Staggies v Buddies - 05/11/22

[Matty-RCFC]

I enjoyed last Saturday as County didn’t ruin it for once. However, we’re now back to Saturday matches and there’s plenty potential for my weekend to be ruined earlier this week. That being said, the Hearts performance was a *SLIGHT* improvement on the norm last weekend and there may be the slightest hint of confidence coming from the stands after said showing. I take the pessimist view and say that we still couldn’t beat a Hearts side that was down to the bare bones and playing just 3 days earlier. We generally struggle against 5 at the backs and our showing last time out in Paisley was fairly drab, but we passed up a few sitters and but for a worldie from Richard Tait we could’ve walked away from that game with something. I think we should lineup something like this:

 

Laidlaw

 

Johnson-Baldwin-Iacovitti-Harmon

 

Loturi-Cancola

 

Olaigbe-Dhanda-Owura

 

White

 

As usual, back 5 pick themselves - I thought Johnson and Harmon had their best games in County shirts last weekend. I’m sick to the death of Tillson shying away from showing for the ball from the back 4, so why not give Loturi a try in there. He’s quite lightweight, but he’s energetic and a better ball player than Tillson for me. The 3 behind the striker, on paper, looks very exciting. If we played that 3 regularly, I believe we’d create so much more chances than we currently do. Jordan White had a decent game last weekend although he was playing against a team without a centre back and this week will face a sterner test.

 

Saints have only seen both sides score in 3/12 matches this season, whilst we’ve seen it in 5/13 in the league. Therefore, I’m not expecting too many goals, but I think we can win this if we play like last weekend. I’m going to be optimistic here and say this is the weekend our season gets going - 2-0 County.

[Jimmain]

Watched Sunday's game on stream, was an enjoyable one and thought County played quite well.

Why has Dhanda featured so seldom this year? He looked excellent.

[Comrie]

1 hour ago, Jimmain said:

Watched Sunday's game on stream, was an enjoyable one and thought County played quite well.

Why has Dhanda featured so seldom this year? He looked excellent.

Callachan must play, at all costs. Because he runs about a lot.

[Staggie_93]

Agree that Tillson needs taken out of the team at the moment,  he’s not adding anything to the team.

[flyingscot]

4 hours ago, Jimmain said:

Why has Dhanda featured so seldom this year? He looked excellent.

Dhanda was excellent in the first game against us this year.

We've been more travel sick than a toddler away from home this year. That said we've been to Easter Road, Ibrox, Pittodrie, Tannadice and McDiarmuid Park and got 3 points which is not overly unexpected. 

Hopefully Gallacher is back which will shore up the defence as Gogic isn't the same levels and I think he's better in the middle. Wonder if we have to change things away and maybe go 1 up top to try and bolster the midfield? 

[Pete the Jakey]

I’m not sure why handing out free tickets is a shambles? Livingston have been doing it too recently have they not?
 

My 13 year old son told me that he’s getting a free ticket from school and is looking forward to the match. Ironically I ask him every weekend if he wants to go and he says no, but because his mates are going, and he’s being handed a ticket, he’s up for this Saturday. 
 

If it generates a bit of atmosphere and 50 folk who might return another day then who cares? For me less a shambles, more a worthwhile initiative for a rainy November afternoon. 

[central staggie]

3 hours ago, Pete the Jakey said:

I’m not sure why handing out free tickets is a shambles? Livingston have been doing it too recently have they not?
 

My 13 year old son told me that he’s getting a free ticket from school and is looking forward to the match. Ironically I ask him every weekend if he wants to go and he says no, but because his mates are going, and he’s being handed a ticket, he’s up for this Saturday. 
 

If it generates a bit of atmosphere and 50 folk who might return another day then who cares? For me less a shambles, more a worthwhile initiative for a rainy November afternoon. 

With all due respect to St Mirren, its not one of our 'glamour' ties so I'm in the same boat. The game down in Livingston was a fairly decent atmosphere considering >50% would have been free tickets.

As for the match, we really need something from this I feel. This last couple of months or so we've had a run of games that were all better bets for picking up points, but we've only picked up 6 out of 24 stretching back to the start of September. Hibs and Celtic away before the WC after this does not fill me with hope, so I'd say we are desperate for 3 points.

[bunglebonce]

I'd drop Cancola before Tillson if Loturi was to play, but there's not a strong case for either at the moment.

[Arch Stanton]

Our 5 away games have yielded 18 goals.

Will probably be a 0-0.

[Savage Henry]

58 minutes ago, bunglebonce said:

I'd drop Cancola before Tillson if Loturi was to play, but there's not a strong case for either at the moment.

The alternative is Ben Paton’ most likely.  What a state of mediocre affairs. 

[RH33]

3 hours ago, Savage Henry said:

Yeah, I didn’t really explain it very well. It was more the way he did it.  He just left a pile on the bar along with his business card, said nothing, and left.  It’s not like it’s going to kids, it’s going to whomever.  

Was it Dale?

[Savage Henry]

1 hour ago, RH33 said:

Was it Dale?

 

Dale seems to do almost everything for the club, so I won’t be knocking him in the slightest. 

