Ayr v. Inverness. The formality before 3 points head to the highlands

[UpInTheAyr]

2 minutes ago, Hawkeye the Gnu said:

Not addicted, just curious, and your level of ambition is relative. We, your more illustrious neighbours, would like nothing more than continuing our rivalries in the top league. You were handcuffed to an idiot from the start of the season and due to that your current level of ambition is realistic, but have made positive changes. Apart from perhaps ICT, Raith and ourselves there is little between the rest and there is no reason why, with a good run of results, you cannot challenge for one of the play off positions.

Unless we do remarkable business in January a playoff spot is a bit beyond us, there's already a fair gap opening up and typically we don't have a good winter.

[ayrunitedfw]

Playoffs have long gone. Need to get some players during the January window and Keep our heads above water and go again next season. 

[itzdrk]

10 hours ago, D'Jaffo said:

Are we likely to see anyone on a permanent contract offloaded in January? Salkeld and McGinty are the prime candidates although it means we’d need to be in the market for a centre back and given we already need like 3 players, adding a fourth into that might give us too much to do.

Houston, contract is up next month I believe. 

[itzdrk]

10 hours ago, Hawkeye the Gnu said:

Not addicted, just curious, and your level of ambition is relative. We, your more illustrious neighbours, would like nothing more than continuing our rivalries in the top league. You were handcuffed to an idiot from the start of the season and due to that your current level of ambition is realistic, but have made positive changes. Apart from perhaps ICT, Raith and ourselves there is little between the rest and there is no reason why, with a good run of results, you cannot challenge for one of the play off positions.

You've seen us play football, no chance do we pick up enough points.  

[UpInTheAyr]

Right about Houston, remember thinking it was an odd time to have a contract end. Suppose it won't make much difference if he leaves but seems like such a waste after paying a fee for him. Would free up a wage anyway.

[SandyCromarty]

15 hours ago, Jeff Venom said:

16 hours ago, sophia said:

That's my pleasure. I see it as a distribution from one that has to those in need.

Shall return in kind in the reverse fixture, it's been no secret over the past few years amongst this forum how financially crippled ICT are.

From the disastrous state of your stadium it would indicate that you are in a far more perilous financial position than we are.

[eez-eh]

Because the state of a clubs stadium is the only thing that counts towards their financial position, of course.

I can’t think of a big Scottish club with one of the biggest stadiums in the country that went bust less than a decade ago.

[HMIP]

47 minutes ago, SandyCromarty said:

From the disastrous state of your stadium it would indicate that you are in a far more perilous financial position than we are.

The clubs who’ve ended up in the most serious financial bother are generally the ones that overspent on stadium redevelopment.

[Jeff Venom]

From the disastrous state of your stadium it would indicate that you are in a far more perilous financial position than we are.

I have absolutely no idea the financial footing of Caley Th, nor do I care, but at least you're not inexplicably rattled or anything.

[D'Jaffo]

From the disastrous state of your stadium it would indicate that you are in a far more perilous financial position than we are.

Don’t think that’s how it works mate. Glad to see you’ve worked yourself up over absolutely nothing though.

[Trogdor]

1 hour ago, SandyCromarty said:

From the disastrous state of your stadium it would indicate that you are in a far more perilous financial position than we are.

[rb123!]

Jim Duffy in training - "Right Jack if you pin Broadfoot to the ground as if it's outside a club at 2am on a Sunday morning that might give us a chance of scoring from a set piece as we're fucking hopeless at them"

[Meathead]

At the end of the first half yesterday I thought Inverness could've slaughtered us if they'd wanted to. They didn't really turn up in the second half but I was still impressed by the way they moved the ball around. There was a passage of play in the second half when Allardice passed through our midfield to Gardyne (I think), he had a quick exchange with Mckay, and then Mckay hit it straight at McAdams. Obviously it fizzled out into nothing in the end but within a few seconds and about five touches of the ball they'd gone from almost the centre circle to the edge of our six yard box. I'm yet to see another team slice us open so effortlessly this season.

I think we could learn something from Inverness with regards to the balance of their team. Obviously they have better players than we do, but they don't look like a team doing whatever it takes to squeeze all their best players onto the pitch at the same time. They play with two wingers and two big lumps at full back to protect them, two sitting midfielders and one in the hole, and a striker who knows how to play upfront by himself. Didn't quite pan out yesterday but clearly they all know what their jobs are.

We meanwhile are lining up most weeks with three or four players out of position, Maxwell particularly shoehorned in wherever we can fit him, and no discernible strategy across the midfield. We're somewhat hamstrung by Hopkin's recruitment, and having O'Connor back will make a big difference, but at the moment it looks a bit like Duffy is putting whoever he deems our best players are at the time out onto the pitch and hoping for the best. I would like to see us line up with Salkeld and O'Connor out wide, and Maxwell playing through the middle with Murdoch and Muirhead/Chalmers behind him. Salkeld is maybe no great shake but he offers width on the right than no one else in our team does.

The best Ayr United team to watch in my lifetime were the team who began the 2019/20 season, around the time McCall left for Partick Thistle (the highlights being the consecutive away pumpings of Alloa and Arbroath). That team did have some excellent players, but individually they weren't as good as the previous season's team. At their best though they were far more fluent than the previous season's team, because the balance was much better (no Geggan or Crawford being shoehorned in out wide). I don't think we have the players now to play quite as attractive a brand of football as that team did, but I do think a greater emphasis being placed on the way our team is set up would see us get far more out of the players we have.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Meathead

[D'Jaffo]

Jim Duffy in training - "Right Jack if you pin Broadfoot to the ground as if it's outside a club at 2am on a Sunday morning that might give us a chance of scoring from a set piece as we're fucking hopeless at them"

Baird was very good yesterday and made a brilliant last ditch tackle to deny Billy McKay from getting a sure fire goal.

