Tekel Towers » Are we any better than last season?

Tek · 09/1/2017 11:04 am

Arab_plumber wrote:
P
Morphman wrote:
We're far better than last season, better players and less bottlers IMO. Bar Friday nighr our midfield dominates the vast majority of teams and if it weren't for the unbelieveable amount of penalties conceded we would be looking much stronger at the back as well.

Ray has made us hard to best first and foremost. That is what we've been missing basically since the end of the Levein/Houston era. Its not been pretty but in one transfer window McKinnon has took us from relegation fodder to 4 points off Hibs after 20 games. Going forward we lack any sort of width and pace, however McKinnon has stated that he is aware of this and is attempting to bring in bodies to help out.

We are a work in progress and I'd take scrappy wins and draws in this league. Dundee tried for years to play their way out of this division and it kept them down for alnost a decade. I'd love improved performances and sleek football but it is difficult when more or less 7 of the sides in the league are probably only interested in sitting behind the ball and playing off of set peices.

In Ray I trust

Morphy I can't honestly remember the last game our midfield bossed the game it's simply not happened in a few months and I've been to every game.

The two CH's keeper and VDS are much better than last season but we've less forward options and the midfield is still powder puff although Willo does a decent job Friday apart.
We are still carrying passengers in every 11 that starts...VDV Spittal Tope Murray Telfer are all poor players who only contribute the odd game here and there.

I don't think we are any better overall either but RM can't build a team in one window and I'm praying he has at least 2 more good additions coming in this month.

I don't see us beating an SPL team in the play offs as things stand

Pretty much agree with all of that Plumber.

Is VDS an upgrade on Kyle Knoyle though?

Not for me (though he's done ok).Just think the opposition bar Hibs is poor.

Arab_plumber · 09/1/2017 11:29 am

Imo VDS is a very solid man marker in this league anyway

Knoyle was good going forward though but I'm more than happy having VDS

VDV though........

Tek · 10/1/2017 12:54 am

👀

http://boards.footymad.net/showthread.php?t=38180879

Tek · 21/1/2017 6:48 pm

Went up there last season and gubbed them twice in a week.

I think we are going backwards if anything.

21/1/2017 9:22 pm

Not disagreeing. I think the fact we are playing against a lowers standard every week is a big factor.

Doesn't bode well for any potential play off

RRDH · 21/1/2017 10:00 pm

Are we any better off? No.

npb · 22/1/2017 1:01 am

i was wrong about today. at lease we get to see livvi at tanny next season

bowers · 22/1/2017 7:34 am

bowers wrote:
I said a few month back that the performamces similar to what we had seen under the previous 2 managers.. They imrpoved slightly but again have taken a dip throughout our unbeaten run and its not been pretty the past month.

Needs to improve

This again!

David_Blunkett · 22/1/2017 1:18 pm

TImes have massively changed, but look at the squad we retained and the investment that was made last time we were relegated.

If only we'd banked some really serious transfer money to use for a rainy day.

Oh wait....

Arab_plumber · 22/1/2017 1:53 pm

We are now at a very critical point in our season and even the future of the club, the fans have been absolutely outstanding buying season tickets and paying cash at the gate buy again we've been short changed by Thompson.

Tek · 20/8/2017 9:09 pm

We've now played 9 games.

Do you think the football is any better than last season?

Fidel_Castro · 20/8/2017 9:18 pm

Potentially yes. In practice.....no

TheShed · 20/8/2017 9:20 pm

Personally haven't seen enough to really answer as I've missed most games so far for various reasons. I do think we have a generally better squad of players this year although there's still a few problem areas in the squad imo. I also think we'll win the league by 20 points, but we just scraped by the leagues worst team at home so who knows.

SuperMario · 20/8/2017 9:21 pm

Yes mcmullan was a massive miss on Saturday, it's so so hard to play against a team that just put 10 boys behind the ball, if McKinnon changed it earlier with flood and knoyi I think we would have seen better football second half! I have noticed with mckinnon he seems to take fucking ages to make a sub

Tek · 20/8/2017 9:35 pm

SuperMario wrote:
Yes mcmullan was a massive miss on Saturday, it's so so hard to play against a team that just put 10 boys behind the ball

Whilst i agree wee McMullan was a miss it worries me to a regard that we rely on him quite so heavily and struggle to get past Brechin at home without him.

McKinnon has made 13 signings this Summer afterall.

The mantra was supposedly 'quality over quantity'.

I'm unconvinced that's the case and i am totally unconvinced by McKinnon as a Manager.

Even if we do get out of this league this season (and we well might despite him because post-Hibs it's a really poor standard) i have no faith that McKinnon can build a squad and a team to make us competitive in the Premiership.I think we would be immediately flirting with relegation again under him.

Answer me this anyone.

How many games under McKinnon have you came away from a match and said 'i thought we played really well today'?

How many times have you seen us completely dominate a team or give someone a doing?

Bear in mind when i ask this the standard of teams we have been playing this past year (Dumbarton,Ayr,Brechin,Buckie etc).

Arabnophobia · 20/8/2017 9:41 pm

Aye. Yesterday could influence this question though.

When McMullan has played things look a lot different.

Still find playing it out from the back a bit frustrating at times and think we need to mix the tactics up rather than being predictable and hoping the repeat comes off.
Definately have a better squad but injuries and suspensions have fucked us up a bit.

If we can be a lot faster in play we might do a lot better.

