Good news is Patterson went off injured with a knee injury against killie yesterday. Again, it can't be a coincidence that we play a consistent team and we win two games back to back for the first time since the last time we played a consistent team. Hopefully it'll be much of the same again on Friday! The team seem to have a bit of confidence back which can only be a good thing! Desperately needed one of our strikers to find form again.

 

In/out: In

Prematch: pub, roseburn?

Match: tynie

Postmatcher: hopefully celebrating a win

Prediction: 2-1 dons, Rooney and hayes

Of course a settled side is very important but in my opinion the two wins v. Partick and ICT immediately before the worst final in AFC history were better than these two most recent wins.

 

Having Shinnie in midfield to accommodate both Taylor and Reynolds is insane.

 

Having Maddison on the bench is also sheer madness. It was he who unlocked the door yesterday.

 

If we agree having a settled side breeds consistency, can we at least not lose sight of what our best 11 actually is?

Out

Snooker

Assume it's on BT Sport (if not picking up a stream from somewhere)

Watch a film

Think best we'll get is a draw. Going 2-2 (Rooney & McGinn)

Fucksake just seen gollum is in charge on Friday 

 

Guaranteed red card

 

:hammer: 

Having Shinnie in midfield to accommodate both Taylor and Reynolds is insane.

 

Having Maddison on the bench is also sheer madness. It was he who unlocked the door yesterday.

 

I'm not sure it is to accommodate Taylor and Reynolds, I think it is to make up for the obvious weakness in our midfield. I'm still not sure which I am more comfortable with. I think Shinnie is an excellent left back, but the same question still arises as it did at the start of the season: is Shinnie a bigger loss in midfield than he is at left back. At the moment (as I thought at the start of the season, but changed my mind later) I think Shinnie is best in midfield. I think that Considine is better at left back than anyone of our other available midfielders is at the pressing game that Shinnie does when playing in midfield. Ergo, Shinnie is a bigger loss to the team in midfield than left back. I do not think that Shinnie is a better midfielder than he is a left back however, just that we don't have adequate replacement in that role.

 

Also, I'd bench Maddison for the hertz game too (and I think McInnes will). The door was unlocked several times against Hamilton (we had already scored one), but for poor finishing we'd have tanked them. Until we get that pressing, strong midfielder I think it's McLean or Maddison for that one role, and I think McLean shades it at the moment. McInnes was right to change it last night, but we sacrificed a good portion of midfield on the counter because of it and I don't think Hertz will let that go. Maddison needs to up his work rate if he's going to make it. With that and a bit of physical development he'll be a fantastic player, but I don't think he's there yet and I don't think he should be an automatic starter for us (I'd play him at home against weaker opposition, where we have less defending to do).

I'm not sure it is to accommodate Taylor and Reynolds, I think it is to make up for the obvious weakness in our midfield. I'm still not sure which I am more comfortable with. I think Shinnie is an excellent left back, but the same question still arises as it did at the start of the season: is Shinnie a bigger loss in midfield than he is at left back. At the moment (as I thought at the start of the season, but changed my mind later) I think Shinnie is best in midfield. I think that Considine is better at left back than anyone of our other available midfielders is at the pressing game that Shinnie does when playing in midfield. Ergo, Shinnie is a bigger loss to the team in midfield than left back. I do not think that Shinnie is a better midfielder than he is a left back however, just that we don't have adequate replacement in that role.

 

Also, I'd bench Maddison for the hertz game too (and I think McInnes will). The door was unlocked several times against Hamilton (we had already scored one), but for poor finishing we'd have tanked them. Until we get that pressing, strong midfielder I think it's McLean or Maddison for that one role, and I think McLean shades it at the moment. McInnes was right to change it last night, but we sacrificed a good portion of midfield on the counter because of it and I don't think Hertz will let that go. Maddison needs to up his work rate if he's going to make it. With that and a bit of physical development he'll be a fantastic player, but I don't think he's there yet and I don't think he should be an automatic starter for us (I'd play him at home against weaker opposition, where we have less defending to do).

 

Obviously. Don't read it literally or with pedantry. Of course he's not that stupid that he "accommodate Taylor AND Reynolds" for any strategic advantage. He's obviously putting Shinnie in midfield because he's a good enough footballer that he can be ok in midfield, ok at best. The facts are that he is playing 3 x CB's in the same team and that compromises both Considine and Shinnie, both playing in weaker roles than they should be and they're not world class footballers to start with (obviously), although Shinnie can be a really good LB if he was left there.

 

We will never win anything playing the quality of our footballers in their weaker roles. We don't pay enough to be able to put round pegs in square holes. The ONE weakness glaringly obvious in our team formation is in midfield. The players we have available to make up the three we need in the middle are from McLean, Jack and Maddison. The rest of the team picks itself or it should do, but McInnes didn't think so in the most important games this season.

 

Lewis

Logan - AOC - Considine - Shinnie

Maddison - NEW REQUIRED - McLean

McGinn - Hayes

Rooney

 

We are weakening ourselves if we do anything else but this and until he gets a good player to fix the obvious problem, it's 2 from 3 and for me, Jack and McLean are fighting for one place and Taylor and Reynolds only get a game to keep AOC and Consi on their toes, which would be good competition although 4 players for 2 spots is an unbalanced luxury our budget can't afford.

