Livi v Dumbarton

Bertie Bassett wrote:

Durnford wrote:Well building myself up for a proverbial fall they've conceeded 12 goals in their last 5 games and only scored once in their last seven.

It was something similar before we played them at their place... we are the team other clubs on a bad run want to play. (C'mon Livi prove me wrong!)

Ah but can't we turn the tables on them on the basis that we're on about as bad a run of play as you can get and get our first win since Alloa?

If Talbot and Kyle have knocks then there's still a chance that they could play. I'm sure I saw somewhere that Rutherford can also play CB.

Bertie Bassett wrote:

Durnford wrote:Well building myself up for a proverbial fall they've conceeded 12 goals in their last 5 games and only scored once in their last seven.

It was something similar before we played them at their place... we are the team other clubs on a bad run want to play. (C'mon Livi prove me wrong!)

Same as it was for Alloa last week, you could be right.

LiviCub wrote:If Talbot and Kyle have knocks then there's still a chance that they could play. I'm sure I saw somewhere that Rutherford can also play CB.

Yeah no doubt we'll cobble together a defence with players not fully fit, nor in their best positions, rather than play the young guys in proper position.

Liviforever wrote:

Bertie Bassett wrote:

Durnford wrote:Well building myself up for a proverbial fall they've conceeded 12 goals in their last 5 games and only scored once in their last seven.

It was something similar before we played them at their place... we are the team other clubs on a bad run want to play. (C'mon Livi prove me wrong!)

Same as it was for Alloa last week, you could be right.

LiviCub wrote:If Talbot and Kyle have knocks then there's still a chance that they could play. I'm sure I saw somewhere that Rutherford can also play CB.

Yeah no doubt we'll cobble together a defence with players not fully fit, nor in their best positions, rather than play the young guys in proper position.

Our defence will consist of: Brinquin, Fordyce, Julius Raliukonis and Mickey Mouse. Rutherford and Moffat will be negotiating their moves to St Johnstone.

LiviCub wrote:

Liviforever wrote:

Bertie Bassett wrote:

Durnford wrote:Well building myself up for a proverbial fall they've conceeded 12 goals in their last 5 games and only scored once in their last seven.

It was something similar before we played them at their place... we are the team other clubs on a bad run want to play. (C'mon Livi prove me wrong!)

Same as it was for Alloa last week, you could be right.

LiviCub wrote:If Talbot and Kyle have knocks then there's still a chance that they could play. I'm sure I saw somewhere that Rutherford can also play CB.

Yeah no doubt we'll cobble together a defence with players not fully fit, nor in their best positions, rather than play the young guys in proper position.

Our defence will consist of: Brinquin, Fordyce, Julius Raliukonis and Mickey Mouse. Rutherford and Moffat will be negotiating their moves to St Johnstone.

Used to be Ross County our players went to. Boyd was a good prospect that didn't get a chance in the first team and look how well he's done at County. Col Donaldson was an exception to the rule for Livi defenders, got a chance from an early age. We've not had many from that area that gets a decent chance from the youth teams. For some reason midfielders are in an abundance but we haven't brought many defenders through into the first team.

They may be on a bad run, but their last half dozen games has seen them play both Edinburgh sides, QOTS, Rangers - its neither wonder they've been losing. We, on the other hand, have been losing to Annan and Alloa and generally playing gash.

mozam76 wrote:They may be on a bad run, but their last half dozen games has seen them play both Edinburgh sides, QOTS, Rangers - its neither wonder they've been losing. We, on the other hand, have been losing to Annan and Alloa and generally playing gash.

We had a hard run of games too for the majority of our current bad run. Granted the Annan and Alloa games were disappointing, though against Alloa we played well enough, but the Stranraer game we were well below par, and Annan seemed to descend into us losing our passing game after 20 mins.

I'd be happy if we continued to play the ball about and create chances as we did against Alloa, we need to start scoring them though.

Ever the optimist.

2-1 Livi with the first goal 41 mins.

We have had chances in games but the hardest thing to get in football is quality goalscorers and when a club like Livi gets a quality goalscorer you never get to keep them for long.

0-2, FG 37 mins.

Somehow have a good feeling about this one. 3-0 us. FG 19 mins.

Don't even think I've put a prediction for this one...

1-1, FG 58 mins.

Well that was painful to watch. How have these players got so bad? At times they looked like a schoolboy team. And why was it Robertson he took off and not Hippolyte? And the change should have been much sooner. Used to look forward to Saturday afternoon, win, lose or draw, but now I dread it, and it seems to get worse every week. Looks like they all want to play in league 1.

