The Official Airdrieonians Thread - 2019/20 and beyond

[Jack Reed]

2 minutes ago, Kenny_m said:

Rhys's first blip in management yesterday and there will be a lengthy queue waiting to say "It was never going to work". He's under more pressure than most if he goes on a bad run.

So it's an away win for me.

Think the new signing will come in next week, got to be Gal from the start just think he does better if starting, maybe a confidence thing, 

[Aufc]

The thing about this “this is my style of play and I can’t deviate from it” is that, in my opinion, it only really works at the top level. Most teams are not good enough to have one way of playing. Man City etc will generally play the same way because they have the best players so, more often than not, they will win. Teams like airdrie can’t afford to do this. It sounds nice but it doesn’t work. It’s nice to be able to win games and play nice football which we have been doing, however, sometimes you have to adjust to the situation.

Hopefully a learning curve. Cant really slag the team too much as they have been doing well

[Diamonds are Forever]

19 minutes ago, Aufc said:

The thing about this “this is my style of play and I can’t deviate from it” is that, in my opinion, it only really works at the top level. Most teams are not good enough to have one way of playing. Man City etc will generally play the same way because they have the best players so, more often than not, they will win. Teams like airdrie can’t afford to do this. It sounds nice but it doesn’t work. It’s nice to be able to win games and play nice football which we have been doing, however, sometimes you have to adjust to the situation.

Hopefully a learning curve. Cant really slag the team too much as they have been doing well

 

Absolutely, and even then it doesn't work unless you are exceptional at the top level like peak Barcelona. As you say Man City to an extent but they still haven't won the Champions League which I'd argue is due to their soft centre and inability to grind out results when exposed by the best. It's obviously on a different football planet than League 1 but I think the principle is the same.

There's no other sport where a coach or player would go into the match with a 'way of playing' and refuse to deviate, and then for this to somehow be a trait that they should be proud of. In League 1 there is so little between the teams and the games so evenly matched (well, except when losing 6-0...) that you just cannot afford to think 'we're playing this way and that's it', you must be adaptable and play what's in front of you. The other thing is now we've played a few games teams will have seen us and worked us out, so we'll need to have different options or we'll become very predictable.

[dextermorgan]

Rhys did say at the start of the season that our style of play was 'High risk..High reward' and for the most part this season it has worked in our favour. This style of play is risky when it is 11 v 11 but almost suicidal in my opinion when we lose a player like yesterday. I'm sure Ryhs will have taken that on board but I don't believe that is where our issues lie. His style of play depends on benefitting from playing through the 'press' and hurting sides. When we don't do it regularly then we find ourselves in trouble. Yesterday again highlighted the fact that we squander too many clear cut chances and are 'shot shy' around the box.

This, I'm afraid is where our downfall may be this season. Edinburgh showed with Robertson in particular how it should be done. Do we have a player in the forward line who is as dynamic and makes other keepers work?

[Rhys McCabe Hype Train]

What’s going on with Josh Rae? Surely one of the ITKs can shed a light on how long he’s gonna be out for?

[Jack Reed]

14 hours ago, Kenny_m said:

It looked to me like he tried to get his best 11 on the park, regardless of positions. It didn't work! 

Murray  done that all the time. 

[Kenny_m]

34 minutes ago, Jack Reed said:

Murray  done that all the time. 

I'm not averse to that but if the players don't suit the system, you need to change the system!

[Jack Reed]

4 hours ago, Kenny_m said:

I'm not averse to that but if the players don't suit the system, you need to change the system!

Think a lot of the time when playing players out of position  the opposition would have to be taken  into consideration, 

[Jack Reed]

14 hours ago, dextermorgan said:

Rhys did say at the start of the season that our style of play was 'High risk..High reward' and for the most part this season it has worked in our favour. This style of play is risky when it is 11 v 11 but almost suicidal in my opinion when we lose a player like yesterday. I'm sure Ryhs will have taken that on board but I don't believe that is where our issues lie. His style of play depends on benefitting from playing through the 'press' and hurting sides. When we don't do it regularly then we find ourselves in trouble. Yesterday again highlighted the fact that we squander too many clear cut chances and are 'shot shy' around the box.

This, I'm afraid is where our downfall may be this season. Edinburgh showed with Robertson in particular how it should be done. Do we have a player in the forward line who is as dynamic and makes other keepers work?

To your last question . Definitely not, I know I get knocked for saying we need a couple of strikers , 

[Diamond Oracle]

Wonder if we’ll appeal Ballantyne’s sending off.

If not we’ve got to line up like this on Saturday:

Henderson

Watson - Fordyce - ATS - Deveney

Frizzell - McCabe - Devenny

McGill - Gallagher - Smith

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds]

9 hours ago, Diamond Oracle said:

Wonder if we’ll appeal Ballantyne’s sending off.

If not we’ve got to line up like this on Saturday:

Henderson

Watson - Fordyce - ATS - Deveney

Frizzell - McCabe - Devenny

McGill - Gallagher - Smith

Can’t see Ballantyne’s red being appealed as I feel it was a pretty obvious red after watching the replay. But that’s exactly the team I’d go for as well, it keeps our best formation/shape without playing too many out of position. The only thing that could maybe change is bringing Wylie in for McGill and playing a midfield diamond with two up top, but I’m not convinced that would be better, I’d just like to see Wylie get 90 minutes alongside 10 teammates as I feel he missed his chance to get a proper crack at it after Ballantyne’s early red at the weekend.

Not got my hopes up but a signing before the game would be ideal, with centre back as a priority imo and a midfielder also needed.

[Jack Reed]

9 hours ago, Diamond Oracle said:

Wonder if we’ll appeal Ballantyne’s sending off.

