Rangers v Aberdeen

[Kowalski]

If Clarkson doesn’t start on Sunday then the assumption will be he is off. Sadly. 

[RicoS321]

42 minutes ago, Kowalski said:

If Clarkson doesn’t start on Sunday then the assumption will be he is off. Sadly. 

I don't think so. We've just built a squad in which it is difficult to accommodate him. I'd play a 3-1-4-2, with Clarkson behind Shinnie and Aouchiche (if fit), but that leaves Armstrong out. Any midfield that includes Clarkson and Armstrong will be necessarily weak. Ideally Clarkson plays with two ball winners (or players that cover a lot of ground). It's not as simple as just playing him.

[wee toon red]

Chucking Clarkson in just because he's "good" is exactly the type of thing Lutz meant when he said we've got lots of good individual players but they don't fit together as a team. It would be super if we had a squad set up to accommodate a player of Clarkson's style and ability but I'm not sure that we do, hence why he's being left out a lot.

[The.Moog]

10 hours ago, DonUnder said:

I'm not convinced it's "5"s we need. The goals we are conceding are not towering headers. The Falkirk guy was a big lad but he had to stoop. We need a defender that attacks the ball a McKimmie or a Mabbut?  Showing my age but big slow centre halves are exactly that.

Reading the game shouldn't need to be taught and, by the time they are pro's, it's too late anyway.

The goals we are conceding are all headers though.

I’m not sorry to say it as we play in Scottish football and you have to be able to handle the demands of that - we are crying out for a Pollock type in there or a John Hughes type as Orlando said - abso fucking lutely.

A big hairy arsed CH who wins everything and dominates physically.

What a difference that would make - just like Pollock did.

We’ve got a shower of lightweight wet wipes in there and its being shown up every single week and costing us big time…

Edited yesterday at 10:51 by The.Moog

[Kowalski]

1 hour ago, RicoS321 said:

I don't think so. We've just built a squad in which it is difficult to accommodate him. I'd play a 3-1-4-2, with Clarkson behind Shinnie and Aouchiche (if fit), but that leaves Armstrong out. Any midfield that includes Clarkson and Armstrong will be necessarily weak. Ideally Clarkson plays with two ball winners (or players that cover a lot of ground). It's not as simple as just playing him.

Armstrong and Aouchiche are both candidates for being dropped. These are two of the players that have been playing most weeks and we have been pish. 
 

[DonUnder]

17 minutes ago, The.Moog said:

The goals we are conceding are all headers though.

I’m not sorry to say it as we play in Scottish football and you have to be able to handle the demands of that - we are crying out for a Pollock type in there or a John Hughes type as Orlando said - abso fucking lutely.

A big hairy arsed CH who wins everything and dominates physically.

What a difference that would make - just like Pollock did.

We’ve got a shower of lightweight wet wipes in there and its being shown up every single week and costing us big time…

We may have to agree to disagree.

Strachan or Harper could have won that ball. Leaving a space 8 yards from the centre of goal for someone to run into is the issue.

I'll concede the boy at Dundee gives our lot a torrid time but I don't remember too many hanging headers it's poor fckg defending that's the issue.

[The.Moog]

1 hour ago, DonUnder said:

We may have to agree to disagree.

Strachan or Harper could have won that ball. Leaving a space 8 yards from the centre of goal for someone to run into is the issue.

I'll concede the boy at Dundee gives our lot a torrid time but I don't remember too many hanging headers it's poor fckg defending that's the issue.

We will - to an extent.

Fundamentally, we are badly coached at set pieces across the board. The amount of goals we concede demonstrates that.

But, we are also incapable of dealing with any type of ball into the box, corners, crosses, free kicks, long throws.

We are also incapable of dealing with long balls over the top, and our CH’s lose way too many one on one headers versus attacking players.

It’s because they are either physically weak, not big or tall enough, just not good in the air, lack the required aggression for the position or a combination of all of the above.

Every single one of them.

Ergo, we desperately need a Pollock / Hughes type, or that issue ain’t going anywhere no matter who we put in charge…

Edited yesterday at 12:52 by The.Moog

[Elgindon]

Re Mitov - Think he's still a good keeper,the leaky defence may be giving him the jitters.Cant remember him flapping as much last season as he is this

[OrlandoDon]

5 minutes ago, Elgindon said:

Re Mitov - Think he's still a good keeper,the leaky defence may be giving him the jitters.Cant remember him flapping as much last season as he is this

Very normal with any team, shit defense is more pressure on the keeper, and he comes off his line more since he knows defenders won’t win headers. As a result he makes poor choices. You’ll see him in no man’s land and not get to crosses. Was the case with Lewis, when we had a shit defense he got worse.

Edited yesterday at 13:01 by OrlandoDon

[tlg1903]

54 minutes ago, Elgindon said:

Re Mitov - Think he's still a good keeper,the leaky defence may be giving him the jitters.Cant remember him flapping as much last season as he is this

He didn't have as many howlers for sure but he's always had a wee mistake him and I've not been 100% convinced of him for at least a year now.  The problem he has right now more than anything else though is his confidence is clearly shot which is leading to even more erratic decisions.   At the very least there is solid grounds to be taking him out of the firing line for a few games.  

[BigAl]

14 minutes ago, tlg1903 said:

He didn't have as many howlers for sure but he's always had a wee mistake him and I've not been 100% convinced of him for at least a year now.  The problem he has right now more than anything else though is his confidence is clearly shot which is leading to even more erratic decisions.   At the very least there is solid grounds to be taking him out of the firing line for a few games.  

Whilst not necessarily disagreeing with your last sentence, the issue in my eyes is that we have a back up keeper that has come from playing with Cove Rangers (no disrespect intended) and we literally have no idea as to the extent of his capabilities.

Oh for a Peter Kjaer type signing.

Alternatively where's John Burridge these days 

[wokinginashearerwonderland]

1 hour ago, OrlandoDon said:

Very normal with any team, shit defense is more pressure on the keeper, and he comes off his line more since he knows defenders won’t win headers. As a result he makes poor choices. You’ll see him in no man’s land and not get to crosses. Was the case with Lewis, when we had a shit defense he got worse.

^^^^^^This, absolutely.

Dealing with corner kicks is primary school stuff.  Again, all the new age laptop boffins will try to convince you that you need some set piece coach with a PhD in fitba tactics.  Jist heed the ba awa.  Nay difficult.

 

[Mason89]

2 hours ago, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

^^^^^^This, absolutely.

Dealing with corner kicks is primary school stuff.  Again, all the new age laptop boffins will try to convince you that you need some set piece coach with a PhD in fitba tactics.  Jist heed the ba awa.  Nay difficult.

 

Nothing drives me up the wall more than how we set up for corners. I don’t think we’ve done it properly since Jimmy Calderwood 

 

[tlg1903]

3 hours ago, BigAl said:

Whilst not necessarily disagreeing with your last sentence, the issue in my eyes is that we have a back up keeper that has come from playing with Cove Rangers (no disrespect intended) and we literally have no idea as to the extent of his capabilities.

Oh for a Peter Kjaer type signing.

Alternatively where's John Burridge these days 

We missed a trick not taking Scott Bain back if you ask me.  Whilst not the most glamorous sigining he was available on a free, would have been handy for the euro squad as he came through the dons youth system, and would have been genuine competition for Mitov.  Is he at good at pens as Mitov?  No, but hes defo far more solid in pretty much every other regard and I feel safe saying we would have more points on the board if he was our Goalie.