McKenna. The wide players, well it's 2 from three between Danny, Paton and Burns.

With the strikers again I think it's any 2 from 3. I think so far the manager has been a little unfair on Russell as he's never been played through the middle which is where he's made his name. With Reilly, we saw yesterday he brings the energy and speed that allows us to press further up the park. Lyle has lots of experience to offer but yesterday he was so isolated and more often than not when the ball went up to him it just came straight back.

There's no doubt we have goals in the team I think the manager just needs to get us solid and settled at the back to give us a platform to push on from.

In this league we’ve already seen that mistakes will be punished and it’s difficult to chase a game when you go behind.

Hopefully McIntyre will have learned a lot yesterday and we will see the benefits starting on Tuesday.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Hawk

[FC United mk2]

My take on things after yesterday is that Durnan must play, he offers us a far better physical presence both while we defend and when we attack at set pieces.

As for the midfield, to start with yesterday our central three were not at the races. When young was introduced and we went to 4-4-2 we looked so much better. My preferred central pairing would be the same as last season with Young and McKenna. Kevin, as and when his clearance comes through would be a straight swap for either Young or McKenna. The wide players, well it's 2 from three between Danny, Paton and Burns.

With the strikers again I think it's any 2 from 3. I think so far the manager has been a little unfair on Russell as he's never been played through the middle which is where he's made his name. With Reilly, we saw yesterday he brings the energy and speed that allows us to press further up the park. Lyle has lots of experience to offer but yesterday he was so isolated and more often than not when the ball went up to him it just came straight back.

There's no doubt we have goals in the team I think the manager just needs to get us solid and settled at the back to give us a platform to push on from.

In this league we’ve already seen that mistakes will be punished and it’s difficult to chase a game when you go behind.

Hopefully McIntyre will have learned a lot yesterday and we will see the benefits starting on Tuesday.

Still think its amazing that after 1 game versus a poor hearts side people are suggesting the American boy will walk straight into the side as if he's came with a massive reputation. From what I've picked up he has spent his career playing college soccer which is hardly a reputation that would have me filled with huge excitement, I know 2 people from this town who played college soccer in the states and are now playing for Dalbeattie Star and Heston. That said I am noway writing him off and I do hope he's a success,

[MB]

My take on things after yesterday is that Durnan must play, he offers us a far better physical presence both while we defend and when we attack at set pieces.

As for the midfield, to start with yesterday our central three were not at the races. When young was introduced and we went to 4-4-2 we looked so much better. My preferred central pairing would be the same as last season with Young and McKenna. Kevin, as and when his clearance comes through would be a straight swap for either Young or McKenna. The wide players, well it's 2 from three between Danny, Paton and Burns.

With the strikers again I think it's any 2 from 3. I think so far the manager has been a little unfair on Russell as he's never been played through the middle which is where he's made his name. With Reilly, we saw yesterday he brings the energy and speed that allows us to press further up the park. Lyle has lots of experience to offer but yesterday he was so isolated and more often than not when the ball went up to him it just came straight back.

There's no doubt we have goals in the team I think the manager just needs to get us solid and settled at the back to give us a platform to push on from.

In this league we’ve already seen that mistakes will be punished and it’s difficult to chase a game when you go behind.

Hopefully McIntyre will have learned a lot yesterday and we will see the benefits starting on Tuesday.

Still think its amazing that after 1 game versus a poor hearts side people are suggesting the American boy will walk straight into the side as if he's came with a massive reputation. From what I've picked up he has spent his career playing college soccer which is hardly a reputation that would have me filled with huge excitement, I know 2 people from this town who played college soccer in the states and are now playing for Dalbeattie Star and Heston. That said I am noway writing him off and I do hope he's a success,

I don't think anyone is saying Kev will walk straight into the team. Partly because of his lack of match sharpness, I'd have thought he'd be behind McKenna and Young in the pecking order. Kev just might be a better bet than Guff in midfield. Hope so anyway.

