The Queen of the South thread

[Distant Doonhamer]

That’s a really gutless display yesterday. Inept doesn’t really do it justice.

[19QOS19]

Worst league start in 14 years. 31% winning percentage across all competitions since 2019.
Not good enough.

I never bothered with the cups but his league win rate is 28%. I agree that I don't think that's good enough. If the board don't act this season then it's almost as if they are saying 'Seeing Queens win 28% of their league games is perfectly acceptable'. I'm sure Naysmith was in the low 30% when he was canned.

[Guest Flash]

7 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

It's the toughest division in years apparently with no poor teams.

I sometimes wonder if AJ genuinely believes the BS he spouts.

The bs was almost as bad as the pretend defending for the third goal. We’ve now gone from not deserving to lose nearly every week to not deserving to get thrashed. Aye, very good.
 

[Monkey Tennis]

3 minutes ago, Flash said:

The bs was almost as bad as the pretend defending for the third goal. We’ve now gone from not deserving to lose nearly every week to not deserving to get thrashed. Aye, very good.
 

That's about the size of it.

What's next?  "Yes, we did deserve to get thrashed, but no way was that a match with a double figures margin of victory.  Those six goals in the last fifteen minutes really flattered the other lot in terms of the scoreline."

[Slipmat]

37 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

It's the toughest division in years apparently with no poor teams.

I sometimes wonder if AJ genuinely believes the BS he spouts.

My nomination for the most ridiculous comment he made through the course of his summation was "we kept on going and still had a couple of chances".  I must have have been comatose when these chances cropped up as I completely missed seeing them.

[Rjc-1988]

Let’s be honest answering the same predictable questions after a pathetic display/result is a nightmare for any Manager whether it is at our level or at the dizzy heights of Old Trafford. The reason that every Manager trots out the same old cliches is because they cannot publicly say the things that they really want to .........if you were to listen to the Manager and Asst speaking openly in the car on the way home you would get a pretty interesting insight into what they really think about things like budget constraints, players that are continually under performing,tactical mistakes that they have made etc etc.Worn out cliches are all you are likely to get on a club forum. Managers can’t win either way - slaughtered if they are honest and slaughtered if they hide behind cliches.

I am more concerned with our ever changing formations. I am a firm believer that at this level 4-4-2 is as good a system as there is and sticking broadly to that will serve you well. I had a long chat with Dick Campbell and his brother at a golf event a couple of years ago and he said that “wherever possible I try to keep 2 up top in my favoured 4-4-2. Even if team is mis-firing it gives you a chance of scoring and very often keeps you in games that are not going well”. Contrast that with yesterday - we never gave ourselves a realistic chance of scoring and made ourselves so easy to beat by not posing any threat.

We have had everything from 3-1-4-2 ,3-4-1-2, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and yesterday 5-4-1. Despite all this experimentation can anybody really say that we are any nearer knowing our best team and formation? I am sure these sexy systems are great in training matches against “travel cones” but once the cones start moving on match day it is a different proposition.

Personally I think we have an over supply of defenders and the formations look to me as if they are designed to accommodate what AJ thinks are key players. Follow Dick’s basic philosophy at this level and you won’t go far wrong.

[1320Lichtie]

20 minutes ago, Rjc-1988 said:

Let’s be honest answering the same predictable questions after a pathetic display/result is a nightmare for any Manager whether it is at our level or at the dizzy heights of Old Trafford. The reason that every Manager trots out the same old cliches is because they cannot publicly say the things that they really want to .........if you were to listen to the Manager and Asst speaking openly in the car on the way home you would get a pretty interesting insight into what they really think about things like budget constraints, players that are continually under performing,tactical mistakes that they have made etc etc.Worn out cliches are all you are likely to get on a club forum. Managers can’t win either way - slaughtered if they are honest and slaughtered if they hide behind cliches.

I am more concerned with our ever changing formations. I am a firm believer that at this level 4-4-2 is as good a system as there is and sticking broadly to that will serve you well. I had a long chat with Dick Campbell and his brother at a golf event a couple of years ago and he said that “wherever possible I try to keep 2 up top in my favoured 4-4-2. Even if team is mis-firing it gives you a chance of scoring and very often keeps you in games that are not going well”. Contrast that with yesterday - we never gave ourselves a realistic chance of scoring and made ourselves so easy to beat by not posing any threat.

