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The midfield is the major issue.


KingKirk

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35 minutes ago, The Godfather said:

They have had a far worse time of it than us in regards to missing players and have dealt with it significantly better than us. 

That's the worrying thing. 

Have they? 

When you’re talking a four point swing this weekend alone on injury time goals, there’s a fair amount to be said for luck being the biggest factor. Especially when you consider another four point swing with us drawing against Aberdeen after they score a penalty and Celtic beating Hearts after they hit they inside of the post with one.

If all that fortune swings in our favour instead of theirs we’re sitting with a 12-odd point gap and looking forward to Wednesday…

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We had a starting midfield of Kamara, Arfield & Aribo with Jack and an upcoming Lowry on the bench. That is hardly a major issue. A creative midfielder costs millions and we have decided to stay with Kamara & Aribo until the summer.

Wait and look at their starting midfield on Wednesday and compare to ours at least on paper and see who has the issue.

Our issue all season has been the left side of the central defence. And also yesterday it was who started as our striker. 

Kamara had a rare off-day. It happens.

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Just now, Creampuff said:

Have they? 

When you’re talking a four point swing this weekend alone on injury time goals, there’s a fair amount to be said for luck being the biggest factor. Especially when you consider another four point swing with us drawing against Aberdeen after they score a penalty and Celtic beating Hearts after they hit they inside of the post with one.

If all that fortune swings in our favour instead of theirs we’re sitting with a 12-odd point gap and looking forward to Wednesday…

Yes. 

They have won games with a patchwork team since the break and just before it. They haven't dropped points in the past few games while we have surrendered leads and dropped them in 2 of our last 3 games. 

It's clear they have dealt with it better than we have thus far. They will be missing Bitton, McGregor, Kyogo, Turnbull, the other new signing and Rogic midweek and we will only really be missing Morelos and Hellander. 

They win that then serious questions need asked about our squad and mentality. We steamrolled the league with a near identical team last season against a far stronger Tim team. 

It's clearly worrying. 

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The midfield issues are certainly more apparent because of the change in manager. We built a squad for a manager who plays with two 6s and 2/3 10s. Now we have a manager who uses one 6 and 2 8s and 2 wingers.

We have too much money invested in the deeper midfield role with roughly 6 players in there. Once the shift of that money goes from there into further forward in midfield and then onto the wings this midfield under Gio will be an issue.

We got away with playing two 6s under Gerrard, and thrived on it last season, because one of them was Steven Davis who could pick out passes and see things that Kamara, Jack, Lundstram, Zungu or Sands just cannot. It added an attacking dimension to a deeper position. There is a reason we've been in a lot of away games that have been stretched since he last played at Easter Road - A game that we controlled fairly well though it was scrappy. We need that type of control back in the team!

For the last year I've been saying the hardest two players we will have to replace is Davis and Arfield becuase of their specific styles and so it will prove.

 

 

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Short of quality in the striking department rather than midfield but attitude has been the problem this season. Strolling about after taking the lead instead of finishing off teams.

The belief that our defence is so good that we can let teams attack without pressure and not concede in the last 5 or6 minutes has been shown to be false. I would say we need quality back ups at right full back and central defence because reliability of the fitness of anyone other than Goldson and Bassey is an issue.

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11 hours ago, KingKirk said:

Been the weakest area of our team for years. Not spent a fee on a central midfield player since forking out 50k for Kamara. 

Total mismanagement from all involved. 

The rebuild required this summer is huge. 

100% agree and I have been complaining about it for years.

We've been calling out for a midfielder who can take the ball off our centre backs, switch play and play long accurate passes to our wide players quickly. Every top team needs to have that type of player especially if wingers are a key part of your system which Gio seems to want.

Kamara, Arfield, Aribo etc don't have that ability and it takes 2-3 passes to get it out wide which lets the opposition get into position. Davis tries it but his long passing isn't always the best. Jack can do it from time to time but he more just drives with the ball and is injured too much.

What I'd give for a Barry Ferguson level of CM in this team.

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1 hour ago, The Godfather said:

They have had a far worse time of it than us in regards to missing players and have dealt with it significantly better than us. 

That's the worrying thing. 

Livingston, Easter Road, Tynecastle, Pittodrie and Dingwall yesterday, 11 points from 15.

Whilst they've had one big away trip to Tynecastle in that period. 

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5 minutes ago, BridgeIsBlue said:

Livingston, Easter Road, Tynecastle, Pittodrie and Dingwall yesterday, 11 points from 15.

