OrlandoDon

Very meh first half. I’m not for defending all game. Unfortunate on the goal but it’s pretty much all Celtic. We have to come out at some point to try to get back into it. agree RE topi, not involved and doesn’t keep the ball. If we are going to continue playing this way I’d put Morris up with nisbet. expect more of the same until 65 mins or so then we’ll change shape. Unless Celtic score again sooner.

Pretty much a back 5, devlin on the left. 5-3-2/3-5-2

I do like the fact he has us not knowing how we’ll line up. Why not mix it up a little, they’ve pumped us recently so make them think. I do see the same formation, difference we don’t have a natural 10 but Milne Clarkson and palaversa in there. The wide areas will be interesting, shinnie and topi left I assume, or do we pigeon hole Jensen or devlin at LB? Since we’ve never seen Jensen and devlin on the right together I think we may see one of them at LB and shinnie left mid.

I’m thinking it’s Milne in center mid, devlin and Jensen on the right and shinnie and topi on the left. Bit more beef centrally in front of dorrington and knoester. as much as I like tobers, he’s not match sharp and dorrington has done well. then again, Jensen left back shinnie left mid? Topi and devlin on the right?? clearly we’ve identified they are strong wide and Milne is the stop gap in the middle.

Back 5? Jensen at LB? Or shinnie LB and devlin ahead of Jensen as we’ve all been asking? (Or Jensen ahead of devlin?? Milne the protective holding kid? So many questions!!

I’m fucked now. Stay and watch the game and a loss is all on me.

Willie Miller on the bbc site predicting 2-1 us, and it’s Brian Irvine’s birthday today. Kids woke up and are watching a you tube documentary of the sinking of the titanic (Celtic?) wife wants to take the kids to a blueberry farm this morning, if I go, dons win for sure and I miss the game. These are all signs. 3-2 us, nisbet Clarkson topi

Cup final week and you’d think summer had kicked in here. Quiet. I may be wrong, but it seems we have lost 2 goals in minutes 20-30 against Celtic in some of the more recent games, and we’re two down at least at half. Even the most recent game, two one down at half but took a bit of a beating for much of the first half. What do we do differently?? Our holding mid protects the back 4 but neither Clarkson or palaversa have really played that defensive destructor role. How do we tighten it up? fear shinnie may be a weak link at left back, slightly lacking in pace. What’s the chances Mackenzie starts and we see Shinnie in center mid?? Unlikely, but I don’t know how we mix it up in the hope of a better result??

Am I the mental right winger? Does that make me a better right winger than Shady Mo? I dont know hearts squad well enough, but Mcinnes had really good players to work with he came to us, good core to begin with and some strong signings. Many Scots too. I don’t think hearts have that foundation, plus how much do they have to spend? I think he’ll do reasonably well but does he have enough to win trophies or outwit the old firm? I don’t think so, especially with Celtic being so far ahead. At the same time, agree 100%, and I think this partly contributed to his downfall, he was so negative against the old firm that I think that affected our players before those games even started. We were scared. I don’t see him being drastically different with his approach. im hoping as much as anything, but you’re right, weve been more attack minded against them this year. With a few more key signings and a full preseason, and generally just more time under jimmy, maybe we’ll have a go but be stronger defensively. I suppose we have to remind ourselves that JT had a pretty shit team to begin with (unlike Mcinnes) add a sprinkling of summer signings, then we added a full new defense in January while a number of the team were overplayed and exhausted - no winter break to have a mid season preseason or rest. we also didn’t have a center forward until nisbet finally showed up, even though I think he wasn’t that good and did little in the last few games. We didn’t quite find our rhythm after the January window but we’ve seen glimpses of good play. i still think Scottish players bring identity, culture, and cohesion to a Scottish team. Bring the heart. Sadly, don’t see many/any coming any time soon, who is available, affordable, and the level we are needing? What’s worse is Mackenzie and Doohan probably go, devlin out of favor, shinnie is aging, and nisbet may not be back. I’m surprised others haven’t commented about this. Nothing wrong with foreign players, I just wish we had more Scottish because I’m Scottish and the dons are Scottish. That’s all.

Thought more about Mackenzie and devlin in the last 24 hours. Our best two players early season, both get Scotland call ups, and then wtf. Season couldn’t have gone worse for them. Don’t think either have been treated well, two Scottish players who definitely gave their all for us. Devlin in particular, been a great signing, fully committed Scot who has played well. While Jensen is more technical, is he a better player than devlin? No clue what Mackenzie has said or done, but even with the lack of (known) transfer activity, can’t see him staying.

Posted and deleted, I’ll try again! For the last 27 games, for us that’s 22 points and a goal difference of -27. For relegated st Johnstone, in that same time period they also picked up 22 points with a goal difference of -19. We were they worst team in the league from November 11. That is awful!

I’ll throw this here, horrible run of form coincides with devlin getting knackered, injured, and benched, and Mackenzie dropping out of the team. Early season and success came with those two being two of our best, if not best two players. Any transfer gossip for Mackenzie, any left backs being linked to us?

