The Official Airdrieonians Thread - 2019/20 and beyond

[diamondman]

Pretty much echo CC's views. We did not threaten enough over the piece.

 

My stream was fine; but for the rather partisan commentary that came with it. A few expletives were rehearsed at my end. No more than you would expect in the midst of a game.

[dougie247]

As a Thistle fan your keeper should be given a raise and get him on a contract as long as possible.. Amazing performance! 

[thediamonddude]

As I said on the match thread, I wasn’t overly surprised by the outcome today - as with all other games against Thistle this season, we just didn’t have quite enough to get over the line.

I was happy with the initial team selection and tactics, as it is probably our strongest 11 in my view and was pleased that when it wasn’t quite getting us anywhere early in the second half, Murray made the change.

That said, it’s hard to pinpoint where we went wrong in the first half - we just never looked comfortable on the ball, and instead resorted to shelling it long. It meant we never really got a foothold in the game and were really under the cosh. Max Currie was superb and, while he’s had a fair bit of criticism this season, I think his recent performances prove that he is one of the better keepers in the league and we’re lucky to have him.

We dominated in the second half, but again for whatever reason, we looked uncomfortable, this time when we hit the final third. We were making so many rash decisions or poor calls and while we had enough of the play to nick something, reckon that’d have been harsh on Thistle.

Whilst I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a tad excited last night, thinking that we were only 4 points off the top and had the chance to cut that to 1 today, the realistic (many times disappointed) Airdrie supporter in me knew better.

We’re a good side and more than capable of top 4, but the league title just wasn’t there for us this season.

Today’s game was the one I was least confident about from the final 4, so let’s hope we don’t let it damage our confidence and we can crack on now and grab that playoff spot.

[Passionate]

30 minutes ago, dougie247 said:

As a Thistle fan your keeper should be given a raise and get him on a contract as long as possible.. Amazing performance! 

Currie was bang average all season until, the season resumed when he has been great since culminating in that performance today...

[Chapelhall chap]

6 hours ago, airdrieman said:

Another good listen gents. If Colin and Alan have an HDMI cable in their tele they should be able to plug that into their laptop and be able to watch the games on their TV from there. That's how I manage it anyway!

I am about to search for the ones I used to have and will have a go!  I have listened to the Podcast now and it's funny hearing I sound on the airwaves ,never mind my ramblings. We were optimistic but that's what makes me want to PPV anyway.

[Mr November]

I thought it was interesting that we seemed to move from the back three we’ve played in the last few games to a back four yesterday. I can understand why, Carrick isn’t a wing back and it was always more of a lopsided back three with Paul McKay able to move over and McCann able to drop a bit deeper. Either way, the change didn’t seem to work as we couldn’t get a hold of the ball in there and O’Reilly and Carrick were pretty anonymous out wide. It seemed like Roy was dropping into midfield when we were defending but he’s definitely not a midfielder so that didn’t really help either.

I can’t say I ever fully expected us to win yesterday, so I’m not too annoyed about it. We’ve seen over the three games that Thistle are a better team than us and the league is theirs to lose now. We’ve had spells in all three games against them where we’ve looked decent and came close to taking points but ultimately we haven’t and small margins like that are why Thistle are now so far ahead of us. It’s a bit like the games against Raith last season. Three 1-0 defeats where ultimately there wasn’t too much between the teams, especially the game up at Kirkcaldy, but Raith being able to win those games was the difference between them winning the league and us finishing third. 

It was good to see Currie in such great form yesterday, albeit I’d rather he didn’t have so many saves to make. The only keeper in this league who’s made more saves than Currie this year is Marc McCallum, which is quite concerning. It’s good that Currie is able to make these saves but definitely a worry that we’re allowing so many attempts on goal. 

Tuesday will be another very difficult game but we need to win to make sure we finish top four. Montrose have been a tricky for us for a few years now but we seemed to be the better team in the game a few weeks ago and poor finishing probably cost us all three points. I don’t think we need to make too many changes, I’d maybe bring Thomson in for Carrick or O’Reilly but I don’t think one defeat should cause us to panic and make massive changes. 

[Diamond72]

I didn't expect too much from the Thistle game as they are leaders and at home. It is games like these that the quality of the forward line makes a difference however.

Had we had someone like Graham in our starting lineup then I'm sure we would have taken something.

Thistle tired badly after the hour as will Cove I suspect. It is in this final 30 minutes however where the quality of finishers in the team really comes into play in my opinion.

We have gained success recently from players like O'Reilly and Turner driving into the box, this was totally absent yesterday. Most of our attacking play ended up with speculative crosses which we hoped would land kindly for us.

I still think that we could reach the playoffs however,  but the title is Thistle's for the taking.

[Mr November]

Another big win tonight, fair play to the players for turning up again in a big home game. Obviously the result and performance on Saturday was disappointing but great to bounce back from that with a win. Montrose are always a tough team for us to play against and tonight was no different but that win goes a long way to securing a play-off spot. There's absolutely no reason we shouldn't be confident going into the next two games, particularly Falkirk on the final day. 

