Livi v Albion Rovers

As I said I feel for him shelling out.

According to the BBC weather forecast it will rain from 6 o'clock on Friday night right through to the same time on Saturday.
Hope it's wrong.

Can we not put covers down? Or are they just for the frost, would surely help keep a lot of the rain off the pitch and would give us a better chance of getting the game on.

An architect who worked for LDC at the time the stadium was built told me years ago that the pitch was below the water level (whatever that means) and that it would always present problems in wet weather. I think over the years this has been the case.

Liviforever wrote:Can we not put covers down? Or are they just for the frost, would surely help keep a lot of the rain off the pitch and would give us a better chance of getting the game on.

Don't think you can put our heavy covers down on our damaged pitch; would probably act like a compressing a sponge. Would be better with some light tarpaulin or similar. I've got some bubble wrap by the bins if that would help.

orco wrote:An architect who worked for LDC at the time the stadium was built told me years ago that the pitch was below the water level (whatever that means) and that it would always present problems in wet weather. I think over the years this has been the case.

Thought that was only an issue with melting snow - didn't think a light drizzle would have had the same impact.

I think at this time of year the ground is a bit sodden most of the time and it takes less for it to become waterlogged. Just my non professional opinion which has no basis on anything.

3rd time lucky on the 7th March then.

orco wrote:An architect who worked for LDC at the time the stadium was built told me years ago that the pitch was below the water level (whatever that means) and that it would always present problems in wet weather. I think over the years this has been the case.

Essentially, for a given ground level, there'll be a level x metres below where water is present; I suspect given the dodgy nature of the land the stadium sits on that the water level is probably several metres above where we are at the moment.

In practical terms this would normally be taken care of by dedicated groundworks before a foundation is laid. However, the cynic inside me suggests it maybe wasn't done as well as it could've been in 1995, and I do recall hearing many moons ago that the drainage underneath the stadium is a complete mess.

I remember pre 95 & the area regularly resembling a swamp complete with alligators & light hovercraft.

(Ok I lied about the alligators & hovercraft)

Bertie Bassett wrote:Desperate to see us win as I've missed the feeling with us having only 1 home win since December and not getting to any of the away games in that period.

Sadly, AR are one of the teams we have struggled to breakdown.

The draw demon has struck twice in the last 3 games, I suspect another.

Liv 1 AR 1
FG 27 mins

So, do I want to modify my prediction based on Albion's recent poor run of form?

Nah.

Yeah i'll stick with my 1-0 Livi  fg 68 mins prediction too.

Don't really think it matters that Rovers have lost twice recently, they've also had two 1-1 draws and have given us tough games where we struggle to score against them, it'll be the same again.

Hopefully Hopkin will get back to the Airdrie starting line up that worked so well, don't know why he messed about with a winning starting line up against QP.

Ligthgow Halkett and Gallagher as a back 3, Crighton & Longridge as wingbacks, solid at the back and the 2 WB's supporting the midfield on the attack.

It's his tinkering with things like that, or refusing to use the width option on wide pitches that still leaves me in doubt about him. He's done a lot of good things, like getting us into a strong position in the league (mind you our opponents have helped with their own poor results) but then pulls something like a half time mogadon so that we come out for a second half and appear to have switched off or always struggling against the middle third to lower half of the league, these are the things that will haunt us in a higher division.

Thinking about it this is exactly how Dumbarton stay in the Championship, grind out draws and pull off the odd win, we wont be up challenging for a promotion play off next season but we would be a bit more likely to avoid the bottom play offs. He's made us a lot more solid at the back, conceding less goals.

I'd prefer it if he could try a more positive approach to games against QP & Rovers but at least we didn't lose against QP this time and we did manage to grind out a win against Rovers. Airdrie maybe should try Hopkin's approach when playing us and be a bit less attack minded, 4 defeats and still playing the exact same tactics every time they play us.

Or maybe i'm just grasping at unbridled optimistic straws.

0-0 snoozefest on the way. Hoping it's on... I think.

Hopefully no pitch concerns and an improvement from Saturday.Albion will have their own agenda but we cant afford to be mercifull.Right from the off lets get stuck right in about them and really stamp our authority on this division once more.No excuses Livi.DoIT!!!

LiviCub wrote:The likes of Todorov, Sinclair and maybe Raffa to start to avoid some players playing two games on that pitch in the space of five days.

Livingston 2. Albion Rovers 0. FG 38 mins.

I'll stick with this for tonight.

Still going for my prediction of 1-0, despite Saturday's disappointing result and the very real chance the game could be abandoned.

Liviforever wrote:Thinking about it this is exactly how Dumbarton stay in the Championship, grind out draws and pull off the odd win, we wont be up challenging for a promotion play off next season but we would be a bit more likely to avoid the bottom play offs. He's made us a lot more solid at the back, conceding less goals.

I'd prefer it if he could try a more positive approach to games against QP & Rovers but at least we didn't lose against QP this time and we did manage to grind out a win against Rovers. Airdrie maybe should try Hopkin's approach when playing us and be a bit less attack minded, 4 defeats and still playing the exact same tactics every time they play us.

Or maybe i'm just grasping at unbridled optimistic straws.

We are more solid at the back... in a lower division; we have been exposed by a number of teams this season that haven't had the quality to finish off the move... we won't be so fortunate in the 2nd tier.

Dunno Bertie, we haven't been exposed since the Peterhead game, from that game on we've been a lot more solid at the back. Halkett has been outstanding since he moved to CB too, really need to get him signed up for next season.

