Stirling Albion v Annan Athletic

[BB_Bino]

We are now unbeaten in 2 games and hitting heights that didn’t seem possible about a month ago.

 

Looking forward to the game tomorrow. I must admit, I had to look at the Annan website to see who was actually playing for them these days, and other than long serving players like Mitchell & Swinglehurst (both have played well when I have watched them in the past) then, as a team, they are relatively unknown to me.

 

I noticed James Creaney is still at Annan though, how has he played for you over the last season and a bit?

 

Fingers crossed for a good game, but another Binos win.

[JakeSAFC]

Hopefully another win for the Albion juggernaut.

[AAFCSim]

Yyyeeeeeeessssssssssssss! Back to winning ways, and thought the 1-2 was a bit flattering for Stirling. Great to be back to winning ways. 

Should be a good game against Peterhead next week, who seem to be stuttering a little. 

[BB_Bino]

The question has to be asked, but are we any better now than when Mackay took over?

All credit must go to Annan. They were well drilled and organised and played on the break, but every time they did break they had a shot on goal because we just couldn’t organise ourselves.

Defensively, there were holes everywhere, and none of the Midfielders were tracking in runners from deep. The flat back 3 allowed so much space out wide that it was frightening.

If it wasn’t for some good last gasp defending, or good Goalkeeping from my Man of the Match Ferrie, then that score would of been a hell of a lot more convincing for Annan.

Going forward, why oh why oh why is our only tactic to hit in a cross ball? IT’S NOT WORKING WITH THE PLAYERS WE HAVE!

I was shaking my head in disbelief when Stewart came on for Macdonald, not because I think Peaso was playing well or that Stewart is a bad player, but he isn’t going to win the high balls either. The most obvious option would of been to bring McLaren on, but even then, i’ve not seen anything from him in the air to suggest that we should be playing this way.

The season so far has been turgid at best. I read the website and Stirling Observer and I watch the YouTube channel and hear the sound bites but ultimately, this just isn’t working and the team is well off one that will be anywhere near a Play Off spot at the end of the season.

[Binos]

16 hours ago, BB_Bino said:

The question has to be asked, but are we any better now than when Mackay took over?

All credit must go to Annan. They were well drilled and organised and played on the break, but every time they did break they had a shot on goal because we just couldn’t organise ourselves.

Defensively, there were holes everywhere, and none of the Midfielders were tracking in runners from deep. The flat back 3 allowed so much space out wide that it was frightening.

If it wasn’t for some good last gasp defending, or good Goalkeeping from my Man of the Match Ferrie, then that score would of been a hell of a lot more convincing for Annan.

Going forward, why oh why oh why is our only tactic to hit in a cross ball? IT’S NOT WORKING WITH THE PLAYERS WE HAVE!

I was shaking my head in disbelief when Stewart came on for Macdonald, not because I think Peaso was playing well or that Stewart is a bad player, but he isn’t going to win the high balls either. The most obvious option would of been to bring McLaren on, but even then, i’ve not seen anything from him in the air to suggest that we should be playing this way.

The season so far has been turgid at best. I read the website and Stirling Observer and I watch the YouTube channel and hear the sound bites but ultimately, this just isn’t working and the team is well off one that will be anywhere near a Play Off spot at the end of the season.

Time for change?

[JakeSAFC]

Yesterday was shockingly bad.

[rhliston]

2 hours ago, Binos said:

Time for change?

Well at the moment you have to give Dave time to turn it around, clearly yesterdays performance after a bright start was simply not good enough. Annan to all credit to them played to their strengths and we were poor especially 2nd half. 

After losing 4 games on the trot we were going into yesterday`s game on a 2 game winning streak  and really we should be expected to beat Annan but once again we fail to beat teams at home when you expect us to take all 3 points. 

Next weeks game against Albion Rovers really is a crucial game for us now and after the Rovers picked up there first point of the season away to Cowdenbeath, they will be going into this game looking to pick up there first win of the season. If we play like we did in the 2nd half of yesterdays game we will come away with nothing and that worries me. 

Will be going along next Saturday hoping that we have enough to get something from this game and to leave without a point will be a hard one to take. Just got to hope that the team realises that if you don't do the basics right like defend properly and take chances when you get them then it looks like we will be lucky to finish midtable this season and maybe in the bottom half if we are not careful. 

 

[WC Boggs]

32 minutes ago, rhliston said:

Well at the moment you have to give Dave time to turn it around,

 

Why?

[rhliston]

1 hour ago, WC Boggs said:

Why?

Well Dave got us to the playoffs last season and for that he does deserve the time to turn things around. Clearly things have not started well for us this season injuries to key players does not help. 

[WC Boggs]

2 hours ago, rhliston said:

Well Dave got us to the playoffs last season and for that he does deserve the time to turn things around. Clearly things have not started well for us this season injuries to key players does not help. 

Dave did get us to the playoffs last season. Despite dismal performances in them and in the run up to them, I was in favour of him getting the chance to show he could produce a better side this season.  He hasn't.  He's precisely 2 points better off from 7 than when Skippy got the push if I remember correctly. 

