I thought Harkes started the game well but drifted out of it. Clark didn't contribute too much apart from the penalty. We really need someone to control the pace of the game in the middle of the park - a Charlie Miller type player. Still need some width as Shanks is starved of service, he is feeding off scraps.

Individual error cost us again and the heads went down for a while after their goal. We will need to get used to being in the back foot a bit more now we are in the top league again. Based on this performance alone, we require at least another 2/3 players in during this window.

All in all a bit of an anti-climax and points dropped in light of the sending off but not too disappointed. Tougher challenge at Fir Park next week.

Last edited by Luggy10 (01/8/2020 11:07 pm)

At the moment we are a Championship squad. We have been unable to strengthen our squad due to aspects of the pandemic, a change of management and the Partick midlothian court case. Hopefully MM can strengthen the team in the near future. Until that happens we should realise that we might struggle in this league.

Last edited by Marklandsvelvettouch (01/8/2020 11:45 pm)

Swing_kinker wrote:

McMullan coming back will be a boost, I don't get why some don't rate him but hey it's all about opinions. He takes a man on and is always looking to attack. Him and Bolton on the wings could cause some rea lhavoc

 
Mcmullan rarely ever beats a man. He is not a winger. Id much rather see Sporle given a run in the team as a winger than the hapless Mcmullan. PM should've been shown the door under Laslo. Running about like a headless chicken  doesn't make him a good player, We shouldn't be confusing effort with ability.

Last edited by Marklandsvelvettouch (02/8/2020 8:07 am)

Marklandsvelvettouch wrote:

Swing_kinker wrote:

McMullan coming back will be a boost, I don't get why some don't rate him but hey it's all about opinions. He takes a man on and is always looking to attack. Him and Bolton on the wings could cause some rea lhavoc

 
Mcmullan rarely ever beats a man. He is not a winger. Id much rather see Sporle given a run in the team as a winger than the hapless Mcmullan. PM should've been shown the door under Laslo. Running about like a headless chicken  doesn't make him a good player, We shouldn't be confusing effort with ability.

 
One of McMullan's strongest traits is beating a man. Not sure what games you've been watching. Its his final ball thats the problem 😂

LarsErikKjell wrote:

Marklandsvelvettouch wrote:

Swing_kinker wrote:

McMullan coming back will be a boost, I don't get why some don't rate him but hey it's all about opinions. He takes a man on and is always looking to attack. Him and Bolton on the wings could cause some rea lhavoc

 
Mcmullan rarely ever beats a man. He is not a winger. Id much rather see Sporle given a run in the team as a winger than the hapless Mcmullan. PM should've been shown the door under Laslo. Running about like a headless chicken  doesn't make him a good player, We shouldn't be confusing effort with ability.

 
One of McMullan's strongest traits is beating a man. Not sure what games you've been watching. Its his final ball thats the problem 😂

 I'd disagree. He can't dribble and is not a jinky wee winger. He tries hard but he's not good enough. He has struggled to be of Championship quality over his years with us. I've no idea what games you've been watching if you believe mcmullan's strongest trait is beating a man. Possibly the same games the wee tartan suit modeller at Gorgie watched when he proclaimed that Billy King was a goalscorer. We clearly see games differently. I see PM as a very poor player.

Rocky Raccoon wrote:

Connolly cannot be defended for what he did yesterday, good game prior or post his brain fart it was still a major fuck up from him and cost us three points.

I was not too worried about the lack of signings prior to the outcome of the court case but that is nine days since the decision was made that we were to be playing in the premier, players should have been lined up to sign pending our league status.

We cannot go into the rest of this season with our only experienced centre halfs being -

1, a  slow 33 year old
2, a bomb scare
3, a holding midfielder

I can rant for hours but it's only the first game so I'll leave it at that.

 Spot on. I dread to think what might happen to us at Celtic Park and ibrox if we don't get good signings in.

LarsErikKjell wrote:

Shakey Isles Arab wrote:

Lot of good things and I don't want to pick on a negative,  but . ...

Connolly.

Sorry son you've been a great clubman,  you play with your heart on your sleeve mate, but you're a fuckin liability.

   - - - -

Take a look back 2 seasons at St Mirren 2nd leg where Connolly's woeful challenge cost us promotion .

He was a liability then.


Get rid of Connolly  .
Get a CB in who knows how to get rid of the ba'.

  - - - - - -

And while I'm about it I'm fed up hearing this "early doors" shite.
. ... I've got news, the season's underway.

  - - - - - -

Phukin weird atmosphere.

 

Disagree re Connolly. Bad mistake for the goal, but that ball could have fuckin anywhere. Just unlucky it landed right on the lads left foot. He's not a liability in my opinion.

He was excellent for the other 89 minutes of the game. I dont want us to 'get rid' of him tbh.

Tek's summary of the game is spot on. Some positives, some negatives, plenty to be excited about, plenty to work on.

