Clyde vs Queen's Park

[Jack Burton]

Before the game I would have been more than happy with a point but given the way the game played disappointed not to take all 3. A moment of lunacy a piece from Parry, Rumsby and Goodwillie has cost us the game. We are our own worst enemy this season.

I was surprised at how poor Queens Park were and they really didn't trouble us anywhere near as much as I expected. The first was a great individual goal by Goodwillie.

I thought we started the second half really well and then Parry lets in a very soft goal. I assumed it was going by the post given his half hearted effort to save it. Rumsby then elbows a Queens Park player in the face to concede yet another penalty. Goodwillie then tried to be clever with our penalty and made a complete arse of it before scrambling home the equaliser.

Tade was surprisingly decent when he came on and if he is fit enough now then should be appearing more regularly.

[QPSpider1867]

Draw was probably fair. We were poor again. Third week in a row. Somehow still top of the league. Cheers to that. Need to pick it up if we’re to challenge this year. 

So surprising from Willie. Very unlike him. Hardly ever makes a mistake. We move on. 

Young lads looked lively. Need more game time than some of the starters at the moment. 

There is no doubt about it, Goodwillie is a predator on and off the pitch. 

[BullyWeeStonehouse]

52 minutes ago, QPSpider1867 said:

Draw was probably fair. We were poor again. Third week in a row. Somehow still top of the league. Cheers to that. Need to pick it up if we’re to challenge this year. 

So surprising from Willie. Very unlike him. Hardly ever makes a mistake. We move on. 

Young lads looked lively. Need more game time than some of the starters at the moment. 

There is no doubt about it, Goodwillie is a predator on and off the pitch. 

Pure funny patter, bro!

[Clydeside]

I think we saw the best and worst of both teams this afternoon.

It strikes me that Queen's Park will have always have trouble against teams that congest the back third of the park like we did today. Their midfielders don't play to punch through the centre and their forwards tend to drift wide or deep to receive the ball. They have loads of quality  in midfield and attack of course: Brown, Gillespie, Longridge, Murray, Longstaff, Connell, Smith. On a faster surface and against a team who're not as stuffily set up they can set a mean tempo and open teams up very effectively I'm sure.

Even today where our shape and the slow conditions made it tougher, they could've had four or five. That is, if only they had a forward in their line whose game was playing on the shoulder of defenders and being a threat to the heart of the opposing team's defence. In metaphorical terms, Queen's Park's are a Christmas tree without a star at the top of it. They're middle-heavy with decorations. And I think their supporters are right to focus on McHugh's role. Swapping him out with a forward who can play a bit better with his back to goal and trouble centre backs a bit more would do the team a lot of favours I think. Even just making to sure have players like Connell and Longstaff on the pitch instead would probably be more conducive to winning games and to killing teams off. I don't think McHugh's a great fit.

On Clyde. I'm just glad we didn't lose in the end because we played well for the most part. I thought David Goodwillie was easily the man of the match. What an uptick we've seen in his work-rate and mobility over the past few weeks. That's hugely encouraging. The back three looks a lot better with Elsden but still suffers from having the lethargic Rumsby in it. I think we're just one reasonably athletic centre back away from having a fairly strong pool of central defenders now. That is, irrespective of whether we play a tight three or a two in the centre.

The midfield three were makeshift of course. Splaine, being the deepest of the three for a change, and enjoying relatively little pressure when in posession was able to show his quality. We saw some fantastic composure and passing from both him and Kennedy at times. Then there was Cunningham who played the fulcrum's role well enough. With Jones being useful and frustrating in equal measure ahead of him. I will say about Jones that I thought he was an important part of how we played today. We had a lot of players behind him who can be very accurate with their passes to him and there was enough of that to keep Queen's Park from hemming us in, knowing they'd only be a flick on away from a leg race with Goodwillie or Cunningham.

I thought first and second debutants Deveney and Tade done well. The former looks solid enough technically and he got up and down the pitch well. I thought he defended aggressively and showed that he's capable of adding to attacks. Tade still looks like an injured player but you saw in his movement and instincts, which were enough to win us a penalty, shades of the player we know that his fitness is masking. Good solid shift from Barry Cuddihy on the right I'd just add finally. Quick into the feet of Murray at times. Came inside and caused problems. Not that you'd expect less from such a good and experienced player.