Should really have been further ahead at half time, but unfortunately our strikers (whatever combination used) just look really disjointed. There isn't a partnership or any semblance of teamwork, whoever plays.

Plenty is being said on various other forums about the offside decision when Keaghan was put through. It's a shocking decision, of that there's no doubt, but the simple indisputable fact is that it wasn't the reason we got beat. We got beat because we defended horribly at the two goals, the second in particular. We got beat because after conceding the second goal, the heads dropped completely and all semblance of fight (not much to begin with) was gone.

A dreadful afternoon.

Have to say the second goal was diwn to DJ and another of his ridiculous kick outs. Does he not practice in training? And what was he doing half way to the centre line anyway. Sorry but too many of his clearences are wasted and why can he not clear the ball quicker when the forwards are screaming fir ut

mozam76 wrote:Should really have been further ahead at half time, but unfortunately our strikers (whatever combination used) just look really disjointed. There isn't a partnership or any semblance of teamwork, whoever plays.

Plenty is being said on various other forums about the offside decision when Keaghan was put through. It's a shocking decision, of that there's no doubt, but the simple indisputable fact is that it wasn't the reason we got beat. We got beat because we defended horribly at the two goals, the second in particular. We got beat because after conceding the second goal, the heads dropped completely and all semblance of fight (not much to begin with) was gone.

A dreadful afternoon.

If it was a dreadful decision (and he looked onside to me but I'm at the wrong end to be certain) then it quite conceivably DID cost us the game; at 2-0 Dumbarton may have had the stuffing knocked out of them, our confidence would have been higher & the play would have restarted from the centre circle, so the play would have developed in an entirely different way to the way it did from that point on. Had it gone to 2-0 there may have been increased opportunity to hit them on the break. Having said that.... I agree with the rest of your assessment.

Just before they equalised I said the pressure is building & either we will break away for a second or they will equalise...cue appalling defending & they make it 1-1 & from then on there was only one team foing to win.
We were good value for our half time lead & looked fairly comfortable. However Dumbarton came out for the second half looking motivated (not the first time we have seen this from them since Murray became their manager) & we came out looking like the half time drink of choice was Horlicks!! (For our younger members, this is a malted drink designed to put you to sleep). And its not the first time we have seen this from our side since McGlynn became the manager.

Robertson was at the heart of any good play by us; Hippo & Mullen did well for the goal; Keaghan was decent apart from a few misplaced passes. DJ looks bereft of confidence for any kind of cross, Talbot does okay as a centre back; Rutherford is ok but lacks pace & positional sense going forward; he was often in acres of space but rarely targeted for a pass & when the play did come across to the left he was usually too deep to hurt the Dumbarton defence, which looked ropey. In the 1st half our defence was regularly taking the safety first option, clearing the lines even if it meant knocking it out; second half we started poncing about at the back with this so called possession game that only piles on the pressure as the opposition close us down. And why do we use O'Brien as our defender when we have a corner? He will be beaten for pace every time on a fast break. First half everyone did okay; 2nd half we were average at best & yet again were beaten by a part time outfit who finished the game looking stronger & fitter.

Thankfully Raith also fought back to beat Cowdenbeath but watch this space...we play them next with the loser consigned to 10th place.

Bertie Bassett wrote:

Durnford wrote:Well building myself up for a proverbial fall they've conceeded 12 goals in their last 5 games and only scored once in their last seven.

It was something similar before we played them at their place... we are the team other clubs on a bad run want to play. (C'mon Livi prove me wrong!)

Telt ye

Good first half, chased everything down and pressed Dumbarton to get the ball back. We created chances and almost got the 2nd goal a few times.

2nd half we either ran out of steam (no pressing the ball back, no chasing after players in the Dumbarton half) or are coming out half arsed thinking Dumbarton are beaten and wont put an effort in. Getting really pissed off with our lack of fight in the 2nd half of games and being shown up by PT teams.

Have no confidence we'll get anything against Cowden now either, that's 6 points we've lost against 2 of the teams we should be getting above and I can see us going bottom of the league next week.

Tbh I had this for my pre season prediction, but it is still bloody depressing watching us just now.

Off the top of my head, the first half was the best I'd seen us play since the second half of the Hearts cup game: Passing was good, mistakes were minimal and we were much more like a team with an aim to win.

The 'offside' decision was one of the worst I've seen and that gave a mystical boot up the arse to Dumbarton and we just seem to have given up after that.

It's getting embarrassing now and the playing and non-playing staff need to sort it. As I've said in the McGlynn thread, he needs to go otherwise we'll end up like Queens and Morton and get relegated instead of the part-timers.

