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Jimmy Calderwood spoke to RedTV at lunchtime. "Team news is that Jamie Smith is out but he should be back training with the lads on Monday which is great news. Gary McDonald has failed a fitness test. He may be fit for the Tuesday game but will definitely be available for United next Saturday. The rest are all fit. Gary McDonald

 

"I think the fact Hearts have lost their captain and arguably their best player in Christophe Berra must be a blow to the team.The Hearts defence had been very formidable and with the two big men in the centre they used this to their benefit and often made other teams play the long high ball because they knew those guys could handle it.

 

"Fair play to Christophe as his game has come on leaps and bounds recently and he has taken the move down south and I wish him all the best. I remember watching him as a young lad.

 

"I think it will be a wonderful game on Saturday. It was a great game down there earlier in the season in very difficult conditions. If both teams can get to that level then both sets of supporters are in for a very entertaining game. It is always one of the best venues to go to. There is always a great atmosphere. We always take down a superb crowd. They have a great set of supporters and it is very intimidating but I think we have handled that reasonably well in recent years.

 

"It's going to be an extremely big game for us on Saturday and then again the following week with United. There is no reason why we can't take the full points from these games and that would put us in a very good position with third spot in mind.

 

"Both teams have been nip and tuck for third position for the past four and a half years. They had a wonder season a few years back when they got second position, a superb feat but apart from that it has been very close between us and it will also be nip and tuck until the end of this season.

 

"I have set the guys a target of 65 points and there is no reason we can achieve this, if we can get 9 victories over the remaining 14 games then I think we will secure third spot and a direct route back into Europe."

 

Remember and do your predictors too folks http://www.thedandies.co.uk/messageboard/index.php?board=3.0

 

 

Foster lucky to escape a red card for a challenge on Nade according to the Scot on Sun?

Foster lucky to escape a red card for a challenge on Nade according to the Scot on Sun?

 

Saw that myself as well.  I thought he won the ball but would have to see it again.

Saw that myself as well.  I thought he won the ball but would have to see it again.

 

Me too

Foster lucky to escape a red card for a challenge on Nade according to the Scot on Sun?

 

Mentioned in a few of the papers. Thought at the game he was lucky to get away with a booking.

WTF re your comment on Tommy Wright?!, he was shite shite shite!.

 

I personally thought we seemed to attack a bit more when Wright came on. He just got into there faces when he went on, which none of the other members of the squad seem to have the balls to do, and we seemed to have a bit more fight in us. He should of done better when the ball was caught up in his feet in front of goal even though he was offside.

In his defence, when he won it in the air he generally got the ball to one of his own, get him match fit and then we can judge him better.

 

I thought we looked more purposeful when Wright came on and started to challenge more in the final third although I'm not certain that was entirely down to his introduction. He looked very uncomfortable around the ball but I think you are right, he was seriously lacking something in terms of match fitness/practice or confidence yesterday.

I thought we looked more purposeful when Wright came on and started to challenge more in the final third although I'm not certain that was entirely down to his introduction. He looked very uncomfortable around the ball but I think you are right, he was seriously lacking something in terms of match fitness/practice or confidence yesterday.

 

From the radio, it certainly sounded like we started to attack or even get a mention on the radio after Wright came on. I wouldn't be surprised by his lack of confidence since he's been out for months. Hopefully it'll grow in weeks to come and we'll see if we have a player or not.

From the radio, it certainly sounded like we started to attack or even get a mention on the radio after Wright came on. I wouldn't be surprised by his lack of confidence since he's been out for months. Hopefully it'll grow in weeks to come and we'll see if we have a player or not.

 

The (long awaited) re-jig of the team and bringing on Considine and Maguire prior to Wright coming on had a positive effect. Wright did get stuck in and was pulling shirts etc, but he had two chances (including the one which would have been offside) and did nothing. Maguire on the other hand had a great strike and was unlucky it hit the post.

Think moving Seve into midfield and bringing on Bebo to replace the amazingly shit Young (got to wonder why this clown is getting a new deal) and Duff had more to do with our imporovement than Wrights introduction. 

Wright added some bite that we lacked, jambo player had a wee go at tommy but quckly backd down, Wright also got in about robbie the tramp just a pity he was poor at everything else.

 

I mised Maguires' "wonderful moment" which I am not bothered about, just annoyed we never attacked more in the first and second half, hearts are shite.

I've just seen Mackie's goal on the BBC highlights.  Wow, that's best goal he's scored for us.  It was a belter!

