Midfield Control

[CoplandRoad83 3,347]

For the last few years, in the bigger games where we've struggled, this has been the main issue for me.

Davis did it with intelligence/composure/class but doesn't have legs to keep going really.

Since Jack was injured we've lost that aura of control in games that are harder and looked more vulnerable as well.

We need personality and ability to control in the centre of the park and take the ball and make things happen. Irrespective of tactics, its a fucking fundamental.

Kamara will look good alongside someone but wont grab the game by scruff of the neck.

Unless we can get Jack, Davis (if needed) or Ramsey (not sure its his game to drive from deep) I feel like we're rudderless when it matters in the engine room. We need this sorted whatever system, and its been an issue for fucking years now. 

Christ how we could do with a Barry Ferguson in this team.

Sort this and everyone else will start to look better.

 

 

 

 

 

[bluenoz 31,060]

Hopefully, Jack and Ramsey alongside Kamara can sort things out.

[TheKingObv 10,648]

If Ramsey doesn't start against Hearts then that loan fee is looking more and more mental.

[Swagger 8,237]

1 hour ago, CoplandRoad83 said:

For the last few years, in the bigger games where we've struggled, this has been the main issue for me.

Davis did it with intelligence/composure/class but doesn't have legs to keep going really.

Since Jack was injured we've lost that aura of control in games that are harder and looked more vulnerable as well.

We need personality and ability to control in the centre of the park and take the ball and make things happen. Irrespective of tactics, its a fucking fundamental.

Kamara will look good alongside someone but wont grab the game by scruff of the neck.

Unless we can get Jack, Davis (if needed) or Ramsey (not sure its his game to drive from deep) I feel like we're rudderless when it matters in the engine room. We need this sorted whatever system, and its been an issue for fucking years now. 

Christ how we could do with a Barry Ferguson in this team.

Sort this and everyone else will start to look better.

 

 

 

 

 

You’re spot on about Kamara. A lovely player but is lost in there on his own. He’ll be neat and tidy but will never dominate a game or be the main man. A Ramsey or Jack beside him would see him flourish again. Jack looked like he had never been away last night. 

[Bourne2Win 40]

Agreed Davis is a player that can control the game. Jack when he came on made a difference. 

[NorthernLights 2,526]

Jack looked good when he came on but don’t know how much of that was that they couldn’t give a fuck by that stage

[STEPPS BOY 74,459]

Needs to be Jack and Kamara with one other.

Arfield runs about a lot but is a limited footballer.

[bluenoz 31,060]

5 minutes ago, STEPPS BOY said:

Needs to be Jack and Kamara with one other.

Arfield runs about a lot but is a limited footballer.

Everybody loves Scotty Arfield including me. His commitment is undisputed but he quite often has games like last night which rarely get mentioned. He has played a lot under GVB. If Gio went with the mindset to defend then Jack should have started.

[sausagetrunks 6,071]

You stand off any team 20 yards, that’s what you get. We made them look world class last night. Players couldn’t handle the occasion, froze. 
 

Jack looked every bit of a captain last night when he came on, he was the best player in the park, debasing the ball and cobtrilling the mid. 
 

BB should be benched, Bassey the far better player. Gio needs to revert back to our full backs pushing up, they’re better going forward than defending. Play to our strengths.

 

if Gio persists with same tactics, he should be gone end of Season. 
mom still confident we will win the lg. there was a lot to be learned last night, personnel and tactics. We have a good enough team to go on and win the remaining games.

m Gio needs to step up and utilise the team correctly.
 

I hope Edgar-Heart and hand asks him sone serious questions  

[Creampuff 22,628]

2 minutes ago, bluenoz said:

Everybody loves Scotty Arfield including me. His commitment is undisputed but he quite often has games like last night which rarely get mentioned. He has played a lot under GVB. If Gio went with the mindset to defend then Jack should have started.

Scott Arfield was very comfortably our best player last night and the only one of the starters who showed an ounce of bottle.

