ExiledLichtie Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 I actually enjoyed the game! Good fun, and I liked seeing us being willing to battle. Somebody said the damage was done with the summer signings and I kind of agree. Not so much the players, in that I felt the management didnt get the best out of the players we had (not you Deri), but the appalling run pre january left us as a squad totally bereft of self belief and confidence. A team in a good run of form scores 3 in the first half and sees the game out. I think the problem is pretty much mental. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lichtie78 Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 Either linn or el-mhannie should be starting every single home game. I struggle to have much sympathy for dick when everyone else in the ground knows the issues with our team yet he seemingly cannot. It's clearly pointless sacking him now but it's absolutely grim viewing. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayf78 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 As has already been mentioned, it’s the summer transfer window that will ultimately be the reason we are relegated. The new signings on the whole look a lot better than what we had with the exception of maybe the Nigerian striker and olusanya based on first viewing but I’ve not seen enough them to make an opinion as of yet. It will take time for the team to gel with the amount of new signings and I fear we will run out of time and with dick being dick will change the team too much every week which will make the team less cohesive. Yesterday I thought we started off reasonably well but took our foot off the gas after we went 1 up. I think everybody could see that we needed a 2/3 goal lead to have a realistic chance of winning the game and raith were far more clinical than us and deserved to win. The players have changed but unfortunately dicks team selections and tactics have not, continuously playing players out of position. We’ve got bobby and el-mhannie on the bench and he’s playing balde (a centre midfielder) out wide and then brings on hetherington (another centre midfielder) and plays him out wide. I think he’s brought hetherington on as a more defensively minded player to try and see out the game but you can’t try and hold onto a 1-0 lead with how bad we’ve been defensively this season, we tried to do that against cove earlier in the season and ended up drawing that game and we’ve done it again yesterday and ended up getting beat. Another weird one was bringing adarkwa off when we’re 2-1 down and he’s the only player that can actually get us up the park. In my opinion dick should’ve been sacked before Christmas to allow the new manager to have the January transfer window but it’s now too late to sack him so we just have to hope he can get us out of this relegation battle and keep us up but I’m not feeling too optimistic. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledLichtie Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 23 minutes ago, Lichtie78 said: Either linn or el-mhannie should be starting every single home game. I struggle to have much sympathy for dick when everyone else in the ground knows the issues with our team yet he seemingly cannot. It's clearly pointless sacking him now but it's absolutely grim viewing. I wanted him gone before the window, but its too late now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clashcityrocker Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 We have 13 games left to play with a maximum of 39 points available. We need to win a minimum of at least 6 games to have a chance of avoiding relegation - anything less and we are doomed. We are now at our last chance saloon - the damage was done in the summer, but the new January signings have improved the squad. Unfortunately, I don't think we have an out and out proven striker, we have players who are good at holding up the ball and battling - but I think most of out goals are going to come from midfield players. Yesterday's 2nd half performance was a shambles, we should have been 2-0 up at half time, these failings are costing us points. If we can win 6 of our remaining 13 games I think we can avoid the drop - this is achievable, but it won't be easy and I would be looking to involve our long term players on most of these games. Also, Scot Allan needs to return soon, we need someone with quality in midfield to provide service to the strikers - as witnessed in yesterday's 2nd half dismal display. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anotherlichtie Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 1 hour ago, clashcityrocker said: We have 13 games left to play with a maximum of 39 points available. We need to win a minimum of at least 6 games to have a chance of avoiding relegation - anything less and we are doomed. We are now at our last chance saloon - the damage was done in the summer, but the new January signings have improved the squad. Unfortunately, I don't think we have an out and out proven striker, we have players who are good at holding up the ball and battling - but I think most of out goals are going to come from midfield players. Yesterday's 2nd half performance was a shambles, we should have been 2-0 up at half time, these failings are costing us points. If we can win 6 of our remaining 13 games I think we can avoid the drop - this is achievable, but it won't be easy and I would be looking to involve our long term players on most of these games. Also, Scot Allan needs to return soon, we need someone with quality in midfield to provide service to the strikers - as witnessed in yesterday's 2nd half dismal display. What is this? Where is the blind optimism or inane dribble you normally post? Are you overdosed on all the humble pie you bought only to be proved spectacularly wrong? Scott Allan wouldn’t have changed that game yesterday, or any game this season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lichtie23 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Im undecided of the break next weekend will be good or bad for us. I imagine Dick will have a friendly lined up against someone which could in theory give the new lads a chance to gel with their new teammates. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattie36 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 21 minutes ago, lichtie23 said: Im undecided of the break next weekend will be good or bad for us. I imagine Dick will have a friendly lined up against someone which could in theory give the new lads a chance to gel with their new teammates. 