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Ross County vs Ayr - Top of the Table Clash


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7 minutes ago, Pick that one out Marshall said:

Angus if any spare time why not pop up to the Real Ale Corner in Chesvagas for a beer ?

Just a bit too tight unfortunately looking at the trains (got to be there for 6). It's not actually in Burton but a place called Moira which according to Google Maps is miles away! Expecting plenty of Morris Dancing. The relatives are black belt ninjas at the, er, "hobby".

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2 minutes ago, AYRSHIRE_ANGUS said:

Just a bit too tight unfortunately looking at the trains (got to be there for 6). It's not actually in Burton but a place called Moira which according to Google Maps is miles away! Expecting plenty of Morris Dancing. The relatives are black belt ninjas at the, er, "hobby".

The did some decent Bass in Moira a long time ago.

Anyway we're up for Thistle away a week on Saturday see you then for a catch up .

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I like reading what Ayr fans say about being emotionally attached to their team. Even though County won the league cup recently, which will never be forgotten, I can’t say I’ve felt the same way about a County side since their first season in the top flight. There’s something special about seeing a group of players come of age together and enjoy playing for one another through the divisions. 
 
I’m really looking forward to this match.  It’s still early in the season but I haven’t seen a Championship side carve County open yet, and with the link-up between Moffat and Shankland I think Ayr can do that.
 
Moffat - and to a lesser extent Shankland and Moore - has managed to conjure up some goals for the team just by being a presence and a nuisance to defenders, forcing mistakes and knocking them off balance.  Given the season so far, I would like to think that Ross County’s defence is robust enough to withstand that.  One way in would be Fontaine, who has been a bit ropey at the start of matches recently but hasn’t been punished for it yet.
 
What Moffat is great at is those cute little flicks around the corner that can open up the team, just when when a defence thinks it is set.  He’s done a few this season and Shankland did it for Forrest too earlier, but Moffat’s assist vs Dundee United shows how quickly a chance can be made from nothing when there is an understanding between a couple of forwards.
 
It seems McCall has mostly preferred a winger on one flank and a slightly more solid midfielder playing on the other side eg Crawford balancing Forrest, Geggan on the other side from McDaid. McCall has done a great job to shape the team the way he has with complementing options through most of the squad.  If it’s Geggan at RM again, that might work out well for United because I’m sure he would be comfortable in doubling up with the right-back against Davis Keillor-Dunn.  DKD can be a match winner but he only produces in moments and doesn’t have a consistency to his play through 90 mins yet.
 
With Draper suspended, County could go back to 442 but they have found a good formula in the league with the 451.  I think they’d be daft not to start with it again.
 
Having the spare man in midfield (depending on how far in Geggan gets drawn in) should mean Vigurs gets more space for dictating play.  I had reservations earlier in the season but Vigurs has really found a groove in his play recently. Then again, Ayr have been good at dispossession in the opponents’ half and punishing teams from that, so I’m very curious to see how that plays out.  I’m hoping that if Geggan gets drawn in to match the numbers in midfield it’ll allow DKD to get 1v1 against the full-back (so long as DKD doesn’t wander unnecessarily infield himself, which he is prone to do).
 
I make Ayr’s full-backs as the weak links. Smith has done better than Harvie but I think both can be got at - Harvie at LB especially.  County’s right-winger Mullin happens to be the best player in the team so far this season, so that’s definitely a match-up to keep an eye on.  I’ve noticed from their highlights that Ayr’s wide midfielders can caught defending too narrow when there is an overlap on.  Defending narrowly is the name of the game but not to the extent of leaving space for overlapping full-backs. I wonder if County can make the most of that?  There might be a chance of Marcus Fraser returning to right-back, he isn’t cavalier but gives more going forward than Keith Watson.
 
I was excited about Shankland when he was scoring screamers for QP as a 17 year old, so I’m glad to see his career is on an upward trajectory again. I don’t think he’ll ever turn out to be more than a good third-tier striker in England but he can have a very respectable career from that.  I’m looking forward to seeing him close up - he reminds me a little of Liam Boyce in the way he manages to shrug off challenges and the manner which he can take his finishes first-time, or maybe more accurately Marc McNulty when he was at Livi.
 
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27 minutes ago, bunglebonce said:
I like reading what Ayr fans say about being emotionally attached to their team. Even though County won the league cup recently, which will never be forgotten, I can’t say I’ve felt the same way about a County side since their first season in the top flight. There’s something special about seeing a group of players come of age together and enjoy playing for one another through the divisions. 
 
I’m really looking forward to this match.  It’s still early in the season but I haven’t seen a Championship side carve County open yet, and with the link-up between Moffat and Shankland I think Ayr can do that.
 
Moffat - and to a lesser extent Shankland and Moore - has managed to conjure up some goals for the team just by being a presence and a nuisance to defenders, forcing mistakes and knocking them off balance.  Given the season so far, I would like to think that Ross County’s defence is robust enough to withstand that.  One way in would be Fontaine, who has been a bit ropey at the start of matches recently but hasn’t been punished for it yet.
 
