County V Well

[central staggie]

Pretty big game already for County - Motherwell win and they go 8 points ahead of us with less than a quarter of the season gone. We really need a win to avoid becoming cut off towards the bottom.

Our defence should pretty much pick itself but our midfield/attack has been chopped and changed so often this season it's impossible to predict how we will go. 

Some big games this month which County should be targeting. Praying for any win on Tuesday, don't care how minging it is.

[Kapowzer]

While we're playing nice stuff we're not clinical in front of goal. It's the exact opposite of a year ago. The only complete performance where we played well and got the result to match was at Pittodrie.

As has been mentioned on our thread, we are in for a tough month after a kind August in terms of fixtures. Hammell will be chompin at the bit to get something from this. Not doubt feeling a wee bit of pressure probably set by his own high standards.

However, we're a good team to play if you need points. Killie and the Arabs been put to the sword on a weekly basis in this league, face us and walk away with 75% and 50% of their total amassed points so far.

Your run from January was the best of the rest from memory, however with that success it put some of your players on radars and earned moves. Malky's been struggling this season to emulate that, so it is a toss up for me.

Who's due a questionable penalty next?

[House Bartender]

6 hours ago, Kapowzer said:

 

Who's due a questionable penalty next?

That'll be The Rangers surely. But in the context of this game it depends if County ever have the ball in the Motherwell box.

[Pete the Jakey]

A goal would be nice. 

[dezz]

We could really do with a win here given our run of fixtures for the next 4-5 weeks. 3 points would also put us 8 points ahead of County, which would be a nice buffer to have even at this early stage of the season. 

Performances under Hammell have generally been good, and the turnaround in style has happened a lot quicker than expected, but we're getting to the stage where need to start converting performances into points. County seem to be another team struggling to stick the ball in the back of the net, so I expect this will be a fairly tight, low scoring affair.

0-1 (Van Veen).

[Phillips455]

Need to get a win on the board. A tough set of fixtures and this could help alleviate any negative mindsets.

 

That being said...... Will we have a non van veen goal from play (I.e. not a penalty)? I doubt it since OwnGoal will most likely still be in his high from the weekend.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Phillips455

[Archie McSquackle]

I've just noticed Rangers are at Liverpool at the same time. I had planned to listen to this game on the radio but coverage will be....minimal at best.

[Comrie]

Our midfield is rubbish.

We can't score.

 

County will score 0.

Motherwell will score at least one.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Comrie

[Handsome_Devil]

I'd take a return to Alexanderball if it brought a 1-0 in this one...we can go back to playing pretty stuff in the tough games to come and we'll see what we get then.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I'm convinced trips to Dingwall always seem to come at pivotal times in our season. It feels like everytime we go up there we're always at some crossroads that will decide whether we stay up, make top 6 etc.

[Swello]

Heading up for this (3 visits to Dingwall in a calendar year is a record for me) and hoping that we don't try to change too much from how we've been playing as it doesn't feel like there is much wrong, blank goals-for column aside.

I'm not sure if Slattery is still away with family stuff - but it's been unfortunate on a football level as that midfield was looking great - hope all is well and he's on his way back.

Interested to see if we're at the point where we play Moult to start with and hook him after an hour or whatever as we need to try something to take the chances we're creating.

[capt_oats]

13 minutes ago, Swello said:

Interested to see if we're at the point where we play Moult to start with and hook him after an hour or whatever as we need to try something to take the chances we're creating.

I noticed KVV talking about Moult in the press:

Quote

He has recently been handed some support though following the signing of Louis Moult, who has come off the bench in the past two games.

Van Veen said: “It’s another number nine who can link up well, and a very good guy, everyone has seen the benefits of him coming in. Hopefully one day we can link up together, he is a very, very good player.”

Link

[The Great Stagsby]

Couldn’t be less excited about club football right now.

Whatever.

Blah, blah.

 

 

P.S. Meh.

Spoiler

P.P.S. Come on County. PLEASE.

 

[Kapowzer]

11 hours ago, House Bartender said:

That'll be The Rangers surely. But in the context of this game it depends if County ever have the ball in the Motherwell box.

To be fair, Ramsay wasn't in the box and you got one

[Gianfranco]

I've just noticed Rangers are at Liverpool at the same time. I had planned to listen to this game on the radio but coverage will be....minimal at best.

I never thought of that. Might have to try the dodgy stream method.

ETA £28 for this game is under the lights robbery.

[Matty-RCFC]

It’s my absolute bug bare on P&B when I see punters gub on about how team X is shite and there’s nothing surer that team Y will beat team X when they play each other in their upcoming game. However, this County side look absolutely rubbish. We look devoid of ideas going forward and ultimately rely on our two centre halves digging us out of a hole. I think we need a fresh shape as we’re too predictable. If we’re going to play direct to Jordan White and bypass the midfield every time, why not change shape to a 4-4-2 and have someone like Akio running off him with his pace in behind. This is how I’d line up the side:

Laidlaw

Johnson-Baldwin-Iacovitti-Purrington

Olaigbe-Loturi-Tillson-Sims

White-Akio

As I say, I suspect this is a game in which we will have the minority of the ball so why not change to a shape that allows us to be direct when we win it back. I feel like the back 4 picks itself - full backs are solid yet unspectacular. The midfield is probably where there’s most contention. Callachan needs a spell out the team for me; he looks far more interested in getting into battles than getting on the ball and linking play. I don’t think our current 4-2-3-1 suits many of our midfielders - I don’t think Callachan has the discipline to play in front of the defence and Cancola isn’t sharp enough to play in a 2. I think he does his best work in the middle of a 3 where he can sit deep and get the ball of the defence. Hence why I’d go with Loturi and Tillson in a two because they give us legs and bite which we’ll need tomorrow. I’d go with Sims and Olaigbe on their natural sides to try and isolate them 1v1 with full backs and get crosses into the box - maybe harsh on Owura but I think Olaigbe is the better player personally.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no tactical mastermind but why not try something different in this game as it genuinely is must win at this stage of the season. If we play with the same midfield 3 as Saturday, there is no doubt we will lose. I just hope the players realise how big a game this is for us as lose this and we’re 8 points behind Motherwell already and that’s a lot of ground to make up even at this stage.

[Comrie]

It's pissing down and any bad weather immediately gives me the fear with County.

[central staggie]

47 minutes ago, Comrie said:

It's pissing down and any bad weather immediately gives me the fear with County.

Not a problem when you bypass the midfield with 50 yard lasers to Marco van Hiwula.

[AdamMFC]

Would like to see Van Veen and Moult both start this game, see what they can offer before hooking Moult after an hour. I think we'll just about scrape this, 2-1.

[beesher]

It's total pish that I can't get a PPV for this.