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QP v Alloa


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Stick to the basics and keep up with the excellent application, as we have in the previous two games and I fancy us. Getting that second goal has been big for us, something we’ve not done enough of over the course of the season.

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Another hard game but certainly more optimism around Alloa in the post Ferguson era. We were excellent against Cove a fortnight ago and should have won. Last week against Airdrie wasn't as good and second half in particular was disjointed, but we could still easily have taken a point there. Noticed some Airdrie fans saying it was comfortable, and it was for the last 5 minutes after a rather lucky deflected goal, but for the rest of the game we were very much it, despite not playing as well as the week before. 

I'd hope Rice plays the likes of Taggart and Cawley where they are most effective this week. Not sure if Robbo is still suspended but if not he should start centre midfield, need someone like him there to provide shape and platform for Scougall etc. I do think we were worth more than 1 point from last 2 games and hopefully we can put that right here. Could certainly doing with getting something ahead of the matches against sides around us. And hopefully the experience of winning on Dumbarton's horrendous surface recently will stand to us at Firhill. 

Edited by Waspie
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If we gauge this fixture difficulty in accordance with the league standings (i know football doesn't work like that people), our last 2 wins should set us up for a harder test today then an even tougher test against Airdrie next week.  Let's see how we cut our teeth against better sides. 

So many good performances in recent weeks. Hopefully Grant and Fox can form a wall at the back. Connell was strutting his stuff lately and Jack Thomson has really impressed. Bob looks right up for it too so maybe the pieces are starting to fit together. As I said, hopefully we can turn up against Alloa and Airdrie and measure where we are.  Mon the Queens!

Let's begin the LSD discussion as to what would win in a battle to the death, spider or wasp? 

 

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Match preview....

On the injury front Marijn said: “Over the last week we have a couple of players with small injuries, nothing serious, that they are working hard to overcome. Longer term injuries Grant Gillespie, Lee Kilday, Simon Murray, Stuart Morrison and Wullie Muir remain side-lined. We will also be without Jai Quitongo through injury but having said that we have strong squad with good enough players on the pitch and on the bench to get the result we want. These injuries present an opportunity for other players and we have full confidence in the squad.”

Will Baynham dropped off the radar again. All yours Bob! Midfielders will be the key to a win today.

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Hoping we go back to the same shape as against Cove today. 
 

if Robbo is available I’d have him in beside Sena in the middle of the park. 
 

Played some of our better football on Dumbarton’s swamp a couple of weeks ago so hopefully that’s a good omen for today! Any danger of it being unplayable?

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That's as poor a starting eleven as we've put out this season. Can only imagine it's heavily influenced by the pitch (e.g. no Cawley or Scougal).

Of course we don't know exactly how we are going to line up. That in itself will be interesting.

Worth bearing in mind Queen's haven't beaten us in three attempts.

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Disappointing not to win having lead for a long time and with QP not offering much of a threat during the second-half. It was a great strike from distance to level though and a draw was probably just about fair with QP hitting the bar twice in the first-half, albeit we had a couple of very good chances too. 2 points is a rather disappointing return from the 3 games against Cove, Airdrie and Queen's Park when we could easily have had 6 or 7, but performances certainly much improved. 

I was really happy to see Howie into the back three and Taggart at RWB and I thought Howie did very well. Taggs far more effective on the flank and we'll get more of a benefit from that when he isn't operating on a recently ploughed field. I wasn't sure about Cammy LWB but thought he worked very hard at it. Maybe he was knackered but I'd have kept him on. That midfield three was a bit worrying though. Can see why you'd give Riley-Snow a shot with his presence and passing ability but not convinced he has the legs for that role and on that park in particular. We need Robbo in that position when he's available but today I'd rather have had Scougall and Cawley in there for Riley-Snow and King. Was really surprised they weren't the first subs we made and when they did eventually come on we were immediately far better in midfield and keeping the ball. 

But it isn't a bad point and I'd hope Rice is working his way towards something like our best 11. Simply have to start getting wins in the games ahead against teams around us. 

I'm sure QP fans are tired hearing about the pitch but wow, absolutely horrendous. 

Edited by Waspie
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Standard nowhere near good enough again. Three points from a possible twelve against Alloa, who are sitting 7th. Two from nine against bottom placed East Fife. Created chances in the first half and were unlucky not to be ahead.

Second half was diabolical. In general we are absolutely petrified of the ball hitting the back of the net at either end. The immediate aftermath of either scoring or conceding has generally seen us going into our shells. Same again today. As soon as the scored we froze in the period following it.
 

Credit to Darcy, a worldy of a strike. Tells you where our mentality is when we’re running over the to the bench to celebrate an equaliser at home to a bottom half side with five minutes left. If Fraser Fyvie screams one in for Cove in similar circumstances, they’re getting the ball out of the net, facing Alloa down and carrying themselves like a team who fancies winning the game. Typically, the fear of ball against net kicked in and we shat our pants. Looked scared of throwing it away, rather than having the desire to go and win it. 
 

