Stenhousemuir -vs- Albion Rovers

[Burnsythebinman]

looking forward to this one. stenny has the better players I reckon, but rovers clearly have a liked and inspiring leader in harper that seems to give them an extra man.

2-1 to the warriors, but the real winner will be the beautiful game

[Chris_the_rover]

Stenhousemuir no matter what we always meet every season

, looking forward to this after the gubbing we got last time.

I also think we are an outside bet for a tip half finish but would grab mid table mediocrity with both hands.

We had a good league cup campaign how did stenny do.

Question for us is who is goalkeeper?

[Vodka Vic]

I know it’s a cliche but it’s absolutely vital Rovers get off to a good start. No way can we afford the same start as last season. That said we are a totally different team to last year. Even the young players like Fagan and Clarke who finished the season have improved - thought they were both outstanding last Saturday.

I know our record off late at Stenny is better than decent but would happily accept a draw.

[CM Punk]

So excited for this season after last years Brogan shambles , I've dusted off an old P&B account and come crawling back !

As FF says we always seem to do ok against Stenny even when we are not a great team (hence why last seasons 4-0 was the canary in the mine).

Going on pure data if we avenged last seasons 4-0 league opener against EC with a 2-1 win we should get at least a 2-2 draw out of this one (East , Smart and Monera with the goals).

I can't wait to get started for with this season just because we have actual footballers on the field rather than a bunch of jobbers. We haven't signed any marquee players but Harper's recruitment reminds me of Paul Martin's going out and getting guys who have played at a decent level and have perhaps been undervalued elsewhere.  

[Ivo den Bieman]

Will be taking this one in as a neutral so looking forward to the game.

This season’s L2 is wide open and beyond Edinburgh City being front runners there’s no real standout teams.

Suspect both of these could be in the promotion play off mix at the end of the season

[roy of the rovers]

A spirited and gutsy performance by Rovers. 2-0 and denied what looked like a penalty only to
Lose a goal seconds later. Then we
Lost an equaliser which seemed to be preventable.

The lads stuck in and their heads didn’t go down and we bagged the winner.

An excellent start to the season and hopefully we can stick a spanner in the wheels of Cove next Saturday.

[Francesc Fabregas]

A very disappointing way to kick off the season. I thought we deserved a point on the balance of play but it wasn't to be. All three Albion Rovers goals were gifts - the first came from a failure to clear our lines, the second came after a defensive error and the third was a penalty. They had other chances to score particularly towards the end of the game, but Graeme Smith stood firm. I don't think there's a lot of quality in this Rovers team but their attitude and doggedness was superb. They won a lot of their headers and were first to second balls and when they broke forward they had us on the back foot at times. They could be a shout for the top four.

Other than two 15-minute spells in either half, we weren't very good. We should have been two goals up before the Rovers took the lead, with Mark McGuigan missing from close range and then later when his header hitting the post but didn't capitalise when we were on top. Other than Smith and Alan Cook, who scored one and set up the other, and maybe McGuigan, we were quite shoddy. As mentioned, all three goals came from mistakes, and the midfield looked so passive. Far too often our players wanted too much time on the ball to pick a pass, only for an opponent to come in and steal it from them. You won't get away with that at this level, let alone against the Rovers.

Central midfield has been highlighted as our weak point and it was proven today. Jamie McKernon can pick a good pass but dawdled too often and couldn't cover the ground to protect the defence, while Dylan Dykes looks handy when he's in possession but seems to be a passenger without it. Gregor Fotheringham and Guliano Morena dominated the middle of the park and I don't think we had the personnel in the starting XI or on the bench to go toe to toe with them. It's a bit of worry because whenever the Rovers gathered loose balls and bounded forward on the attack, the back four was exposed and we looked in danger. Something for the manager to think about before the Queen's Park match next weekend.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Francesc Fabregas

[Neilly]

Full credit to Albion Rovers. As I've said elsewhere so much respect for what Harper has done there. For what they lack in ability they don't half make up for it in graft that team. They will be fine this season. 

