OrlandoDon

I have noticed a few times he’s a poor marker, loses his man a lot. For a so called hard man that’s pretty lame, he’s got the size, what’s the issue??

Stats don’t need to prove it, but consistent teams have settled teams. On our best run last year we didn’t change much. We didn’t have depth and we over ran some players last year. there is no settled team this year. No solid consistent group to build around. Nine games in, how many different midfield pairings and 10 have we had. Midfield is the key, do well we attack and create, poorly and we go on this type of run. Until we find a consistent 3 players to lean on in there, with the odd rest/ rotation, I think we continue to struggle. So far the only one of the three I think merits the start is Armstrong.

Don’t really know where to start, tried to watch some while driving. Looked like we did have more width, were the fullbacks attacking? Anyone actually get to the line and put crosses in? Seems like we also played at more pace, or was that just in the last 20 or so when chasing the game? What I did see was we were very poor at keeping the ball, looked like we really struggled to string passes together, especially in the first half? no clue what strong characters we have that drag us out of this. Armstrong seemed involved, if you ask me I’d be playing devlin shinnie Armstrong, maybe frame?

Didn’t see the game. Better or worse than the motherwell game? Any positives other than not all players being crap? no clue how we turn this around…

Hmm, polvara at 10, or Armstrong? Didn’t expect this lineup. Good to see gyamfi fit.

Agreed, I don’t think he’s in danger. We pursued him for a couple of years, and we’ve gone all in on him. A three yr project was spoken about, and it’s been a total squad overhaul. We’ve allowed him to build his type of player and squad I believe, including signing ex players, you don’t then can the coach. To be honest, I’m sure his start last year was a surprise to jimmy and cormack, and a cup win was unexpected. It’s a three yr project minimum and we’re only starting year two. Add to the fact we’ve signed bilalovic kjarten and frame, all who I think are ones for the future, I think the club is all in on long term jimmy.

That’s not just us, it’s a very common thing these days to have the whole team back. I don’t get it at all, as you say, leave one up they’ll leave two back, plus it helps if we counter attack.

See we’re up against Luca Stephenson on Tuesday. I didn’t realize he was back at utd on loan. What happened there? Did we try to sign him permanently and he wanted to stay at Liverpool? I think I’m right in saying he’s a deep midfielder playing where we’re seeing shinnie sivert and Armstrong yesterday?

I think we have quite ‘reasonable’ people here, most of us are willing to give jimmy time as we don’t want to sack a manager every season, plus a rebuild every season doesn’t make sense. Seems most of us are in agreement there. Plus I do think it’s fair to factor in a complete squad overhaul. You can’t throw 20 new players at a guy in 12 months and expect it to be smooth. Every window since jimmy came has been significant change. As I said recently, i think it’s fair that by Xmas we should have an idea of what we are and what jimmy can do. means little but we’ve been unlucky. Two debatable red cards affected games, prior to the devlin red I felt it was just a matter of time before we scored against falkirk. Against livi we missed a handful of chances, yesterday it was easier for kneuster to score than miss, a devlin header that could easily have gone in or bounced out for a tap in. While we didnt create a lot yesterday, we were unlucky with those two and on another day we’d score 2-3 against livi. We won those games last autumn. we’re also not conceding a shit ton of goals or seeing opponents miss a ton of chances. At the same time though, I thought we saw a little bit of fear and nervousness at the back yesterday and if this form continues that will get worse. whats concerning and needs improved asap is our style of play. I see highlights of other teams at the moment and wish we played like that. Even the way motherwell played yesterday, building out the back they were quite tidy, plus their speed of attack, had me wishing we played like that. Hibs play some nice football, hearts too. St mirren. Even falkirk looked decent. we have to create width, we have to involve our 9, and we have to attack at speed. It’s been far too much sideways and backwards between defenders and midfielders that we are slow and we allow teams to get back and get set. At present we are easy to defend against. So far there’s also little difference between yengi nisbet or lazetic, they have all touched the ball so little, they are rarely involved in our play. There’s many reasons our 9 has to touch the ball and be involved in the play. where have our attacking fullbacks gone? Devlin and Mackenzie were our best players early last season. Even Jensen was more attack minded last season. That style or tactic has vanished. We’re starting to see glimpses from gyamfi. im not seeing enough from topi to merit a weekly start. Why are we continuing with polvara as a winger. We’ve spent a fair amount of money, those two decisions don’t sit well with me at present. I def think milanovic and karlsson merit a regular start, maybe milanovic picked up a knock with the aussies? Polvara doesn’t provide pace or width. I’d like to see Belalovic, gyamfi, or frame given a run at left mid before polvara. said it yesterday, wonder if two away games help us where the home team should be more attack minded and give us some more space to attack into, or give us more counter attacking opportunities which gave us some success last season.

Other than maybe milanovic for topi, i’d run it back, same team as today. As mentioned, we need some sort of consistency and chopping and changing, particularly in center mid, on a game basis isn’t necessary or overly helpful. There will come a time where squad rotation is needed, don’t think we are there yet. hopefully gyamfi is fit, would like to see him improve by the game, plus prefer not to see devlin on his weaker side. Obviously would rather see devlin at right back but that won’t happen. wonder if playing away will actually help us. You’d expect united to attack us, potentially leaving us space to attack them in the counter. While no team fears us, the last 3 games at pittodrie we have been the more dominant and teams have tended to counter attack us. 2-1 us, nisbet and karlsson the incentive to put the Huns bottom of the league has to be an added motivation!

