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9 minutes ago, Yenitit said:

1 of the many things that is bylin my p!ss as they say is, if his chosen formation is 4-2-3-1 I don’t think he’s filled his squad with the right types. The number 10 role in that formation is hugely important. A guy who is good on the ball, can pick a pass, go past players, can get about the park and has pace to get beyond the lone striker is a priority.  His lack of wide players whether out and out wingers or natural wide midfielders is a joke. If he thinks a 17 year old from Rangers is the answer week in week out he’s ripping the p!ss out of us. Looks like he’s inherited a player in Todd he doesn’t want to play. Also if he’s trying to tell us this formation is an attacking 4-3-3 he’s at it again. 

Tbf to the lad, wee McPake hasn't started a game since the QoS game in Dumfries where he had a mare. He clearly isn't interested in starting Todd either, which pisses me off personally, but insists on playing McDaid in a team he wants to load with central midfielders. I agree, I would like a more direct approach at this point with 2 wingers on, and Dorrans in that CAM role with Gowser also able to fill that role comfortably. Both Byrne and Ness can handle the more defensive MF roles without needing Dorrans to babysit them. I feel he needs to realise he can't just stick all his midfielders in there and still attack from the sides, it's just not working. I assume he'll be on the look for a winger he approves of in Jan to replace the departing wee McPake.

 

Or hell, if he really doesn't want either Dorrans or Gowser in that no. 10 role, just nab Alan Forrest from Ayr.

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5 minutes ago, stu2910 said:

Having 1 striker up front is the only way we’ve avoided being demolished this season. How would everyone like to fit in 2 strikers? The 4-4-2 at Tannadice? Or maybe the 3-5-2 from the first half at Dunfermline?

One way could be a 4-3-1-2:

Kerr, McGhee, Forster, Marshall
Ness, Dorrans, Byrne
Gowser
Hemmings, Johnson

Would mean leaving out McDaid and for Kerr and Marshall to take more full back roles, but McPake needs to sacrifice width if he wants to play all his star central midfielders.

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One way could be a 4-3-1-2:
Kerr, McGhee, Forster, Marshall
Ness, Dorrans, Byrne
Gowser
Hemmings, Johnson
Would mean leaving out McDaid and for Kerr and Marshall to take more full back roles, but McPake needs to sacrifice width if he wants to play all his star central midfielders.

Fair enough, I’d be happy to at least try that. Although personally I’d swap Byrne for Robertson, not really sure what Byrne has contributed so far that Robertson didn’t and the latter is more likely to improve.
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14 minutes ago, stu2910 said:

Having 1 striker up front is the only way we’ve avoided being demolished this season. How would everyone like to fit in 2 strikers? The 4-4-2 at Tannadice? Or maybe the 3-5-2 from the first half at Dunfermline?

The problem is his choice of squad. The 4-4-2 at Tannadice would be just fine if he actually signed a proper left or right midfielder or even both. 
 

He actually started the season looking to play with 3 centrehalf’s then quickly realised he hadn’t signed 1 blessed with pace and it was getting exploited. 

Edited by Yenitit
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2 minutes ago, stu2910 said:


Fair enough, I’d be happy to at least try that. Although personally I’d swap Byrne for Robertson, not really sure what Byrne has contributed so far that Robertson didn’t and the latter is more likely to improve.

I think Byrne is better in a more direct playing side, like at Livi. He's a better ball winner than possession player, so if it's a more direct approach then I'd pick him. If we continue to pass from the back, then I'd consider sticking Fin in that role.

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15 hours ago, Yenitit said:

The problem is his choice of squad. The 4-4-2 at Tannadice would be just fine if he actually signed a proper left or right midfielder or even both. 
 

He actually started the season looking to play with 3 centrehalf’s then quickly realised he hadn’t signed 1 blessed with pace and it was getting exploited. 

Not really sure what the wingers could have done to avoid that game. Todd has been treated very harshly, he's a hard working player who plays to a system, decent defensively (as evidenced with his pressing V Aberdeen) and whilst he's not the most flashy player, he does provide some intent and width.

If you're going to play without having a long-ball option to a striker, you need to be pretty good at playing from the back line. That's the way we play and in the first derby, it was a complete disaster as it relied on a very slow Ness to partner Byrne and play through the side, we were exposed badly. The second derby, the strategy was the same but it wasn't as bad as we had another body in the middle.

Until we actually drill into the team that one of the strikers can be used as a direct outball (and no, I don't mean after five minutes of passing on the half way line and a paniced hoof to our forwards who has easily been marked out the game and has no space to attack into), we're going to be very predictable and have little margin for error in possession with most of it being in our own third.

I think right now, we're pissing about with formations and although some things are marginally better (i.e. we improved with the introduction of second winger on Saturday but were by that point chasing the game), it's pretty much the same problems however we set up. The only exception to that is against Aberdeen where we acknowledged we couldn't play through them so allowed Johnson to play as a target man, we ended up creating more chances than most games this season and the entire midfield were brilliant in getting on top of the second ball.

I'm not saying we need to go total hoofball and there are certain games where I think the football can be useful (i.e. Alloa and Arbroath who sit deep) but we're just set up so one dimensional right now. In fairness to someone like Mackie being shite and a liability on Saturday, I think if he was encouraged to hoof the thing when uncomfortable, he wouldn't have been such a worry. One weak link in this sort of style of play and we're vulnerable, sometimes it'll come together but teams in this league are smart enough to watch a few videos and press us high.

IMO as good as a player as he is, we've signed Dorrans without really mastering the basics and knowing where he actually fits in best. It's pointless having that sort of talent at this level if they aren't getting to play in the last third and do the damage and right now, we're just throwing centre midfielders in to keep everyone happy.

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22 hours ago, Dele said:

The striker you're talking of is Cedwyn Scott. A guy who, if you read reports from boys who go to the games, was nowhere near ready for the step up to first team level. 

He's currently without a team after neither Berwick nor Forfar signed him. 

Believe Cedwyn is playing for Dunston in the Northern Premier League.

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Kamara had an excellent game tonight against a good Dutch side.  Looked every bit the class player he is.  

Was it £30k we got for him?   I know he only had 6 months of his contract left but you would have to imagine that even Nelms would have worked in a sell on clause.  Surely? 

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23 minutes ago, Shadow Play said:

Kamara had an excellent game tonight against a good Dutch side.  Looked every bit the class player he is.  

Was it £30k we got for him?   I know he only had 6 months of his contract left but you would have to imagine that even Nelms would have worked in a sell on clause.  Surely? 

If I recall the fee was originally reported as £100,000, however now generally accepted as having been £50,000.

Even that was probably paid in instalments, with no chance of a sell-on clause I would imagine. We wanted rid as much as they wanted to sign the feller.

Class player all right, unfortunately he only performed when he felt like it.

Best regards

 

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