Sons' sorrow

[sonsanorak]

5 minutes ago, Sonsteam of 08 said:

I don't disagree that Thommo works hard, but Jesus Christ I'd work hard, run about a lot and fail to trap a ball for ninety minutes. In fact I dare say every other poster on here would do likewise!*

I actually felt for him today. He looked miles off it and absolutely desperate to come off. Keeping him on and bringing Gaz on for J.Thomson in central midfield was mental.

 

 

*Apart from BBPF, he'd just run about charging into tackles and mouthing off imo

Im trying to give thompson some credit for at least trying.  Effort is a bare minimum expected, yet stevensons not showing it for me.

[Boghead ranter]

To add from me - we are now starting to get detached in a wee mini-league of three with St Mirren and Dunfermline. I would expect both of them to not be in the bottom three come the end of the season (even St Mirren) but I fully expect us to still be there. Whether we pull anyone back there with us depends on whether Aitken remains in the dugout or not.

I am one of those people who realise that we have punched above our weight for the last 5 seasons, and can fully accept that we will eventually end up back in League 1. I can't accept it happening the way it looks like happening just now though, with the team having shit/no tactics, and looking like having no fight either.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

15 minutes ago, Sonsteam of 08 said:

I don't disagree that Thommo works hard, but Jesus Christ I'd work hard, run about a lot and fail to trap a ball for ninety minutes. In fact I dare say every other poster on here would do likewise!*

I actually felt for him today. He looked miles off it and absolutely desperate to come off. Keeping him on and bringing Gaz on for J.Thomson in central midfield was mental.

 

 

*Apart from BBPF, he'd just run about charging into tackles and mouthing off imo

 

You have quite literally nailed my footballing style without having ever played with me 

 

I'm like Shug Murray with zero footballing ability.

[Boghead ranter]

4 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

 

You have quite literally nailed my footballing style without having ever played with me 

 

I'm like Shug Murray with zero footballing ability.

So, like Shug Murray then? 

[Jan Vojáček]

2 minutes ago, Boghead ranter said:

So, like Shug Murray then? 

Hawl, don't bring Shug into this.

#BringBackShugMurray

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

I have a horrificly dodgy ankle but I'm more than happy to step in next week if required.

#bringinbringbackpaddyflannery

[pleslie99]

I think we should all go in, we'd all put up more of a fight than some we have seen in recent weeks!
f**k! I'm having a proper p&b meltdown here!

[sonsanorak]

Ayrs twitter feed has a post match manager interview and quotes todays attendance as 1040 with 460 or so away fans.  If hospitality, blazers etc are counted from that figure the home support seems to be falling?

[cedrick1]

Missed today due to holiday . Lucky escape

question is can  we afford to sack stevie as that would mean funding 2 managers.

 

 

[callum-ayr]

1 minute ago, sonsanorak said:

Ayrs twitter feed has a post match manager interview and quotes todays attendance as 1040 with 460 or so away fans.  If hospitality, blazers etc are counted from that figure the home support seems to be falling?

That will be standard PATG and ST's.

[Silverton End]

27 minutes ago, sonsanorak said:

Ayrs twitter feed has a post match manager interview and quotes todays attendance as 1040 with 460 or so away fans.  If hospitality, blazers etc are counted from that figure the home support seems to be falling?

It's dropping away rapidly, the Home support, easily 500 Ayr United fans there today.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

2 hours ago, Sonsteam of 08 said:

Don't fear

I've watched it now. He didn't show any hints of resigning. Dang. Cliched drivel.

Interesting to see Alan Adamson referenced; I said today with 10 minutes or so to go that the wheel has now turned full circle to five years ago.  Our team is an unbalanced mix, almost totally devoid of confidence with a Manager who looks to be really struggling.

There is one significant difference however; I very much doubt that the club could currently afford to roll up the remainder of his and Stevie Farrell's contracts, so unless he elects to fall on his sword we may well all have to stumble on.

