⚪ ⚫ 🕷 Queen's Park v The Caley 🔵 🔴

[SandyCromarty]

6 minutes ago, PB1994 said:

Gardiner won’t sack his pal though.

Its a fact of life that pals disappear like snow off a dyke when a crisis comes along.

I don't think Bennet has any links to the three incumbents.

[sophia]

58 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

Nobody is ignoring the injury situation, but given how long it's gone on and what seems like a fairly settled team for now, you'd think the manager would see that his system doesn't work for the available players.

Too stubborn to change or too inept to adapt. Which is it?

The correct answer is none of the above.

The available players, that are only settled because they are all that's available, aren't good enough.

 

[an86]

21 minutes ago, Spider1975 said:

A 'big investment' in Eze?, well he wasn't in any way missed last night and the performance, (besides getting caught on the counter for the goal) was night and day compared with that against Cove.  Fox brought a composure and leadership that's been sadly missing lately (IMHO).  Other than that, highly impressed with Thomas, Jarrett and Thomson.  Special mention to Boateng who at one point single handedly broke up an ICT counter.

I wouldn’t be changing the defence next week and I’m a big Fox fan, but some of the Eze criticism is miles OTT for me. If he plays McKay onside last night, he’s getting absolutely slaughtered for it.

[Gall09]

46 minutes ago, Spider1975 said:

Other than that, highly impressed with Thomas, Jarrett and Thomson.  Special mention to Boateng who at one point single handedly broke up an ICT counter.

The turnaround in Jack Thomson’s form is incredible. I was surprised and very underwhelmed when we signed him permanently, and even more surprised when he was given an extension but he’s like a different player this season.

Mal Boateng is just a Rolls-Royce. 

[Bring Your Own Socks]

47 minutes ago, an86 said:

I wouldn’t be changing the defence next week and I’m a big Fox fan, but some of the Eze criticism is miles OTT for me. If he plays McKay onside last night, he’s getting absolutely slaughtered for it.

Wasn’t just about individualism though, although I’m obliged to point out the obvious that Fox has been out for 10 weeks. I’d say Eze was given a lot of grace in his early period.

But the stark difference was much more about how everyone around Charlie reacted. Despite no armband, he could be heard coaching his mates all through the game.  Fox/Kilday is a stick on. Until one of them has a run of poor games, it should be just that. And whilst he kept his ground last night we also know Charlie can drag a defence to bits when he has a gallop.

What’ll really rip my knitting is if he goes to a back five just to accommodate Eze. Just getting that one in early.

[Spiders67]

4 minutes ago, Bring Your Own Socks said:

.

But the stark difference was much more about how everyone around Charlie reacted. Despite no armband, he could be heard coaching his mates all through the game.  Fox/Kilday is a stick on. Until one of them has a run of poor games, it should be just that. And whilst he kept his ground last night we also know Charlie can drag a defence to bits when he has a gallop.

What’ll really rip my knitting is if he goes to a back five just to accommodate Eze. Just getting that one in early.

100% this. The difference between Eze and Fox is like night and day, the right-side of our defence has been our weakness all season (Eze + Davidson/Boateng/Bannon). For me it's clear to see that Fox and Kilday is a massive upgrade. 

I'd just like to talk about Eze for a minute. I really really tried to give the guy a chance, it's not every day you get a man with Nigeria caps come and play at centre half for your wee club. But from the moment I first saw him play you can just tell he's not a footballer, I've got no idea what Coyle sees in him. This might sound like rubbish but I often think you can guage a footballers ability from their running style, the man runs like he's got steel rods running through his legs. Incredibly stiff. His distribution is terrible, he's slow on the turn, and isn't great in the air for a man of his size. He also seems to have to stretch for everything which is often the result of poor body position or balance. 

If Coyle brings him straight back in for Fox then it is nothing short of a shambles. 

Sorry if all of this seems a bit harsh but we're 15 games into the season now so he's had plenty opportunity to impress. 

[qpfc]

48 minutes ago, Gall09 said:

The turnaround in Jack Thomson’s form is incredible. I was surprised and very underwhelmed when we signed him permanently, and even more surprised when he was given an extension but he’s like a different player this season.

Mal Boateng is just a Rolls-Royce. 

