Stirling Albion -vs- Stenhousemuir (Saturday 13 August 2022)

[Francesc Fabregas]

The third fixture of the campaign sees Stirling Albion entertaining Stenhousemuir at Forthbank, two sides who have both made underwhelming starts to their respective seasons. The Binos were poor against Dumbarton in their opening match but showed a bit of spirit to get a point at Elgin City; Stenny, meanwhile, have turned in consecutive mediocre performances and fans are a little anxious following the weekend's loss to Annan Athletic.

I think Stephen Swift will make a couple of changes for this one. His side were slow and sluggish at Galabank and played without positivity, so I'd like to see Adam Brown and Will Sewell brought into the starting XI. Brown always looks to carry the ball forward and is often a handy player in the final third, while Sewell's touch and movement could cause Stirling's lumbering defenders some problems. I'm not sure who should drop out to accommodate Brown, but I think Craig Bryson and Mikey Anderson are on thin ice after the last two games. It also goes without saying that Euan O'Reilly has to start - I can't fathom the thinking in keeping the most dangerous player in the squad in reserve.

Why not go with:

- Will Sewell - Matty Yates -

- Euan O'Reilly - Adam Brown - Nat Wedderburn - Mikey Miller -

- Callum Yeats - Nicky Jamieson - Sean Crighton - Adam Corbett -

- Conor Brennan -

That team looks good enough to get the better of our hosts. I'd also like to think we'll be a bit more pragmatic with our build-up play because, as we saw on Saturday, it takes one wayward pass from the back and suddenly it's fatal.

I don't see why we can't win this, in all honesty, but we really need to see a marked improvement on the past fortnight, if nothing else!

[Nigel Blackwell]

Interesting comments from the Annan game about the tactic of playing out from the back. The player who struggles the most is Jamieson (although  he wasn't culpable on Saturday). He went off injured on Saturday and Dan Higgins made his first appearance. Higgins is a lot more comfortable with the ball at his feet, so I wonder if Jamieson's injury (no idea how bad it was) will curtail his involvement on Saturday. 

I'm still relatively positive about our prospects this season. Annan will be there or thereabouts. On Saturday I didn't think that there was much between the teams, albeit Annan deserved the win. 

Edited August 8, 2022 by Nigel Blackwell

[Francesc Fabregas]

If Nicky Jamieson is to miss out on Saturday, I suspect Adam Corbett will be moved to centre-back, with Mikey Miller taking his place on the right. Corbett was excellent alongside Sean Crighton in the win at Montrose (and, oddly enough, is best "footballer" we have from our pool of defenders), while Dan Higgins missed almost all of pre-season with an injury and I'm unsure just how fit is to be unexpectedly parachuted into this important fixture.

As well as the problems we're having passing the ball out from the back, we also might consider what happens when teams are able to nullify Nat Wedderburn. Stranraer did it superbly last season when they beat us 3-1 at Ochilview, when Scott Robertson was pushed high up the pitch to disrupt Wedderburn's ability to turn, create space, and pick a pass, and Annan did it at the weekend through the excellent Benjamin Luissint (and indeed, that's where their decisive goal came from). I'd hate to think we're an easy team to suss out and play against but we do appear to be a little one-dimensional.

Food for thought!

[rhliston]

Don`t know what to expect in the first local derby of the season on Saturday. Will it be the team that fought back to get a point against I thought a poor Elgin side or will it be the team that conceded 2 goals in the first half to Elgin. ? 

We shall have to wait and see but lets hope our defence is at the top of its game against Stenny. Can`t afford to play like we did the in the first half against Elgin and the first 4 mins against Dumbarton if we are to get anything from this game. 

Prediction call me a fool but think we might just sneak this one 2-1.  

[Hugh G Heid]

Any less than two goals behind at Half-time will be an improvement.

[TheVoiceofReason]

I suspect the peg on which DYs jacket is hanging will get slightly more shoogly after Saturday.

None of Stirling's last season's problems have been solved or even addressed 

Still got a dodgy keeper, defence still makes schoolboy mistakes, manager still plays players out of position, still can't score, midfielders still don't follow runners so we're easy to play through and we've zero creativity 

To top that, we have about as much pace as an asthmatic sloth with arthritis, having systematically let go anyone who could beat said sloth in a 60 yard sprint.  

And because of that, we now appear to have abandoned the silky soccer (something I personally couldn't see) and replaced it with hopeful punts up the park.

Expect tons of yellow cards and one or two reds (our discipline continues to be shocking) along with a right hounding if Stenny get themselves properly organised and pick the right team 

But the league looks murder this year so who knows.  Maybe we'll sneak a win and award DY a contract extension 

[Old Fashioned Stramash]

Like others, I'm not on the doom bus but I'm getting anxious about our game management and tactics. Swift is becoming stubborn with his playing strategy and it can expose us, against Darvel, Annan, Killie and Partick (although we played quite well) we were reluctant to change when it was needed. As soon as the opposition learn how to handle our shape, we get played through.

