Comparing this season to last

[AGM_72 3,650]

1 minute ago, STEPPS BOY said:

I agree and the final nail in coffin was the game against them in September when we capitulated again.

Said it at the time but the September defeat was 10x worse than the February one - and that was bad enough.

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,917]

31 minutes ago, STEPPS BOY said:

I agree and the final nail in coffin was the game against them in September when we capitulated again.

The celtic defeat followed up by the Ajax defeat should have been the end of him. Letting it rumble on for so long was criminal.

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,917]

33 minutes ago, AGM_72 said:

Said it at the time but the September defeat was 10x worse than the February one - and that was bad enough.

I think the February one might have been worse. We hadn’t lost to them in over two years and in that 45 minutes they made us look like it was 2016 or 2017 again.

[PromDeAnglais 5,549]

We've missed Balugon more than Aribo this season. 

[McEwan's Lager 30,599]

17 minutes ago, BlueSuedeSambas said:

I think the February one might have been worse. We hadn’t lost to them in over two years and in that 45 minutes they made us look like it was 2016 or 2017 again.

I tend to agree. February we were completely outplayed and nowhere near it.

In September, despite having players sleeping and pissing about in crucial moments, we missed a brilliant chance to make it 1-1 and Colak had a decent opportunity too from a corner to pull it back to 2-1. We created nothing like that in February in the first half.

At the end of the day if we had a good goalkeeper then we possibly survive until half time to regroup.  McLaughlin was criminally bad. A complete clown show of a performance from him.

[G.E.C. 18,845]

I just have the tiniest of feeling this season will finish similar to 2001/2. Here’s hoping.

[G.E.C. 18,845]

6 minutes ago, McEwan's Lager said:

February we were completely outplayed and nowhere near it.

Despite having players sleeping and pissing about in crucial moments we missed a brilliant chance to make it 1-1 and Colak had a decent opportunity too from a corner to pull it back to 2-1. We created nothing like that in February in the first half.

At the end of the day if we had a good goalkeeper then we possibly survive until half time to regroup.  McLaughlin was criminally bad. A complete clown show of a performance from him.

Iirc Arfield was clean through and couldn’t get a connection, within seconds Hatate scored their second.

[Roy Hobbs 2,181]

5 minutes ago, McEwan's Lager said:

February we were completely outplayed and nowhere near it.

Despite having players sleeping and pissing about in crucial moments we missed a brilliant chance to make it 1-1 and Colak had a decent opportunity too from a corner to pull it back to 2-1. We created nothing like that in February in the first half.

At the end of the day if we had a good goalkeeper then we possibly survive until half time to regroup.  McLaughlin was criminally bad. A complete clown show of a performance from him.

Did Arfield not have a really good chance in the February game before they scored either the second or third?

[ForeverAndEver 71,657]

Players absolutely shat the bed at the Piggery both games. Turning their backs on throw ins and free kicks. 

[McEwan's Lager 30,599]

Just now, Roy Hobbs said:

Did Arfield not have a really good chance in the February game before they scored either the second or third?

 

Just now, G.E.C. said:

Iirc Arfield was clean through and couldn’t get a connection, within seconds Hatate scored their second.

Actually yeah I forgot about that.

[Laudrupsleftfoot 11,019]

1 hour ago, RFC55 said:

I’d say more the Scottish as it gives him around 5 months all in to put his mark on the team, but I think it’s fair to expect him to win the LC also 

As a cup if it was a straight choice between the two then it's the Scottish for me too, but I mean more in terms of keeping the momentum going plus trying to derail them a bit.

[Laudrupsleftfoot 11,019]

1 hour ago, BlueSuedeSambas said:

It sounds extreme and dramatic to say but I genuinely think the writing was on the wall for Gio after that first game against them last February. Even with the Europa League final I don’t think he ever fully recovered from that and the seeds of doubt it put in supporters heads about his capability as a manager.

Not sure about that, we then went toe to toe in the next couple with them and looked the better side overall imo.

That he repeated the mauling in Feb with one near enough a carbon copy but even worse in September was what killed him.

Will be interesting to see how Beale handles going to their dump. 

[Laudrupsleftfoot 11,019]

40 minutes ago, PromDeAnglais said:

We've missed Balugon more than Aribo this season. 

[.Williamson. 82,633]

Februarys defeat to them felt a lot worse for whatever reason. Said as much immediately after the game in September.

Septembers game just watched like none of them gave a fuck so I came away from it feeling if they don’t give a fuck I won’t waste my time caring either.

[AGM_72 3,650]

1 hour ago, BlueSuedeSambas said:

I think the February one might have been worse. We hadn’t lost to them in over two years and in that 45 minutes they made us look like it was 2016 or 2017 again.

