Come On Ye Mo - Montrose FC 2018/19

[ticketyboo]

I remember Derek Grant who played as a striker and a centre half when needed so I'm sure someone in the playing pool could do a job as centre forward. I said it before but what about putting Watson up front. He's a big lad who knows where the goals are and I fancy he could do a job till january transfer window.  Would it be worth trying to get Paul McManus on loan from Cove Rangers, he's still banging them in for them.

[1320Lichtie]

I remember Derek Grant who played as a striker and a centre half when needed so I'm sure someone in the playing pool could do a job as centre forward. I said it before but what about putting Watson up front. He's a big lad who knows where the goals are and I fancy he could do a job till january transfer window.  Would it be worth trying to get Paul McManus on loan from Cove Rangers, he's still banging them in for them.

If he's still banging then in for Cove then why would Cove let him go to Montrose on loan. [emoji23]

[mo83]

Did anyone go to meet the manager tonight????

[Waspie]

On 21/10/2018 at 20:34, MOFOREVER said:

All the above few comments are merited. I don't doubt that SP tried hard to get a seasoned striker in both before the season and before the window closed but the bottom line is that we didn't get one. There are strikers around in both Highland League and SPFL 2 and everybody else in L1 has some threat up front so we can only guess why we haven't. Has to be finance or geographical position.

We can't accept the present position without trying something different. We've tried a myriad of permutations of players up front and none have solved the problem. Even giving an extended run to a couple of them I don't think is the answer. I honestly don't mean to be over critical  but Martin Rennie is struggling at L1 level although he might have made it in L2 given pitch time. Craig Johnston I certainly don't want to criticise because he gives 100% but he isn't a goal poacher though might do more if playing alongside a more experienced striker. Danny Cavanagh has improved greatly but isn't the answer yet. That leaves on loan Euan Henderson who no doubt has talent but is yet to prove it consistently - again needs experience alongside him.

So what's the answer now we are a long way off the next transfer window (and with no guarantee we will solve it then)? There are two possibilities. Firstly and probably the best one is to find an experienced striker at another club who is near the end of his career, in and out of his team and whose club would be prepared to terminate his contract to make him a free agent. We would need to buy him out so he was not out of pocket - not easy. I doubt there are any goodies already still out there unattached however. The second possibility is from within our own ranks i.e. move a defender into a striking role. OK, a daft idea, or is it? Think back to Brian Third in the 1970's. He was a left back but in an emergency played centre forward and never looked back. I know of another left back who turned centre forward in an emergency, scored a hat-trick of headers in his first game and never looked back. How many of you have heard of Glenn Murray who plays in the English Premiership and is up there as a top striker. Well, he started off at a Fourth Division club in their youth set-up - as a left back. Now he is a top class striker.

Bolo or Andy Steeves - fancy a go? If nowt else either of them would stir things up and make the opposition work more and Bolo would occupy at least two defenders as a target man like Sanny used to. That means the opposition is pushed back meaning less pressure on us at the back and you never know we might even score a goal.  So, we do nothing and hope for the best OR we try something else which might not work, but equally it might. 

Thoughts?

PS: I agree Redman needs to be in. He is an attacking midfielder who can pop up with a goal. He and Masson are musts in the present set up.

 

Bolo used to go up front for Alloa quite regularly when he was a youngster. He could be effective too, he popped up with a few goals and generally made a nuisance of himself. Also a recall an ice cool finish when through on goal against Stirling in the festive derby. However, this was about 15 years ago! 

[MOFOREVER]

I've been a bit critical of our starting line up recently, but only in an effort to be positive as we simply had to do more to score goals. Really pleased for Rennie getting two  last Saturday and I just hope it gives him confidence to get stuck in and use his body size to greater effect. Same too for CJ - how often does he get 20 yard shots in - well I reckon the one at Brechin was the first time but if he has a go more often, I'd not moan if a few more go in. Same starting line up this Saturday I hope with Redman again starting. Thought both Watson and Webster were outstanding when they came on as subs at Brechin. 

[MOFOREVER]

Just a few comments on our last couple of games. Pleasing to see an unchanged team for the Dumbarton match except of course for the goalie because Seagull had 4 stitches in a knee gash at Brechin. Putting Jordan Millar in though doesn't weaken the team. A word about Ryan Harrington; I though he played really well and 'touch wood' he looks to be settling into the team now. He's not a Cammy Ballantyne type of wing back, but Cammy himself wasn't on Saturday either - thank goodness. Harrington can also play centre back which is useful.

Matty Allan just gets better and better and deservedly got MOTM - just shows how we missed him while he was sidelined. Terry Masson was strangely off his game on Saturday, nothing went for him so only a one-off I hope as his presence is vital IMO. Same goes for Jamie Redman, I also think we are better balanced and with a better threat up front when he's on the pitch.

Whilst I think of it, the only query I have about our line up on Satutrday was why SP left Martin Rennie on when we put the shutters up and stood on our one goal lead. Sure Dumbarton were crap going forward but why move Rennie into a defensive role? OK to pull CJ and let Euan H run about on his own up top but if we are to put the shutters up surely bringing on Paul Watson for Rennie would have been a decent move. Bringing Bolo on was fair enough but I just think it was unfair on Rennie to move to an unfamiliar role in which he could quite easily have made a crucial error - sorry Martin, but your first touch ain't always good and in a defensive role that could be fatal.