For me, we should start O'Reilly, Sewell and Yates rotating up front and bin this diamond in the midfield. Should be a little more direct and use Bryson and Forbes to find those probing passes.

I'd go with: Brennan, Yeats, Crighton, Corbett, Walker, O'Reilly, Bryson, Miller, Forbes, Yates and Sewell 

Think Wedderburn and Orr could use time on the bench. Orr's slow start hasn't helped the team confidence, needs to offer more from the front. Would give Walker a chance to show his worth and Corbett is a reliable sub to bring on. 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by Old Fashioned Stramash

[rhliston]

Good news from the Club Website Dale Carrick looks likely to be available for Saturday after coming off injured against Elgin. 

[BB_Bino]

As rhliston has already said, I have absolutely no idea what to expect on Saturday, what I would like to see is for the team to play in the same way as they did against Peterhead, but I don't think we are capable of that every week as The Voice of Reason has pointed out, when you have players playing out of position, no pace, little creativity and very few goals when you take Carrick out, then it's going to be hard. Elgin really weren't any great shakes on Saturday and they managed to almost bag the points.

The only thing that gives me hope at this moment in time is the fact that Stenny fans on here have been saying that they have not been at their best either, but there is no doubt in my mind that they have the stronger squad. 

It's not like me to be doom and gloom, I really liked the appointment of Young at the time, and I thought he was the man to get the team back on track, but I have not seen anything during his time, that gives me hope that he is. The section of the stand that I sit in became quite vocal before Half Time on Saturday, I think the longer this flatness and these uninspired performances continue, the loader these groans will become. A win against Stenny could go a way to silencing them, but for how long I really don't know. What I do know is that 2 games into the season and the pressure is on, whether the team and the management staff think that's justified or not. 

[Neilly]

A blind man can see we need to start with O'Reilly, Sewell and Yates in attack. I am pretty sure that will happen on Saturday and will be getting worried if it doesn't.

Adam Brown should come into the midfield alongside Nat and Mikey Miller for Saturday unless Jamieson is not fit then it will be Miller right back and Corbett centre back.

Bryson is not offering enough to justify a place in the team and we can't be putting him in there on name value alone. We done it last season with Forbes for far too long.

Stirling are evidently not a good side with our best players on the park we should have too much for them. 

[AlbionMan]

2 hours ago, TheVoiceofReason said:

I suspect the peg on which DYs jacket is hanging will get slightly more shoogly after Saturday.

None of Stirling's last season's problems have been solved or even addressed 

Still got a dodgy keeper, defence still makes schoolboy mistakes, manager still plays players out of position, still can't score, midfielders still don't follow runners so we're easy to play through and we've zero creativity 

To top that, we have about as much pace as an asthmatic sloth with arthritis, having systematically let go anyone who could beat said sloth in a 60 yard sprint.  

And because of that, we now appear to have abandoned the silky soccer (something I personally couldn't see) and replaced it with hopeful punts up the park.

Expect tons of yellow cards and one or two reds (our discipline continues to be shocking) along with a right hounding if Stenny get themselves properly organised and pick the right team 

But the league looks murder this year so who knows.  Maybe we'll sneak a win and award DY a contract extension 

And that's being kind to them

[Vimto90]

1-1 & a denounce gaffer for me

[Flybhoy]

Going along on Saturday having bought my season ticket online the morning of the Dumbarton game

No idea what to expect from two sides who have blown hot and cold of late, my record of seeing the Albion this season is two defeats from two games, no goals scored and seven conceded.....hopefully I'm not the fucking jinx.

 

3-1 to the Albion based on hope more than expectation. 

[MrBeeno]

A solid defence and a decent goalkeeper are essential for any sort of success on the park.Unfortunately for us that is the area that is really letting us down so far.The defenders are good enough players but tactically things just looks wrong.

Sort the defence out and make stopping the opposition scoring goals a priority.I would also be happy to see Law get a chance in goal.

I havnt seen any evidence to suggest that Stenny are any better than we are,so I will say improve things at the back and we should have 3 points.

 

[BB_Bino]

Surprised at some of the stick that Currie gets from a section of our support, I still think he is one of the best Goalkeepers in the league and I'm happy he's here. He's not the commanding 6 yard box Keeper that many fans expect Goalkeepers to be, but they are of a dying breed now and you don't see these guys often, even at the top level.

Sure, he makes mistakes and is probably at fault for a goal on Saturday and not yet hit the form of a season or so ago, but we know there's a good Goalkeeper there and we know that by and large he's a safe pair of hands. I would be looking at other positions to strengthen before I look at the Goalkeeper.