Edit: f**k it.  I don’t want to get someone into bother just because they had a shitty day at work.  I’ll just say the club is not in great shape on or off the pitch and leave it at that. 
 

edit 2: Scotrail strikes. 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Savage Henry

[Lex]

In our last four away games we have lost all four, conceded 14 goals and scored once. The one goal we scored was a dodgy penalty when we were 3-0 down at Pittodrie. That form has to improve at some point, doesn't it? It certainly can't get much worse. We did have a good record in Dingwall up until the 1-0 defeat up there in one of Robinson's first games last season. Now's the time to play County, before the January splurge and inevitable climb up the table.

Carson

Strain-Gallagher-Shaughnessy-Dunne-Tanser

Erhahon-Baccus-O'Hara

Grieve-Brophy

0-0

[Arch Stanton]

1 hour ago, Lex said:

In our last four away games we have lost all four, conceded 14 goals and scored once. The one goal we scored was a dodgy penalty when we were 3-0 down at Pittodrie.

Saints scored 3 at Tannadice a fortnight AFTER the game at Pittodrie.

[FTOF]

4 hours ago, Lex said:

In our last four away games we have lost all four, conceded 14 goals and scored once. The one goal we scored was a dodgy penalty when we were 3-0 down at Pittodrie. That form has to improve at some point, doesn't it? It certainly can't get much worse. We did have a good record in Dingwall up until the 1-0 defeat up there in one of Robinson's first games last season. Now's the time to play County, before the January splurge and inevitable climb up the table.

Carson

Strain-Gallagher-Shaughnessy-Dunne-Tanser

Erhahon-Baccus-O'Hara

Grieve-Brophy

0-0

[Lex]

Grieve is our top league scorer with three league goals this season despite only starting twice I believe - I’m doing these stats from the top of my head again so I will take another correction.
Ayunga has two and Main has two. Main’s both came in the one game at Tannadice and Ayunga’s was a penalty in the Pittodrie humping and the glorious second against Celtic. The two most natural goal scorers in the squad are clearly Grieve and Brophy.
Ayunga and Main certainly have their physical hammer throwing uses against the better teams but they just don’t score enough. Four league goals between them given their minutes on the pitch is a shockingly poor return. We will need goalscorers tomorrow, and we have some. Start them.

[Pete the Jakey]

24 minutes ago, Lex said:

 

Grieve is our top league scorer with three league goals this season despite only starting twice I believe - I’m doing these stats from the top of my head again so I will take another correction.
Ayunga has two and Main has two. Main’s both came in the one game at Tannadice and Ayunga’s was a penalty in the Pittodrie humping and the glorious second against Celtic. The two most natural goal scorers in the squad are clearly Grieve and Brophy.
Ayunga and Main certainly have their physical hammer throwing uses against the better teams but they just don’t score enough. Four league goals between them given their minutes on the pitch is a shockingly poor return. We will need goalscorers tomorrow, and we have some. Start them.

 

We’ve only scored 7 league goals this season, so if you don’t start them we’ll just play out a lacklustre 0-0 with both sets of supporters leaving with an overwhelming feeling of meh.

[Coventry Saint]

15 hours ago, Lex said:

In our last four away games we have lost all four, conceded 14 goals and scored once. The one goal we scored was a dodgy penalty when we were 3-0 down at Pittodrie. That form has to improve at some point, doesn't it? It certainly can't get much worse. We did have a good record in Dingwall up until the 1-0 defeat up there in one of Robinson's first games last season. Now's the time to play County, before the January splurge and inevitable climb up the table.

Carson

Strain-Gallagher-Shaughnessy-Dunne-Tanser

Erhahon-Baccus-O'Hara

Grieve-Brophy

0-0

Gallagher and Tanser out. No Tait.

Presumably Fraser will be farmed out to LWB but I don't like the idea of that. 

Can't see us winning this with so many key players out.

[Hendo]

1 hour ago, Coventry Saint said:

Gallagher and Tanser out. No Tait.

Presumably Fraser will be farmed out to LWB but I don't like the idea of that. 

Can't see us winning this with so many key players out.

Did Dunne not also go off injured last week? 

[FTOF]

Grieve is our top league scorer with three league goals this season despite only starting twice I believe - I’m doing these stats from the top of my head again so I will take another correction.
Ayunga has two and Main has two. Main’s both came in the one game at Tannadice and Ayunga’s was a penalty in the Pittodrie humping and the glorious second against Celtic. The two most natural goal scorers in the squad are clearly Grieve and Brophy.
Ayunga and Main certainly have their physical hammer throwing uses against the better teams but they just don’t score enough. Four league goals between them given their minutes on the pitch is a shockingly poor return. We will need goalscorers tomorrow, and we have some. Start them.

I don't have a problem with Greive starting. However, it has to be alongside Main or Ayunga. He's a classic penalty box poacher who thrives on loose balls in the box. For me Ayunga and Main are more likely to create that sort of chance. As much as I'd like Brophy to regain his purple patches from last year, he's a shadow of himself. I would absolutely delighted for him to prove me wrong, but unless there's a miracle he'll be offski in January, to free up his huge salary. Factor in the way that we're set up and the partnership becomes even more unlikely.