What’s the point in spending a fair chunk of money on VAR if we are going to come out each week and announce where decisions were wrong? Saw the comments about the shankland hand ball leading to his goal, a rangers goal etc. Given the number of mistakes we are seeing weekly, I’d argue it would be just as good/bad and certainly more enjoyable without VAR.

From what I remember, the only corner that beat the first man was devlin’s header that hit the bar. given karlsson has been here maybe 2 weeks, how much practice have we done on corners with him taking them? If we have set routines that takes practice, or is it just hit and hope?

Agree, plus have we really seen what milanovic can do?

Better place for this discussion, with Gunn leaving I hope we are taking a step back and looking about what the team and club needs next. Who oversees the first team? As many have said, we’ve funded the manager and the team, let’s look at the support/accountability system.

It depends on the responsibilities of his role, but I believe to be hired in football you should know something about football and be around it enough, involved in meetings/discussions, were you are exposed to more than us. Obviously if you are our accountant that’s different, but if you are making decisions that affect the first team, you should have some understanding, more than the average fan.

100%. For better or worse we’ve backed him fully, and built a squad (I believe) to his liking. As has been said, so much squad overhaul in the last year plus, pretty much the entire squad. While I can’t say for sure, I don’t recall a period where within 12 months our starting 11 were all new players, no spine of long term core players. Other than a center mid, assuming it’s not kjarten, I think the squad is more or less built and now it’s time to see what jimmy can do. I think by Xmas we should have a better understanding. At the same time, we’re getting close to two games per week every week which bring little full squad training. There’s the excuse for squad rotation as well as lack of training to work on stuff. the focus now has to be replacing Gunn with a person and role that oversees the first team squad, including performance.

Which is why we maybe invested in Frame when we already had devlin and shinnie as back up.

I was talking team selection and the right mid/wing position, season to date I dont see a reason to favor topi over milanovic or vice versa. For that position, their job is to get goals and assists.

I’d expect him to know more about football than the general fan. He’s professionally hired to perform a role successfully at the club, he should know more than the average punter. That doesn’t mean he’s an effective coach, but he should know more to do his job effectively, and since his job is football he should have a better than average knowledge of football and our team. plus he sees us more than fans and is in situations/discussions about our team and club that fans are not. He knows more about the inner workings of our team and club. i compare fans to hair dressers and mechanics, we all go to games, just like we all own a car and have hair. Doesn’t mean we can all cut hair or fix cars, just like it doesn’t mean our opinions of what we see in football are correct. But when you are hired in the industry I expect there to be a professional knowledge. The extent of that depends on the job specifics.

I thought he did well and he could, if tactics and coaching allow it, be another attacking full back like Mackenzie, who was also not that fast.

Agreed, I’m not questioning jensen’s decision making, totally agree he gets the ball in a position where he’s rarely capable of attacking the line. He’s also getting the ball to feet when he should be running onto the ball much of the time. I don’t think he has the strength like gyamfi or the speed to get to the line often. I think gyamfi himself said when signed pace was a strength. Hopefully he pushes on and attacks more often.

I don’t know what to think in that sense. I’m an ‘A’ licensed coach with 30 yrs coaching experience, not obviously at the pro level but decent standard. I have to think people at the professional level know and see more than us/me. Even on my coaching courses there were next level guys streets ahead of me in their thoughts and ability and we were doing the same courses. I have to think that Thelin Gunn and burrows know more than us and question each other regularly in a subjective manner. as for summer failure and last day gambling, I don’t think we can definitively say we failed yet. I question the tactics for now but think, and we disagree here, we have picked up some good players.

Inverted wingers work with attacking full backs and a smart number 9. Look at Liverpool with salah, never seen him on the left, it’s not about switching wings, you need a 9 to move defenders, quite often running diagonally inside out pulling the central defenders out of position, and creating space for the inverted winger to play into. If the 9 isn’t dragging central defenders, and the full back is not outside or overlapping making the defense still defend wide areas, then the opposing fullback doesn’t fear the space outside, he shows inside and the middle gets clogged. That’s when we cut in and go backwards, there’s nothing on forward. We must have Jensen/devlin/gyamfi getting beyond the winger, and an active and mobile 9. So far we’ve given the wide guy the ball and we’re incredibly predictable, rarely a wide option from the 9 running diagonally or the fullback overlapping. Last season plan b was sub morris getting outside, so far this year there is no plan b. Putting karlsson on the right gave us nothing, and Polvara on the left is more of the same and doesn’t challenge the opponent to even think or adapt. Plus he’s not a good winger.

Problem is, I think we do have good players. I think we do have players that will take risks. I am really concerned about tactics. When you don’t have width the field gets smaller. Easier to defend. Give us width stretching the opponent and players like aouchiche have much more space and can be effective penetrating centrally. We are also slow and the lack of width makes us slower. So much cutting inside and going sideways or backwards. We give so much time for opponents to get back and be organized. We are our own worst enemy. I hate saying it, but look at the success Morris had simply kicking and running for the most part. He got down the line and created goals. He wasn’t nearly consistent enough but he showed what width and getting to the line can do. Not only are our wide guys not doing it, we’re not seeing the full backs do it. We had success with devlin bombing down the line, Mackenzie on the other side. That has gone.

We don’t attack at speed and the lack of width, which I believe are tactics, means we cut in and go back. Other teams get time to get back, be compact, and organised. We hurt ourselves and that makes it so much harder to create chances. i like polvara but why are we playing him as a winger? That doesn’t work either. More cutting inside, slowing down, and clogging space.