[UpInTheAyr]

Fjortoft had a few last ditch tackles too toward the end of the game, eerily similar to his horror show against Killie. Was holding my breath for them.

[D'Jaffo]

Fjortoft had a few last ditch tackles too toward the end of the game, eerily similar to his horror show against Killie. Was holding my breath for them.

Aye the one where he clattered Duku had the ICT fans up in arms but it was an absolutely fine tackle.

FWIW I don’t fully blame Fjortoft for the Killie penalty. McAllister or Reading should’ve taken the red card for the team and we could’ve tried to see out a draw. Fjortoft had to make some sort of tackle otherwise it was probably going to be a goal. It was desperate stuff but he would probably have been slagged off if he half arsed it or stood back and let him shoot.

[No_Problemo]

3 hours ago, Meathead said:

At the end of the first half yesterday I thought Inverness could've slaughtered us if they'd wanted to. They didn't really turn up in the second half but I was still impressed by the way they moved the ball around. There was a passage of play in the second half when Allardice passed through our midfield to Gardyne (I think), he had a quick exchange with Mckay, and then Mckay hit it straight at McAdams. Obviously it fizzled out into nothing in the end but within a few seconds and about five touches of the ball they'd gone from almost the centre circle to the edge of our six yard box. I'm yet to see another team slice us open so effortlessly this season.

I think we could learn something from Inverness with regards to the balance of their team. Obviously they have better players than we do, but they don't look like a team doing whatever it takes to squeeze all their best players onto the pitch at the same time. They play with two wingers and two big lumps at full back to protect them, two sitting midfielders and one in the hole, and a striker who knows how to play upfront by himself. Didn't quite pan out yesterday but clearly they all know what their jobs are.

We meanwhile are lining up most weeks with three or four players out of position, Maxwell particularly shoehorned in wherever we can fit him, and no discernible strategy across the midfield. We're somewhat hamstrung by Hopkin's recruitment, and having O'Connor back will make a big difference, but at the moment it looks a bit like Duffy is putting whoever he deems our best players are at the time out onto the pitch and hoping for the best. I would like to see us line up with Salkeld and O'Connor out wide, and Maxwell playing through the middle with Murdoch and Muirhead/Chalmers behind him. Salkeld is maybe no great shake but he offers width on the right than no one else in our team does.

The best Ayr United team to watch in my lifetime were the team who began the 2019/20 season, around the time McCall left for Partick Thistle (the highlights being the consecutive away pumpings of Alloa and Arbroath). That team did have some excellent players, but individually they weren't as good as the previous season's team. At their best though they were far more fluent than the previous season's team, because the balance was much better (no Geggan or Crawford being shoehorned in out wide). I don't think we have the players now to play quite as attractive a brand of football as that team did, but I do think a greater emphasis being placed on the way our team is set up would see us get far more out of the players we have.

Salkeld doesn’t offer width though, or anything frankly. McKenzie offered absolutely miles more in the second half yesterday than Salkeld is capable of. Ideally we need to recruit someone in January to play there though, if we set up like that. 

[callum-ayr]

1 hour ago, D'Jaffo said:

Aye the one where he clattered Duku had the ICT fans up in arms but it was an absolutely fine tackle.

FWIW I don’t fully blame Fjortoft for the Killie penalty. McAllister or Reading should’ve taken the red card for the team and we could’ve tried to see out a draw. Fjortoft had to make some sort of tackle otherwise it was probably going to be a goal. It was desperate stuff but he would probably have been slagged off if he half arsed it or stood back and let him shoot.

I agree with regards to Reading or McAllister, but let’s not sugar coat the tackle, it was absolutely terrible. We rightfully so slagged the QOS defender the week before for a challenge that lead to a penalty that wasn’t nearly as bad. It was reckless and what makes it worse was the ball wasn’t goal side of the attacker. Fjortoft and McGinty have made Baird look competent. 

[Trogdor]

3 hours ago, Meathead said:

I would like to see us line up with Salkeld and O'Connor out wide, and Maxwell playing through the middle with Murdoch and Muirhead/Chalmers behind him. Salkeld is maybe no great shake but he offers width on the right than no one else in our team does.

I wouldn't have Salkeld anywhere near the team. He's had one good game against Dunfermline and otherwise been absolutely useless. He's also an atrocious wide player, he continually drifts into the middle instead of staying out wide. In his defence I think that's what Duffy wants him doing as he constantly shouts at him. 

[D'Jaffo]

I agree with regards to Reading or McAllister, but let’s not sugar coat the tackle, it was absolutely terrible. We rightfully so slagged the QOS defender the week before for a challenge that lead to a penalty that wasn’t nearly as bad. It was reckless and what makes it worse was the ball wasn’t goal side of the attacker. Fjortoft and McGinty have made Baird look competent. 

Debayos challenge was worse imo. Maxwell had his back to goal with nowhere to go as Gibson was pressuring him. Fjortoft dived in because it was all a bit hectic and I don’t think he really knew what was going on. It was a horrendous tackle but I was more annoyed McAllister didn’t just wrestle the Killie player to the ground and take a booking.