I've always supported SA's appointment and have on occasions have given him the benefit of the doubt, but the evidence is there for all to see.  Dubious teams selections - why wasn't Bucky in beside Sparky today, releasing Barr to patrol the deep midfield and allow Joe Thompson to push forward in what was a HOME game FFS - allied to stiflingly negative tactics and weird substitutions (what about the last two this afternoon?) have sapped both the players and the supporters.

What to do ?  Well, a clear the air meeting giving everyone a say would be a start, allied to getting Garry fit enough to start regularly alongside Thommo.  Aye, two strikers, that revolutionary. 

I'd also consider moving Sparky into left or central midfield, depending on how that dovetails with Stanton, with Gal and Todd making up a four man middle in a 4-4-2 formation.  Yes, that's right ,no starting place for Smith or Stevenson, with the latter now looking to be much more an expensive tent pole than a marquee signing.

But what do I know ??

[pleslie99]

It is dropping and will continue to do so! I'm away to get married next saturday! Then on honeymoon for 2 weeks! I won't be back until things improve or Stevie goes!

[sarti pooh]

Fucking woeful today.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

Interesting to see Alan Adamson referenced; I said today with 10 minutes or so to go that the wheel has now turned full circle to five years ago.  Our team is an unbalanced mix, almost totally devoid of confidence with a Manager who looks to be really struggling.

There is one significant difference however; I very much doubt that the club could currently afford to roll up the remainder of his and Stevie Farrell's contracts, so unless he elects to fall on his sword we may well all have to stumble on.

I've always supported SA's appointment and have on occasions have given him the benefit of the doubt, but the evidence is there for all to see.  Dubious teams selections - why wasn't Bucky in beside Sparky today, releasing Barr to patrol the deep midfield and allow Joe Thompson to push forward in what was a HOME game FFS - allied to stiflingly negative tactics and weird substitutions (what about the last two this afternoon?) have sapped both the players and the supporters.

What to do ?  Well, a clear the air meeting giving everyone a say would be a start, allied to getting Garry fit enough to start regularly alongside Thommo.  Aye, two strikers, that revolutionary. 

I'd also consider moving Sparky into left or central midfield, depending on how that dovetails with Stanton, with Gal and Todd making up a four man middle in a 4-4-2 formation.  Yes, that's right ,no starting place for Smith or Stevenson, with the latter now looking to be much more an expensive tent pole than a marquee signing.

But what do I know ??

Fleming is fit and raring to go. He's desperate to play.

[ThirdrockfromtheSon]

1 hour ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

Yes, that's right ,no starting place for Smith or Stevenson, with the latter now looking to be much more an expensive tent pole than a marquee signing. 

But what do I know ??

Comment 1 :-  very cleverly put.

Comment 2:- After so many years of following our Club, I'd say you know plenty, IMHO.

[sonsism]

The signs were there from pre-season unfortunately.  Pretty much everyone gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was pre-season - team still gelling, crazy pre-season results for teams every year, will get better when the real stuff starts, on paper good squad etc.. etc.. Next part is a repost from the Ayr match thread:

And to think we were only aiming to have a squad size of 16 players at one point! Without Christian Nade we would not have stayed up last season - lightning will not strike twice this season.  Same old shit in interviews.  Same type of performances as last season even though we've got a very different team.  No away wins since December 2015.  1 win in the last 16 competitive games.  Aitken Out.

5 hours ago, Boghead ranter said:

I am one of those people who realise that we have punched above our weight for the last 5 seasons, and can fully accept that we will eventually end up back in League 1. I can't accept it happening the way it looks like happening just now though, with the team having shit/no tactics, and looking like having no fight either.

I agree 100% with this.  Perhaps this is it and we're destined to go down this time - we've had a great run over the last 5 seasons. But these performances are entirely unacceptable.  If we're going down, we should be going down swinging. 