What Moffat is great at is those cute little flicks around the corner that can open up the team, just when when a defence thinks it is set.  He’s done a few this season and Shankland did it for Forrest too earlier, but Moffat’s assist vs Dundee United shows how quickly a chance can be made from nothing when there is an understanding between a couple of forwards.
 
It seems McCall has mostly preferred a winger on one flank and a slightly more solid midfielder playing on the other side eg Crawford balancing Forrest, Geggan on the other side from McDaid. McCall has done a great job to shape the team the way he has with complementing options through most of the squad.  If it’s Geggan at RM again, that might work out well for United because I’m sure he would be comfortable in doubling up with the right-back against Davis Keillor-Dunn.  DKD can be a match winner but he only produces in moments and doesn’t have a consistency to his play through 90 mins yet.
 
With Draper suspended, County could go back to 442 but they have found a good formula in the league with the 451.  I think they’d be daft not to start with it again.
 
Having the spare man in midfield (depending on how far in Geggan gets drawn in) should mean Vigurs gets more space for dictating play.  I had reservations earlier in the season but Vigurs has really found a groove in his play recently. Then again, Ayr have been good at dispossession in the opponents’ half and punishing teams from that, so I’m very curious to see how that plays out.  I’m hoping that if Geggan gets drawn in to match the numbers in midfield it’ll allow DKD to get 1v1 against the full-back (so long as DKD doesn’t wander unnecessarily infield himself, which he is prone to do).
 
I make Ayr’s full-backs as the weak links. Smith has done better than Harvie but I think both can be got at - Harvie at LB especially.  County’s right-winger Mullin happens to be the best player in the team so far this season, so that’s definitely a match-up to keep an eye on.  I’ve noticed from their highlights that Ayr’s wide midfielders can caught defending too narrow when there is an overlap on.  Defending narrowly is the name of the game but not to the extent of leaving space for overlapping full-backs. I wonder if County can make the most of that?  There might be a chance of Marcus Fraser returning to right-back, he isn’t cavalier but gives more going forward than Keith Watson.
 
I was excited about Shankland when he was scoring screamers for QP as a 17 year old, so I’m glad to see his career is on an upward trajectory again. I don’t think he’ll ever turn out to be more than a good third-tier striker in England but he can have a very respectable career from that.  I’m looking forward to seeing him close up - he reminds me a little of Liam Boyce in the way he manages to shrug off challenges and the manner which he can take his finishes first-time, or maybe more accurately Marc McNulty when he was at Livi.
 

Very good summary, we may well carve you open but it generally doesn't happen continuously for us, it can be fairly random or even when we least deserve it.

You're probably correct about some of of our weaknesses but that is also when we're quite dangerous if we strip possession.

I'm not going to manage it unfortunately but there's not many scorelines either way that will surprise me, could probably come down to which team converts a higher than usual % of passable chances.

On Shankland, you're probably correct about his limit at the moment but I fully expect the boy to become more athletic while retaining his strength, if he does that I'm not ruling out him reaching a level that would surprise most, he has an instinct and snap shot in both feet than I've not really seen much in Scottish football over 5 decades.

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1 hour ago, bunglebonce said:
I like reading what Ayr fans say about being emotionally attached to their team. Even though County won the league cup recently, which will never be forgotten, I can’t say I’ve felt the same way about a County side since their first season in the top flight. There’s something special about seeing a group of players come of age together and enjoy playing for one another through the divisions. 
 
I’m really looking forward to this match.  It’s still early in the season but I haven’t seen a Championship side carve County open yet, and with the link-up between Moffat and Shankland I think Ayr can do that.
 
Moffat - and to a lesser extent Shankland and Moore - has managed to conjure up some goals for the team just by being a presence and a nuisance to defenders, forcing mistakes and knocking them off balance.  Given the season so far, I would like to think that Ross County’s defence is robust enough to withstand that.  One way in would be Fontaine, who has been a bit ropey at the start of matches recently but hasn’t been punished for it yet.
 
What Moffat is great at is those cute little flicks around the corner that can open up the team, just when when a defence thinks it is set.  He’s done a few this season and Shankland did it for Forrest too earlier, but Moffat’s assist vs Dundee United shows how quickly a chance can be made from nothing when there is an understanding between a couple of forwards.
 
It seems McCall has mostly preferred a winger on one flank and a slightly more solid midfielder playing on the other side eg Crawford balancing Forrest, Geggan on the other side from McDaid. McCall has done a great job to shape the team the way he has with complementing options through most of the squad.  If it’s Geggan at RM again, that might work out well for United because I’m sure he would be comfortable in doubling up with the right-back against Davis Keillor-Dunn.  DKD can be a match winner but he only produces in moments and doesn’t have a consistency to his play through 90 mins yet.
 
With Draper suspended, County could go back to 442 but they have found a good formula in the league with the 451.  I think they’d be daft not to start with it again.
 