We have had everything from 3-1-4-2 ,3-4-1-2, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and yesterday 5-4-1. Despite all this experimentation can anybody really say that we are any nearer knowing our best team and formation? I am sure these sexy systems are great in training matches against “travel cones” but once the cones start moving on match day it is a different proposition.

Personally I think we have an over supply of defenders and the formations look to me as if they are designed to accommodate what AJ thinks are key players. Follow Dick’s basic philosophy at this level and you won’t go far wrong.
 

Saying exactly this to my mates at football yesterday. It’s so refreshing watching us, get the ball forward quickly and up the park quickly. Win throw ins or free kicks and second balls and play from there. Simple 

 

Teams come to gayfield all the time and it looks like they’re trying to over complicate it because of the imaginary hurricane they think they’ll face and they’ve had drilled into their heads all week. Even away from home. Football is simple 

 

Read about Palmerston and have to agree. It reminded me of Dens for being run down, but it’s hard because of the site you find yourselves on. It’s a right big awkward space to try and look after and keep tidy. Gayfield is looking fucking excellent these days but it helps having a smaller site away from the town. Whole ground within boundary walls. It would be a nightmare to try and keep Palmerston spruced up on a low budget 

[Monkey Tennis]

15 minutes ago, Rjc-1988 said:

Let’s be honest answering the same predictable questions after a pathetic display/result is a nightmare for any Manager whether it is at our level or at the dizzy heights of Old Trafford. The reason that every Manager trots out the same old cliches is because they cannot publicly say the things that they really want to .........if you were to listen to the Manager and Asst speaking openly in the car on the way home you would get a pretty interesting insight into what they really think about things like budget constraints, players that are continually under performing,tactical mistakes that they have made etc etc.Worn out cliches are all you are likely to get on a club forum. Managers can’t win either way - slaughtered if they are honest and slaughtered if they hide behind cliches.

I don't think every manager does trot out cliches to the same extent.

I think that ours is especially guilty of it.  Maybe that's because he's always having to pipe up after a defeat.

I'm sure he will be more frank in private conversation, or in dealings with the players, but I think his absolute reliance on well worn phrases which clearly don't apply, points to a complete poverty of thought.  He seems unable to articulate anything meaningful with regard to the match.  It really doesn't do, to insult the fans by telling them black is white on a weekly basis.

[Mustafa_sheet]

13 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

 

Read about Palmerston and have to agree. It reminded me of Dens for being run down, but it’s hard because of the site you find yourselves on. It’s a right big awkward space to try and look after and keep tidy. Gayfield is looking fucking excellent these days but it helps having a smaller site away from the town. Whole ground within boundary walls. It would be a nightmare to try and keep Palmerston spruced up on a low budget 

The irony is our Chairman is a very shrewd businessman who owns a successful construction company with resources at his disposal to at least carry out basic maintenance tasks!!

I suppose it’s a similar situation to Ayr United a few years ago in that their owner Barr built most of the new stands in Scotland whilst Ayr still slummed it at Somerset Park!!

[Monkey Tennis]

14 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Read about Palmerston and have to agree. It reminded me of Dens for being run down, but it’s hard because of the site you find yourselves on. It’s a right big awkward space to try and look after and keep tidy. Gayfield is looking fucking excellent these days but it helps having a smaller site away from the town. Whole ground within boundary walls. It would be a nightmare to try and keep Palmerston spruced up on a low budget 

I'm slightly puzzled here.

Yes, Palmerston is a bigger ground than Gayfield, but it's not the San Siro.  It's not in the town centre either, although it's surrounded by buildings.  There's really only one boundary wall as such, with the rear of the stands and a wire fence containing the other 3 sides.  The areas behind the two terracings are the only "awkward" bits I can really think of and only one of those is usually visible.

I'll admit that I was less aware of the place being a mess than some on here.  I really don't see that the particular nature of our ground should be a big feature in that though.

[Guest Flash]

The cliches don’t bother me at all. It is the continual pretence that defeats are somehow not deserved that is annoying. If he was honest after games and admitted that we got exactly what we deserved, he could come out with as many cliches as he likes. 

[Riviera711]

The cliches bother me, only because I infer from them that he has no meaningful insight to impart, which is a big worry. But yes, a wee bit of honesty would be a welcome change. More worryingly, perhaps he is completely deluded and believes the spiel.

Edited October 31, 2021 by Riviera711

[QosLoyal]

Is he away yet?

[Monkey Tennis]

6 minutes ago, Riviera711 said:

The cliches bother me, only because I infer from them that he has no meaningful insight to impart, which is a big worry. 

Precisely this.