It’s notable that the guys who were with us from last season have almost all kicked on in terms of performance and consistency levels. Robson, Thomson, Kilday, Murray, Davidson and Ferrie have all improved pretty dramatically and I think a lot of it comes from good coaching of course, but last season was so out of the ordinary that it must of been a fairly incredible learning experience. Having to play on that horrific firhill pitch, experiencing zero manager in the dugout for over 3 months whilst needing to manage the expectations placed on them on the pitch must of been difficult for large periods of the season 

Fair play to these guys, they’ve been terrific for us this term 

Edited November 13, 2022 by qpfc

[Spider Rico]

54 minutes ago, Spiders67 said:

100% this. The difference between Eze and Fox is like night and day, the right-side of our defence has been our weakness all season (Eze + Davidson/Boateng/Bannon). For me it's clear to see that Fox and Kilday is a massive upgrade. 

I'd just like to talk about Eze for a minute. I really really tried to give the guy a chance, it's not every day you get a man with Nigeria caps come and play at centre half for your wee club. But from the moment I first saw him play you can just tell he's not a footballer, I've got no idea what Coyle sees in him. This might sound like rubbish but I often think you can guage a footballers ability from their running style, the man runs like he's got steel rods running through his legs. Incredibly stiff. His distribution is terrible, he's slow on the turn, and isn't great in the air for a man of his size. He also seems to have to stretch for everything which is often the result of poor body position or balance. 

If Coyle brings him straight back in for Fox then it is nothing short of a shambles. 

Sorry if all of this seems a bit harsh but we're 15 games into the season now so he's had plenty opportunity to impress. 

I wouldn’t be starting him straight away when he’s back fit either but worth noting we have won games against Arbroath, Raith Rovers, Cliftonville, Cove Rangers, Hamilton and Partick Thistle with him starting so I’ve certainly not written him off yet as others seem to have done 

[behindthelens]

[bdu98196]

3 hours ago, sophia said:

The correct answer is none of the above.

The available players, that are only settled because they are all that's available, aren't good enough.

 

In that case do you think recruitment must be blamed as not many are youth products from internal. Therefore liability has to sit with the manager and DoF.

However it's still the mangers job to put out a team in a formation and play a style of football which delivers results and this is not happening. Clearly the style of play being expressed by the team which is ultimately defined by the manager works to the strengths of those available players we have?

Which direction do you consider fingers should point or do we just all shrug and say its going as per expectations?

Edited November 13, 2022 by bdu98196

[qpfc]

7 minutes ago, behindthelens said:

Watching the highlights really does show what a top player Dom Thomas is at this level. If he had more goals in him, he’d be in the premiership as his output for assists have been terrific so far. No surprises we look a x10 better side from last week once Thomas and Fox returned to the side 

[h_w7864]

41 minutes ago, qpfc said:

Watching the highlights really does show what a top player Dom Thomas is at this level. If he had more goals in him, he’d be in the premiership as his output for assists have been terrific so far.

He had 3 players on him when he was on the ball for most of the game and he still looked brilliant. That just shows how much of a player Thomas is.

[sophia]

57 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

In that case do you recruitment must be blamed as not many are youth products from internal. Therefore liability has to sit with the manager and DoF.

The word salad of a barrack room lawyer

 

However it's still the mangers job to put out a team in a formation and play a style of football which delivers results and clearly this is not happening.

It was clearly happening last week but for Carson's inexplicable intervention 

 

Do you consider that the style of play being expressed by the team which is ultimately defined by the manager plays to the strengths of those available players we have?

The successful outcome with respect to the manual irrigation of one's garden is a function of the ability of the flexible conduit to deliver in the correct aerated volumes.

 

Which direction do you consider fingers should point or do we just all shrug and say its going as per expectations?

With the catastrophic injury situation, I'd say that to be within striking distance of the top is reasonable.

 

[bdu98196]

The staunch defence that always appears from @sophia any time the current regime is questioned is not a surprise.

Also feel a bit let down that you have resorted to phrases such as 'word salad', perhaps you're not the articulate intellectual type on this board I had misjudged you as.

Edited November 13, 2022 by bdu98196

[SandyCromarty]

Just now, sophia said:

 

bdu is like the rest of us totally fed up with Dodds inability to shape a team, and as mentioned the team yesterday had at least five players recruited by Robertson and Dodds.