[MacWatt]

I don't think anyone is saying Kev will walk straight into the team. Partly because of his lack of match sharpness, I'd have thought he'd be behind McKenna and Young in the pecking order. Kev just might be a better bet than Guff in midfield. Hope so anyway.

I don't believe that Kevin has been brought across the Atlantic to sit on the bench.

He was a stand out in the game against Hearts and I expect him to go straight into the team.

[MB]

I don't think anyone is saying Kev will walk straight into the team. Partly because of his lack of match sharpness, I'd have thought he'd be behind McKenna and Young in the pecking order. Kev just might be a better bet than Guff in midfield. Hope so anyway.

 

I don't believe that Kevin has been brought across the Atlantic to sit on the bench.

 

He was a stand out in the game against Hearts and I expect him to go straight into the team.

Possibly. Almost definitely if we continue playing 4-3-3. If we switch to 4-4-2 then I think he'll have to be content to sit on the bench for a bit.

[JrsLeftPeg]

I don't think anyone is saying Kev will walk straight into the team. Partly because of his lack of match sharpness, I'd have thought he'd be behind McKenna and Young in the pecking order. Kev just might be a better bet than Guff in midfield. Hope so anyway.

 

I don't believe that Kevin has been brought across the Atlantic to sit on the bench.

 

He was a stand out in the game against Hearts and I expect him to go straight into the team.

You seem to have very high hopes for a young guy that has played one friendly. Hope you are correct but , well, we will see.

[Monkey Tennis]

Still think its amazing that after 1 game versus a poor hearts side people are suggesting the American boy will walk straight into the side as if he's came with a massive reputation. From what I've picked up he has spent his career playing college soccer which is hardly a reputation that would have me filled with huge excitement, I know 2 people from this town who played college soccer in the states and are now playing for Dalbeattie Star and Heston. That said I am noway writing him off and I do hope he's a success,

I agree with your point about the hopes people are pinning on this guy, on the back of one appearance in a pretty uncompetitive game. Others at the club have obviously seen more of him though and we've got to hope they've judged this well.

On the idea of people you know who've played College football before though, is it not a little different for Americans? What I mean is that if you're British and going to make a career in football, you really need to get taken on by a club at the age of sixteen. I know there's the odd exception, but that's pretty much how it works. British lads who go to College in America to play football have really missed the boat as far as professional football is concerned. It's still a brilliant thing to do for the experience and the chance to get a degree in something else, sometimes a degree that their grades wouldn't have enabled them to do here. They're not going to be footballers though.

For American kids however, isn't College still the preferred route?

I've no idea how good or otherwise this guy might prove to be, but the fact that he's played College football probably shouldn't count against him at this stage.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Monkey Tennis

[FC United mk2]

Still think its amazing that after 1 game versus a poor hearts side people are suggesting the American boy will walk straight into the side as if he's came with a massive reputation. From what I've picked up he has spent his career playing college soccer which is hardly a reputation that would have me filled with huge excitement, I know 2 people from this town who played college soccer in the states and are now playing for Dalbeattie Star and Heston. That said I am noway writing him off and I do hope he's a success,

I agree with your point about the hopes people are pinning on this guy, on the back of one appearance in a pretty uncompetitive game. Others at the club have obviously seen more of him though and we've got to hope they've judged this well.

On the idea of people you know who've played College football before though, is it not a little different for Americans? What I mean is that if you're British and going to make a career in football, you really need to get taken on by a club at the age of sixteen. I know there's the odd exception, but that's pretty much how it works. British lads who go to College in America to play football have really missed the boat as far as professional football is concerned. It's still a brilliant thing to do for the experience and the chance to get a degree in something else, sometimes a degree that their grades wouldn't have enabled them to do here. They're not going to be footballers though.

For American kids however, isn't College still the preferred route?

I've no idea how good or otherwise this guy might prove to be, but the fact that he's played College football probably shouldn't count against him at this stage.

Don't get me wrong I'm under no illusions that McIntyre will have seen more of him than us and if he does walk straight into the side then it will be because the manager will have a better opinion on him than us. I just find it difficult to work out why alot of the fans on here are building him up on the basis of one friendly.