If not we’ve got to line up like this on Saturday:

Henderson

Watson - Fordyce - ATS - Deveney

Frizzell - McCabe - Devenny

McGill - Gallagher - Smith

That front 3 will put the fear into montrose, with the high press  whatever that is, 

[Skyline Drifter]

10 hours ago, Diamond Oracle said:

Wonder if we’ll appeal Ballantyne’s sending off.

Unless you've got clear footage from the other side of the ground or a goal-line camera showing the ball was clearly going wide, you'll be throwing money away and he'll still not be playing. There's absolutely no evidence in the highlights footage to suggest it was a bad decision.

[AndyDD]

10 hours ago, Diamond Oracle said:

Wonder if we’ll appeal Ballantyne’s sending off.

If not we’ve got to line up like this on Saturday:

Henderson

Watson - Fordyce - ATS - Deveney

Frizzell - McCabe - Devenny

McGill - Gallagher - Smith

My only concern here would be that both centre halves will be left sided, so Fordyce will be on the right side when he's usually playing on the left. You could put Rhys back there with Fordyce (worked most of last season) and potentially play McMaster in the middle, if he's ready, but that has downsides of its own of course. ATS could go to LB with Rhys dropping in to CB, too, if we're worried about or want to have a bit of added height. 

Will be interesting to see what way Rhys goes. 

[David Fernández]

My only concern here would be that both centre halves will be left sided, so Fordyce will be on the right side when he's usually playing on the left. You could put Rhys back there with Fordyce (worked most of last season) and potentially play McMaster in the middle, if he's ready, but that has downsides of its own of course. ATS could go to LB with Rhys dropping in to CB, too, if we're worried about or want to have a bit of added height. 
Will be interesting to see what way Rhys goes. 

I think Dycey is naturally right footed anyway, so wouldn't have a problem with him playing on the right side. Think the most important thing is that a natural left back needs to play there if that's Devenny or ATS.

I think the deeper McCabe is the more he controls the game and if he plays too further forward, I think he's less effective.

I don't think Ben Wylie had done enough to merit a start in the team, it's early days and I hope he becomes good, but everytime I've watched him, he looks miles off the pace.

I think if LJ is on the right, it can be a bit too predictable and easy to defend again if he always cuts in on his left. Would swap him for Smithy to go on the right and Gal should definitely start.

Hope this was a one off blip and the gaffer and players can learn from this and bounce back.

[AndyDD]

10 minutes ago, David Fernández said:

I think Dycey is naturally right footed anyway, so wouldn't have a problem with him playing on the right side. Think the most important thing is that a natural left back needs to play there if that's Devenny or ATS.

I think the deeper McCabe is the more he controls the game and if he plays too further forward, I think he's less effective.

I don't think Ben Wylie had done enough to merit a start in the team, it's early days and I hope he becomes good, but everytime I've watched him, he looks miles off the pace.

I think if LJ is on the right, it can be a bit too predictable and easy to defend again if he always cuts in on his left. Would swap him for Smithy to go on the right and Gal should definitely start.

Hope this was a one off blip and the gaffer and players can learn from this and bounce back.

True enough about Dycey, I just meant that he's used to playing on the left side of CB or LCB when we play a back three so might be an element of unsettling him. That being said, he's an experienced player and you're right, he should be able to adapt no bother.

I also agree about McCabe, I think him dropping back allows him to read the game better and dictate the game better. I'd consider going with a back three and wing backs, if the players are comfortable enough to do it, but they'll know themselves in the group the things they are best at. 

Jamieson has bags of talent but it just hasn't quite worked for him last two games, could make a heck of an impact coming on later in the game and that might get him back in the groove that saw him terrorise Alloa. Gabby does a power of work on the right of the front three and that means Gal can play up top with Smith and McGill either side. 

It was a surreal experience, Saturday, an incredibly sore one, but I fully believe in this team who have not become bad players all of a sudden. Montrose is a tough place to go and bounce back of course, but I'm confident Saturday will look anomalous come the end of the season. 

[Skyline Drifter]

31 minutes ago, AndyDD said:

My only concern here would be that both centre halves will be left sided, so Fordyce will be on the right side when he's usually playing on the left.

Fordyce spent some of his time with us playing right back and the rest of it playing as the right sided centre back. He's right footed. He played on the right for Dunfermline too. I don't think he'd ever played left side until Airdrie converted him to it.

[AndyDD]

3 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

Fordyce spent some of his time with us playing right back and the rest of it playing as the right sided centre back. He's right footed. He played on the right for Dunfermline too. I don't think he'd ever played left side until Airdrie converted him to it.

He has been playing left sided CB for us, even LCB in a back three when we do that, for a while now, so any move away from an established role in a team always runs the risk of being a bit unsettling, including for the left back/LWB who will have grown used to having Fordyce as his next man along. As I already said though, he's obviously more than capable of managing that change. 

Any reshuffle always runs the risk of unsettling a side. We maybe saw that first hand at the weekend. 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds]

29 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

Fordyce spent some of his time with us playing right back and the rest of it playing as the right sided centre back. He's right footed. He played on the right for Dunfermline too. I don't think he'd ever played left side until Airdrie converted him to it.

He played right back for us when he first joined as well and I’d actually argue until we signed Ballantyne he was probably the best right back at the club. He was never going to play there regularly though as he’d always be required at centre half.

[David Fernández]

Seen that Celtic B vs Real Madrid is on BT Sport 1. Celtic with a man down and losing 6-0 with Madrid playing in all black like Edinburgh. Didn't think I'd see Raul Albiol former Spanish international at the Excelsior.