As for us. That game only confirmed my thoughts going into it. Dreadful. Only Smith, Marsh and Cook come out of that with any credit whatsoever.

We have a non existent central midfield. No one in there can a) get about the park or b) make things happen. Slow, ponderous and clueless. The gap between midfield and defence is absolute amateur hour.

Recruitment has been absolutely shocking. A penny for the thoughts of the board at this time. We needed a "new direction" apparently after sacking Brown. That direction could well be the Lowland League.

This "increased budget" has brought about an auld man from Edusport, boy who couldn't get a game for Queens Park and a full back from the worst defence Scottish football has ever seen. The loan signings are also a market you need to identify players with a spark who will enhance you. Where has due diligence been done there? Bang average boys who don't look any better than we have. 

If Colin has anything about him McIlduff can't play again. I genuinely feel for the guy he should be nowhere near a league football team but the buck stops with the manager for signing him and ultimately playing him.

 

[Hard Graft]

Can only agree with the above comments. We need to play the ball on the ground more often and we really do need someone in midfield with a bit of creation about them.

Once again we fanny about with the ball instaed of clearing it. Munro wasd appalling for the second goal - the man was outside him but he allowed him to come inside and take the ball off him. Put it out the park if necessary but instead we lose a goal. The standard of refereeing was as expected and will get no better this year.

Some said that when we were getting relegated that they looked forward to us having a winning streak - my thoughts at that time we we are only a season away from the Lowland League and saw little yesterday to change my mind. The next three games are vital or we could be playing major catchup before September.

[Jaydee]

Really disappointed in McGuigan yesterday. Deliberating kneeing a player in the back of the head when he was on the ground is a real shitebag move.
Shame really because he is a decent striker that will score a number of goals this season, but that left a bad taste in the mouth.

[Moonglum25]

Every year you look forward to the start of the new season and it does not take long to become downhearted.  Lucky to be only 2 nil down to a poor team before we make a comeback and the hope builds only for it to go sour again.  Few come through that game with any credit. Again we are the archetects of our own downfall with stupid mistakes and failing to clear our line.

There are times when McGuigan appears to be manhandled away too easily and the reliance on the high ball up to him needs to go. If we have 2 wingers lets use them and get crosses coming in. and play the ball mor eonm the ground rather than the constant high ball up to Marky.

Midfield is certainly an issue and will have to be addressed sooner rather than later, Dykes looks reasonable on the ball but neewds to do more when trying to get it back.  We have to put the ball away when we are dominating but it was good to see a degree of spirit to come back from 2 goals down.

The next few games will be interesting - we need a few results in a row.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Moonglum25

[Vodka Vic]

I wasn’t in a great position but if true it is very unlike big Mark. Him and young Fagan did have a bit of needle throughout and the youngster did just fine - a good learning exercise for him yesterday and he cane up trumps. As for McGuigan I would take him back at Rovers in a heartbeat . He makes really intelligent runs and will cause defences a lot if problems. Scullion was impressive also for Stenny was surprised and delighted to see him getting subbed.

A great 3 points for us without playing all that well to be honest. One thing about this Rovers team is when they don’t play well they absolutely work their bollocks off. First goal was definitely against the run off play. I know he was booked for diving but I thought it was a stonewall penalty for Rovers which would have put the game to bed. I’m sure Stenny will argue that they should have had when as McGuigan was wrestled to the ground. A draw would have been fair on the balance of play but it was a hard earned victory rather than a lucky victory. Early days yet.

[Aloysius Snuffleupagus]

46 minutes ago, Jaydee said:

Really disappointed in McGuigan yesterday. Deliberating kneeing a player in the back of the head when he was on the ground is a real shitebag move.

Aye, that caused quite a bit of shock in the way end.. Big Marky is one of the last guys I'd think of as a dirty player, so here's hoping it was a one-off. Young Sean was winding him up quite a bit but there's still no need for what he did.