Think compared to last season we've looked great at times but none of the great moves seem to result in goals so far. Scott McDonald can seem out the game but get you a goal 15 mins after some would sub a performance he's on.

Football is better but a lot needs to change. Relieved Falkirk & ICT have 1 point but you never know who might keep us down in a league as close and unpredictable at this ain.

Need to gain a reputation and habit of having more fight and aggression to compliment the flair and get the fuck out of this league and a better mix of tactics.

bowers · 20/8/2017 9:46 pm

At this stage nope.

Rocky Raccoon · 20/8/2017 9:59 pm

I'd say it's like night and day but that is not saying we are a great side, it's saying that last season we were really that shite.

Give it another month or so until we can really judge this seasons side.

annanarab · 20/8/2017 10:20 pm

Tek wrote:
SuperMario wrote:
Yes mcmullan was a massive miss on Saturday, it's so so hard to play against a team that just put 10 boys behind the ball
Whilst i agree wee McMullan was a miss it worries me to a regard that we rely on him quite so heavily and struggle to get past Brechin at home without him.

McKinnon has made 13 signings this Summer afterall.

The mantra was supposedly 'quality over quantity'.

I'm unconvinced that's the case and i am totally unconvinced by McKinnon as a Manager.

Even if we do get out of this league this season (and we well might despite him because post-Hibs it's a really poor standard) i have no faith that McKinnon can build a squad and a team to make us competitive in the Premiership.I think we would be immediately flirting with relegation again under him.

Answer me this anyone.

How many games under McKinnon have you came away from a match and said 'i thought we played really well today'?

How many times have you seen us completely dominate a team or give someone a doing?

Bear in mind when i ask this the standard of teams we have been playing this past year (Dumbarton,Ayr,Brechin,Buckie etc).

Players have changed, the manager hasn't so our performances are now just as bad with different/better players. Will we do well against the better teams or at the business end of the season when it counts.... don't think there are much grounds for optimism thus far. As always would love to be proved wrong.

Tangy · 20/8/2017 10:42 pm

id say we are more solid than last season. in all honesty, brechin didn't bother us that much. we got a clean sheet and their best chance was from mark durnan.

Also, mcnamara had us humping teams and being humped - we will never get humped off of ray mckinnons team.

yesterday wasn't great but we are resilient enough to take the 3 points. I'll take it. we have seen good spells in the games I've been to but not done it every game. IMO, we would benefit massively from getting an early goal as it would force teams to stop being so defensive against us. They would have to open up and give us some space. Watching the highlights, brechin had 2 banks of 4 closely knitted together, usually with 1 other heading back too - with 1 out ball.

Hibs last season and The Rangers the season before both of whom won the league at a canter had massive disappointments against teams like brechin or dumbarton or whoever it was playing in such a fashion. did it make them a bad side. nope. Our team also need to get to know each other and how to play together.

If you are going on a player by player basis...

heuy lewis or bell - i was concerned by lewis' age but i think he's every bit as good as bell.
mehmet or zwick - mehmet
scobbie or dixon - scobbie
quinn or donaldson - quinn
murdoch or dillon - for the face I've never seen murdoch kick the ball off his own face, pd murdoch
mcmullen or coote - mcmullen
king or spittle - different players but ill say draw
murray or mcdonald - i was a fan of murray and reckon he would have been better with better supply but mcdonald will guarantee 20 goals a season - draw
stanton or telfer - stanton

the rest of the signings add something too - out of those mentioned and I'm sure I've missed boys like vds and vd velden
id say 7-1 on the above

Swing_kinker · 21/8/2017 12:12 am

I think definitely. Stinking yesterday but we've played some nice football in the last few games. Not enough though but I feel it'll become more consistent

Rick Dagless · 21/8/2017 12:27 am

So far, I don't think we are better.

Last year we only beat teams by more than 1 goal on a handful of occasions. That doesn't look to be changing so far.

Despite all the attacking players we have brought in I don't feel like we create much, for large periods of the game it was like some of the eye gouging performances of last season, passing the ball around the middle of the park before either giving the ball away or aimlessly punting it up the park.

It's early days and yes we are getting the results but we need to be playing better than what we have done so far. It's fine margins between a win and a draw/loss. Reminds me of the run of games we had last season before Christmas when we were unbeaten but not playing great. The luck ran out and the performances were the same but the results weren't. Had Brechin got lucky with the shot that hit off the keeper and post twice it might have been a very different game.

I've heard folk defending the performance on Saturday, coming out with the line about the sign of a good team is one being able to win games playing badly and it's very true. But they don't go a whole season like that, especially if they want to win the league.

Dyce_arab · 21/8/2017 5:02 am

Tek wrote:
How many games under McKinnon have you came away from a match and said 'i thought we played really well today'?

How many times have you seen us completely dominate a team or give someone a doing?

Bear in mind when i ask this the standard of teams we have been playing this past year (Dumbarton,Ayr,Brechin,Buckie etc).

None, we're a poor performing team Tek min, we dinna dominate and we hiv never come awa saying that was a right fine performance. Better players but we're nae playing any better than last year and its a concern for me.

blackandtangerine · 21/8/2017 6:39 am

Bottom line is i dont think the manager is good enough tactically. However we are only 3 league games into the season. Think we'll get a better idea after saturday against St Mirren of how we stand imo.

tangerine terror · 21/8/2017 7:00 am

I think we are stronger and we have more backup on the bench.