Having the spare man in midfield (depending on how far in Geggan gets drawn in) should mean Vigurs gets more space for dictating play.  I had reservations earlier in the season but Vigurs has really found a groove in his play recently. Then again, Ayr have been good at dispossession in the opponents’ half and punishing teams from that, so I’m very curious to see how that plays out.  I’m hoping that if Geggan gets drawn in to match the numbers in midfield it’ll allow DKD to get 1v1 against the full-back (so long as DKD doesn’t wander unnecessarily infield himself, which he is prone to do).
 
I make Ayr’s full-backs as the weak links. Smith has done better than Harvie but I think both can be got at - Harvie at LB especially.  County’s right-winger Mullin happens to be the best player in the team so far this season, so that’s definitely a match-up to keep an eye on.  I’ve noticed from their highlights that Ayr’s wide midfielders can caught defending too narrow when there is an overlap on.  Defending narrowly is the name of the game but not to the extent of leaving space for overlapping full-backs. I wonder if County can make the most of that?  There might be a chance of Marcus Fraser returning to right-back, he isn’t cavalier but gives more going forward than Keith Watson.
 
I was excited about Shankland when he was scoring screamers for QP as a 17 year old, so I’m glad to see his career is on an upward trajectory again. I don’t think he’ll ever turn out to be more than a good third-tier striker in England but he can have a very respectable career from that.  I’m looking forward to seeing him close up - he reminds me a little of Liam Boyce in the way he manages to shrug off challenges and the manner which he can take his finishes first-time, or maybe more accurately Marc McNulty when he was at Livi.
 

Agree with the vast majority of the post but can’t agree with you saying our fullbacks are our weak link. Liam Smith is arguably the best right back in the league (Made the TOTS last year). Harvie has been a bit of a loose cannon to be fair, two sending offs already but I really rate him. 

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For me our full backs are one of our strong points.

Smith in particular is one of the best signings McCall has made in his time at Ayr. Excellent on the ball, gets forward and can also defend. Harvie technically maybe isn’t as good but I think he’s much stronger and quicker than Smith. I don’t know if I’d call him a loose cannon but he’s made a couple of basic errors that you’d expect from a younger player that’s caused him to get sent off twice.

I’ve yet to see a massive weakness in our team so far this season. I’d have maybe added another centre half but Rose is capable of improving a lot and Adams and Bell are proving all their doubters who said they were finished at this level wrong.

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2 hours ago, bunglebonce said:

I don’t think Smith has been directly culpable for league goals conceded in the same manner as Harvie, so putting the two in the same bracket is wrong. I do think he could have done more about Falkirk’s opener though. 

As mentioned previously, our full backs and goalkeeper are possibly the whole key to our system and why we are looking so comfortable in controlling matches, when most (me included) thought we may struggle in this division.

McCall has opted to play the build from the back passing system which suits all our players perfectly but when things go wrong it can leave us a little exposed, however with the exception of the QOS match we've been head and shoulders above the opposition for the majority of the matches, although I fear we are about to face by far our toughest test.

I must also congratulate you on your previous post as you obviously do lots of research and know your stuff which is very refreshing and probably what I like most about this league, as you tend to come across supporters of the other clubs which have a keen interest in the other teams and players and a mutual respect for each other for the most part.

Finally, have you thought about contacting the SFA ?  as I'm sure we may have a vacancy soon  and you appear much more knowledgable and tactically aware than the present incumbent................

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4 hours ago, bunglebonce said:

I don’t think Smith has been directly culpable for league goals conceded in the same manner as Harvie, so putting the two in the same bracket is wrong. I do think he could have done more about Falkirk’s opener though. 

To be fair, Smith was playing left back in that game, which is not his natural side of the park.

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14 hours ago, bunglebonce said:
I like reading what Ayr fans say about being emotionally attached to their team. Even though County won the league cup recently, which will never be forgotten, I can’t say I’ve felt the same way about a County side since their first season in the top flight. There’s something special about seeing a group of players come of age together and enjoy playing for one another through the divisions. 
 

I think I agree on this, watching that County team is probably my favourite of all the sides I've watched, even more so than the original third division sides we had.

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I think I agree on this, watching that County team is probably my favourite of all the sides I've watched, even more so than the original third division sides we had.

 

The third division side had third division things happen to it, which made it so much fun. The Cowdenbeath keeper sent off for jumping into the crowd, Brian Grant scoring when the keeper smacked his own defender in the back of the head with a goal kick....Herd scoring from 60 yards - five foot seven goalkeepers.

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58 minutes ago, Savage Henry said:

 

The third division side had third division things happen to it, which made it so much fun. The Cowdenbeath keeper sent off for jumping into the crowd, Brian Grant scoring when the keeper smacked his own defender in the back of the head with a goal kick....Herd scoring from 60 yards - five foot seven goalkeepers.

The sort of things fans of big clubs are unlikely to experience. They have no idea how much they miss out on.

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9 hours ago, rb123! said:

Robbie Crawford set to return to the starting line up with McCall's main dilemma being who takes the 2 CB positions out of Bell/Adams/Rose.

Adams & Rose for me.

If Robbie is playing I hope it's not at the expense of McDaid, Declan deserves a start!

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