I thought Connell was excellent and we looked more threatening with him and Gallagher together from the start. While both goals came from Montrose mistakes it's his hard work and determination that helps to force those mistakes. Two great goals too. 

Given he hasn't started a game for over three months, and hasn't started in defence for even longer, Kerr strolled that tonight. Crighton's had a poor season by his standards and I think Kerr and Fordyce are our two best centre backs. A back three of McKay, Kerr and Fordyce seems really well balanced too, so I'd like to see them stay together on Saturday even if Crighton is fit again. I can understand the thinking behind playing Kerr in midfield but he's much better as a defender, so hopefully he can continue to develop there for us.

[airdrieman]

A nervy last 10 minutes but a big win tonight. *Should* be a play-off place secured now so well done to Ian Murray and the boys. Thought we started the game very well and Gallagher and Connell, in particular, were giving the Montrose centre-halves a torrid time. Connell worked hard for his goals and they were both cracking finishes. He looked a threat whenever he was on the ball so hopefully his knock is nothing serious and he's okay for Saturday and the rest of the run-in. As others have said, when Cochrane went off that's when Montrose actually started to get into the game. The game was fairly balanced after that but I still thought we were worthy of our win overall. Probably Carrick, McKay and Walker's best games for us in a while and I agree with Passionate, Kerr is an outstanding defender. Madness that we've spent all season trying to convert such a talented prospect into a midfielder instead of, ehm, actually just playing centre mids. 

[CapitalDiamond]

A nervy last 10 minutes but a big win tonight. *Should* be a play-off place secured now so well done to Ian Murray and the boys. Thought we started the game very well and Gallagher and Connell, in particular, were giving the Montrose centre-halves a torrid time. Connell worked hard for his goals and they were both cracking finishes. He looked a threat whenever he was on the ball so hopefully his knock is nothing serious and he's okay for Saturday and the rest of the run-in. As others have said, when Cochrane went off that's when Montrose actually started to get into the game. The game was fairly balanced after that but I still thought we were worthy of our win overall. Probably Carrick, McKay and Walker's best games for us in a while and I agree with Passionate, Kerr is an outstanding defender. Madness that we've spent all season trying to convert such a talented prospect into a midfielder instead of, ehm, actually just playing centre mids. 

I thought McKay was excellent last night too. Similar to Kerr, we spent most of the season with those to an Sabatini in midfield.... and in fairness to them they had us 5 points off the top with a game in hand.

If only we’d had proper CMs from the beginning.....

[AndyDD]

Massive win and I'd be happy for the back 3 to remain that way for the rest of the season; Kerr and McKay both looked very comfortable and Fordyce was his usual reliable self. He was actually quite decent at coming out from the back with the ball, as well. 

It's clear that the tweak to that shape has been key to the improved performances of Leon McCann and we've looked a lot more dangerous when operating under 3-4-3. Kudos to Ian Murray and co. 

Great result, decent performance, really pleasing response to the defeat and hopefully Connell is okay; he could make a massive difference in the remaining two fixtures and the playoffs themselves, which are looking all but secure. 

[airdrieman]

3 hours ago, CapitalDiamond said:

 

I thought McKay was excellent last night too. Similar to Kerr, we spent most of the season with those to an Sabatini in midfield.... and in fairness to them they had us 5 points off the top with a game in hand.

If only we’d had proper CMs from the beginning.....

 

It's been said by us all on here but it's infuriating how poor and unbalanced our midfield recruitment was this pre-season. I actually like Sabatini and think he could offer something. For instance, the game at Firhill last Saturday was crying out for an extra body in the midfield and somebody who could win and retain the ball. Two things Sabatini does fairly well. I know the game can pass him by at times but no more than it does our other midfielders, with the exception of Turner and Paton. But when he's been on his game he's been very good IMO and he's only going to get better with proper game time. But Murray obviously doesn't fancy him at all and he's so far out the picture he'd be as well going back to Ukraine. 

But Turner and Paton have been a revelation in midfield. Like you say if we'd had a proper midfield from the start of the season we'd have probably won this league. Maybe I'm reading too much into it and it's mere coincidence. But it's interesting that the first thing Murray does after Millar left was sign a couple of proper midfielders, albeit with the caveat that Turner was a happy accident and we possibly only signed Paton because of Turner's red card. They've made a huge difference and, while we've no chance of keeping Turner, it's bodies like that we need in our midfield next season regardless of what league we're in. 

[TheBuckfastTriangle]

Not sure what the situation is with Crighton, but I'd be happy to see Kerr stay at CB for the next two (even if only to give McKay and Fordyce a rest as they've been more or less ever-present since the restart. I think Kerr does well when he's given time - his range of passing is excellent - but has struggled more when under pressure (which may be the reason for putting him into midfield to see how he copes with less time on the ball to pick a pass). With this in mind I'd be interested to see how he copes with big diddies who'll harass him like McIntosh and Sammon - and if we have to revert to a defence that's only conceded more than 1 goal in one of the last 7 that's not a bad position to be in.

