The Ultimate Super Ayr Thread

[UpInTheAyr]

5 minutes ago, itzdrk said:

He's definitely better but if we are serious about it he can only stay on in the future as a backup centre back, he's our best full back just now undoubtedly but that doesn't actually make him good.  A lack of pace, dribbling and crossing ability should rule him out of being a full back other than emergency cover.  For the rest of this season I've no issue with him being there and doing the defensive job he largely does well.  

It's all just part of the larger problem of the refusal to address the weakest two positions in the team in both the summer and winter windows.  If anything we weakened ourselves in the winter window.  They've done well generally in talent spotting in recruitment but they seem to have a blind spot for full backs.  

Or maybe he could be a defensive midfielder, I know he wasn't great there the few games he did play but he has proven himself flexible and he has progressed this season, how much opinion varies, and he's still young, so I think it's worth keeping him on to see how far he can develop next season

[itzdrk]

Just now, D'Jaffo said:

That “cross” he attempted from Dipos pass in the first half was all you needed to be convinced that he offers nothing past the halfway line. 
 

The annoying thing is that both Houston and Reading had their contracts renewed off the back of some good form. As I said I think Reading might need to be moved on but who knows what Bullen and Mathie want to do with him. Houston will maybe leave in the summer after a mixed spell for us but at least he has that goal against Dundee.

That whole move was very poor Dipo was hiding out wide hoping not to get the ball, bad pass option to give it to him, kinda lazy run up and passed it back rather than across the box.  Pure pish. 

[itzdrk]

1 minute ago, UpInTheAyr said:

Or maybe he could be a defensive midfielder, I know he wasn't great there the few games he did play but he has proven himself flexible and he has progressed this season, how much opinion varies, and he's still young, so I think it's worth keeping him on to see how far he can develop next season

It's definitely a possibility, maybe his movement would hold him back as he's pretty rigid but it's not out of the question entirely.  

[D'Jaffo]

Just now, itzdrk said:

That whole move was very poor Dipo was hiding out wide hoping not to get the ball, bad pass option to give it to him, kinda lazy run up and passed it back rather than across the box.  Pure pish. 

He’s prone to pulling out wide to get the ball which is pointless because it means there’s no one to play it to. Was screaming for him just to smash it across the goal and hope someone gets a touch. Happened a few times yesterday. 

[diegomarahenry]

Reading was 100 times better when he played with O'Conner, O'Conner looked to get in to space and gave Reading something to aim at. 

JML is static when he receives the ball and 9/10 times passes it immediately back to whoever gave him it.   

[itzdrk]

Could do a job

 

 

[Thumper]

40 minutes ago, itzdrk said:

Could do a job

Home Office would do their usual Pantone Test and declare he'd get his visa stamped in August.

[itzdrk]

2 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Home Office would do their usual Pantone Test and declare he'd get his visa stamped in August.

Bullen would still play wee Paddy. 

[Iain]

12 hours ago, D'Jaffo said:

I think there needs to be a realisation though that bad runs of form do happen. Every team experiences it at one stage and whilst you have every right to criticise the players or manager there’s been a lot of stuff posted on here and elsewhere which I would say is over the top. I agree with quite a lot of it and I’d say that most fans on here would regard me as one of the more positive posters and a “happy clapper”. That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t absolutely raging yesterday. I like Bullen and I like Mathie. However I think we’re a way off winning this league and I said as much whilst we were sitting at the top. 
 

There’s a huge amount still to play for at this stage. 

I don't think the criticism would be so harsh if you could identify what they were trying to do. It's one thing to have a plan that isn't working and another to have no apparent plan at all. What's the philosophy? What's the strategy? What's the next iteration? How will it look better next season?

It's not even apparent that we're identifying the weaknesses in our opponents and trying to take advantage of them. At the moment it looks like plan A is 'try hard' and if that doesn't work plan B is 'try harder'.

[AUcal]

I remember some of us saying months ago that despite being top of the league there was major squad issues, especially at full back. We have no good fullbacks, none. We are also very predictable, however it worked well for us for a time.

