The Greenock Morton Thread - It's Better Than Yours

[IainMorton]

Has he gone yet? Going by his team selection and body language today there is no chance he will be staying on as Morton manager.

[Ira Gaines]

I said it when the Falkirk morons were worried about it and will say the same thing here. There's absolutely no chance of Ally McCoist getting a job at this level. Not even at Brechin on the way down.

[Jamie_M]

I said it when the Falkirk morons were worried about it and will say the same thing here. There's absolutely no chance of Ally McCoist getting a job at this level. Not even at Brechin on the way down.

The same was said about Duffy before we scraped him off the bottom rung.

[Ira Gaines]

Duffy at least had something of a rehab at Clyde. If McCoist had something similar I wouldn't rule it out.

[Jamie_M]

Duffy at least had something of a rehab at Clyde. If McCoist had something similar I wouldn't rule it out.

Barely.

A 33% win ratio over 4 years in the bottom tier, which included a last place finish, 2 9th place finishes and OK, making the playoffs in year 4.

Nobody in their right mind would have taken that and brought it to a full time club that needed instant success to get back to the Championship.

It was a preposterous appointment at the time, that fortunately worked out OK

[McG]

5 hours ago, RossC93 said:

Alex Rae and Ally McCoist.

That would be delicious.

[Dunning1874]

32 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

Barely.

A 33% win ratio over 4 years in the bottom tier, which included a last place finish, 2 9th place finishes and OK, making the playoffs in year 4.

Nobody in their right mind would have taken that and brought it to a full time club that needed instant success to get back to the Championship.

It was a preposterous appointment at the time, that fortunately worked out OK
 

Yeah I'm partly done with guessing managerial appointments because over the piece Duffy worked out fine prior to this season, but we can't forget that Duffy had three absolute disasters with Clyde followed by one remotely competent season out of four which he got the job on the back of. Maybe the new owners will decide that Barry Ferguson or Ally McCoist's 0% success rate as manager will turn into the same accidental stumble into modest achievement, or maybe people are talking utter shite.

[McG]

O'Ware has seemingly signed a pre contract with the championship champions, decent back up if true.

[jimmy boo]

5 hours ago, Jamie_M said:

Well... that made sense.

@Jamie_M  Mind that gap now

[AyrshireTon]

6 hours ago, RossC93 said:

Alex Rae and Ally McCoist.

Can get in the sea.

[MonEhTon]

In honour of Rafa, some facts about our collapse this season and Jim Duffy's contribution to it.
On February 25th, after a run of six wins and one draw in seven games (four wins out of five in the league), we had played 25 games. We were one point ahead of Dundee United, although they had two games in hand. Six points clear of Dunfermline and Queen of the South having played the same number of games. Eleven points clear of Inverness Caledonian Thistle with them having one game in hand. These are facts.
Over the course of ten games since we've seen a five point swing to Queen of the South, a nine point swing to Dundee United, a twelve point swing to Dunfermline and a fifteen point swing to ICT. These are facts.
In the entirely likely event that Queen of the South beat Brechin & ICT beat Morton today both sides will finish above Morton, who will finish the season in seventh place. All of those sides who were trailing in our wake merely two months ago will finish above us, one of them with an eighteen point swing over that period.
How did we find ourselves in this position? We can go back to the beginning of that run of six wins in seven, a 2-1 win at Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup. On that day the team set up in a 4-4-1-1 formation as follows:
Gaston
Doyle - O'Ware - Gasparotto - Iredale
Tidser - Murdoch - Harkins - Ross
Tiffoney
Oliver
We had the same starting XI and system for the next three games, 3-0 v Dundee Utd & 2-1 v Dunfermline in the league and 3-0 v Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup. We had found a system and starting eleven that was working. These are facts.
We then kept the same shape but made two changes to the starting eleven for the 1-1 draw with Queen of the South, Russell in for Tidser and McHugh in for Tiffoney. 1-0 v Dumbarton again saw two changes, Tidser for Harkins and Lamie for Gasparotto, but the shape remained unchanged. The 2-0 win at Inverness, the seventh of those games, saw the return of the XI which started the run at Dunfermline with the exception of Lamie being in place of Gasparotto at centre back.
We had won six out of seven games, we had created a decent gap between ourselves and fifth place, and this winning run had taken us five points from second placed Livingston with three games remaining against them. In doing so we'd used the same system for all of those games and only had minor changes in personnel throughout that time. These are facts.
The logical thing to do then, if you're Jim Duffy, is to completely abandon that system and shoehorn players who had nothing to do with it into the team.
The run came to an end with a 1-0 midweek defeat at home to Livingston. We could speculate about Duffy's reasons for changing the team with a weekend cup tie approaching against Celtic which could earn him plaudits from his mates on Radio Clyde if plucky little Morton could put up a plucky little performance, but I'm not interested in speculation, I'm focusing on facts.
So for this massive game which could put us in two points of second place, three players who had been ever present in the winning run were dropped. Jack Iredale was replaced by youngster Lewis Strapp, making his first Morton appearance since August after being on loan at Elgin, Frank Ross was replaced on the left of midfield by natural left back Mark Russell, and Gary Oliver was replaced by new signing John Baird. Scott Tiffoney also dropped out for Bob McHugh as we played a flat 4-4-2. These are facts.
To the surprise of no one, we were absolutely shite, Baird and McHugh as a partnership didn't work and we lost all the intelligent movement and pressing of Oliver & Tiffoney, while we had no attacking width in the absence of the Iredale-Ross partnership on the left.
We obviously lost to Celtic despite the players being rested for our biggest game of the season at that point, as everyone knew we would. Our next game was away to Falkirk, where you'd think we'd move beyond resting players for inevitable defeats in the cup and get the best team back on the pitch.
No! Still no Iredale, still no Ross, still no Oliver. Still the McHugh & Baird partnership up front. 3-0 down after 30 minutes, we finally pulled one back in stoppage time. We made no substitutions in this game, with Duffy saying that he didn't change it because he "didn't want to give the players who'd put us in that position an easy way out". Clearly Jim doesn't understand the purpose of substitutions. These are facts.
Away to Livingston. The return of the 4-4-1-1 with Iredale, Ross, Oliver and Tiffoney all playing. Finally. For the first time, in our fourth meeting, we actually compete with Livingston rather than them comfortably being the better team. They go down to 10 men, we go 1-0 up in the 88th minute. The return of the 4-4-1-1 with all of our best players in it is just about delivering. Then in stoppage time, while 1-0 up, Jim Duffy takes off central midfielder Andy Murdoch and replaces him with centre forward John Baird. Livingston score in the 94th minute after a picking up a loose ball in central midfield, obviously.
The 4-4-1-1 continues v Dunfermline as we hold on for a 0-0, this time without a centre forward replacing a central midfielder as our opponents laid siege to our goal.
John Baird then comes into the team for Frank Ross against Brechin and scores twice. Because he's scored against Brechin, he is now UNDROPPABLE. He must start games. So he does. Against Dundee United we don't just have John Baird in the team, we have the return of the fucking 4-3--3 formation which Duffy started the season with and eventually had to chuck, accepting it was just too shite. We are devoid of creativity throughout, but scramble a 1-1 draw with a stoppage time own goal from a corner to equalise. A corner put in by Frank Ross coming off the bench, no less.
Every game that mattered after was 4-3-fucking-3. Another defeat to Livingston, scraping a win v Dumbarton, the defeat to Queen of the South that ended the season.
The collapse is entirely, 100% down to Jim Duffy deviating from a winning team. Six wins in seven turned into two wins in eleven purely because he decided to tinker. These are facts. That's nothing to do with the board, nothing to do with the mentality of the players, it's just a manager who doesn't know what he's doing.
His position is untenable. Fact.