I suspect that Paton was signed when it looked like Kerr could be out for the season @airdrieman, but agree he's made a big difference in front of the defence.

5 hours ago, AndyDD said:

Great result, decent performance, really pleasing response to the defeat and hopefully Connell is okay; he could make a massive difference in the remaining two fixtures and the playoffs themselves, which are looking all but secure. 

Agree with this Andy, Connell has been an excellent find - I'd be wrapping him (and anyone else carrying a knock) in cotton wool for the next two games to be honest. The league's away so with the playoffs looking reasonably certain it's a good opportunity to rest the squad up and get minutes into the legs for one or two of the guys who've found themselves on the fringes.

[airdrieman]

49 minutes ago, TheBuckfastTriangle said:

Not sure what the situation is with Crighton, but I'd be happy to see Kerr stay at CB for the next two (even if only to give McKay and Fordyce a rest as they've been more or less ever-present since the restart. I think Kerr does well when he's given time - his range of passing is excellent - but has struggled more when under pressure (which may be the reason for putting him into midfield to see how he copes with less time on the ball to pick a pass). With this in mind I'd be interested to see how he copes with big diddies who'll harass him like McIntosh and Sammon - and if we have to revert to a defence that's only conceded more than 1 goal in one of the last 7 that's not a bad position to be in.

I suspect that Paton was signed when it looked like Kerr could be out for the season @airdrieman, but agree he's made a big difference in front of the defence.

Agree with this Andy, Connell has been an excellent find - I'd be wrapping him (and anyone else carrying a knock) in cotton wool for the next two games to be honest. The league's away so with the playoffs looking reasonably certain it's a good opportunity to rest the squad up and get minutes into the legs for one or two of the guys who've found themselves on the fringes.

I read this afternoon that Connell is out of contract at the end of the season. By all accounts he's highly thought of at Killie so I suspect he'll get a new deal there or end up somewhere higher up the food chain than us. But we should definitely be looking into giving him an option to stay here, whether that's on loan again or a permanent deal. 

The Kerr v Crighton situation is probably a difficult one for Murray. Crighton is our captain, a coach and an established presence both at our club and in the lower leagues as a whole. But IMO Kerr and Fordyce are our best centre-halves and Kerr is a better option as part of our spine with his passing ability. Wouldn't be against a back three of Crighton, Fordyce and Kerr but McKay had a decent game last night and gives you another option in terms of linking up with and supporting the midfield. Will be interesting to see what backline Murray opts for. As long as he doesn't shoehorn Kerr back into midfield I'll be at least relatively happy! 

[DiamondDownSouth]

Thistle 3-0 up against Falkirk now - one more without reply and they will push Falkirk below us on goals scored!

[Jack Reed]

On 25/04/2021 at 12:37, Diamond72 said:

I didn't expect too much from the Thistle game as they are leaders and at home. It is games like these that the quality of the forward line makes a difference however.

Had we had someone like Graham in our starting lineup then I'm sure we would have taken something.

Thistle tired badly after the hour as will Cove I suspect. It is in this final 30 minutes however where the quality of finishers in the team really comes into play in my opinion.

We have gained success recently from players like O'Reilly and Turner driving into the box, this was totally absent yesterday. Most of our attacking play ended up with speculative crosses which we hoped would land kindly for us.

I still think that we could reach the playoffs however,  but the title is Thistle's for the taking.

Think they are taking title tonight 3-0 up, Partick from the first time we played them looked the best team in league, 

[stuartcraig]

31 minutes ago, DiamondDownSouth said:

Thistle 3-0 up against Falkirk now - one more without reply and they will push Falkirk below us on goals scored!

4-0 now.  Interesting times.

[DiamondDownSouth]

4-0 and we are above the Bairns - temporarily at least...

[Mr November]

10 minutes ago, Jack Reed said:

Think they are taking title tonight 3-0 up, Partick from the first time we played them looked the best team in league, 

Agreed. This league isn't particularly great quality but it is very competitive and despite Falkirk's lead, after the restart it always seemed like it was crying out for one team to go on a run and win it. Unfortunately our run started a bit too late but no one can deny that Thistle deserve to win it, they had a poor first half but have been excellent since beating us 4-2. We had good spells in all three games against Thistle but never did enough to win any of them and came away with no points. Much like the three Raith games last season, that's had a massive impact on Thistle being so far ahead of us. Quite relieved to see the back of them given our record against them, I'd certainly feel much more confident going up against Cove, Falkirk or one of the Championship teams in the play-offs, though whoever we play will be a tough game. 

At least that's us up to third now without even playing!

[Chapelhall chap]

Five for Thistle as I type and Cove 2 up so we look certain to have a play off place. Thistle have done the run that  wins Leagues and seem to have found a front three with goals. Falkirk have stumbled on and they deserve nothing else. We just took too long to get creative in the middle but a top 4 was all I expected so that is a job done. All to play for now .