 

[Silverton End]

1 hour ago, sonsism said:

The signs were there from pre-season unfortunately.  Pretty much everyone gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was pre-season - team still gelling, crazy pre-season results for teams every year, will get better when the real stuff starts, on paper good squad etc.. etc.. Next part is a repost from the Ayr match thread:

And to think we were only aiming to have a squad size of 16 players at one point! Without Christian Nade we would not have stayed up last season - lightning will not strike twice this season.  Same old shit in interviews.  Same type of performances as last season even though we've got a very different team.  No away wins since December 2015.  1 win in the last 16 competitive games.  Aitken Out.

I agree 100% with this.  Perhaps this is it and we're destined to go down this time - we've had a great run over the last 5 seasons. But these performances are entirely unacceptable.  If we're going down, we should be going down swinging. 

 

True. Very true.

Some of our fans even thought we'd be fine with a 16 man squad 

Teams like East Fife & Peterhead pumping us said it all, the signs were there, and have been since last season, as for some fans on here saying the Cups didn't matter, I'd love to have went to Bala like Alloa did & won or Livi going to N.I. and beating Crusaders.

The bollocks being spoken was that we used the aforementioned Cup games as pre-season 'warm-ups'. Ye couldn't make it up. Aitken 

 

[pleslie99]

True. Very true.

Some of our fans even thought we'd be fine with a 16 man squad 

Teams like East Fife & Peterhead pumping us said it all, the signs were there, and have been since last season, as for some fans on here saying the Cups didn't matter, I'd love to have went to Bala like Alloa did & won or Livi going to N.I. and beating Crusaders.

The bollocks being spoken was that we used the aforementioned Cup games as pre-season 'warm-ups'. Ye couldn't make it up. Aitken 

 

Exactly, that's why Morton have their day in the sun at hampden and we got pumped by all comers! Times dragging on! We need a change

[Jan Vojáček]

As you all know I absolutely love a stat. So here's a few from this year in general.

• We've won 7 our of our 34 games this year - 20.5%
• We've failed to score in 17 of those matches - 50% of games
• We've lost 6-0 twice so far in 2016. The humiliating game at home to Rangers and the laughable day at Palmerston
• Without Christian Nade's goals and assists we would've been 8 points worse off than we were last season and would've finished 9th
• Stevie Aitken has won 14 of his 57 competitive games in charge - 24.56% win ratio (Ian Murray was 37.9%, Adamson 38.5%, Chapman 35.39%, McCabe 43.86%, Martin 17.91%)
• We haven't won an away game for (what will be by Saturday) 322 days. In that time we've played 18 competitive games, drawing 4 and losing 1 on penalties
• Under Aitken in total we have failed to score in 25 games - 43.8% of total matches
• We've only won by more than 1 goal 4 times under him (Alloa, 2-0, 5-0 and 3-1) Queen of the South (4-2) - 7% of his games
• We went from December until May last year without scoring a goal away from home
• We've lost to East Fife (twice), Queens Park, Forfar Athletic and Peterhead in cup competitions
• In all his games in charge we have scored just 61 goals in the 57 games he's been in charge of, conceding 101

The warning signs have been there this year, but I think maybe quite a few of us (including myself) have been trying to gloss over them with the (ever distant) memories of wins over Hibs and Dundee United. Unfortunately I doubt we can afford to sack him but, thankfully, his contract is up at the end of year and then we'll be able to get rid and start afresh. I think even the most staunch defenders of him are struggling to continue fighting his corner.

Say what you want about Ayr or Ian McCall, but I thought they were absolutely excellent yesterday. They were fantastically well drilled, setup and had a gameplan which they clearly believed in and stuck with. I can't remember us ever performing like that under Aitken. He's tactically very, very poor and is completely unable to set up a team to attack never mind react to falling a goal behind. Be honest, how many of you lot felt we would get something after Forrest's early goal? I certainly didn't.

By the way, subbing Garry Fleming on in central midfield when he's our best striker and our striker is having a shocker. Sometimes you really have to wonder what other people see!

Edited October 16, 2016 by Sonsteam of 08