100% good imo. As you say, the new guys need time to gel so a friendly match (or even 2) without the pressure of the league would be very beneficial. Something I’ve been thinking for a while is - as things are now critical, would it be feasible to train 3 times a week from now until the end of the season? Obviously not all the players/coaches could make it all the time but the more time the squad spend and train together the better, never mind the benefits to fitness etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecto Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 16 hours ago, SimonLichtie said: I view this side of things very simply. If I (and anyone else) think's we've improved the squad enough to stay up, which I do think we have, then if we don't stay up everything points towards poor line ups, tactical choices, subs etc and the buck for them stops with one person... On that note, my opinion is that if we acknowledge out strengths and play to them properly we will stay up. If we don't, we won't. Everything points towards playing a 4-5-1 IMO. Setting up that way is best against the majority of teams in this division, and it is the formation to get the best out of what we have. It gives us the flexibility we need during different game situations and it allows us to have our best players on the park, in the positions that suit them best. After last week's win I fully understand not making any changes for todays game, but now we've lost and we've got our full squad entirely signed up, the way we set up against Cove will presumably be the way we plan to set up for the rest of the season. For me, that really has to be along the lines of: Gaston Banks/ Stewart ToB Ricky Hammy Dow/ Stewart Yasin/ Bobby Adarkwa The above seems fairly obvious to me, and the midfield 3 has one sitter, one central and one number 10 in it. The number 10 is Mikey McKenna, and sitter is Hetherington or Bitsindou, and the one in the middle is Balde. Keep the shape, keep the majority of the personnel and make smallish changes week to week where needed so we can start building a proper understanding between the players. If we chop and change formation/ tactics everytime we play poorly, we'll play poorly most weeks and go down. Usual sense here from Simon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TASC_1878 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 TASC SOCIAL MEDIA MAN OF THE MATCH - RESULT Congratulations to Sean Adarkwa on winning the TASC Social Media Man of the Match for his performance in our Lichties loss to Raith yesterday. Thanks to all who voted 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Starko Rover Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 4 hours ago, clashcityrocker said: We have 13 games left to play with a maximum of 39 points available. We need to win a minimum of at least 6 games to have a chance of avoiding relegation - anything less and we are doomed. We are now at our last chance saloon - the damage was done in the summer, but the new January signings have improved the squad. Unfortunately, I don't think we have an out and out proven striker, we have players who are good at holding up the ball and battling - but I think most of out goals are going to come from midfield players. Yesterday's 2nd half performance was a shambles, we should have been 2-0 up at half time, these failings are costing us points. If we can win 6 of our remaining 13 games I think we can avoid the drop - this is achievable, but it won't be easy and I would be looking to involve our long term players on most of these games. Also, Scot Allan needs to return soon, we need someone with quality in midfield to provide service to the strikers - as witnessed in yesterday's 2nd half dismal display. Like us you’ve played 24, you’ve only got 12 left to play not 13. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattie36 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Anyone who realistically thinks we have a decent chance of winning 50% + of our remaining games needs to lay off the crack pipe imo. Particularly as half of those games are at home. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattie36 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 I’ll just leave this here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledLichtie Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Only number 2? We should be doing better! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLichtie86 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 I cant quite figure out why Linn has all of a sudden been dropped to a bit part player. Is Dick still pissed at that spat the other month there? First half of the season he WAS our only goal threat. Yet come January he signs El-Mhanni and drops Linn to the bench only for then go and sign Olusanya and drop El-Mhanni to the bench who was doing well. Surely with the lack of attacking threat we have had for most of the season we should be looking to have Linn and El-Mhanni starting! I am sure Ardakwa would love the extra support. It is not as if our wide players are defending worth a damn to be concerned about them not helping out at the back. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecto Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 23 hours ago, SimonLichtie said: I view this side of things very simply. If I (and anyone else) think's we've improved the squad enough to stay up, which I do think we have, then if we don't stay up everything points towards poor line ups, tactical choices, subs etc and the buck for them stops with one person... On that note, my opinion is that if we acknowledge out strengths and play to them properly we will stay up. If we don't, we won't. Everything points towards playing a 4-5-1 IMO. Setting up that way is best against the majority of teams in this division, and it is the formation to get the best out of what we have. It gives us the flexibility we need during different game situations and it allows us to have our best players on the park, in the positions that suit them best. After last week's win I fully understand not making any changes for todays game, but now we've lost and we've got our full squad entirely signed up, the way we set up against Cove will presumably be the way we plan to set up for the rest of the season. For me, that really has to be along the lines of: Gaston Banks/ Stewart ToB Ricky Hammy Dow/ Stewart Yasin/ Bobby Adarkwa The above seems fairly obvious to me, and the midfield 3 has one sitter, one central and one number 10 in it. The number 10 is Mikey McKenna, and sitter is Hetherington or Bitsindou, and the one in the middle is Balde. Keep the shape, keep the majority of the personnel and make smallish changes week to week where needed so we can start building a proper understanding between the players. If we chop and change formation/ tactics everytime we play poorly, we'll play poorly most weeks and go down. Whoever plays the sitter role, has to be a decent defender, that rules out Bitsindou, either Hetherington or Goldie for me in there, agree with McKenna and Balde 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clashcityrocker Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 18 hours ago, San Starko Rover said: Like us you’ve played 24, you’ve only got 12 left to play not 13. Arbroath have 13 games left to play - not 12. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattie36 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 5 minutes ago, clashcityrocker said: Arbroath have 13 games left to play - not 12. No, he’s correct we only have 12. Cove and Accies both have a game in hand over us too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lichtie23 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 We’ve played 24 games so far in a 36 game season 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clashcityrocker Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 2 hours ago, Tattie36 said: No, he’s correct we only have 12 Okay, I stand corrected. Think we will need to win a minimum of 6 of these games. Our midfield needs to improve and we need strikers shooting at goals - otherwise it's curtains. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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