[1320Lichtie]

23 minutes ago, Monkey Tennis said:

I'm slightly puzzled here.

Yes, Palmerston is a bigger ground than Gayfield, but it's not the San Siro.  It's not in the town centre either, although it's surrounded by buildings.  There's really only one boundary wall as such, with the rear of the stands and a wire fence containing the other 3 sides.  The areas behind the two terracings are the only "awkward" bits I can really think of and only one of those is usually visible.

I'll admit that I was less aware of the place being a mess than some on here.  I really don't see that the particular nature of our ground should be a big feature in that though.

Just think it’s a pretty awkward large site. Genuinely and no even just because this has been said, I thought that when I was there for the 2-0 game on the walk around from the supporters club thing to our seats in the far side stand. I’m a QS so always see shit like this everywhere I go. Think it would be a lot harder to maintain than Gayfield or like mentioned in here earlier on, Stair Park etc. 

[Monkey Tennis]

11 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Just think it’s a pretty awkward large site. Genuinely and no even just because this has been said, I thought that when I was there for the 2-0 game on the walk around from the supporters club thing to our seats in the far side stand. I’m a QS so always see shit like this everywhere I go. Think it would be a lot harder to maintain than Gayfield or like mentioned in here earlier on, Stair Park etc. 

Fair enough.  You'll have an awful lot more insight on such matters than me.

The problems that have been highlighted on here though: unpainted doors, hideous catering, grotty toilets etc will not owe anything directly to the ground's size and layout.

[qos_75]

3 minutes ago, Monkey Tennis said:

Fair enough.  You'll have an awful lot more insight on such matters than me.

The problems that have been highlighted on here though: unpainted doors, hideous catering, grotty toilets etc will not owe anything directly to the ground's size and layout.

For me the state of the ground is evidence that the board can’t be be bothered anymore. I would rather they were honest about it though. 

[Rjc-1988]

I don't think every manager does trot out cliches to the same extent.
I think that ours is especially guilty of it.  Maybe that's because he's always having to pipe up after a defeat.
I'm sure he will be more frank in private conversation, or in dealings with the players, but I think his absolute reliance on well worn phrases which clearly don't apply, points to a complete poverty of thought.  He seems unable to articulate anything meaningful with regard to the match.  It really doesn't do, to insult the fans by telling them black is white on a weekly basis.

To be totally fair I don’t think his post match interviews are great either but he joins a huge list of football managers who are uncomfortable speaking publicly or in an interview situation. Most are certainly not “wordsmiths” and they default to the same tried and tested cliches. 10 minutes of Sportscene punditry is usually enough to question whether it is actually English that is being spoken.Sir Alex was arguably one of the poorest post match interviewees ever - poor diction, limited vocabulary, hugely one sided version of events but he got away with it throughout his career because of one simple fact .........success. Just because you can’t articulate something doesn’t mean that you have poverty of thought.

AJ dropped his guard a little on Saturday and said that Cameron would be coming back in next week ...........to be fair I thought that was a certainty after what we saw on Sat but seemingly it was a combination of terrible man management,loss of the dressing room etc etc. As I say if you are an unpopular losing Manager it is a no win situation.

[Greenacres]

18 hours ago, Slipmat said:

I think the age of the players is irrelevant.   It could be argued that we have actually signed too many players, as the manager seems totally confused by the number of options available to him.

What I found most frustrating today was that AJ made no attempt to play to our own strengths and instead the intent was to have as many players behind the ball as possible.  Unfortunately he neglected to get his own players to press the opposition which allowed Kilmarnock to dictate play.   We were so negative that when we actually managed to win the ball our players were all hanging around our own eighteen yard box and had no out ball.

The team look totally devoid of confidence at the moment and it certainly doesn't help when the manager blames them for his own shortcomings.  At least Naysmith was honest enough to admit a lot of the mistakes were of his own making.

It's now a chore to even watch the games from the comfort of my own living room.  I've only been to Palmerston in the flesh twice this season for various reasons, and based on current evidence I can't see myself there again any time soon, especially while the current charlatan is in the dugout.

 

What comes with age is experience something we don't have. 

Willie Gibson is our best player main reason is because he has a wealth of experience.

Most  of  our players have little or no experience of the Championship .

We must get back to part time football then we can pick up the best experienced part time players not just  gamble on boys in the hope that they learn quick on  how to win  games of football  .

 

 

[die hard doonhamer]

That's Dunfermline got rid of Grant, so they'll be past us pretty soon.