Trogdor Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 5 minutes ago, UpInTheAyr said: Watching the Falkirk players hound us every time we were on the ball was depressing to watch. We had no idea how to deal with that and must have lost the ball 9 out of 10 times. Dread to think what's in store for us in the league between the tactics and players morale now. I wouldn't be surprised if we beat Hamilton tbh. It's typical of this squad, we are very streaky. That said, I don't think we've got it in us to win big games. Dundee Away next Tuesday is huge if we win on Saturday. A proper six pointer for both clubs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North British 2 Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Tonight was up there with the Auchinleck fiasco . Not quite as nippy because Falkirk are a decent club . However the failure tonight cost a huge amount of money . Smithy must be raging . What is apparent is that we have a number of issues, a wingback playing left back , a central midfield that can't control a game and an over work central defence , particularly from crosses . My solution for the rest of the season would be 532 ...its the best fit for this group. Otherwise we're just playing percentages.. The big job will be in the summer . 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpInTheAyr Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Trogdor said: I wouldn't be surprised if we beat Hamilton tbh. It's typical of this squad, we are very streaky. That said, I don't think we've got it in us to win big games. Dundee Away next Tuesday is huge if we win on Saturday. A proper six pointer for both clubs. This wasn't just another league defeat though, got to think this will hit harder. But who knows. Doubt six points will muster much enthusiasm, at least from me. Think I've mentally checked out after that abomination tonight Edited March 14, 2023 by UpInTheAyr 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav-ffc Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Guessing big Dipo will be off in the summer? Genuinely thought after the first 15/20 we could be in for a doing but the long ball game was closed down and stopped any service to Dipo who was great. Is that generally how you guys play? Didn’t expect that from Bullen. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muZZa__44 Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 painful just painful some points 1) never want to see McKenzie play on the wing again he is dreadful there and is best suited at Striker (where even then he's barely tolerable) 2) Ashford while no better at least has some small bit of creativeness in him, would much rather have Mullin and O'Connor but O'Connor defo gets straight into that team but i personally wouldn't start both O'Connor and JML i don't think JML is that good when he starts 3) the f**k was Maguire doing, fucking trying to hit a worldie, when he just had to fucking put it in the net, i'm benching him as well for Hamilton 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 1 minute ago, UpInTheAyr said: This wasn't just another league defeat though, got to think this will hit harder. But who knows. Doubt six points will muster much enthusiasm, at least from me. Think I've mentally checked out after that abomination tonight It's the hope that kills you. I still have hope but I'm taking a break from away games. The last couple I've gone to have been horrible. QP away and tonight's debacle. Both massive games and both leaving me reeling and absolutely dejected with barely puting a glove on the opposition. I just can't stomach it. I'll be at Somerset but that's it for the moment. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarcastic Bairn Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 49 minutes ago, Oceanlineayr said: That was infuriating. We were brilliant for the first 20 mins then threw it away. Waiting till we went 2-1 down before making substitutions is utterly atrocious game management from Bullen. Even more so when you consider how Falkirk were clearly controlling the game since 30 minutes had passed. We will almost certainly never have a better potential route to a final than the one presented ti's season. Pollok Cove Rangers Elgin Falkirk Inverness Caley thistle And we pished it away. I agree with that, I thought you were going to overrun us and I'm not sure why you changed gear when you could have pushed on. Good luck for the league 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpInTheAyr Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 4 minutes ago, gav-ffc said: Guessing big Dipo will be off in the summer? Genuinely thought after the first 15/20 we could be in for a doing but the long ball game was closed down and stopped any service to Dipo who was great. Is that generally how you guys play? Didn’t expect that from Bullen. Yes and yes. To your second point we are as baffled as everyone else. Been going on for months now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Eddie Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 I think this defeat hurts way more than the Auchinleck one. That game was just a bad day in the office at a venue which was a potential banana skin. But this one was so frustrating - knowing what was on the line, the importance of getting to Hampden again (which has only happened a handful of times before), and having a team capable of winning the match in front of a great away support and watching TV audience. And then to come up with that performance. Jeezo man. The game management was poor, we made a great start and played well, then neither the management nor players were able to come up with a solution to the momentum swing when Falkirk started coming back in to it. We even got gifted a lifeline and managed to miss a penalty compounded with conceding a late winner moments later. I've rarely felt so flat after a game as this one. Opportunities like this season's cup draw almost never happen. That's what makes it even worse, we were more or less given byes to the QF and even then a lower league team in that round. What a fricken massive opportunity we just watched pass us by. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzdrk Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 3 hours ago, UpInTheAyr said: to be fair to Bullen, nothing he could say tonight could make things any better Imagine a world where Lee Bullen did one thing wrong ever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshirepud Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Long term contracts are fine if the plan is to develop and improve the players with quality coaching. Apart from McGinty moving from bombscare to competent, have any players actually improved this season? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just a bairn Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Great support from you guys, one of the best I can remember. Best of luck for the rest of the season. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayfine Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Aye, taking Dipo out of it, we are no further forward than we were at the end of last season. still absolutley raging this morning. can't believe we have thrown such a golden chance away. It is clear that Bullen cannot take us any further. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baba douche Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Uncle Ian's at a loose end. Just saying... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 How many penalties have they missed now this season? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomGuy. Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Theres a lot of "younger" managers just now who think pragmatism wins the day and accept poor runs as just part of Scottish football they have no control over. Robbie Neilson and Callum Davidson fit this mould who just endlessly stick by a defensively solid, try and capitalise on the margins, type style no matter how the games actually going in front of them or how their forms going. It inevitably leads to Neilson being unable to progress Hearts beyond being slightly better than the middle pack in the top flight, while we're more volatile and depends more on luck which way things go. Bullen looks a similar type. He wont be disappointed last night, he'll be telling himself the penalty goes in, hes justified and everyone is praising him rather than criticising. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) I remain on the fence with Bullen. He'll be here next season I have no doubt about that. His playing style is brutal, when it doesn't work he has no idea how to change it or influence a game. Maybe it's pragmatism as Random Guy suggests but it's really hard to enjoy when you know how it's going to end. Performances haven't been great despite our results. Fourth is a real possibility but would you fancy this lot in a two legged playoff? I'm not sure and yet we've beaten everyone (bar ICT) in the division so shouldn't fear anyone. A bit of a weird season all told. Edit - A final thought. Without Dipo where would we be? Edited March 14, 2023 by Trogdor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 When you consider that the Shankland team only finished 4th in the end, you realise how piss poor the standard of the championship has been this season. The issue Mathie faces is that we have gone down the road of splitting traditional management responsibilities across multiple people - Bullen isn’t really the manager in the traditional context of our club, he is 1st team coach. And the one thing he clearly can’t do is coach. People are saying that Bullen needs a Sandy Stewart type assistant to work with the players, but what they are really saying is that he needs a Sandy Stewart type to do his job for him. Bullen was a huge and left field gamble, but it hasn’t worked. Total rethink required. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEHonestman1910 Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 I feel more low this morning than what I did after the game. For as poor Lee Bullen can be and the lack of faith I truly have in him, there's players getting in that side and I don't know how. I think every team we've played over the past couple of months has sussed out how bad Reading is, such a let down this season and I can't see that changing. If McLear never played for us again I would honestly be quite content, the game totally passes him by. Bullen used the natural talent of Chalmers and Mullen out wide to see us through and without them, we look devoid of any idea, McKenzie was woeful last night. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpInTheAyr Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Still scunnered this morning. f**k this lot. So so bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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