It's been clear for a while that this squad won't be winning the league, unless a couple of magic loan deals are pulled off and we can reconfigure the starting line up to be less one dimensional. This team is a very mediocre championship side. However, the very meh nature of the other squads in the league, coupled with our good start to the season, means that it is a team that is more than capable of securing a play off place. I don't think we would go up but it's a good base financially (added to a cup run) for next season.

That's why it's so fucking frustrating when we go into games against other teams in play off contention and look completely uninterested and unprepared. If we don't beat Raith or Inverness in our coming league fixtures then I worry where this slide ends. Really don't want to be sat outside the top four chasing a play off spot during the run in.

It's either going to be a hard fought narrow win (which we are absolutely capable of if our approach is right) or a total annihilation at the hands of Raith in Kirkcaldy. Looking forward to it.

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by AuAl

[D.Armour Appreciation Society]

[Iain]

To be fair to Bullen, when they were getting positive results it did seem like there was a plan to play counter-attacking football, so when you lose a defender who is decent on the ball and you lose your one midfielder who can take a pass under pressure and not panic, then it's going to be difficult to keep that going but that's football. You need to adjust to the circumstances.

[edinburghhonestman]

13 hours ago, diegomarahenry said:

Current form table. Morton have won two in a row and 3 of our points were a win against cove. This shows how bad things really are. 

We've been poor but on current form we're only 3 behind Hamilton. No-one bar them seem to be showing any real consistency.

[Frosty]

1 hour ago, edinburghhonestman said:

We've been poor but on current form we're only 3 behind Hamilton. No-one bar them seem to be showing any real consistency.

That table shows there’s pretty much nothing in it in terms of form across the league. Reading some of the knicker wetters on this thread you’d think we’d become the worst team in the division by a country mile.

No-one is saying a return of 7 points from 18 is going to be league winning or even play off securing form but we’re in pretty much the same boat as everyone else that has that same ambition apart from Raith who Hamilton apart are the form team in the division all because they are one win better off than us over a very short comparison period of 6 games.

[Trogdor]

 

[diegomarahenry]

Apart from Hamilton Twice and Cove once, we have only beaten One team since the start of November and that is Raith and it will be March next week.

4 months, half a season and potentially 4 wins.

Everything is peachy 

[No_Problemo]

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

That table shows there’s pretty much nothing in it in terms of form across the league. Reading some of the knicker wetters on this thread you’d think we’d become the worst team in the division by a country mile.

No-one is saying a return of 7 points from 18 is going to be league winning or even play off securing form but we’re in pretty much the same boat as everyone else that has that same ambition apart from Raith who Hamilton apart are the form team in the division all because they are one win better off than us over a very short comparison period of 6 games.

The points total isn’t the concerning aspect though, it is that alongside the performances which have alarm bells ringing. I think most of us can accept losing games, but when it comes in the inept fashion of recently it is completely different… 

[pantene proV]

46 minutes ago, diegomarahenry said:

Apart from Hamilton Twice and Cove once, we have only beaten One team since the start of November and that is Raith and it will be March next week.

4 months, half a season and potentially 4 wins.

Everything is peachy 

We've only won twice in the league in the same period, despite being on a 13 game unbeaten run. 

Statistics, eh? 

[Frosty]

2 hours ago, Trogdor said:

 

Lazy. Do you think us sitting 3rd and being in the Quarters of the cup equates to that cartoon even though we’re on a poor run?

No one is saying everything is peachy as far as I can read. The Cove games apart we’ve been poor in all the recent live games and highlights I’ve watched with the mugging of Elgin one of the most undeserved wins I’ve seen for a while. For some to be calling for Bullen’s head just over a year after he stepped in to pick up the pieces from Duffy, Hopkin and to a lesser extent Kerr when we really were sitting in a burning room is nuts and deserves calling out.

[Thumper]

28 minutes ago, pantene proV said:

We've only won twice in the league in the same period, despite being on a 13 game unbeaten run.

You aren't routinely regarded as being in the running for promotion though.

Anyway, a dozen games left, plus the Scottish Cup. Could still be a brilliant end to the season. It just isn't going to happen if the club persists with directionless, desperate hoofball.