That was a terrific result yesterday, made even better by getting back in front after having seemingly thrown away a decent lead. As other have said, we don't have an over-burden of creative quality, although I do think that will improve once Roberts and Stewart assert themselves more on games. We can scrap though and that can bridge quite a lot of the quality gap, if the opposition don't fancy it; Cove at Cliftonhill next week will be very interesting

Fotheringham was my MoTM and he'll be a big miss if the rumours of him moving south for his day job are true. We'll still have Morena though; the closest living thing to whack-a-mole, popping up where the opposition least expect him. That guy is the epitome of hard graft. 

 

[BinoBalls]

1 hour ago, Neilly said:

Recruitment has been absolutely shocking. A penny for the thoughts of the board at this time. We needed a "new direction" apparently after sacking Brown. That direction could well be the Lowland League.

 

Please reserve judgement until you’ve seen us in action. You at least have 2 forwards who are familiar with the location of the goalposts. 

[Chris_the_rover]

A very disappointing way to kick off the season. I thought we deserved a point on the balance of play but it wasn't to be. All three Albion Rovers goals were gifts - the first came from a failure to clear our lines, the second came after a defensive error and the third was a penalty. They had other chances to score particularly towards the end of the game, but Graeme Smith stood firm. I don't think there's a lot of quality in this Rovers team but their attitude and doggedness was superb. They won a lot of their headers and were first to second balls and when they broke forward they had us on the back foot at times. They could be a shout for the top four.
Other than two 15-minute spells in either half, we weren't very good. We should have been two goals up before the Rovers took the lead, with Mark McGuigan missing from close range and then later when his header hitting the post but didn't capitalise when we were on top. Other than Smith and Alan Cook, who scored one and set up the other, and maybe McGuigan, we were quite shoddy. As mentioned, all three goals came from mistakes, and the midfield looked so passive. Far too often our players wanted too much time on the ball to pick a pass, only for an opponent to come in and steal it from them. You won't get away with that at this level, let alone against the Rovers.
Central midfield has been highlighted as our weak point and it was proven today. Jamie McKernon can pick a good pass but dawdled too often and couldn't cover the ground to protect the defence, while Dylan Dykes looks handy when he's in possession but seems to be a passenger without it. Gregor Fotheringham and Guliano Morena dominated the middle of the park and I don't think we had the personnel in the starting XI or on the bench to go toe to toe with them. It's a bit of worry because whenever the Rovers gathered loose balls and bounded forward on the attack, the back four was exposed and we looked in danger. Something for the manager to think about before the Queen's Park match next weekend.

Fair round up of the game but need to remember rovers should have scored before stenny had those 2 chances, hitting the post with the keeper totally rooted to the spot

Delighted the wee 5/6 year old won the half time shootout haha

[Chris_the_rover]

Really disappointed in McGuigan yesterday. Deliberating kneeing a player in the back of the head when he was on the ground is a real shitebag move.
Shame really because he is a decent striker that will score a number of goals this season, but that left a bad taste in the mouth.

Not as bad as the 6 who kicked the keeper in the kidney after he caught the ball

[Jaydee]

I’d argue that both were as bad as each other to be honest. But I didn’t see who it was that stuck his knee into Chris after he had caught the ball.

Can’t believe neither of those deserved a card but some of the bookings we got were very soft, including the ridiculous simulation booking for Euan East who was clearly fouled by Smith.

[Francesc Fabregas]

17 minutes ago, Jaydee said:

I’d argue that both were as bad as each other to be honest. But I didn’t see who it was that stuck his knee into Chris after he had caught the ball.

Can’t believe neither of those deserved a card but some of the bookings we got were very soft, including the ridiculous simulation booking for Euan East who was clearly fouled by Smith.

Out of interest, whereabouts in the ground were you watching the game from?

[Jaydee]

The half that Albion Rovers we’re defending in the first half, so the side with 5 a side parks behind the goal. Why? What difference do you think that makes?

[CEMSFC]

The half that Albion Rovers we’re defending in the first half, so the side with 5 a side parks behind the goal. Why? What difference do you think that makes?

Better view of things down that end?