You knew that that was correct which blew your defence of Dodds out of the water so your response was a petty childish 'word salad'.

Really?

Posters on CTO and here can't all be wrong.

[sophia]

1 minute ago, SandyCromarty said:

bdu is like the rest of us totally fed up with Dodds inability to shape a team, and as mentioned the team yesterday had at least five players recruited by Robertson and Dodds.

You knew that that was correct which blew your defence of Dodds out of the water so your response was a petty childish 'word salad'.

Really?

Posters on CTO and here can't all be wrong.

Sandy Sandy Sandy

Do you not recall last season, it was a few short months ago, when you were premature in throwing your lot in with the mob?

Then, as now, I offered a perspective that was distinct and history has passed its judgement on that.

I do hope you aren't harbouring a grudge.

You and @bdu98196 will note, should you wish to dial down your excitement, I've offered nothing that could be described as "staunch".

For the record, a handful of online contributors, some of whom will be parroting what their mates say, can most certainly hold a view that isn't necessarily the ideal.

[Spiders67]

3 hours ago, Spider Rico said:

I wouldn’t be starting him straight away when he’s back fit either but worth noting we have won games against Arbroath, Raith Rovers, Cliftonville, Cove Rangers, Hamilton and Partick Thistle with him starting so I’ve certainly not written him off yet as others seem to have done 

Apart from a few stormers chucked in there for good measure (Arbroath away esp.) I'd argue we have won some of those games in spite of having that big cabbage at the back 

[Bring Your Own Socks]

5 hours ago, Spider Rico said:

I wouldn’t be starting him straight away when he’s back fit either but worth noting we have won games against Arbroath, Raith Rovers, Cliftonville, Cove Rangers, Hamilton and Partick Thistle with him starting so I’ve certainly not written him off yet as others seem to have done 

Playing record according to Wiki. His time in India was two years ago, not last season when Coyle’s team won the league. 20 games is the whole season in the Indian Super League. Solin are a tier two Croatian team. Plovdiv are Bulgarian, earlier teams in his native Nigeria.

Seems he left Jamshedpur to improve his chances of playing for Nigeria by playing for a European team. I must have missed the email but my recollection is all the chat was about him coming to us form Jamshedpur. Never heard of Solin but with just one appearance I guess it didn’t work out. 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.in/sc-east-bengal-interested-in-stephen-eze-management-could-send-offer-soon/view/news/396657

https://www.telegraphindia.com/jharkhand/jamshedpur-fc-set-to-miss-stephen-eze-in-isl/cid/1821186

This one’s interesting but I confess I don’t know where they get the “market value” from but logically this would intimate what we paid for him? Happy to be corrected on this. The figure is two hundred thousand euro €200k. 

https://www.transfermarkt.com/stephen-eze/profil/spieler/562216

 

[SandyCromarty]

12 hours ago, sophia said:

Sandy Sandy Sandy

Do you not recall last season, it was a few short months ago, when you were premature in throwing your lot in with the mob?

 

Yes and we're still in the Championship.

Unless you know of some major competition win?

Fact is if we had at least halved that losing streak we would have been playing PL football this season.

[an86]

14 hours ago, Spiders67 said:

Apart from a few stormers chucked in there for good measure (Arbroath away esp.) I'd argue we have won some of those games in spite of having that big cabbage at the back 

There’s no way of knowing if that’d have been the case. We’d have been flinging a kid in on a windy day at Arbroath for example. Anything could have happened.

We’ve kept three clean sheets and he’s started the three games. Of course that isn’t entirely down to him, but it does raise the question about the rest of the defence leaking and not having the same criticisms levelled at them.

I absolutely think there are questions around him, but no more than I think there are questions around the right back position. Kilday’s come onto a game, but we know he has nonsense in his locker as well. Big Charlie as a good player, but not a silver bullet. As I said, if Eze plays McKay on side on Saturday, he’s getting it tight.

I’m of the belief that the big guy is probably pretty average. He’s made some very good contributions and some very ropey ones. The apparent desperation to jump on anything he does, whilst others get a pass, doesn’t sit right with me, particularly when we’re going so well, though. Folk saw Nigerian caps and didn’t factor in that Lee Wilkie has eleven Scotland caps. You don’t need to be Paolo Maldini to win a few.