 

This should be framed and stickied, to be displayed for anyone who ever asks why Duffy is getting such heat just now. Everything I wanted to say, but eloquently and far more succinctly than I’d have managed.

Bravo.

[Scosha]

O'Ware confirms he's away and by the sounds of it Lamie is gone too. Gutted to see big Ricki go. From laughing at how bad he was during his first 6 months at Morton to being gutted he's off 4 years later shows how much he's improved. A great guy who gave us some great memories and gave his all. He'll still remain in my profile picture 

[theoriginalhedge]

6 hours ago, Dunning1874 said:

As ever, I understand the wind up value in saying this and I'd do the same in your position, but in all seriousness this is nothing to do with bottle and everything to do with having a shite manager.

You know nothing about having a shite manager . 

[Colkitto]

Was at hospitality today and impressions are we are a club in turmoil.  No idea what the team line up was all about to be honest. Players dropped or suddenly developed injury - who knows?   

Dougie resigns and our new Chairman didn't make an appearance in any of the hospitality lounges. Total lack of leadership in my  opinion. No reassurance given to the fans on the way ahead or what's going on with the Clubs immediate future. 

Duffy gave a speech which was just ambiguous drivel about next season. I like Duffy, he's a total gentleman and a man of great integrity. Anyone giving him abuse really need to get right in the sea now. He's got things wrong, of course he has, but he cut a lonely figure as he left Cappielow tonight. I felt sorry for Jim, even although I had to endure  today and the last few weeks '

In my opinion he's gone and won't be our manager next season.

Lots of rumours about the Easdales. Actually met Sandy as he was leaving Capplielow and one thing that struck me was he was fuming about today's result. Mumbled to my mate about that shite performance on the park. It's not just business with him,my impression was he acted and felt like I did as a supporter, which kind of left me a bit assured if he eventually takes over. 

 

Rumour mil - McCoist was mentioned today as was Hopkin, who have apprantly knocked us back. Ian Murray seems to be in the frame....  all rumour of course. 

 

[TonMan]

McCoist would be a grim appointment if that comes about. No confidence we'd improve if that were the case.

[Scosha]

McCoist won't happen unless we offer him some huge money contract which we absolutely shouldn't and won't do. He wouldn't leave a fairly nice, profitable punditry job to take over a bang average Championship club.

[jimmy boo]

My heart is bleeding pish...is the term I'm thinking of[emoji3]

[davidkennedyshand]

O'Ware confirms he's away and by the sounds of it Lamie is gone too. Gutted to see big Ricki go. From laughing at how bad he was during his first 6 months at Morton to being gutted he's off 4 years later shows how much he's improved. A great guy who gave us some great memories and gave his all. He'll still remain in my profile picture 

I heard a few months back from one of his relatives that Hearts had spoken to O Ware

[Dunning1874]

I don't have any ill will towards O'Ware and he's a solid Championship player, but the Hearts rumour seems to have some substance and it would be hilarious. If he doesn't considerably improve his positional awareness and concentration he will look absolutely fucking ridiculous to the point of embarrassment beside Christophe Berra and John Souttar.

[Stevie Aitken's Love Child]

Jim Duffy sacked!

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/2571537/morton-sack-jim-duffy-finish-championship/https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/2571537/morton-sack-jim-duffy-finish-championship/