We more or less went with how I wanted the team set out, i'd have had Longridge on from the start but apart from that it was perfect, big Tod started with Buchanan and Cadden ran them ragged up the wing. Again our subs came on and had an impact on the game and were involved in our goals, Josh Mullin being the provider for both and Danny Mullen getting our 2nd. Todorov was just what we needed in a physical game like this, good seeing him getting 2 goals too, some header for his 2nd and what a ball in from Mullin too.

Fully deserved the 3 points, bossed the game from start to finish, although it was still pretty tight till our subs came on, but once we injected that bit of pace with Mullin and Mullen we put the game to bed. Really important 3 points to get back to double figures of a lead over Alloa.

Sorry LF but I can't embrace your enthusiasm for what was on offer tonight. We won 3-0 but we were poor for 40 of the second 45 minutes. Apart from the goal in the first half we rarely troubled their keeper. A better side than Albion would have caused us problems & the final score flattered us.

Miller had a good first half but was poor in the second. Pittman put in his usual tenacious effort but wasn't as effective as usually is. Lithgow is a fish out of water at left back. Crighton looked a bit lackadaisical but tended to get away with it. Buchanan was woeful. Cadden had his full back on toast but his final ball let him down. Byrne strolled it without really achieving much. Gallagher was making silly fouls (pushes & pulls when he didn't need to) & I thought was fortunate not to give away a pen at 1-0 (I've seen them given for less). Halkett was MotM. Kelly looked assured but wasn't tested because Albion lacked quality in the final third. Todorov did nothing of note apart from his two goals, which he admittedly took very well but he can't trap it, he can't pass it and he can't run with it & he missed his easiest chance of the night.

Longridge should have replaced Lithgow, not Cadden. We were all over the place for 10 mins after he came on. Mullen did more with his first possession than Buchanan did all night & should have been on earlier. Mullin produced the two best crosses of the night for the flattering 2nd & 3rd goals.

Until the last 5 minutes I was going hoping we'd hold out for a 1-0 & was getting ready to say that the result was more important than the performance and at least we won ugly which is important at this stage of the season. The 2nd & 3rd goals allow us to gloss over the fact that we were poor for most of the second half, especially from 9:15 to 9:25 when Rovers looked like they were stepping up the pace a bit.

As per usual when we have had a big man on the pitch we didn't use the high ball enough.

Having said all that, we won & even at 1-0 it was relatively comfortable.

We'll need to be a lot better if we want to win on Saturday.

Well we'll have to disagree then Bertie, Todorov could easily have had 4 goals tonight and Pittman could've had a couple too. Would've been some strike by Lithgow too if he had hit it a foot or so lower, what a hit. Don't think Kelly had a serious save to make all game, we were never troubled at the back. Didn't think 3-0 flattered us at all.

Have to disagree with you about not playing high balls enough too, was thinking it was a lot better seeing us playing it on the deck and passing it about rather than hoofing it up the pitch. We were working it about well and created quite a few chances, as I said previously, Todorov was put through a few times and Pittman too had a couple of good balls put in for him to score, but we just didn't connect with them right and their keeper made a couple of good saves.

We seem to have been watching a different game.

I will admit to getting nervy half way through the 2nd half when we let them get into the game as we defended that single goal lead. However in spite of a bit of possession Albion didn't really threaten.
Like you Liviforever I was glad to see Toderov starting. I thought he did ok and gave us that bit of height we've lacked. His two goals will maybe get him a start on Saturday. I thought maybe Rafa would come on but the subs who did justified the decision.
I don't think the score flattered us. We dominated most of the game and should have added to our goal long before we did.
So, East Fife on Saturday. I'd love to give them a hammering but would settle for a last minute scrappy goal.

My point on the lack of a high ball was more a complaint that we have played high balls to two wee forwards far too often this season, if we had played on the deck more in those games we may have had better results against Peterhead and Albion the first time they were here.

Their keeper made a decent save in the first half but the rest of the time it was easy stops but he fumbled Cadden's free kick and there was no one there to capitalise.

We were often too pedestrian in moving the ball around and didn't give Cadden the ball enough, as I mentioned he was wiping the floor with his full back whenever he took him on but his final ball was lacking, but if they had made more use of him then he'd have got a good ball in eventually.

I actually thought we might be pacing ourselves in the first half to really go at them in the second but we came out even slower in the second and as Orco mentioned, they came into it for a spell. Thankfully Halkett was outstanding, winning everything he challenged for and Rovers final ball was rank so Kelly had an easy night.

We were winning ugly until the last 5 mins when the two goals put us on easy street. Special mention to Mullen for having the awareness to just get his body on the ball to knock it in & Mullin for two excellent crosses, one on the move and the other from the corner to assist on those goals.

I'll grant you that Todorov is a big physical presence and it's hard to complain when he has scored twice, I just wasn't impressed with his general play. That said, if he can bag a brace in games like last night's then I'll not be bothered about general play.

East Fife will be a much harder game & they are on a good run... They are third now though so hopefully our excellent record against top four sides continues.

Have to agree with BB on the Todorov assessment. Granted the state of the pitch and it was his first start, but he can look clumsy and his feet seem to make the decision before his head does. I can't complain with him scoring twice, especially with that header, but giving away fouls and losing focus in crucial parts of play doesn't help. With some decent coaching, I'm sure he'll become an asset like he was at times last night and against Airdrie.

Otherwise, it was a very routine victory. As I've said before, there's really no point picking out players from games now because Hopkin is very rigid with this selections and we're at the part of the season where you need a settled side for most games.