Back to the bright side and I've always had time for Webby.  At Brechin he made a helluva difference and again against Dumbarton he was the lad who came up trumps with the sort of goal few others would have got. Always worth having in the squad IMO. Dillo was solid, Steeves was solid, Cregg is getting into his stride now, CJ is becoming an auto pick and Antoniazzi is up to pace now as well despite having a re-arranged nose on Saturday.

Still a bit nervy about this Saturday coming but if we approach it with the right attitude and determination we should make a game of it and there will be no flag unveiling etc.to distract us this time. 

[mo83]

Andrew Steeves at the club till 2021 excellent piece of work from Sp and his team and great commitment from the lad.

[1320Lichtie]

Very good business that.

 

[mo83]

Fine margins today Arbroath took their chances we didn't. Upfront I think everyone would agree we have little to nothing up top we have tried a few options but it's not working.Cj and Rennie have worked hard but they need support big time .

[mo83]

Anyone know how Matty Alan went off yesterday?

[MOFOREVER]

7 hours ago, mo83 said:

Anyone know how Matty Alan went off yesterday?

He's been struggling with the injury which kept him out for several games but played (well) through it in the previous few games. Got the better of him by half-time yesterday. Just hope it hasn't set him back too far as he's made a big difference for us at the back. 

[mo83]

He's been struggling with the injury which kept him out for several games but played (well) through it in the previous few games. Got the better of him by half-time yesterday. Just hope it hasn't set him back too far as he's made a big difference for us at the back. 

100% Steady solid player for us big miss when he is out.

[Aidan]

Looks like I have 3 comps for the game on Saturday that I don't need, if anyone is interested fire me a PM.

[MOFOREVER]

I'm not gonna pull punches today. That performance against Annan was simply not acceptable. To win a cup game you have to score at least once, right? We didn't trouble the Annan keeper once. Yes we had a few corners and free kicks but all were wasted or easily dealt with. We were set up with one striker for a home cup game and he CJ, is not prolific at scoring and is certainly not a lone striker - he does what he does reasonably well but he must have support and he didn't again today.

With a lone striker you must have support from out wide or from midfield and we did neither today. Steeves worked his socks off as usual and Harrington did his best on the right but support from midfield was non existent. We had loads of possession there but mostly the ball went backwards or sideways which played right into defensive minded Annan's hands. Annan however when in possession pushed up in numbers and particularly second half looked more likely to score by having men in and around our box either to aim at or picking up the second ball. Even on odd occasions when we did get close to their box we failed to pull the trigger.

This was a cup game we could have done with winning for the revenue as well as potentially a decent 4th round draw. Don't like moaning but we have to be better than that today. We know we lack a serious goal threat but the way we were set up today for a cup game and the way we went about it in my opinion was wrong. We have a second chance in the replay and can only hope we set ourselves up to put Annan under a bit more pressure. I'll be there to find out but I don't expect many others will make the trip and after today I don't blame them.

The Mo are still my team and always will be but I know we can do better than that.

PS; No doubt Bolo will be suspended and Matty Allan is still 2 or 3 weeks away from coming back. I'd play 3 at the back with two wing backs. Rest Paddy Cregg for the replay as he's a defensive midfielder and put Masson, Redman and Watson in there to support at least 2 men up front. If Webby is fit I'd find a slot for him - not sure about his fitness though.

Rant over - I'm off for a pint!!

 

[MOFOREVER]

Sorry about the rant last night - didn't mean to offend anybody but that's just how I felt when I got back home. Still feel we could have and should have done better though.

[tongue_tied_danny]

1 minute ago, MOFOREVER said:

Sorry about the rant last night - didn't mean to offend anybody but that's just how I felt when I got back home. Still feel we could have and should have done better though.

We definitely need a goal scorer. I noticed Skelly scored for Cowdenbeath the other week so that'll be another option when he comes back but I'm hoping for some transfer activity when the window opens...

[Judge]

We definitely need a goal scorer. I noticed Skelly scored for Cowdenbeath the other week so that'll be another option when he comes back but I'm hoping for some transfer activity when the window opens...

Don’t understand why Rennie wasn’t in the team yesterday as he had scored in recent games and confidence must be better. Poor stuff yesterday.

[mo83]

Big game Tuesday now with the winners taking on Dundee Utd at home,we will have to be 10 times better in a very tricky game.
Yesterday we were poor all over the park,not sure why he Redman and Rennie on the bench both should be playing.Bolo getting sent off for the second time this season poor poor from him let himself and the side down.
January can't come quick enough and I hope the strikers sp and his team have identified join the club,would probably add a winger and a centre half to the list also.

[Ivo den Bieman]

Yep wrong team selection and an awful performance from the starting XI.

It's finished with now though, hopefully the players will put it right down there on Tuesday. We always seem to be a bit better away from home. Meant to be raining cats and dogs down there tomorrow so hope this doesn't jeopardise the game.

[Brummo]

Boyler's an Aussie! Just read on the Beeb, Boyler's scored two for the Socceroos against the mighty Lebanon in Sydney, the other night.

What next, I wonder? Maybe Michael Bolochoweckyjelly getting sent off for Poland...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46372640

Edited November 28, 2018 by Brummo
Inserted link