Was on livechat for the game, sounded like we had a brilliant start to the game and were having a good go at hearts, Mackie scores a belter then the commentator says calderwood is giving instructions to his players and i knew we were fucked.

 

Everyone was saying the same thing, why change something that is working

i was under the impression that it was jimmy who was instructing his players to go forward whereas they just get dropping deeper?

 

 

I was under the impression we'd switched to 2-4-4 at some point in the second half?  (perhaps too late?)

Just watched the highlights, what a finish from Mackie! Maguire was very unlucky as well, and followed it up with a great pass that (despite being offside) Wright should have finished, but hopefully that will come with match fitness. What the hell Mulgrew was doing for the second goal I will never know, have they never heard play to the whistle?!?

 

I was under the impression we'd switched to 2-4-4 at some point in the second half?  (perhaps too late?)

 

It certainly sounded like it, Bugle was on full blast! Shame it didn't pay off.

Mackies goal was a cracker, Hearts first was not too shabby either.

 

A nice wee victory over United next weekend and we're back on track. Saturday's result was a setback but we're still very much in the mix for third.

 

 

A nice wee victory over United next weekend and we're back on track. Saturday's result was a setback but we're still very much in the mix for third.

 

 

Completely agree, but as long as we do it, otherwise its just a standardly AFC mountain to climb!

I was under the impression we'd switched to 2-4-4 at some point in the second half?  (perhaps too late?)

 

why go 4-5-1 to lose two goals then when its too late change to 2-4-4?

I was under the impression we'd switched to 2-4-4 at some point in the second half?  (perhaps too late?)

 

Correct 

 

 

Players must deal with crucial periods in game and not switch off

By Jimmy Calderwood

 

Published: 16/02/2009

 

WE HAVE been very disappointed with our away form in the past few weeks, but we started the game very well.

 

Hearts are a good side, with a very strong midfield, but we were on top in those early stages.

 

We passed them off the park and we managed to get a wonderful goal.

 

It was great vision from Charlie Mulgrew. He put it on a sixpence for Darren Mackie and it was a finish fit to win any game.

 

We have got the youngest team in the SPL and the players switched off. We never got a grip of the game from then until half-time. Our passing got sloppy.

 

They got their goal following a contentious throw-in award but they still had 90 yards to go and we managed to concede a goal 30 seconds before the break.

 

It gave the whole stadium a lift. Up until then it had been strangely quiet for Tynecastle, but they came out in the second half and for the first 20 minutes we struggled.

 

I thought we were defending fairly well but it was a stupid goal to concede.

 

Charlie was in the wrong starting position and was ball watching which allowed Andrew Driver to get in at the back post.

 

We did not have ideal training facilities last week with the weather and a few of the players looked tired.

 

We tried to freshen things up a bit with a couple of substitutions and went 2-4-4.

 

They threatened on the counter-attack but we were unlucky with Chris Maguire's effort hitting the post. That is football.

 

I am usually raging after a defeat but I am more disappointed this time.

 

We have a young team but the players have to learn how to deal with crucial times of the game.

 

There is a long way to go in the race for third.

i was under the impression that it was jimmy who was instructing his players to go forward whereas they just get dropping deeper?

 

 

 

If that was the case then why did it take JC so long to make the changes?

I thought THE WHOLE midfield four of Young, Kerr, Vidal and Duff were ABSOLUTELY GASH!!!  Poorest selection I`ve seen for this area of the field for a very, very, long time.  They showed no bite or ability to impose themselves on the game or any other match whatsoever.  Think we need a massive upheavel in each of these positions to be honest.  Why have we never had two tricky wee wingers for ages? 

I thought THE WHOLE midfield four of Young, Kerr, Vidal and Duff were ABSOLUTELY GASH!!!  Poorest selection I`ve seen for this area of the field for a very, very, long time.  They showed no bite or ability to impose themselves on the game or any other match whatsoever.  Think we need a massive upheavel in each of these positions to be honest.  Why have we never had two tricky wee wingers for ages?   

 

Kerr was far from 'absolutely gash' SeeBass. A contender for MOTM

Ladette,

            That`s what opinions are all about....suppose we`ll just have to agree to disagree eh?  I`ve never been a fan of Mark`s and don`t think I ever will be.  What he did in your eyes to warrant being a MOTM contender I`ll never know.  It seemed whenever he had the ball he either lost it or passed it backwards. 

Think moving Seve into midfield and bringing on Bebo to replace the amazingly shit Young (got to wonder why this clown is getting a new deal) and Duff had more to do with our imporovement than Wrights introduction. 

 

Is the correct answer.