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Is Ally the Man for the job? - The McCoist Thread

54andcounting

By 54andcounting
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andy steel

andy steel 0

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It's down to player attitude. You may say the manager is responsible for same, and he is, but if you have half a team or more who simply will not get it into their heads that they need to do more than turn up to win, and you have very few alternatives, any manager is going to struggle.

 

Hopefully tonight will wake a few of them up.

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simplythebest

simplythebest 0

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It's down to player attitude. You may say the manager is responsible for same, and he is, but if you have half a team or more who simply will not get it into their heads that they need to do more than turn up to win, and you have very few alternatives, any manager is going to struggle.

 

Hopefully tonight will wake a few of them up.

Ally did well, so did the players. They all just need to continue in the same vain.
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Gribz

Gribz 966

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I well and truly think that grit and determination of the players and manager to make a statement and sign to SPL clubs was part of the Motherwell result. Lets get a run of wins in the league before anyone gets carried away with this topic being closed.

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craig

craig 5,199

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all the same problems were still evident tonight.

 

motherwell played the better football.

 

Must have been watching a different game from me. Other than maybe 10 minutes in the first half and the last 10 in the 2nd when we had to reshuffle due to Shiels injury.... there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we were the better team.

 

We played it long at times but, for the most part, it was when necessary. But it wasnt that often. We looked to utilise the full backs (even Alexander was looking to play it short), we used MacLeod and Hutton in midfield and we were more than happy to get the ball wide to Aird (what a find this boy is).

 

Alexander had very little to deal with. Higdon, the SPL's top scorer I think, had a very quiet game.

 

I thought we allowed them possession in non-threatening areas and in the full back areas we closed down the space and doubled up on both sides very effectively. It is actually refreshing to see Wallace and Faure closing down the winger and not giving him time or space to get the cross in. I thought both acquitted themselves well and, in wallace, he has fantastic stamina because he seemed to be up and down that left flank all night long - seemes as if one minute he was making a challenge on the usually dangerous Humphrey and the next he was bombing past Aird looking for the ball played in behind the Wel defender.

 

Some of the attacking play was very pleasing too - Aird created excitement when he got on the ball and played very well, although could have chosen mroe wiely on a couple of occasions, but that is tough on the lad.

 

If you look at the game again I think we had better possession, in more dangerous areas, were swift on the counter, had better chances than Motherwell (really, Alexander had very, very little which you would expect him to struggle with, whilst we had a couple from Aird fixxing past, McKay late on, McCulloch whizzing one past and some poor decision-making in advanced areas). I dont think there is anout doubt that on another day that would have been 4 or 5-0, or even more.

 

To say Motherwell played better football just confuses me, it really does. I honestly thought that we controlled the game for probably 70 of the 90 minutes if not more.

 

I personally think it is incredibly harsh to suggest Motherwell played the better football.

 

From the very first whistle tonight our team were absolutely up for it - the 1st 90 seconds were indicative of how we would handle the rest of the game - and Motherwell were given a warning of what they faced, and they knew they were going to be in a game.

 

Tonight proved that thi team IS capable of some more than decent football. But, as I say to the kids I coach..... talent without application will achieve little. I think tonight we saw what this team can do when you have talent AND application... and I would contend that in Div 3 we have seen a clear lack of application which has resulted in the talent looking non-existent.

 

Hopefully Ally is drumming it into them tomorrow that this team CAN achieve things but only if they apply themselves properly.

 

The injury to Sandaza may have actually been a blessing (hate to say that when one of our players has a suspected broken cheekbone) and I dont mean that as in he was playing shite (though he wasnt playing well for sure) but mean it more in a way that two things became clear tonight from that forced substitution

 

1. Kyle Hutton should definitely be getting more game time. Does the non-flashy stuff well, gets stuck in but can find a pass and has a decent passing range.

2. Big Jig should never again be seen in our midfield. Whilst his first touch is excellent, he is now far too immobile to play in there - he wasnt playing too badly in midfield but a couple of times he got a pass from a team-mate which a) he didnt anticipate but b) should still have got to... and he ended up having to lunge at the ball just to get to it. He looked a completely different prospect when we put him up front. Decent first touch, bringing team-mates into play, holding it up, breaking off the defender to get into space and being a pretty good nuisance.

 

After seeing tonight I would be playing the following team :

 

:na:

 

:sf: :rp: :ec: :lw:

 

:aa: :kh: :macleod: :fa:

 

:ds:

 

:lm:

 

You then also have McKay to come in for either Aird on one side or Argyriou on the other - I would actually be tempted to see how McKay gets on playing on the right side with Faure OR Argyriou in behind him with Aird on the other side - we would certainly then have the width and the pace that we all wanted to see.

 

Tonight we hopefully saw the future of our midfield for a while - with every single one of them no older than 24, with Argyriou being 24, Hutton being 21, MacLeod being 18, Aird being 17 and McKay being 17. The latter three certainly have proven that talent is coming out of Auchenhowie and if we can reta their services then we have the makings of a very decent midfield for years to come.

 

Have to say that, whilst I know it is early days, I am incredibly excited by the talent of Fraser Aird, and to be honest he has impressed me this evening more than Barry McKay has. And Lewis MacLeod plays well beyond his years too.

 

Tonight was easily the most satisfying performance of the season, and coming against the SPL leaders suggests, to me at least, that part of the problem thus far this season has been motivation in Division 3. Hopefully tonight will eradicate that.

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