eliphas Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Did I see Neil Alexander on our bench today? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 3 minutes ago, eliphas said: Did I see Neil Alexander on our bench today? I thought it looked like him as well. Was curious who'd be taking the 'keepers with Fox leaving for QoS having been interim after Dibble left. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoF Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 18 minutes ago, capt_oats said: Hammell touched on it post-match as well in saying that you're actually seeing a huge improvement in terms of output from players who were already in the building. The most noticeable thing how comfortable the players are in tight spaces. We can now pass our way out of danger. Also some of the vision and first touches we're seeing are absolutely sublime. Hammell seems to have almost instantly given the whole team a boost in their technique. f**k knows how he's done it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 A few hours to reflect on the game today - and despite being a bit deflated as a win would have been (a) totally deserved and (b) would have lifted the whole place to levels we've not been at for a few years - I'm pretty happy. It's been a long time since we've played against a top flight side like we did today in the first half - the ball was played on the deck all the time, Goss and Slattery constantly took the ball off the defenders so there was no humping the ball up the park in the vain hope of a second ball - we moved it quickly when it was good idea and hung onto it when it wasn't and we kept the Utd defenders and midfielders on the back foot and looking uncomfortable. Footballing wise we've been a poor spectacle for a few years and so it's nice to enjoy the football side of it, not just the result. Defensively, we are back to looking like we're well balanced and less likely to give away soft goals. Penney looks to be a brilliant signing - central defence was excellent today and although McGinn had a mediocre game today - we look in a lot better a place than I thought we were It feels massively harsh criticising a striker that's on a goal a game in league and cup - but KVV let the penalty miss affect him today and probably lost a bit of composure that would have seen him score from open play on another day. Our biggest challenge at the moment feels like it's turning the good play into the proper return of goals. tl;dr: we're in a massively better place than we all thought we'd be. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonicg Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 I noticed Neil Alexander too but just assumed he was part of United's backroom staff as I didn't see what gear he had on. FWIW, anytime I hear him he comes across like an insufferable bluenose in the same mould as Mo Ross. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesP_81 Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Pretty sure it was Alexander pinging balls for Oxborourgh to catch at half time . Thought I'd missed a meeting. Totally on board the Goss train now , the way our CBs split and let him fall back and spray things about from the back is sublime . In the first half some of the interplay amongst the midfield was incredible , sometimes 3 or more players touching the ball within a couple of seconds , unheard of under Alexander ! The way Slattery can move his hips when he takes a pass to lose his marker is pretty sexual , quite happy my Mrs isn't at the games to see me squal like a wee lassie when he's on the ball. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropy Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 2 hours ago, CoF said: The most noticeable thing how comfortable the players are in tight spaces. We can now pass our way out of danger. Also some of the vision and first touches we're seeing are absolutely sublime. Hammell seems to have almost instantly given the whole team a boost in their technique. f**k knows how he's done it. I wondered if we had more players on the pitch than we did under Alexander. It is the type of thing that Hammell would arrange. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one m in Motherwell Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a draw as much as that in a long time - certainly never a 0-0! I thought we were excellent, I saw a few folk make reference to McGhee’s first spell which isn’t far off. Some of the interplay between KVV, Tierney and Efford was lovely. I thought the bold Joe looked grand actually - put in a fair shift and there was a marked drop off when Aarons came on, but then the second half generally wasn’t up to the same standard as the first. I get the feeling that once we click - especially upfront - we’ll deal out a few skelpings this year. Hopefully we can get Moult up to speed quickly. Also - How shite is Tony Watt? Lovely to see. Edited September 4, 2022 by one m in Motherwell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Fwiw, here are the WhoScored numbers for the players we used yesterday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoF Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 52 minutes ago, one m in Motherwell said: I thought the bold Joe looked grand actually - Aye, he was very good yesterday. He's skinned more men in the last two games than he did in every game combined under Alexander. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welldaft Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 22 minutes ago, capt_oats said: Fwiw, here are the WhoScored numbers for the players we used yesterday. My takeaway from that is that Shields was on the pitch for 10 minutes and got 1 touch ! I agree with comments on Efford. He is playing much better in this new expansive and attacking approach. Did not think the subs offered much tbh. I know it is difficult to impact a game off the bench but you would hope for a little more from Aaron’s and even young McKinstry. Disappointed with the result but that 1st half was an absolute joy to watch. Hope we can maintain this form and if so a sustained stay in the top 6 will be a distinct possibility 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Also picked up from WhoScored here are the average player positions. I know we've generally been listed as playing a 433/4141 but that was pretty much a 4231 yesterday with Tierney as the #10 eh? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochas III Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Sean Goss is a pler. Moving him to the DLP position has been a stroke of genious by Hammell. He's not too shaby at the defending part either. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisGRAEME Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 38 minutes ago, capt_oats said: Also picked up from WhoScored here are the average player positions. I know we've generally been listed as playing a 433/4141 but that was pretty much a 4231 yesterday with Tierney as the #10 eh? Thought that was very noticeable against Caley as well and goodness me does it make a difference. Goss and Slattery popping passes off to one another with Tierney at the tip of that triangle, dropping Spittal and Efford deeper also benefits both of them in different ways; Spittal with more time to find his cross, and space for Penney (who looks keen) to get in beyond, and Efford has space to run into, rather than solely left to beat someone, and probably more time for McGinn to support. There's immediately patterns of play and clear and obvious structures of what we're trying to do with the bodies we've got. Football simply isn't as hard as we tried to make it; what's Goss good at? Passing, so let's give him the ball, what's Slattery good at? Kind of everything? Sound you go do that. What's Efford good at? Running and terroring fullbacks? Class, go do it. What's Tierney's skillset? Turning boys and SHROO BALLS, sound we'd best do that and not play you as a fucking winger then eh? Alexander an absolute dingbat, in short. Weirdly, I can actually see a spot for Morris in that set up far more than what we tried to get him to do as well. We've not seen it as much, but he does have a good delivery. If Spittal is out/suspended/struggling I wouldn't be surprised to see him drop in there. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one m in Motherwell Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) Thought that as well. Silkier than a bag of silk. Re. Goss I mean. Glad we are able to get a tune out of him. Edited September 4, 2022 by one m in Motherwell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dosser2014 Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Hammell has certainly squeezed far more out of what we thought were journeymen than Alexander ever did. A totally different management style. A lot easier on the eye too. Can he achieve consistent results though? He's made an impressive start with tightening the defence up but the next run of games will be more testing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 On 03/09/2022 at 11:10, capt_oats said: and it looked like Gary Bowyer (now managing Dundee) signed him for Salford and had him playing right wing last season for some reason. Ooh that's interesting. Didn't know that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Busta Nut said: Ooh that's interesting. Didn't know that. Aye. What I didn't realise was that he was at Blackburn the same time as Bowyer as well: Quote “Obviously working with Gary before was a big plus for me, he’s someone I’ve come through with and he knows how to get the best out of me and I know what he wants so I’m really looking forward to it. There’s been interest all summer, it’s good when someone wants you as a player, it’s up to me now to re-pay him." Link Edited September 4, 2022 by capt_oats 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Interesting thing yesterday was that most of us were kind of expecting Tierney to be dropped despite his good game against ICT because of the conventional wisdom that you need a guid honest laddie running about tackling everyone in a standard game in our league. Turns out that isn't really the case. Even allowing for the fact that we were playing the bottom of the league, I thought it was fairly brave of Hammell (and a statement of intent) to play the same way against a struggling Premiership team as he did a struggling Championship team. It remains to be seen how we set up for games against Hearts, Aberdeen and the OF at Fir Park - but surely variations on yesterdays system is the way forward for home games against everyone else.... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YassinMoutaouakil Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Can't wait to give Josh Morris a standing ovation at Dundee when we draw them in the cup. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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