Whilst they've had one big away trip to Tynecastle in that period. 

I hope I'm overreacting and we will go on to trounce them but just got a bad feeling. We really need one of our centre backs to come back in 

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15 minutes ago, BridgeIsBlue said:

Livingston, Easter Road, Tynecastle, Pittodrie and Dingwall yesterday, 11 points from 15.

Whilst they've had one big away trip to Tynecastle in that period. 

You’re including Livingston and Ross County for us? But not Ross County and Dundee United for them?

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2 minutes ago, BridgeIsBlue said:

And neither is St Mirren for them where they still dropped points. 

Dingwall is one of the easiest if not the easiest away games in the league, can't use it to back up your point saying we've had a tough run of fixtures 

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2 hours ago, DBBTB said:

People forget we’ve been ripped with injuries, suspensions and call ups over the past few weeks.

Hagi, Kent, Balogun, Jack, Roofe, Helander, Arfield, Davis, Aribo, Morelos.

Have all either been injured, suspended or called up for international duty during that time. 

Unless you are a Premier Levaue squad that’s bankrolled to the tune of hundred of millions that number of omissions is obviously going to cause a drop off in quality.

The issue is that these guys are almost constantly injured.

guys like Roofe and Arfield are play 5 then miss 5 and are constantly striving for match fitness.

 

 

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Take this into consideration, average highest earners in the SPL outside the top2 is £3500 per week, yesterday Ross County highest earner is around £2000 per  mark....

Brandon fucking Barker who has sat on a 4 year contract worth around £8500 fucking pounds a week.

Our squad is full of fucking average duds who would be lucky to retain a starting 11 jersey at hearts/hibs

Over inflated squad that needs a full fucking clearout, i hope Gio can retain this league title, but right now I have around 50% confidence, based on what we are seeing.

Biggest mistake this season is the board accepting the malmo disaster,that itself and an uninterested manager with free reign on recruitment has been a disaster, sneaky G should have been grilled for Malmo, we will never have an easier path through them CL stages, Malmo then Ludogrets.

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15 minutes ago, falkirkNS said:

Take this into consideration, average highest earners in the SPL outside the top2 is £3500 per week, yesterday Ross County highest earner is around £2000 per  mark....

Brandon fucking Barker who has sat on a 4 year contract worth around £8500 fucking pounds a week.

Our squad is full of fucking average duds who would be lucky to retain a starting 11 jersey at hearts/hibs

Over inflated squad that needs a full fucking clearout, i hope Gio can retain this league title, but right now I have around 50% confidence, based on what we are seeing.

Biggest mistake this season is the board accepting the malmo disaster,that itself and an uninterested manager with free reign on recruitment has been a disaster, sneaky G should have been grilled for Malmo, we will never have an easier path through them CL stages, Malmo then Ludogrets.

We have a million times more recourses then these clubs. I’m pretty sure the minimum most Old Firm players will be on will be around that mark. Barkers wage isn’t a concern at all.

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26 minutes ago, G.E.C. said:

We have a million times more recourses then these clubs. I’m pretty sure the minimum most Old Firm players will be on will be around that mark. Barkers wage isn’t a concern at all.

It should be though. Why are we giving a guy who’s bounced around clubs for his whole career the best wage of his career just to join us? Barker won’t and hasn’t been the only one over the years either.

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35 minutes ago, DBBTB said:

It should be though. Why are we giving a guy who’s bounced around clubs for his whole career the best wage of his career just to join us? Barker won’t and hasn’t been the only one over the years either.

exactly my point, 10 or so players who are average, rather bring through young lowrys and fill the squad with promise, financially better too

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On 30/01/2022 at 09:01, Ted E Bayer said:

Is it though?  Seems to me like anothjer knee jerk reaction.We didn't lose yesterday because of our midfield.

  • If Alan McGregor doesn't drop the ball for the first we win 3-2
  • If Bassey doesn't fresh air the second it's 3-1
  • If McGregor deals with the third better it's 3-0

We as expected had the lion share of possession and had about 25 shots on goal.  Nothing to do with the midfield.  People need to calm the fk down.

 

 

This. 3 goals away from home should secure 3 points.

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On 30/01/2022 at 02:52, KingKirk said:

Been the weakest area of our team for years. Not spent a fee on a central midfield player since forking out 50k for Kamara. 

Total mismanagement from all involved. 

The rebuild required this summer is huge. 

I'd say it's strikers our finishing is not good at all we always have the most chances with the poorest finishing.

You watch any team against us they finish their chances even when they get less of them.

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