I think the manner of the September one was what edged it for me. The attitude, application and mentality was appalling. In February it seemed like it was down to the way we set up, we sat far too deep from a tactical perspective and seemed to be designed to be passive when we collectively hadn't done that for years.

To have a scoreline like that happen again, with worse individual performances (including some repeat offenders), really annoyed me. Completely undid all the good work done qualifying for the CL and set the tone for the decline of the next few months.

Splitting hairs though, both abysmal.

[cr3_bear 14,892]

2 hours ago, McEwan's Lager said:

I tend to agree. February we were completely outplayed and nowhere near it.

In September, despite having players sleeping and pissing about in crucial moments, we missed a brilliant chance to make it 1-1 and Colak had a decent opportunity too from a corner to pull it back to 2-1. We created nothing like that in February in the first half.

At the end of the day if we had a good goalkeeper then we possibly survive until half time to regroup.  McLaughlin was criminally bad. A complete clown show of a performance from him.

The February defeat was coming on the back of a shite return from the winter break chucking away points at Pittodrie and Dingwall . No one expected the level of shite we produced on the night but there clearly was a feeling of bite your hand off for a draw going into that one 

September came about a week and a half after a fantastic and impressive performance away to PSV . Along with our strong end to last season where we obviously made a European final , beat them at Hampden and could have nicked a win at the piggery in the split I didn’t see that level of defeat coming in the September game. Ajax a few days later and all of a sudden a season that looked promising seven days previous had all the hallmarks of being a long slog 

[East Enclosure Row N 2,824]

4 hours ago, Laudrupsleftfoot said:

Remi Matthews 

Did you watch him against us? Pulled off some fantastic saves in both games

 

[East Enclosure Row N 2,824]

3 hours ago, PromDeAnglais said:

We've missed Balugon more than Aribo this season. 

Balogun is 34 - yet another ageing defender is the last thing that we need surely?

[RFC55 109,205]

2 minutes ago, East Enclosure Row N said:

Balogun is 34 - yet another ageing defender is the last thing that we need surely?

We aren’t signing him nor are we missing him.

 

i know you only replied to that post btw 

[The Godfather 72,055]

9 minutes ago, East Enclosure Row N said:

Did you watch him against us? Pulled off some fantastic saves in both games

 

Every keeper we face has world class games against us...

[bluenose48 951]

11 hours ago, Somemightsay7 said:

Performances aside, we're actually doing better in the league this season than last, despite the bad start.

Last season we took 2.34 points per game, this season is 2.44 which is the same as celtic had last season.

celtic are doing far better this year though, taking 2.8 points per game, which is on track to be the best ever for a SPFL club.

To me our biggest issue is we've stagnated. For the last 2 summers we really needed to invest in those 2-3 top players who were going to bring the team up a level, but instead we've invested in a large number of similar (or worse) quality players. I don't know if the board assumed celtic weren't going to improve to the extent they did or if they just got it totally wrong. Add on our injuries, the CL hammerings and the goalkeeping mess then we were always going to struggle.

If you don't add better quality players than you already have then you'll go backwards as players get older, hit periods of poor form, struggle to maintain levels of motivation etc.

When is the last time we signed a player that was truly an increase in quality of what we already had? Probably a couple seasons ago at least.

You're right we stagnated under Gio whether the board couldn't or wouldn't release the money needed to buy those special players we needed to go up a level.

I also think a lot of people including lots on here who underestimated and poo pooed the appointment of big Ange because he wasn't known outside of Australia and Japan and wrongly assumed he would not be up to the challenge. He targeted players he knew could play in the SPFL and either our scouts couldn't pick their noses or the board or Gio rejected any suggestions. Either way we have been left in their wake in the early part of the season and we have to beat them in the two league games left and the cup final to put real pressure on them going down to the end of the season.

[Kylegib 516]

4 hours ago, BlueSuedeSambas said:

I think the February one might have been worse. We hadn’t lost to them in over two years and in that 45 minutes they made us look like it was 2016 or 2017 again.

That performance by us was disgraceful when we had went undefeated for so long and was likely the result that gave them the confidence to go on and win the league.

[Jamie 51]

9 hours ago, PromDeAnglais said:

We've missed Balugon more than Aribo this season. 

Yawn 🥱 

[graeme_4 34,663]

8 hours ago, The Godfather said:

Every keeper we face has world class games against us...

It just seems that was because we can’t finish. 

[PromDeAnglais 5,549]

5 hours ago, Jamie said:

Yawn 🥱 

Great input. 

1-1 Draw with Livi at Ibrox and the following week we lost 2-1 away to St Johnstone then 1-1 with St Mirren with King and Sands as our only available CBs throughout that period. Davies came off injured in the Livi game and Goldson was out completely. 

My point stands. We were conceding to absolute dross and chucked away 7 points in 3 games. We were a shambles in defence. That's where the issue was. Beale took him to QPR because he knew he was getting a solid no nonsense defender.