"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"

[Guest BrickHands]

The Thoughts and Ramblings of DarcheVinny

 

From the moment I cast my eyes over the starting line up yesterday evening, I was adamant a draw was coming and I even tweeted to that effect; 'So we're gunna draw', I said. As we know, I was wrong. One name stuck out like a sore thumb from the team sheet. The same name that I have been wishing was not within a country mile of the starting eleven, ever since I made the trip to Windsor Park last month and saw my first game of the season.

 

Browsing the forums this morning and there seems to be a good few names brought up as potential scapegoats for this dreadful performance and result; Wallace - 'can't defend'; Lafferty - 'back to his usual terribleness'; Naismith - 'needs to sort his attitude out'; Davis - 'our captain failed to show up tonight'; Jelavic - 'was rank'; McGregor (this is the most ridiculous and rightly shot down) - 'overrated'; and finally our manager, Mr McCoist - 'looks lost'. Bar the ridiculous comment on McGregor, it would be hard for most bears to argue with some of what has been said by those I have quoted above, following last nights performance at least.

 

So how do I see it? Do I believe our manager 'looks lost'? No, I don't. Do I believe our manager has made the same mistake in his team selection for a european qualifier for the third time? Yes, I do. The title above is a quote from Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan. It's a pretty simple philosophy, one that I believe in myself. I have made a lot of mistakes in my young life (predominantly in the workplace), I tend to learn the hard way and each mistake needs to be treated as a lesson I have learnt. Although it becomes hard to make the same justification that you are learning from your mistakes, when you keep making the same mistake! I am going to name the mistake that our manager keeps making. That mistake for me, is the selection of Lee McCulloch.

 

I don't wish to be harsh on Lee himself, he has been a good servant to this club from day one. Playing in whatever position Walter decided to play him in; left wing, up front, centre back and in more recent seasons in this anchorman role. Anchor is certainly the right word for him now though, as an anchor is designed to ensure a boat doesn't move! Well our anchorman last night, again looked like he couldn't move. Not that you could really tell as he was practically invisible throughout the game. I don't know whether he is carrying an injury or simply his legs have no life left in them, but he cannot keep up with play or even about turn when in possession. As many people have said before, it is like playing with ten men. I have said too many times already this season that Kyle Hutton should be starting before McCulloch, without question. Experience is irrelevant when you can't keep up with play.

 

So Alejandro Bedoya has completed his move and Matt McKay will follow, although I am aware neither player will be available for the second leg of this tie. Surely now we can see an end to Lee McCulloch simply hobbling around - from our own penalty box to the centre circle and back again - each time he plays. You can't keep making the same mistakes when it is costing us the chance to play in europe. Do yourself a favour Ally and keep Lee McCulloch off your team sheet, before this seasons european adventure is over before it has even begun.

[metlika 0]

I believe McCulloch had a knock for last weekends game and he didn't play. I guess that knock might have been worse than he thought and might not have told the management but surely the physio could get a good summary of the situation.

 

I do agree that McCulloch time might becoming to an end we have youth such as Ness and Hutton who are equally capable and more mobile. However he has 2 years left and might still have a part to play within McCoists mind even though he is bringing in more midfielders.

[Guest BrickHands]

I've had some comments on twitter already re the fact that he was still not fit from that injury, which are fair enough. But he was fit against Malmo at Ibrox though and was seriously struggling to move after 60 mins that night. My old man was going bezerk in Broomloan front, screaming for Ally to get him off.

[Zappa 0]

I couldn't believe that Jig was in the starting XI for last night, never mind play the full 90 mins. I thought he might just make the bench if he was lucky, but for him to get a start and be left on the park for over 90 mins is something I just can't understand at all. I could understand it if he was fully fit and had a good run of games where he did really well, but he clearly isn't and hasn't. Also really shocked with the last minute call to put Lafferty on the bench when he wasn't fully fit and hasn't been playing recently at all. Then he gets brought on for the whole second half? The mind boggles!

[chilledbear 16]

I still want Ally to succeed, but I have to admit I am getting worried.

 

Was his Assistant on at him about Subs last night, surely someone must have been thinking Substitutes.

[Zappa 0]

I still want Ally to succeed, but I have to admit I am getting worried.

 

It's one of those situations where I really don't know what to think. I want Ally and his whole team to succeed, but success doesn't come easily and just as Walter made some costly mistakes, Ally is inevitably going to make them too. Walter made absolutely loads of decisions which I didn't like, but he ultimitely brought a lot of success to the club. Ally needs time and we should give him time. I'll give him plenty of time, but I want to see him making good decisions in these important European games. If we had won the game last night I would still be questioning why he played at least 2 players who weren't fully fit and didn't bring on any fresh legs in the second half, but what if he had made the changes and we suffered an even heavier loss? It's all ifs and buts now.

 

surely someone must have been thinking Substitutes.

 

Aye, the lads on the bench champing at the bit to see some action were probably thinking about it.

[der Berliner 3,680]

Had a look at McCulloch during the game and he was quietly doing his job in taking their playmaker out of it. The problem was that around him, lots of sub-standard football was played. He's the first scapegoat to be punished though, which is the usual thing for people like him or e.g. Hemdani.

 

As for Ally, IMHO it beggars belief that season after season after season people jump on the doomday scenario bandwaggon after a couple or so games that do not according to plan and foresee doom and dispair, league titles lost pre-christmas and whatnot. All I would say to those folk: look back those last three years and tell me where's the difference? It's not like we blasted our way to each title of 3IAR by starting the league with 4-0s each week, home and abroad.

[gisabeer 409]

Had a look at McCulloch during the game and he was quietly doing his job in taking their playmaker out of it. The problem was that around him, lots of sub-standard football was played. He's the first scapegoat to be punished though, which is the usual thing for people like him or e.g. Hemdani.

 

As for Ally, IMHO it beggars belief that season after season after season people jump on the doomday scenario bandwaggon after a couple or so games that do not according to plan and foresee doom and dispair, league titles lost pre-christmas and whatnot. All I would say to those folk: look back those last three years and tell me where's the difference? It's not like we blasted our way to each title of 3IAR by starting the league with 4-0s each week, home and abroad.

 

couldnt agree more. the general consensus was that mccoist should be given a year before we passed judgement and it still should be the case. i thought we'd struggle in the first quarter due to the fact that we were ill prepared at the start of the season. The lack of activity in the transfer market was a major factor in this and we certainly cant blame McCoist for that. He has been let down very badly by the board in that department.

 

I will say though that Ally needs to be his own man. I see far too much of walter smith in his team selections and tactics but hopefully this will change now he has a few players of his own in.