Yep, I understand what your saying and your probably right about it being totally different, point I was trying to make was more him being built up a great deal and me trying to understand why considering he has only been playing college football. Had he come from the MLS I could see why he was gaining abit of hype, no malice intended.

Like I've said I genuinely hope he turns out to be a great addition and I'm sure he will be.

[MB]

Don't get me wrong I'm under no illusions that McIntyre will have seen more of him than us and if he does walk straight into the side then it will be because the manager will have a better opinion on him than us. I just find it difficult to work out why alot of the fans on here are building him up on the basis of one friendly.

Yep, I understand what your saying and your probably right about it being totally different, point I was trying to make was more him being built up a great deal and me trying to understand why considering he has only been playing college football. Had he come from the MLS I could see why he was gaining abit of hype, no malice intended.

Like I've said I genuinely hope he turns out to be a great addition and I'm sure he will be.

Whether Kev turns out to be the saviour, we'll just have to wait and see. McIntyre will have seen a lot of Dzierzawski in training and I take you back to my earlier point: Kev has to be a better bet in midfield than McGuffie. I love Ryan McGuffie but he's no midfielder; the game just passes him by.

[FC United mk2]

Don't get me wrong I'm under no illusions that McIntyre will have seen more of him than us and if he does walk straight into the side then it will be because the manager will have a better opinion on him than us. I just find it difficult to work out why alot of the fans on here are building him up on the basis of one friendly.

Yep, I understand what your saying and your probably right about it being totally different, point I was trying to make was more him being built up a great deal and me trying to understand why considering he has only been playing college football. Had he come from the MLS I could see why he was gaining abit of hype, no malice intended.

Like I've said I genuinely hope he turns out to be a great addition and I'm sure he will be.

Whether Kev turns out to be the saviour, we'll just have to wait and see. McIntyre will have seen a lot of Dzierzawski in training and I take you back to my earlier point: Kev has to be a better bet in midfield than McGuffie. I love Ryan McGuffie but he's no midfielder; the game just passes him by.

Again I can't comment on how good the American is on the back of a non competitive game. So if I was going by your point would steven Sloan of Annan arrived with the same hype as this boy due to the fact he's a midfielder and better than McGuffie in there?

[MB]

Again I can't comment on how good the American is on the back of a non competitive game. So if I was going by your point would steven Sloan of Annan arrived with the same hype as this boy due to the fact he's a midfielder and better than McGuffie in there?

I'll take your word for it that Steven Sloan is a better midfielder than McGuffie. However, if Sloan was that good surely he'd be playing at a higher level. Perhaps, he will given time. However, McIntyre has seen much more of Kev than you or I and obviously likes what he has seen. There's no point in making this signing if the lad is viewed as just a squad-filler in the mould of McShane or Slattery. It's clearly a gamble but it is certainly an area where we need to strengthen.

[FC United mk2]

Again I can't comment on how good the American is on the back of a non competitive game. So if I was going by your point would steven Sloan of Annan arrived with the same hype as this boy due to the fact he's a midfielder and better than McGuffie in there?

I'll take your word for it that Steven Sloan is a better midfielder than McGuffie. However, if Sloan was that good surely he'd be playing at a higher level. Perhaps, he will given time. However, McIntyre has seen much more of Kev than you or I and obviously likes what he has seen. There's no point in making this signing if the lad is viewed as just a squad-filler in the mould of McShane or Slattery. It's clearly a gamble but it is certainly an area where we need to strengthen.

I'm not saying he is better Im saying that just because he's a midfielder that makes him a better bet than McGuffie. Maybe it is an area that needs strengthened and yes McIntyre's judgment should be trusted. My point if look at it is that I personally can't see how he can be hyped up by us fans on the back of 1 friendly against a average at best hearts XI. For what it's worth I'm sure with the effort taken to get him here he will be a good addition but he surely should come here with a hint of caution due to the fact we know NOTHING about him other than he is American with a long surname.