 

I agree he will bench Maddison again but I don't agree with it. He DID unlock the door in terms of getting the 3 points yesterday. It was his shot the Hamilton keeper spilled and Rooney doesn't miss stuff handed to him on a plate.

Rocket, agree with your team, but see it as a 4-2-3-1 with Maddison central ahead of two mids, plus  the two wingers. McLean is fine in there when not expected to be the heavy lifter. I assume the missing central midfielder was meant to be O'Connor but he's proved he's not the best in there and effective at the back. This meant a major rethink by DM which he's struggled with all season.

 

Taylor gives us height in a low level league where aerial battles occur. Reynolds is meant to give us pace. However, both get exposed by a weak midfield. Why has O'Connor been dropped? We appear more secure with him there. Getting that midfielder will allow us an extended period of a settled team....... hopefully!

 

Expect a loss tomorrow. Another game that will be physical and a get stuck in game against a team who have out worked us in the past. Very similar pressure in this game to the last two old firm games and we didn't have the bottle for either.

 

Agreed LA Don. A 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 is same-ish really but being an old man (originally brought up on a standard 2-3-5 would you believe!), I think in 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 shapes. Because we only have one decent striker, McGinn and Hayes being good on the wings (particularly Hayes), they're described as attacking midfielders I guess.

 

Football is football though and that doesn't change. Agreed that Maddison supporting the attack is where he's best deployed but we're screaming for someone to break up in the middle and McLean, Jack, Shinnie nor anyone else is it.

 

Also don't expect a good result on Friday. It's going to bite us, this continuing managerial incompetence and I hope for poor Ash Taylor - at least an honest pro - that it's not him who gets exposed and fucks up.

So Paterson out for up to ten months. Surely a game where we get Hayes running at pace at an inexperienced right back.

 

Saw the Paterson incident on tv last night, and whilst I have no axe to grind against the lad it did rather look to me as if he threw himself at the Killie player to take him out and stop him bursting past him. If he did in fact do that, it has certainly backfired big time.

 

Sore one for Hearts, given they thought they were banking a cool million for him in January transfer window.

I wouldnt laugh at this^^^

 

If Reynolds gets injured in the next game, we may not get £100

 

I wouldnt laugh at this^^^

 

If Reynolds gets injured in the next game, we may not get £100

 

 

Fuck sake min...dinnae undersell him.

Surely worth a £100 and a half dozen match balls

Fuck sake min...dinnae undersell him.

Surely worth a £100 and a half dozen match balls

 

Worth a £10 and half a dozen matches....

 

Unfortunately my valuation puts him outwith the financial clout of anyone in Scotland other than the victims and sevco

No making a prediction, but all i want for the rest of the year is the dons to hammer them.

I fucking hate the Edinburgh huns with a passion! Horrible shit of a team and fucked up fans!

 

Will be on live chat for the game, if anybody fancies a blether? But dont spoil it for me if anything exciting happens am always 10mins behind   

No making a prediction, but all i want for the rest of the year is the dons to hammer them.

I fucking hate the Edinburgh huns with a passion! Horrible shit of a team and fucked up fans!

 

Will be on live chat for the game, if anybody fancies a blether? But dont spoil it for me if anything exciting happens am always 10mins behind   

 

I agree, horrible team,horrible fans, never liked them, my dad hated them aswell, think i got the hatred thing from him.  We have an awful record at Tynecastle, why i dont know. In about the hammer throwers right from the start.

C.o.y.r

I hope for a good performance. Great opportunity in the race for second especially after the Hun cunts get their arses wiped the morn.

We really need these 3 points tonight and what a way to end the year beating the worst footballing team in our league, IMO, in their own back garden.

 

We need to stand up well to them, especially at set pieces and not let them intimidate us like they usually do. We are more than capable of beating them, I just hope Deek doesn't tamper with the team too much and doesn't set us up to defend for 90 minutes as if we do we are fucked.

 

COYR!

No making a prediction, but all i want for the rest of the year is the dons to hammer them.

I fucking hate the Edinburgh huns with a passion! Horrible shit of a team and fucked up fans!

 

Will be on live chat for the game, if anybody fancies a blether? But dont spoil it for me if anything exciting happens am always 10mins behind   

 

U not got mobdro? Ive not paid to watch a match in years freebie sky sports bt sport and various worldwide others

 

Hope he doesnt use Stockley for muscle up front.Use our pace,and play through them quickly and I'd fancy our chances.

 

  COYR

    Same team as the last couple of games 

 

LEWIS

LOGAN

SHINNIE

CONSIDINE

TAYLOR

REYNOLDS

JACK

MACLEAN

MCGINN

ROONEY

HAYES

 

Subs -  ALEXANDER,PAWLETT,OCONNOR,MADDISON,BURNS,STOCKLEY,STOREY

 

 

    Same team as the last couple of games

 

Unbelievable,  roseburn is bouncing. Let's hope it's the same after the game! COYR

Young donsdaft's bus got in at 5.00

He'll probably be in the roseburn.

 

Just look out for the loudest loon.

The pre-match chat on BT is a bit tasty tonight. Somebody will lamp Sutton live on TV one of these days.

Trying to get onto chat but no means of reply ??

 

We are over here. http://chat.donstalk.co.uk/example/default.html

Good win 2 good away results over the last week , onwards and upwards, and a bit o a break for everyone

COYR

 

Great win. Well deserved. Good battle and great pressing. Great away performance. Spot on Deek (other than the jittery last 5 perhaps!).