Tekel Towers » DUFC v Falkirk ~ Saturday 14th April (3pm)

Tek · 12/4/2018 12:33 am

We need an absolute replica of Tuesday nights performance against St.Mirren. In their faces and at them from the first whistle. If we do that then we can and should win. We really need to start winning all our remaining home games. Infact we need to attempt to win them all.

The 6-1 away to them (Falkirk) on January 6th was the match that really started our huge slide. Out seemed to cut deep and the players have taken months to get over it.

The players should be kicking the dressing room door off it's hinges on Saturday in desperation to go out and avenge that horror result. Metaphorically speaking of course.

Would you guys play the same starting XI as Tuesday? Or bring Scott McDonald back in?

Will Fraser be back? His omission the past 2 games has been worrying. Surely not injured again?

PatReilly · 12/4/2018 7:29 am

Tek wrote:
The 6-1 away to them (Falkirk) on January 6th was the match that really started our huge slide.

Do you think so? I would say the slide started when Csaba started messing around with the defence, making changes to the back four when it wasn't necessary.

A confident keeper became shaky, players were played out of position, rarely was the back four the same one week to the next. I was concerned by mid December, and I'm sure the players were too.

Tek · 12/4/2018 11:49 am

PatReilly wrote:
Tek wrote:
The 6-1 away to them (Falkirk) on January 6th was the match that really started our huge slide.
Do you think so? I would say the slide started when Csaba started messing around with the defence, making changes to the back four when it wasn't necessary.

A confident keeper became shaky, players were played out of position, rarely was the back four the same one week to the next. I was concerned by mid December, and I'm sure the players were too.

We defeated Dunfermline at home in December. Morton away and then hammered Livi at home. Sandwhiched between all that was the abandoned game at Palmerston that we dominated completely by all accounts. Infact we only lost one game in December (v St.Mirren on the 29th).

A bad night sure. But i felt a lot hinged on our penalty miss and Fraser going off injured (as well as Fyvie being out).

We then destroyed Brechin 4-1 (going on 8 nil till McMullan's idiotic red card).

Falkirk away was the next game and was the real eye-opener and insight to deeper lying problems (for me).

blackandtangerine · 12/4/2018 12:40 pm

Tek wrote:
PatReilly wrote:
Tek wrote:
The 6-1 away to them (Falkirk) on January 6th was the match that really started our huge slide.
Do you think so? I would say the slide started when Csaba started messing around with the defence, making changes to the back four when it wasn't necessary.

A confident keeper became shaky, players were played out of position, rarely was the back four the same one week to the next. I was concerned by mid December, and I'm sure the players were too.

We defeated Dunfermline at home in December. Morton away and then hammered Livi at home. Sandwhiched between all that was the abandoned game at Palmerston that we dominated completely by all accounts. Infact we only lost one game in December (v St.Mirren on the 29th).

A bad night sure. But i felt a lot hinged on our penalty miss and Fraser going off injured (as well as Fyvie being out).

We then destroyed Brechin 4-1 (going on 8 nil till McMullan's idiotic red card).

Falkirk away was the next game and was the real eye-opener and insight to deeper lying problems (for me).

I agree. That game completely destroyed any chance we had. Players chucked it that game. Started brightly too with King scoring a decent goal then when they equalised the heads went doon and didnt look interested.
Lazlos team selection baffles me still to this day.

lifesanocean · 12/4/2018 1:57 pm

PatReilly wrote:
Tek wrote:
The 6-1 away to them (Falkirk) on January 6th was the match that really started our huge slide.
Do you think so? I would say the slide started when Csaba started messing around with the defence, making changes to the back four when it wasn't necessary.

A confident keeper became shaky, players were played out of position, rarely was the back four the same one week to the next. I was concerned by mid December, and I'm sure the players were too.

Pish.

When we had a good spell our back 4 was Murdoch Durnan Scobbie Robson.

By the Dunfermline game Murdoch was injured (as was Edge) and remained out for nearly 2 months so Laslo moved Scobbie to right back and brought Quinn in at centre half.

Balantyne was still out on loan in mid-December and couldn't be recalled until Jan 1st (which he was). The only other alternatives were Allardice who was horrendous against Crusaders and was subbied at half time and was also injured for a few weeks thereafter or Briels who was also out injured.

Im not exactly sure how this constitutes mucking about with the defence and I'm really unsure what else any manager could have done?

PatReilly · 12/4/2018 5:56 pm

lifesanocean wrote:
Pish.

When we had a good spell our back 4 was Murdoch Durnan Scobbie Robson.

By the Dunfermline game Murdoch was injured (as was Edge) and remained out for nearly 2 months so Laslo moved Scobbie to right back and brought Quinn in at centre half.

Balantyne was still out on loan in mid-December and couldn't be recalled until Jan 1st (which he was). The only other alternatives were Allardice who was horrendous against Crusaders and was subbied at half time and was also injured for a few weeks thereafter or Briels who was also out injured.

Im not exactly sure how this constitutes mucking about with the defence and I'm really unsure what else any manager could have done?

Our good spell: under Csaba that spell was 3 wins at home and 1 away, plus a draw at Brechin.

Csaba had to make a change after Brechin, and brought in Quinn instead of Edjenguele, who couldn't possibly have been injured as he was on the subs bench and came on late in the match. Edge also came on the following week at Greenock, our only away win in that 'good spell'.

By the Livi game, Quinn was back in, with Scobbie inexplicably moved to right back. Flood, who had previously played right back, was on the bench.