[MacWatt]

What we do know is that he displayed composure, a very good range of passing skills with both feet and a hunger for the ball in his outing against Hearts. (A Hearts team that would be sitting joint second place if it were not for their starting points deficit)

These abilities (which are beyond most players in the Division) were also on show in abundance in youtube clips .

We know that he was the Captain, playmaker and best player in a good college side and that someone who knows him considers him to be a very gifted player and one of the select few invited to the MLS combine.

Oh, and the kid has great soccer smarts!

Edited August 25, 2013 by MacWatt

[MB]

I'm not saying he is better Im saying that just because he's a midfielder that makes him a better bet than McGuffie. Maybe it is an area that needs strengthened and yes McIntyre's judgment should be trusted. My point if look at it is that I personally can't see how he can be hyped up by us fans on the back of 1 friendly against a average at best hearts XI. For what it's worth I'm sure with the effort taken to get him here he will be a good addition but he surely should come here with a hint of caution due to the fact we know NOTHING about him other than he is American with a long surname.

I'm not saying ANY midfielder is better than McGuffie in that role. McGuffie played in midfield for many years and is not doing a bad job. However, he lacks a bit of pace and creativity for the role particularly at this stage of his career. I'm not hyping up Dzierzawski but am glad we've signed a player in that position. He might be an unmitigated disaster but I'll give Jim McIntyre the benefit of the doubt at this stage.

[Homer Thompson]

Don't get me wrong I'm under no illusions that McIntyre will have seen more of him than us and if he does walk straight into the side then it will be because the manager will have a better opinion on him than us. I just find it difficult to work out why alot of the fans on here are building him up on the basis of one friendly.

Yep, I understand what your saying and your probably right about it being totally different, point I was trying to make was more him being built up a great deal and me trying to understand why considering he has only been playing college football. Had he come from the MLS I could see why he was gaining abit of hype, no malice intended.

Like I've said I genuinely hope he turns out to be a great addition and I'm sure he will be.

At his age, though, every player will be playing college football, irrespective of how good they are.

[FC United mk2]

Don't get me wrong I'm under no illusions that McIntyre will have seen more of him than us and if he does walk straight into the side then it will be because the manager will have a better opinion on him than us. I just find it difficult to work out why alot of the fans on here are building him up on the basis of one friendly.

Yep, I understand what your saying and your probably right about it being totally different, point I was trying to make was more him being built up a great deal and me trying to understand why considering he has only been playing college football. Had he come from the MLS I could see why he was gaining abit of hype, no malice intended.

Like I've said I genuinely hope he turns out to be a great addition and I'm sure he will be.

At his age, though, every player will be playing college football, irrespective of how good they are.

I know this, it still doesn't detract from my point tho. Same as if he had come from an under 19 side from the premiership, i realise he would of had to play for the under 19's but I wouldn't expect him to be hyped up at this stage. See what I'm saying?

[Homer Thompson]

I know this, it still doesn't detract from my point tho. Same as if he had come from an under 19 side from the premiership, i realise he would of had to play for the under 19's but I wouldn't expect him to be hyped up at this stage. See what I'm saying?

Not really. If he had been at a Premiership club and was good enough he would be playing for the first team. If he came from a premiership U19 side then that would be because thats the level he was good enough for.

The same doesnt really apply in America. Most players will go through the college system, irrespective of how good they are

[veteran]

I'm not saying ANY midfielder is better than McGuffie in that role. McGuffie played in midfield for many years and is not doing a bad job. However, he lacks a bit of pace and creativity for the role particularly at this stage of his career. I'm not hyping up Dzierzawski but am glad we've signed a player in that position. He might be an unmitigated disaster but I'll give Jim McIntyre the benefit of the doubt at this stage.

Most of the time McGuffie played in mid-field was as a wide mid-field player in a 4-4-2 formation which is a totally different ball-game from playing in the centre.

[MB]

Most of the time McGuffie played in mid-field was as a wide mid-field player in a 4-4-2 formation which is a totally different ball-game from playing in the centre.

Yes, you are correct and the same could be said for Paul Burns. I certainly don't want to make a scapegoat of McGuffie because he's still doing fine but he's not the answer in the centre.