I think we lost the first because we lost our discipline. Queen's Park's equaliser was no different to Alloa's a few weeks back. We were sucked into the play on one side of the park. Our midfield and defensive lines basically blended into one and acres of space was then available to anyone who fancied a shot from outside the box. I think Parry, like Mitchell before him, could've done better in the end. And then there was the penalty. I'd like to see it again but to be honest Rumsby's never been good at defending in situations where some agility is required. He passes muster when he's got to win headers on halfway or when he's got a few yards to anticipate the ball coming into a forward's feet. But in a tight three against teams like Cove and Queen's Park who'll always make chances and who're nipping it about in front of you, you can see him doing things like that time and time again. In the same way that Nicoll, for everything else he offers, will always be a red card risk and be liable to get drawn into play that he shouldn't bother with, Rumsby's liable to foul players in the box if there's a fives game going on in there.

Anyway. I'm quite encouraged despite the draw. I'd like to see us carry on with that shape and system. At its best it lets us play very directly while still bringing out the neater stuff we're capable of in the midfield and final third. If we can find just one more centre back and maybe a centre midfielder with discipline enough to stay in front of the defence then I think we could start to get in amongst it. I cringe to admit it but Ray Grant at Stirling is a readymade player for the midfield job I have in mind. Whether it's Kennedy, Splaine, Nicoll or Gomis, by reason of their inexperience or, ahem, surplus of experience, they'll try our patience a bit more than he would in that sitting role.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Clydeside
Typos

[Bring Your Own Socks]

I said before the game to have someone shadow Goodwillie but either Laurie’s been a bit naive or his nominated person ignored him. I think the former as no-one in particular was focussed enough. The other big guy was enough of a distraction and Goodwillie found himself regularly in space, wandering and drifting where he wanted. Couldn’t see the stramash at the second but the first goal, although perfectly executed, was shameful from our perspective. Aside of that Clyde threatened very little but were certainly up for it and worked hard to disrupt us. Several of our key players were woeful today, especially Murray and Gillespie. It’s a sad day for Murray when McHugh was more of a goal threat. The second shot off the post was a great effort from Bob. Good goal from Longridge, we’ll paced and accurate.

On the upside, all 3 subs looked lively and most importantly knew where the goal was. That’s 3 games in a row where we’ve been industrious so let’s give these young footballers some space next week. I saw Kilday with the subs today so hopefully he’ll be back and Gillies can have a period of reflection. But the big problem remains. Despite their best efforts, both Murray and McHugh are players with variable foot skills (especially Murray) and neither attack a cross ball with conviction. Murray gets the vote because of his energy and enthusiasm but as a goal machine, neither are even close to Goodwillie. We need a single-minded attacker to get this team completed. 

Frustrating thing is we’ve seen much better from this group. But mediocrity is becoming the norm. Time for some changes next week.

 

[David W]

He has taken quite a bit of stick recently but full credit to Danny Lennon for the set-up today; it was still the 352 (really a necessity with our lack of pace at the back; look at Balatoni getting pulled out wide late on) but it had a lot more of the hallmarks of our best teams since he came in. Even the late changes were brave and got a deserved reward. It was the best we've played since PTFC at the start of last season, albeit still with a smattering of quite horrendous moments.

After a pretty awful first 15 minutes we settled down nicely and played our way into the game. It's amazing the difference having five energetic football players across midfield made. Cuddihy was absolutely superb, Cunningham equally so in spells. Kennedy, who was lucky to last 37 minutes last week, had a great game for an hour before tiring. Deveney played well on his debut. And what a player Splaine would be if he got some consistency in his game; some terrific moments but then fails to play a simple pass to send Goodwillie in on goal. I'm not convinced that team would work against every opponent but it competed today.

I have very little idea what Parry was doing at the first goal, he maybe had completely lost his bearings? Seemed to just pull his arms out of the way. At the penalty, if it's Balatoni/Elsdon challenging they simply win the header. He's maybe a bit unlucky to catch Doyle but Rumsby turns every header into a 50-50. He was lucky that Murray didn't take advantage of the four times he got caught on his heels in the first half. Him and Jones were the clear weak links in that team we had out today. A centre half with pace and a Tade that can play for an hour and we might end up climbing away from the bottom two. 