I know there will be a school of thought that will take the positive from drawing further ahead of Falkirk. We shouldn’t even be looking at that. Anyone taking positives from that is kidding themselves on. 31% win ratio in League One is abysmal. We are rubbish.

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A pretty honking game of football but hard to blame the players on that pitch. As bad as Dumbarton’s was a few weeks ago, I thought it actually played better than Firhill today. 
 

Really pleased we reverted to a similar shape to the Cove game although it looked like the central midfield had been tweaked slightly with 1 deep and 2 in front rather than the other way round. Personnel wise, I had a sneaky feeling O’Donnell might get a start on the left today, and was delighted to see Howie in and centre half to allow Taggs back out to the right. Rice also made the right choice for me up front bringing Sammon back in to play alongside Henderson. However, the midfield 3 was a disaster - if he is playing 1 holding that can’t be Riley-Snow on his own, his lack of pace means he can’t cover the ground needed. As I’ve said before, Sena is better holding and I think that showed today - he was poor until he went back to that role after Riley-Snow went off and he had his best spell of the game from then on. King provided really good deliveries from corners on the left side today (something that has been missing for a while) but outside those he was completely anonymous again. He reminds me a lot of Ray Grant when we don’t have the ball, he moves around without purpose and lets his man drift off him constantly. 
 

Personally I would have played Riley-Snow and Sena holding, with Cawley further forward (any Alloa team without Kev in it is weakened in my opinion). 
 

We didn’t get punished for it today, but I noticed when we put the centre halves up for set pieces, Riley-Snow was the man who was left back - again with his lack of pace that’s a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. 
 

Rode our luck a little in the first half with QP hitting the bar twice, although Sena and Henderson both had chances where they really should have scored. Morrison also had a couple of good saves before we scored. 
 

Disappointing with how deep we dropped after scoring, and similar to last week, we looked so disjointed after we brought subs on. Boyd and Cawley where the only subs I thought had a positive impact after coming on. 
 

It wouldn’t have made any difference to the outcome, but given some of the red cards we’ve had this season, I can’t believe Luca Connell didn’t get a second yellow for that challenge at the end. The ref seemed to let a lot go today and the near side linesman had an absolute shocker in the first half - McHugh seemed to get flagged a few times when he looked a yard or two on side, and then no sign of a flag a couple of times when he looked pretty clearly off!

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Not a great game to watch but hard to blame the players from either side when the majority of the surface resembles a tattie field.

Back 3 of Howie, Durnan and Andy worked well. Taggart also far more effective (as we know) playing on the right.

Manager clearly based his selection on the opposition and surface. Fair play to him for giving Riley-Snow an outing but surely Robbo comes right back in next week. Room for improvement in the middle of the park.

Sammon worked his socks off again. Queens didn't appear to have enough ideas to break us down, but credit where its due the equaliser was a cracker. Long range effort probably the only way they were going to score.

We have a bit to go, but we do look more organised with a plan and purpose. Would have been a massive 3 points but can't fault the effort of the players.

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Frustrating day but I thought the general play was good. McHugh hitting the bar twice and Smith should’ve took his chance in the second half. I thought when Robson had to go off then the game was done as although Bruce is a clear prospect, he’s not got the drive of a Robson. 
 

Overall, we’ve extended our lead over Falkirk so not a total disaster. We should practicing penalties in training as it’s our best way to shitfest the playoffs and get promoted. 

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7 minutes ago, NathanQP said:

Frustrating day but I thought the general play was good. McHugh hitting the bar twice and Smith should’ve took his chance in the second half. I thought when Robson had to go off then the game was done as although Bruce is a clear prospect, he’s not got the drive of a Robson. 
 

Overall, we’ve extended our lead over Falkirk so not a total disaster. We should practicing penalties in training as it’s our best way to shitfest the playoffs and get promoted. 

Robson man of the match for me. He put in some shift (unfortunately with little reward) on a heavy pitch and as a result you could tell he was knackered and had to come off.

Hopefully he can help Bruce develop to a similar standard.

I thought Gillies did pretty well when he came on, but we missed how effective going forward Doyle had been in the first half. Hopefully not a serious injury that forced that change.

Fox had some great moment at both ends, and Grant was solid again.

McHugh put in a good shift also and looked like he was the one who could have forced a goal somehow. His second one that hit the bar would have been a great goal.

Lastly Ferrie kept us in it with some important saves.

 

Frustrating that with a number if good performances (even on that pitch) that we couldnt have been a few goals up by half time

I think the way we started today is the best line up available to us with the current injuries, even though I don't think we can get the best out of both Brown and Connell when one of them has to play deeper. Hopefully we can keep a settled team for the rest of the season and have everything clicking in time for the playoffs.

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