I'm still not totally sold on Law, don't want to be critical of a Goalkeeper that's young and that we haven't seen much of. Against Edinburgh last season and against Peterhead this season, he really didn't have much to do, certainly nothing of any great significance. Against Alloa in the First Half, he looked suspect and if he was to have that kind of performance in a league game then I fear for the lad. I'm maybe being over critical, I suspect I am and I definitely don't want to be, but I do hope his time comes because he looks strong when it comes to distribution and it's another example of an Academy that's working, but I don't think the time to change it is now, and I don't think Currie is anywhere near as suspect as some people make him out to be, to change it.

[TheVoiceofReason]

From what I see the midfield is generally pretty suspect defensively.  That puts pressure on the defence and they end up looking worse than they actually are.   Which is some feat.

We also need somebody on the park that will gee the team up a bit especially when things start to go wrong - which they do with alarming regularity these days.  It was good that we came back from 2 down against elgin but they are just as bad as we are.  I fear that similar largesse against Stenny would see a much more punitive outcome.

There's a general lack of confidence and a culture of mediocrity bordering on failure at the club right now that's going to be tough to shake off.  It seems so disappointing that on the one occasion we have some cash we don't do something different but just repeat the same old failure pattern.

[WC Boggs]

38 minutes ago, BB_Bino said:

Surprised at some of the stick that Currie gets from a section of our support, I still think he is one of the best Goalkeepers in the league and I'm happy he's here. He's not the commanding 6 yard box Keeper that many fans expect Goalkeepers to be, but they are of a dying breed now and you don't see these guys often, even at the top level.

Sure, he makes mistakes and is probably at fault for a goal on Saturday and not yet hit the form of a season or so ago, but we know there's a good Goalkeeper there and we know that by and large he's a safe pair of hands. I would be looking at other positions to strengthen before I look at the Goalkeeper.

I'm still not totally sold on Law, don't want to be critical of a Goalkeeper that's young and that we haven't seen much of. Against Edinburgh last season and against Peterhead this season, he really didn't have much to do, certainly nothing of any great significance. Against Alloa in the First Half, he looked suspect and if he was to have that kind of performance in a league game then I fear for the lad. I'm maybe being over critical, I suspect I am and I definitely don't want to be, but I do hope his time comes because he looks strong when it comes to distribution and it's another example of an Academy that's working, but I don't think the time to change it is now, and I don't think Currie is anywhere near as suspect as some people make him out to be, to change it.

Goalkeepers have their ooyah moments and Currie is no exception.  Over the course of a season he doesn't tend to have that many.   More worrying is opening the season by going 2-0 down before half time in our first 2 games.  That needs sorted out pronto.   As I've said frequently, excessive punting just leads to the ball coming back at  you and is no way to win matches.  Especially when our front men are not noted for pace or aerial ability.  DY needs to bollock that out of his squad before we get to the 2nd half.  Patience wears thin quickly when that is not addressed. 

[#GSC]

22 hours ago, rhliston said:

Don`t know what to expect in the first local derby of the season on Saturday. Will it be the team that fought back to get a point against I thought a poor Elgin side or will it be the team that conceded 2 goals in the first half to Elgin. ? 

We shall have to wait and see but lets hope our defence is at the top of its game against Stenny. Can`t afford to play like we did the in the first half against Elgin and the first 4 mins against Dumbarton if we are to get anything from this game. 

Prediction call me a fool but think we might just sneak this one 2-1.  

I think you’ll find the defence isn’t the problem, the lack of good midfielders is the problem, both goals at the weekend was the result of the oppositions midfield getting the freedom to run right through on goal without a challenge from midfield, 

[#GSC]

36 minutes ago, TheVoiceofReason said:

From what I see the midfield is generally pretty suspect defensively.  That puts pressure on the defence and they end up looking worse than they actually are.   Which is some feat.

So you think the defence, who are probably the strongest part of the team , are shit ? 

[TheVoiceofReason]

1 minute ago, #GSC said:

So you think the defence, who are probably the strongest part of the team , are shit ? 

The whole team needs to defend properly from front to back.

We don't do that.  As you and I both said above the main problem is the midfield which is regularly posted missing.

That puts pressure on the defence.

I think McLean and McGregor/McGeachie make a decent central pairing.  McLean seems to be a steadying influence on McGregor who can be a bit rash at times shall we say. Cummins can play alongside McLean at a push.  Should McLean suffer another injury we're basically goosed.

We lack a decent left back.  I haven't seen enough of Clark to know if he is the answer.  Sadly he appears to be the only option.

We play Cummins instead of McGeachie at right back.  That's just stupid and asking for trouble.

We used to have wide players who would track back and help the full backs.  We let them go and replaced them with slower players who dont work nearly as hard as their predecessors 

With no holding midfielders the defence just boots the ball up the park.  That gives away possession needlessly

Left to themselves with some played out of position the defence is not very good

With decent protection they're ok

I do worry that DY has had 20 odd games to fix the problem and it's still there