Was thinking something similar after the game. Early season it was get them in to jimmy at HT and things would get better, maybe a sub or two and we kick on and win the game. Recently it’s been a poor 2nd half and we go backwards. Plus some questionable subbing like we’re clutching at straws/desperate and out of answers. nisbet coming off today was like subbing Morris or topi in games when they were clearly our most productive attacking player, has been a thing. a knackered nisbet is still better than Ambrose, even stick topi up top and bring devlin to right mid. As I keep saying, not gunning for JT but he’s making us ask questions. Hoping a summer clear out and new signings gives a more capable squad for him to work with.

You were there, i stopped watching closely by that point. I will say I thought we went long hit and hope today, haven’t really seen that this season. We looked desperate. To a fault I felt we stuck to our passing game in other games when we could have been more direct. But more direct should still have a purpose, diagonal long balls, players pulling markers for a long ball in behind a defense etc. I didn’t see that today, I just saw long hopeful/hopeless balls.

Cons, not having a plan B? For example, do you adapt a style of play or formation when we are chasing a game? I agree we have a passing style, but I’d say that was from keeper to midfield, and midfield/attack we really struggled to create and I can’t say we had an attacking style.

And by no means do I want a coaching change, we’ve done that too much in the last 5 years, but questions have to be fairly asked. No plan B is a crime and for the rest of the season results were pretty crap. We looked good at times but this league is about grinding out results. I certainly hope it’s been a learning experience for JT. Obviously getting half a dozen new players in will help, but he didn’t get enough out of this current squad, and the last 4 games we looked uninterested and unmotivated in parts of each game. In the other threat out coached today was mentioned, and I totally agree, motivation is a factor and is JT too nice? any news on a new Killie manager? Any interest in Leven for that? And are we filling the coaching position after the assistant went back to Sweden?

I’ll add a more detailed post sometime but interesting first season for him. We clearly had a style of play early season, hit an attacking central player who was able to hold the ball up while the wide guys pushed on, then move the ball forward. Plenty of nice counters early doors. then teams figured us out and no plan B. What did JT do from there? That’s my big disappointment, since then jTs team had no positive identity. Yea it’s clear we like to play possession, but we were pretty poor in the final third or breaking teams down, and we had plenty of time to work on that. We went to shit pretty much after everyone played us and teams adapted. Not only do we not create, today’s a day we started well yet don’t get a second and push on. Even two up we tend to fall out of it. Zero killer instinct from this team and I wonder if that’s JTs style and demeanor. Need to bully punch kick etc.

Season can’t end soon enough, and we’re in a cup final. Feel free to correct me, but since the st mirren away game when we lost our winning run, we’ve been pretty shit. A few good wins but curious to know the league points from that point on (not just us, but standings from then.) excited to get players in, but we have to get players out. We have a bloated squad that isn’t good enough, Thelin has seen enough to know who is good enough. I’m equally excited to see a player leave compared to one come in. What’s the deal with sivert? What’s the injury? Curious if we’ll try to punt him despite the 3 year deal. Both he and shinnie will be 34 soon and don’t have the legs for center mid for a full season. Shinnie has been decent at left back but has clearly been exposed at times. roll on the summer rebuild part 2.

Not excusing, just trying to understand what happened. Did we go to fight/pitch invasion or was it them, that’s my question, just trying to understand the idiocy.

So united pitch invasion invites this reaction , or did a section of our fans just go nuts?? From what I am reading jack’s hit by an object/chair thrown by one of us, but who is on the pitch?

Would be nice! Illegal to catch them, kill them, or feed them i believe. Basically you have to wait until they eat your dog or kid before you can approach them. We asked for someone to take it away since it’s close to my house and I have a pool. Don’t want my kids jumping in to find him at the bottom! They won’t do anything until it ‘threatens’ us.

Tree in my back yard, but if you zoom in behind you’ll see my new neighbor, arrived about a month ago. Apparently they grow about a foot every year.

I brought him up about 25 mins in as he was a big physical loon who was involved and had just had a decent shot on goal. I said he’s a good squad player to have, much like Morris. He offers something off the bench was my point. Don’t think anyone said he was good!

Was he outcoached? How? I saw united in the second half try harder. They scored two that came from wide play if I recall, penalty a result of us not clearing a cross (I could be wrong!) they were better in the second half and wanted it more, simple as that if you ask me.

Every season, regardless of our situation, we are competing for third. The only difference this year is rangers are shite and 2nd was possible. bigger picture, year one of a three year project, not bad. Could it have been better and am I disappointed, absolutely. scottish football is a battle much of the time and we are no where near close to having a team who has the mental and physical capabilities to win a fight. Last four games really give a good case for where we are as all games meant something. Very optimistic finish to last season, close to total opposite this season, and a cup final that could be awful next week. Winning next week would be amazing, but that still doesn’t hide the fact we are a seriously flawed team, and that includes the management team. still totally behind JT but questions are certainly being asked. Last four games showed a lot of what we have deep down, and that’s concerning.