My beef is about playing Quinn, who can hardly move, or kick the ball with his left foot due to past injuries, being periodically brought in, while Scobbie, similarly held back by injuries, should never have been asked to play at right back when Flood was available.

I'm not going to call your post 'pish' LOA, but some of the points you made are not correct.

Tek and blackandtangerine, I'm not disagreeing that the Falkirk game was a huge blow from which we've not recovered, but the rot set in before that, in my view.

Csaba's team selection at Grangemouth was totally perplexing, but it wasn't the genesis of his crazy team choices, as I've tried to illustrate above.

And to point at players being out injured: it's been a commonly stated bugbear of mine that we signed too many players for this season with ongoing, historical injury problems. Like Scobbie and Quinn.

lifesanocean · 12/4/2018 6:04 pm

Its not pish. Quinn was in at the Dunfermline game when Murdoch was injured and started the Livi game, and played well. Witness the move for McDonald's goal (goal of the season). I'm gussing Csaba didn't want to drop him even if Edge was fit. I suspect we were so short though thats why Edge was there.

Edge was basically binned by Laslo for flogging both goals against Crusaders.

You've not even got my name right.

Last edited by lifesanocean (12/4/2018 6:13 pm)

MockChop · 12/4/2018 6:06 pm

Stanton’s suspended, so there will have to be changes.

Couple of goals & a clean sheet is the minimum required here.

PatReilly · 12/4/2018 6:28 pm

lifesanocean wrote:
Its not pish. .............................................

.................................................

You've not even got my name right.

Names are for tombstones.

lifesanocean wrote:

By the Dunfermline game Murdoch was injured (as was Edge)

lifesanocean wrote:

Edge was basically binned by Laslo for flogging both goals against Crusaders.

So Edjenguele wasn't injured?

In any case, you must be the only United fan I know who has any praise or time for Quinn being part of the team.

We'll have to agree to differ.

Last edited by PatReilly (12/4/2018 6:28 pm)

bowers · 12/4/2018 6:30 pm

MockChop wrote:
Stanton’s suspended, so there will have to be changes.

Couple of goals & a clean sheet is the minimum required here.

briels possibly in for stanton

12/4/2018 7:30 pm

bowers wrote:
MockChop wrote:
Stanton’s suspended, so there will have to be changes.

Couple of goals & a clean sheet is the minimum required here.
briels possibly in for stanton

Bit early for a Briels start perhaps?

Also we'll be playing a team that'll sit back in a way Smirren didn't so Briels for me would be too defensive.

Smith or McDonald for Stanton imo

Tek · 12/4/2018 8:40 pm

Agree with that Scarpia.

Might be a wee bit too soon for Briels for me.

Would play McDonald of Fraser (if fit).

kdyteejay · 12/4/2018 11:37 pm

McDonald for me. Fraser to come on as a sub.

Tek · 13/4/2018 12:29 pm

With Livi possibly dropping points tomorrow i would see this game as our last chance at claiming 2nd spot.

We simply must win it tomorrow by any means. We must leave everything out there.

Thought long and hard about it and it has to be McDonald for Stanton.

Billy_Hainey · 13/4/2018 12:58 pm

Gotta be a win. Nothing short. Wouldn't it be great if we could knock in a few goals an'all.

MockChop · 13/4/2018 1:35 pm

Yeah, with regards to 2nd, it’s a must win.

But it’s still a big ask. In Livi’s next 4 they must lose their 2 away games (St Mirren and ourselves on the last day) in between they have Brechin & ICT at home.

So, can Caley do us a favour?

We have to win our 4.

Falkirk H
Brechin A
QOS A - crucial
Livingston H

JerryDungle · 13/4/2018 5:04 pm

MockChop wrote:
Yeah, with regards to 2nd, it’s a must win.

But it’s still a big ask. In Livi’s next 4 they must lose their 2 away games (St Mirren and ourselves on the last day) in between they have Brechin & ICT at home.

So, can Caley do us a favour?

We have to win our 4.

Falkirk H
Brechin A
QOS A - crucial
Livingston H

Not only do Livingston need to lose to St. Mirren and ourselves, we also need them to drop points to either ICT or Brechin. Winning both of those games alone takes them to 64 points, the maximum we can get, and there’s no danger we’re overtaking them on goal difference.

Last edited by JerryDungle (13/4/2018 5:06 pm)

MockChop · 13/4/2018 7:04 pm

a different way of saying what I said.

JerryDungle · 13/4/2018 7:41 pm

MockChop wrote:
a different way of saying what I said.

I thought you intimated that we only needed them to lose to St. Mirren and us.

It's a moot point anyway, there's not a hope in hell we're winning 4 games in a row, not with the Csambler in the dugout, I'm saying 3rd and papped out in the second game of the playoffs by Livi, who go on to lose to Ross County in the final.

Last edited by JerryDungle (13/4/2018 7:41 pm)

MockChop · 13/4/2018 9:37 pm

Yeah it’s definitely a long shot.

Billy_Hainey · 14/4/2018 11:56 am

A win ( by a few goals), Queens to beat Morts, and the 'Chin to beat the Pars, and nae Slabbering would be a good day, bit mibbee asking too much.

14/4/2018 2:31 pm

Same as Tuesday but with Mcdonald for Stanton

Fraser on the bench

SuperMario · 14/4/2018 2:38 pm

Robson in for durnan also, murdoch centre half

14/4/2018 2:59 pm

SuperMario wrote:
Robson in for durnan also, murdoch centre half

Oops - shouldn't have tried to read the team lines upside down 😁

Hopefully push on so the defence isn't tested too much

14/4/2018 3:07 pm

1-0 good pressing, Falkirk error, Mikkelsen scores