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RAITH versus FORFAR


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Our injuries and suspension problems are well documented, but for me it's Miller who we miss the most. Forfar managed to deal with McDonald well tonight, which left absolutely zero attacking threat elsewhere.

The 3 at the back with two wing backs was giving us a lot of joy. That shape and formation tonight was an absolute mess. Sideways passing amongst centre backs followed by a woeful punt up the park. 

We are only a point off the top going into the end of November, but the run of fixtures we have coming up is giving me the fear.

Matthews was dreadful and Allan really isn't good enough for a team looking to win promotion. Not particularly strong, fast, good in the air or dangerous in front of goal. He wasn't the only poor performer but he's incredibly frustrating to watch. 

Edited by CALDERON
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Can only echo how awful that was. McGlynn once again clueless tactically. Where the hell did that formation come from. Virtually 4-2-4 but playing 2 wingers who aren't wingers when 3 are sitting on the bench. Bowie our best goal threat stuck out wide to squeeze in the worst striker at the club in years. Passing all across the back in the slowest fashion to then just launch it. Absolutely horrendous. We don't even look like we have anything better fitness being almost full time.

Wonder what excuses will come tonight.....

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That match was a perfect example of what happens when two 4-4-2s come up against each other, and one team is happy with a point.

Everyone has a direct marker. The fullbacks become key, because they're generally being marked by wingers, so they've got the best chance of "winning their duel" and getting forward. For the Rovers, McKay can't do that. He doesn't have the technical ability to play League One football.

So the onus falls on MacDonald. But when it's just him, he's easy to mark. Forfar bias their set up to be on his side of the park, cutting his space to nil. He did his best, but he was never likely to succeed.

Of course, the other players without great markers are your centre halfs, and as you'd expect, they had a lot of the ball. While one Forfar striker was happy to watch them knock it back and forth, the other dropped into the midfield, creating a 3v2 for Matthews and Tait to contend with. Up against an extra man, neither was getting the time to receive a pass, turn, and pick a pass themselves.

The other classic counter to this kind of 4-4-2 battle, is to get your wingers running into the channels. You hold the ball in defence, you let the other team press forward, and you ping it into the space left behind. Except we didn't have any wingers. We had four number 9s, who all want the ball into feet.

I'm actually really quite angry that I've had to sit and watch that for an hour. Four strikers who want passes, two midfielders who can't get space to make them, a right back with loads of time who can't play, a left back who can with no time at all, and two central defenders with all the ball and no options for what to do with it.

I feel like the Falkirk fans have for most of this season. If I can see that, why can't John McGlynn?

There's a plethora of options to change it, and they should've started by the half hour mark. An extra man in midfield to free up Tait and Matthews. Height up front or out wide to give Benedictus and Anderson a long ball option. Armstrong on for McKay to stretch Forfar across the park.

An utter abdication of tactical and strategic leadership tonight. I'm a huge supporter of John McGlynn, but that was embarrassing for a manager of his standing.

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That was absolute dugmeat. How many times did we pass straight to an opponent? How many times did we pass straight out of play? How many 2nd balls did we win? Some people here saying Armstrong causing them problems. He caused me problems choosing to shoot when he had 3, maybe 4 better options. Tait not quite good enough, Matthews not playing well and Bowie got a sore one. No urgency at all, even with 10 mins to play and the ball in Munros hands. We couldn't keep possession if we tried and it pissed with rain from start to finish. Awful. Just. Awful.

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54 minutes ago, CALDERON said:

This period was going to tell us alot about any title ambitions. Tonight was, an absolute shit show again without the slightest hint of quality. 

 

 

Yip, at the start of November we had four league games against what were, then, the bottom four teams in the league. 

I said on the other channel we should be aiming for twelve points and anything less than nine would be a disappointment. 

To achieve 7 out of 12, we have to win this Saturday at a ground we picked up 1 point out of 6 last season. 

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1 hour ago, Raith Against The Machine said:
1 hour ago, Hank Scorpio said:
Pretty obvious this was going to happen, too many players missing. Guys like Tait aren’t going to come in and replace the quality we miss in the middle of the park. These games are bread and butter if we are serious about winning the league...

Tait, deservedly, was given man of the match. That result is a failure of management, not personnel. Set up terribly, not changed until far too late, and never fixed.

Super Ray McKinnon is available.

The stats on BBC site give the impression it was dire

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Just Fucking awful to watch.

Any team missing 5 first team regulars will toil I suppose but against a team without a point from 21 we should be better and should be able to get the job done at home.

Though Forfar were cynical with fouls to break any play up and seemed happy to sit deep and not even try to attack, sad that we are supposed to be promotion candidates yet cannot devise a plan against such a ploy.

The way Bowie was chopped down was awful, it looked a sore one and I wouldn't be surprised if he will be out for the next few games.

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