LiviCub wrote:Off the top of my head, the first half was the best I'd seen us play since the second half of the Hearts cup game: Passing was good, mistakes were minimal and we were much more like a team with an aim to win.

The 'offside' decision was one of the worst I've seen and that gave a mystical boot up the arse to Dumbarton and we just seem to have given up after that.

It's getting embarrassing now and the playing and non-playing staff need to sort it. As I've said in the McGlynn thread, he needs to go otherwise we'll end up like Queens and Morton and get relegated instead of the part-timers.

+

That's the kind of things that go against you when you're down the bottom end of the table, well onside.




We prob would've won had the lino got it right and we were 2 goals up but still doesn't excuse us for losing, we need to play for the whole 90 minutes.

Man , that wasn't even close; that is an unbelievably bad decision.

Agreed that it is no excuse as we should still have had enough to win the game but that incident is a game changer; if the goal stands the play resumes from half way with us 2 up instead of midway inside their half & still 1-0.

The poor standard of officiating is one of the things that is ruining the game...the poor standard of play is another.

Actually thought the standard from a woman would've been better as she's had to break into a male dominated profession, but after seeing those highlights she's done herself no favours. At least two yards onside with a line right across the grass to gauge it too, the players leg is fully stretched behind him as well giving us another couple of feet.

They're wanting more money for officiating Championship games too, because Hearts, Hibs and Sevco are in it.

Well we were the better team in the first half without being really convincing; too many (actually most) of our passes were not in the direction the receiving player was going; all too often behind the player forcing hoime to stop and go backwards.

Also whats all this with the pass back to the goalkeeper with a Dumbarton forward rushing in? Time and again it put us under pressure with Jamieson having to rapidly scuff the clearance - why didnt the defendr clear the ball himself rather than passing the responsibility (again) on to the goalkeeper.

And what is it with out corners; how many did we waste in the first half (6+?) by trying some silly short corner thing and then passing back to Kyle and then around to O'Brie etc. Has nobody mentioned where their goal is? I think we had four or more corners where the ball never actually reached their penalty area before being intercepted by a Dumbarton player; that really is unforgivable.

Likewise at corners why bunch all our players at the back? they were really easily corralled by the defence and movement limited; also being considerably shorter than their defence; the chances of a header are very thin (even assuming that we could manage to put a ball in to the area). I had expected Keaghan or someone to wait in a forward position with the option of running in on a short ball in but no...

Of the players who did anywhere near okay Id say Robertson; Hippolyte and maybe Mullen deserved their money this week. The rest looked unfit; lacked enthusiasm or desire to win and many looked like they'd ever played with their team-mates before.

However much training they do per day they need to tripple it; I would have hoped that a full time side would spend more time per day taining than a part time outfit; that apparently isn't the case. Someone like Gary Bollan would have that sorted in no time; shame he's under contract to Airdrie at the moment.

Durnford you make a valid point about tripling the sessions to improve fitness but that only will work if the player is at training.
Last week as a typical example Mglynn stated he had only 1 fit defender so no training turn up Thursday/friday game Saturday.

Edward snowdon wrote:Durnford you make a valid point about tripling the sessions to improve fitness but that only will work if the player is at training.
Last week as a typical example Mglynn stated he had only 1 fit defender so no training turn up Thursday/friday game Saturday.

True but players carrying a knock still need to do some fitness routines even if its in the gym. For some of our players to be out of energy after such a short period of time surely shows that there must be something very wrong.

Likewise if someone can't pass the ball properly then he shouldn't be in the team; let alone the squad. Mybe we've spent too long on the hoofball routines that our guys have started to forget but then the first fifteen minutes against Annan would disprove that - for fifteen minutes we moved the ball forward man to man and didn't give them a chance to catch their breath let alone mount an effective counter. Then our guys start to tire.... excuse me but for full time professionals that shouldn't happen.

Stamina and skill go hand in hand - missing one of those and you're going to struggle over the ninety minutes... unfortunately (and I know I'm being unfair here but) I'm starting to wonder is some of our players have either of those attributes.

Up until a few weeks back I've been standing by McGlynn; wanting to give the guy a chance to put things right but its increasingly apparent that things are just getting worst - I shudder to think what will happen in December; at the moment I can't see us picking up any points there.

Some have bemoaned the ban on player transfers; well we already have players with skills sitting on the bench or not even getting in the squad - okay we have injuries and suspensions but so do virtually every other club and some with a considerably smaller squad than ours.