Queen's Park....if you had told me Ray McKinnon was in charge, I'd have believed it. Some terrific players and they deserved a point but I'm struggling to know exactly what their game plan was. It helped that Murray had an absolute stinker in fairness.

Goodwillie's penalty was awful but he had a great game. That first goal was absolutely sensational and it means I might buy some "100 merchandise" now. 

[bridgeofweirdo]

If fit Smith and Connell need to start next week. There should be daylight between us and the rest by now and these 'nearly' games are going to come back and bite us on the bum. I can't remember the amount of times I thought to myself today 'go on shoot' only to see the ball squared or sent back the way. Our best chances came when we eventually had a go --one resulting in a goal and the other hitting the post. Still frustrated at the endless crossing into the box with nobody there to connect.

Still unbeaten I suppose but given the amount of draws all it can do is give other teams confidence when they should in reality be shaking in their boots. Peterhead is now (I reckon) a must win if we want to retain top spot on merit rather than other results keeping us there.

C'mon Queens !!

[bobthespider]

Just thought we were poor today ….why play Murray as a winger when we have actual wingers on the bench ….mchugh must have been brilliant in training to come from nowhere to starting as main striker …I don’t understand the management decision about that ?
Also why do we obviously not practice corners or free kicks around the box being full time surely we can get someone in to bring a bit of thought and variety to set pieces. Goodwillie was fantastic today and you can see what a good striker he is ….going to be a tight league but can’t help feeling we have thrown away 4 points over the last 2 games .

[Fast_Action]

I would have taken a point before the ball was kicked, but tonight feeling slightly disappointed that we did not take all three.  Was Gomis injured?   

For a neutral, that would have been a great game. 

What's the QP setup regarding finance?  Guessing that you are now a full-time side, but the money must be coming from somewhere?  Can I ask where?

Having played both Cove and the underachieving Falkirk, I would rather fancy QP for the title.  I wish you guys well. 

 

 

[sydney]

Thought we (eventually) played well today. Started off way too passive and seemed content to contain QP. Once we started to get the ball down and try to play a bit (albeit it took us a third of the game to do so), I think we posed a threat. Strangely, I thought we went 2-1 down when we were probably at our most comfortable in the game, albeit it was totally self inflicted. No idea what Parry was doing for the first and couldn’t really see the Rumsby foul. However, given that there wasn’t a great deal of complaint from the Clyde players (and it was Rumsby), I assume it was the correct decision. 
Even after the blow of going 2-1 down, I just thought we’d score again as we were getting into some good positions. Thought it was gone when Goodwillie missed the penalty but he made up for it at the death. His first goal was outrageous btw. Crazy to think that we weren’t that surprised he did it. 
As for QP, for all their possession and nice passing (first half we probably made them look better than they are), they look pretty toothless up top given the amount of the game they had. Still a better side than us (as they should be), but the difference isn’t what I thought it might be before the game. Still expect QP to be up there at the end of the season though. 

[Brian Carrigan]

I couldn’t believe we finished the game with Goodwillie, Tade, Jones, Cunningham and Owen Andrew playing, I was admittedly cursing DL out for that. I think we played well after the subs, but how much of that was luck as opposed to Danny’s mental tactics actually working remains to be seen.

I thought Rob Jones was really poor today. For a big guy, he’s so passive when the balls in the air. I don’t think he challenged for one header. Going by his cameo, Tade will be a much better option going forward.

Parry was less than convincing too but we all know he’s a class goalie, so I imagine he just needs to get back into the rhythm of playing games.

Queen’s Park at times looked a superb outfit, but I’d be very frustrated at their lack of cutting edge up top if I were a fan though. Mikey Doyle is a great skipper and Wullie Muir is a brilliant keeper. When you can call on loan players from Liverpool, Celtic and Hearts off the bench you really should be polishing every other team in this league off. 

[Bullyweeno1]

Thought we played well today

Thought QP were pretty poor and was expecting a lot more from them.  