I’ll listen to everything bad everyone has to say about basically anyone else.

[STEPPS BOY 74,459]

5 minutes ago, bluenoz said:

Everybody loves Scotty Arfield including me. His commitment is undisputed but he quite often has games like last night which rarely get mentioned. He has played a lot under GVB. If Gio went with the mindset to defend then Jack should have started.

It’s not just last night though.

We’ve failed to control games at Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen and last night.

Can’t keep on going with Kamara, Arfield and Aribo and hoping something changes.

[bluenoz 31,060]

1 minute ago, Creampuff said:

Scott Arfield was very comfortably our best player last night and the only one of the starters who showed an ounce of bottle.

I’ll listen to everything bad everyone has to say about basically anyone else.

Yes he showed commitment but he didn't really do a whole lot with the ball. Tbh, I'm not really meaning to slag him. Everyone was to blame.

[STEPPS BOY 74,459]

And on the midfield, why the fuck did GVB swap Aribo into deep lying midfield last night and put Arfield in the 10.

[CoplandRoad83 3,347]

5 minutes ago, Creampuff said:

Scott Arfield was very comfortably our best player last night and the only one of the starters who showed an ounce of bottle.

I’ll listen to everything bad everyone has to say about basically anyone else.

Arfield was full of effort yes, and hardly the main offender individually, but our midfield failed to control the game until Jack game on.

We need to get the balance right.

[SeparateEntityMyArse 53,964]

26 minutes ago, Swagger said:

You’re spot on about Kamara. A lovely player but is lost in there on his own. He’ll be neat and tidy but will never dominate a game or be the main man. A Ramsey or Jack beside him would see him flourish again. Jack looked like he had never been away last night. 

Kamara has been dominated since the winter break. He's had little back up from Sands and then forward thinking players in Aribo and Arfield. Jack is far more suited to the anchor role, its been too much to ask of Kamara.

Why this wasn't addressed before last night is bewildering. That mob always flood midfield and yet again we lost the battle there and as a result had 3 forwards cut off from the rest of the team. Jack starting was a no brainer.

That's solely on Gio.

[j1mgg 3,766]

We don't have big characters that pass on the confidence to others, our midfield just go into their shells when things get tough, the majority of the time.

[Super Ally Scores Again! 479]

There’s no doubt getting our best players in there would have helped control it better and even stem the flow they had - whole team was 20yds to deep and like SG GVB got it badly wrong in his first game - Sitting back against a team who cone out the traps at 100mph is criminal. At one point Roofe was 30yds from our goal trying to defend in the block 1st half!

Actually got abit of joy playing it over the top 2nd half and only our woeful decision making/crap passing stopped us scoring.

A bad night for all

[Swagger 8,237]

1 hour ago, STEPPS BOY said:

Needs to be Jack and Kamara with one other.

Arfield runs about a lot but is a limited footballer.

Arfield is fairly limited and I’m not his biggest fan but he was the only cunt with a bit of bite. Only him, Jack and Balogun can hold their heads up 

[geneva_ger 9,379]

1 hour ago, sausagetrunks said:

You stand off any team 20 yards, that’s what you get. We made them look world class last night. Players couldn’t handle the occasion, froze. 

This, plus we can't tackle, pass accurately or move the ball quickly.

I can't think of the last time I've been so disappointed.

[OrangeRab 2,853]

Problem with Arfield is he just isn’t technically good enough to take the ball in tight spaces and keep possession or move it quickly. He’s a late run into the box kind of guy. Kamara can but he can’t do it on his own against 3. A younger Davis could and a fit Jack can. You need at least 2. 

Aribo isn’t really a holding midfielder either. So we effectively have one.

Gerrard went with 3 deep midfielders (Davis, Kamara, Jack/Arfield) and we won those battles.

We certainly don’t need 3 against Livi at home. But you do against celtic away.

On top of that we move the ball so slowly that by the time it got to Kent he had 3 men on him.