 
I completely agree. I was one of Connolly's biggest critics last season but after watching the full game on alba last night I thought he had an excellent game last night apart from two poor moments. He had one poor pass out that went straight to the opposition but fizzled out, and his poor clearance that led to the goal. Looked to me like he was attempting to knock it behind but got an unfortunate connection, it was caught perfectly by Craig and keeper had no chance. We looked rusty at times but to be expected. I saw us play much worse than that on several occasions last season and I'm not despairing just yet.

Last edited by Arabdownsouth (02/8/2020 10:08 am)

I'm saying it over the road (Mad) too, don't blame Connolly. It was a defensive punt that could have gone anywhere & indeed did & found Craig unmarked who took it very well. I agree with your other points TD, Robson excellent, Bolton exciting, starting him instead of Neilson could have been interesting tho no way I'm blaming MM for team selection who put down a marker for any young uns who feel like breaking thro. Sorry TD you're not gonna get two CH's in so have faith in the two Marks, they were very comfortable y'day & yeah I know we have to go to Porkheid but so must they all. Having said that there's rumour of one coming tho I hope that doesn't stifle Ross Graham's progress, is he the new Narey? Harkes geting better all the time, contract extension please.
 

Snacks94 wrote:

smedDUm wrote:

I'm saying it over the road (Mad) too, don't blame Connolly. It was a defensive punt that could have gone anywhere & indeed did & found Craig unmarked who took it very well. I agree with your other points TD, Robson excellent, Bolton exciting, starting him instead of Neilson could have been interesting tho no way I'm blaming MM for team selection who put down a marker for any young uns who feel like breaking thro. Sorry TD you're not gonna get two CH's in so have faith in the two Marks, they were very comfortable y'day & yeah I know we have to go to Porkheid but so must they all. Having said that there's rumour of one coming tho I hope that doesn't stifle Ross Graham's progress, is he the new Narey? Harkes geting better all the time, contract extension please.
 

 
Harkes just signed a contract extension.

Has he? Sorry. Just pointing out he's an asset & can & will only get better. He was everywhere y'day, amazing number of touches he must have had.
 

TheShed wrote:

smedDUm wrote:

I'm saying it over the road (Mad) too, don't blame Connolly. It was a defensive punt that could have gone anywhere & indeed did & found Craig unmarked who took it very well. I agree with your other points TD, Robson excellent, Bolton exciting, starting him instead of Neilson could have been interesting tho no way I'm blaming MM for team selection who put down a marker for any young uns who feel like breaking thro. Sorry TD you're not gonna get two CH's in so have faith in the two Marks, they were very comfortable y'day & yeah I know we have to go to Porkheid but so must they all. Having said that there's rumour of one coming tho I hope that doesn't stifle Ross Graham's progress, is he the new Narey? Harkes geting better all the time, contract extension please.
 

 
You don’t blame him but “it was a defensive punt that could have gone anywhere”. That’s exactly why he deserves the blame for it, that’s not how you defend.  Schoolboy stuff.

 
I'd say you're being harsh. Connolly looked completely assured throughout the game and won every header he contested. His distribution apart from one misplaced pass was also fine. If he never made any mistakes he'd probably not be at United in the first place. People need to realise the level of football in Scotland is not that great whether we like it or not, and flawless defenders are going to be a rare commodity at our level. I'm absolutely certain he wasn't intending for the ball to end up where it did and was absolutely raging at himself. If it happens at the other end of the park and a striker sclaffs the ball into the stand instead of the net, he won't be getting the slating that Connolly is. I'm happy enough with how the team performed yesterday and sharpness will come.

TheShed wrote:

Arabdownsouth wrote:

TheShed wrote:

 
You don’t blame him but “it was a defensive punt that could have gone anywhere”. That’s exactly why he deserves the blame for it, that’s not how you defend.  Schoolboy stuff.

 
I'd say you're being harsh. Connolly looked completely assured throughout the game and won every header he contested. His distribution apart from one misplaced pass was also fine. If he never made any mistakes he'd probably not be at United in the first place. People need to realise the level of football in Scotland is not that great whether we like it or not, and flawless defenders are going to be a rare commodity at our level. I'm absolutely certain he wasn't intending for the ball to end up where it did and was absolutely raging at himself. If it happens at the other end of the park and a striker sclaffs the ball into the stand instead of the net, he won't be getting the slating that Connolly is. I'm happy enough with how the team performed yesterday and sharpness will come.

 
For the majority of the game he was fine, but that that one incident I am being far from harsh, he hooked a ball over into the middle of the box!!! It should have been hooked over the shed roof at worst.

 
You've not really paid much attention to the rest of my post then

It was a kind of Mark Kerr moment without the same importance. Connolly only made 2 errors in the entire match and it cost 2 points BUT where was the tracking on Craig? Was it Butcher or Harkes that should’ve picked him up? Just as culpable in my book.