Would say that Falkirk, Cove and Montrose were all better than them

Thought Cuddihy and Splaine had good games but Splaine can be frustrating doing something great one minute (long cross field pass in first half) then messing up the simple thing (easy pass through to DGW).  10 minute cameo from Tade was more promising that Jones has shown all season.  Would be good to see Tade and DGW up top next week

DGW again comes up with a goal out of nothing.  Really need to watch his 100 goal video reel again and work out how many are due to his sheer individual brilliance. Must be about 20 or 30

On current form will be in top 5 all time Clyde goal scorers this side of xmas

Hopefully we can hold onto him beyond his contract ending next season as think he will be good for a few more seasons (might even catch Dougie Wallace in the all time scoring records)

Who was Dougie Wallace and when did he play?  When did a search online could only find a South African that played around WWII put he only scored about 14 goals according to his wiki record

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

53 minutes ago, Bullyweeno1 said:

Who was Dougie Wallace and when did he play?  When did a search online could only find a South African that played around WWII put he only scored about 14 goals according to his wiki record

 

I'm not 100% sure, @sydney may be your man here, but going by the dates most of his appearances and goals look to have come during the war. Which may not officially be counted by the SFA because the League and Cup were suspended. I may be talking absolute bobbins though.

[Replays]

The Clyde goals are up. Unfortunately, they are butchered by Twitter’s encoding, but that first goal was sublime. As someone mentioned earlier, it’s quite ridiculous that we’re now at the stage where we’ve come to expect goals of that quality and, as such, don’t always appreciate how good it is at the time. An unbelievable player.

Not good defending from a QP perspective, mind you.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Scott-Replay

[the_bully_wee]

Expected a great deal more from Queen's today, who were even more sterile than I expected. A squad which should be serving up far better than the fayre on offer this afternoon, though admittedly I think the game was probably one which suited Clyde in the same fashion the Falkirk games did a couple of seasons ago. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, so maybe Willie will have to reach down the back of the couch for another million to add to the budget come January.

That was the first game I was able to make since the Dumbarton fiasco and I have to say, the difference the midfield make-up made was night and day. It'll be hard for Gomis and, to an even greater extent, Nicoll, to get back in if Kennedy and Splaine can maintain performances like that. Cuddihy was absolutely outstanding once we gained a foothold in the game, and we should be doing everything we can to commit him to a longer contract as soon as possible. Most of what was good about us today in our build-up came through his bursts forward and feeding of Cunningham's excellent runs into the right channel. That was the first I've seen of Elsdon and, although clearly very meat and potatoes in his style, he looks a massive upgrade on both Page and Rumsby. I thought Balatoni did a lot of stuff well, and was a big presence in QP's box, but is horrifically slow this weather. It was a fairly impressive debut from Deveney, but his recruitment reflects poorly on Livingstone. Robert Jones simply shouldn't be starting games for us, but that's not any new wisdom. All in all, I went along with very low hopes and was pleasantly surprised by how the afternoon went. It's given me a much-needed bit of cautious optimism for the season, but raised the same frustrations again; we've signed so many jobbers, yet are only a few decent quality players off a solid first XI. If our recruitment was better we could be doing, and playing, so much better.

[Clyde_1977]

Both teams will probably come away from this game happy and frustrated.

QP will be pleased to have maintained their unbeaten run but would have been expecting to leave Broadwood with 3 points.

Clyde will be happy with the overall performance but regretting a couple of lapses.

I really enjoyed the game but more importantly so did the couple of neutrals I brought with me. 

 

[David W]

55 minutes ago, Clyde_1977 said:

Both teams will probably come away from this game happy and frustrated.

QP will be pleased to have maintained their unbeaten run but would have been expecting to leave Broadwood with 3 points.

Clyde will be happy with the overall performance but regretting a couple of lapses.

I really enjoyed the game but more importantly so did the couple of neutrals I brought with me. 

 

A big bunch of kids sitting down the front, they were buzzing at the end. 

A disappointing attendance all in though.

[DGW9]

651 is disappointing but maybe some people still aren't happy attending large events with the virus numbers still high or maybe used to doing other things on a Saturday 

Edited September 19, 2021 by DGW9

[Harry Haddock]

Crowd was far in excess of 651. Good numbers in hospitality and I am sure the kids in the family stand were excluded.

would be interesting to hear how many opted for puff.

From the highlights of DG’s goals was clear QP did not bring much of a support.

[Ingo ohne Flamingo]

Got to admit, I've been disappointed with the attendances. You'd think after 18 months people would be choking to get back to the games. Unfortunately as someone said earlier, some folk have found other things to do on a Saturday. Half of the young crowd that sit in our section have went awol.