[nik2402 1,354]

3 hours ago, CoplandRoad83 said:

For the last few years, in the bigger games where we've struggled, this has been the main issue for me.

Davis did it with intelligence/composure/class but doesn't have legs to keep going really.

Since Jack was injured we've lost that aura of control in games that are harder and looked more vulnerable as well.

We need personality and ability to control in the centre of the park and take the ball and make things happen. Irrespective of tactics, its a fucking fundamental.

Kamara will look good alongside someone but wont grab the game by scruff of the neck.

Unless we can get Jack, Davis (if needed) or Ramsey (not sure its his game to drive from deep) I feel like we're rudderless when it matters in the engine room. We need this sorted whatever system, and its been an issue for fucking years now. 

Christ how we could do with a Barry Ferguson in this team.

Sort this and everyone else will start to look better.

 

 

 

 

 

Agree with this 100%. Said it after Aberdeen. 
 

Glen Kamara will go on and have a better career than Ryan Jack. He will play at a higher level. Glen Kamara has more ability than Ryan Jack. But by fuck Jack has more personality and more leadership. Kamara excelled when Davis led him last year and he was his sidekick coming in and out of games. He doesn’t have the personality to control games. 
 

Ramsey and Jack add personality to the midfield. Alfredo will add it up front. And helander will add it at the back. Last night was disgraceful. We were here after the semi against hibs and we bounced back. Time for some calm heads and see where things are come the international break. 
 

[OrangeRab 2,853]

11 minutes ago, Super Ally Scores Again! said:

There’s no doubt getting our best players in there would have helped control it better and even stem the flow they had - whole team was 20yds to deep and like SG GVB got it badly wrong in his first game - Sitting back against a team who cone out the traps at 100mph is criminal. At one point Roofe was 30yds from our goal trying to defend in the block 1st half!

Actually got abit of joy playing it over the top 2nd half and only our woeful decision making/crap passing stopped us scoring.

A bad night for all

Especially when you consider that their striker is extremely slow. If it was Kyogo starting I might have understood. If you asked Ange before the game would you rather Rangers sit off you, allowing you 75% possession and the ability to sprint and pressurise to get the ball back when you lose it. And get the fans on side.

Or they play a high aggressive press and force Starfelt to pass out under pressure or to boot it long. I think I know which he would have preferred.

We played right into their hands. And away from our strengths. Since when were we a good counter attacking team? Pittodrie or Dingwall when we tried to sit in worked so well…

[bluenoz 31,060]

Ramsey, Kamara and Jack should be our three best midfielders based on ability. This means altering Aribo's positioning slightly which shouldn't be a problem.

On paper at least, it is better than them.

[STEPPS BOY 74,459]

10 minutes ago, Swagger said:

Arfield is fairly limited and I’m not his biggest fan but he was the only cunt with a bit of bite. Only him, Jack and Balogun can hold their heads up 

Yeah but that’s not we need to control games.

We need someone who has the ability to run a game.

[OrangeRab 2,853]

4 minutes ago, nik2402 said:

Agree with this 100%. Said it after Aberdeen. 
 

Glen Kamara will go on and have a better career than Ryan Jack. He will play at a higher level. Glen Kamara has more ability than Ryan Jack. But by fuck Jack has more personality and more leadership. Kamara excelled when Davis led him last year and he was his sidekick coming in and out of games. He doesn’t have the personality to control games. 
 

Ramsey and Jack add personality to the midfield. Alfredo will add it up front. And helander will add it at the back. Last night was disgraceful. We were here after the semi against hibs and we bounced back. Time for some calm heads and see where things are come the international break. 
 

Given Jack was fit enough to play the second half. We should have started Jack, Kamara, Arfield and Aribo, Roofe, Kent up top. Instead of basically Kamara on his own.

And actually tried to get parity in the midfield. Who cares if you need to take Jack off after 50 minutes. That’s when celtic are knackered after pressing all game.