Missing DLS and Darren Barr definitely does not help, but tell me.  Will their return whenever that is, stop the defence from hoofing the ball over the midfield   and the midfield giving the ball away immediately after they've fought to get it back?   It's Mackay's job to get them to play good football and he's not doing it. He'll have to start doing it week in week out, to turn it round.  I don't see any reason to believe that's likely.  What is going to get his players to do what their told, because it sure doesn't look like it's going to be him?   So no, I don't agree we HAVE to give him that chance.  I think he will be given it and I don't have a major issue with that.  I can't agree that he HAS to be given it though.  There's always a choice and personally I don't think he deserves that one.   Harsh?  Maybe?  Time will very soon tell.

[JinglinGeordie]

How long is Barr and Smith out for?

[WC Boggs]

Just now, JinglinGeordie said:

How long is Barr and Smith out for?

Don't know mate.  Barr's had a knee op and Smith's injury has never been specified other than as a back injury. There's no detail, or clue as to the probability of recurrence.  Or if trying to push them back too early would aggravate their problems.  They could be out for weeks or months, nobody knows.

[BB_Bino]

Time for change?

Yip, I think it is and I’m of he same thinking as WC Bloggs when it comes to this one. Look back over my posts on the various platforms and for me, there has always been a question mark over Mackay and I’ve never been totally convinced he was the man to achieve the aim of promotion. Sure, I’ve always wanted him to and still do, but it’s looking even less likely than ever before. I’ve only missed 2 games so far this season (Elgin & Queens Park) and I see a team that’s as bereft of ideas as the one that McLaren built that cost him his job. In fact, I’m actually wondering if in an attacking sense, the team that McLaren left was better. At least McKenzie, Ferns, Dickson & Moses had the occasional moments where they could do a little flash of something that could change a game. I know with the exception of McKenzie they were pretty poor for us but they did still manage to change games, take Jardine out of the current squad and who can do that now?

Mackay has built 3 teams in his time here, one when he first came in to “make us competitive”, one last season “to win the league” and this year “to go again” and still hasn’t learned what it takes to get out of this league. In his time here, Arbroath, Forfar, Montrose and Stenhousemuir have managed it, what was the key to their success......being physical, solid defensively and having the ability to play off a Target Man whilst attacking. Yet, we can’t.

We’ve not had a game changer since Callum Morrison left and we’ve not had a good lower league lone front man since Jordan White a number of years ago. Our Defence STILL has an inability to defend cross balls, our midfield STILL lacks a fighter and someone that can make something happen and in Peaso up front, we have a guy who spends more time on his bum trying to win Free Kicks than score goals.

All our hopes in an attacking sense, lie on Darren Smith. Everyone throughout League 2 can see that Smith is a good player, his goals record last year was also fantastic, but sadly, he’s injury prone and always has been. We can not rely on him as our main player, different in a squad that maybe has 3 or 4 good options going forward but not as him as your main one.

Mackay also seems to contradict himself a lot. The whole Cammy Binnie and other Goalkeepers thing got silly, he now seems to have decided that Binnie maybe isn’t as good as he first thought and has gone with Ferrie, seems fair enough because he looks to be a good keeper, but you just know that it’s only a matter of time before he changes it again and brings Binnie back. He’s continually said that he wants to run with a smaller squad of 16 with youngsters from the Development Squad pushing to get in, but has went over that number again. He has also said that there will be no more signings, yet signs people without them making much, if any, of an impact.

We’ve had 3 high points during Mackay’s time, from Jan - Mar in the season where he arrived, we managed to go on a great run before running out of steam just as the season was coming to a close and Aug-Oct last year where we set off like a runaway train in the league and Jan-Mar this year when Barr, Moon & Jardine came into the squad and looked like the missing ingredients. In between that, it’s been pretty turgid stuff with the manager saying the right things but saying “they must do better”. I think on Saturday we seen a man on the sidelines frustrated at his team,unsure how to change it, who also must do better.

I’ll say it again and again and again I WANT MACKAY TO BE A SUCCESS. He speaks well, seems like a really good bloke and is well though of at the clubs he played for, but I said exactly the same about McLaren, the similarities are staggering, yet at this point in his final season, McLaren was being hounded by the home support but these days we all just put our heads down and walk away, why? We should be demanding more, he knows the aim at the club is promotion and to establish ourselves as a top end League 1 club again, we’re 12 points off the top of League 2 and look in no fit state to challenge Peterhead & Clyde for the title, but Edinburgh City do.....the same Edinburgh City who have built a team around 2 players that Mackay released.

Something needs to change before we get to the stage where we are writing off another season before it has started, I would like to see that change being players brought in in areas we are lacking (a Target Man who is mobile and can score goals, a wide player who can make things happen, a solid no nonsense midfielder who wins the ball and ruffles feathers, Centre Backs who can deal with cross balls and pick up players) however I doubt we will see them now as they are probably no longer available and the budget must be about maxed out, so who’s fault is that? How much longer do we have to give Mackay to see if he is capable of achieving a squad that can do this? And also, at what cost? Every season, Forthbank becomes more and more like a library, with more empty seats and grumbling than you’ll find in the Houses of Parliament.

How long is Barr and Smith out for?

That’s the million pound question. Both have come back recently only to have broken down again, if the truth be told, I don’t think anyone really knows sadly.