Livi v The Rangers

Reckon this'll be our toughest game yet, Hearts away was a tough one but we got a bit of a break with Ikpeazu being out injured, our CB's would've had a far tougher game with their big battering ram of a player in their team.

So I reckon with the attacking flair Sevco have got this will be our toughest game and a real test for our immense defence. I'm really looking forward to it though as it will also be a great marker for us, come through this one and not concede many and we can def deal with anything anyone else has to offer.

Prob stick with Robinson and Menga up front with Hardie not being allowed to play against his parent club. Any of our midfielders could score though, they've all got goals in their locker, and hopefully we'll be a bit more on it with our set pieces, was a bit disappointed with them against Hearts. I'd take a draw here but i'd love us to nick a win, wouldn't surprise me any if we win anyway, this team are capable of anything.

Really pumped up for this one already, even if I'm not very confident. Bit of a downer to still be without Hardie but that doesn't change anything about our defensive capabilities, and we'll hopefully have Sibbald back for this one too.

Think we'll start with the same 11 again, unless anyone's carrying a knock or suspension.

2-1 to the Zombies, FG 23 mins.

Before the Hearts game, I was looking at 1 point from the next 2 games. We already have that. I was looking at us drawing on Sunday...But Rangers will have 4 games in 15 days so hopefully, they may be a wee bit tired, maybe feel like they've already won the game, be another team that underestimates us.....you never know.

Pumped up for it anyway.

Reckon Morelos will lose the plot and kick one of our midfield 3 (prob Shaun Byrne), just hope the ref has the balls to send him off.

Also hope big Dec flattens that pikey bassa Lafferty.

Well we're already in their heads having to play on our plastic pitch, it has its own thread on their forum.

Some of the guff in their match thread is astounding though, Celtic beat us so they'll stick 3 or 4 past us easy, fecksake.

They are scoring for fun at the moment though & not conceding

I think we’ll give a good account of ourselves but lose 2-0 with the FG in 27 mins

If you're not already pumped up for this then I suggest you try reading some of their Fans Forum. Shower of arrogant barstewards.

Its not a case of if they beat us but by how many. Lets get stuck in and put their highly inflated gas at a peep.

A draw is not beyond us.

Bertie Bassett wrote:They are scoring for fun at the moment though & not conceding

I think we’ll give a good account of ourselves but lose 2-0 with the FG in 27 mins

So were Hearts before they played us, and Hibs are only 3 goals behind them, we've nothing to fear here and will be in with a good chance of getting something playing our usual game.

I know, you’re absolutely right & the guys keep proving my glass-nearly-empty-thinking wrong... but I can’t shake the feeling that somewhere along the way we’ll hit a bump.

On top of that, I genuinely think Gerrard is building something in Govan that is going to establish the Reincarnation mob as a major force in Scotland...

Yep would agree with Bertie in that The Rangers seem to have the bit between their teeth at the moment.I reckon they,l be a different proposition than the one we would have faced a month or so ago.Having said that you just dont know with this team.Shame we couldnt be at full strenghth up front but im sure the lads will put a shift in to see if we can get something from this.Hopefully the shennanigins of the feild regarding malicous rumourd at the club have subsided and we are allowed to continue this magnificent start to the season.Once again weve nothing to lose so i hope the boys give it a real good go and get tore into them.You never know.Cmon Livi do it.

They've also drawn 2 games away from home and their big home wins were against a garbage Dundee and A Championship team, can't comment of St Johnstone as haven't seen them yet but Livi are a totally different prospect from those teams, and our midfield wont get overrun either, I have 100% confidence of that.

Still, I agree it will be a very tough game, for them too though, and I said as much in my opening post. Our players will be absolutely buzzing for it though, these are the games they want to be involved in to show everyone how good they are.

I'll be flying after this game if we get a win, mon the Lions, get right in about them.

Not a bad day for us results wise, looking at the bottom 5 teams only Dundee won and are now just on 3 points, so whatever happens tomorrow we are no worse off against those teams. Anything we get would be a bonus, it really is a no lose situation for us against Sevco.

Liviforever wrote:Not a bad day for us results wise,

Depends on your point of view I suppose. If you're only focusing on league survival then I suppose it was okay but if you've got the temerity to dream of a top six finish and the extra £500k plus sell out gate receipts it will bring then it want a very good day at all. Ideally wanted Celtic and Aberdeen to draw and Hibs to loose - neither of which happened.

Dundee winning may give their supporters a brief period of hope that they've turned to corner and mean that they will come to the Vale in increased numbers next month.

Durnford wrote:

Liviforever wrote:Not a bad day for us results wise,  

Depends on your point of view I suppose. If you're only focusing on league survival then I suppose it was okay but if you've got the temerity to dream of a top six finish and the extra £500k plus sell out gate receipts it will bring then it want a very good day at all. Ideally wanted Celtic and Aberdeen to draw and Hibs to loose - neither of which happened.

Dundee winning may give their supporters a brief period of hope that they've turned to corner and mean that they will come to the Vale in increased numbers next month.

Oh contraire, that's exactly why it was a good day, all the bottom 6 except Dundee lost, so that puts us in as good a position as possible today for staying in the top 6.

Hibs losing would've closed the gap on us for St Mirren, Hibs are going to be up in the top 6 so no threat to us being there ourselves, same goes for Celtic, Aberdeen losing keeps them the same points below us. Reckon St Johnstone and Aberdeen are going to be our main threat for the top 6 spot, Killie look better than both of them but I think we're about on par with Killie so should be up there too with those two below us.

Top 6 imo will be (in no particular order); Hearts, Celtic, Sevco, Hibs, Livi, Killie. If we can keep our performances going, which we managed to do last season so I have faith we will be able to do so again this season.

You may be right but personally I prefer the dizzy heights of the top three and even better if non of the top three are an old firm team.

Funnily enough it seems that after tomorrows game we're the only team to have already played all of the teams currently in the top six and regardless of the result will still be in the top six - still absolutely unbelievable.

Ah well; early start tomorrow so hopefully our "guests" wont be too oiled up before the game

Steady Durnford, I thought I was the yang to Bertie's yin but you're going off the scale yang wise here, Bertie will have to start saying we're getting relegated to compensate.

Liviforever wrote:Steady Durnford, I thought I was the yang to Bertie's yin but you're going off the scale yang wise here, Bertie will have to start saying we're getting relegated to compensate.

I know; I keep trying to nail my feet to the ground but its difficult when your head's in the clouds.

In reality the best we can really hope for is to try and keep up a good form until the winter break; its difficult to believe that some offers wont come in for our players during the January transfer window and not just because we have some excellent performers but fifteen plus years ago the old firm would have deliberately weakened the opposition by buying up their key player - can we believe this wont happen again if we're still in the top half and taking points off the arrogance mob?

What can you say about this Livi team, they are absolute stars.

This season just keeps getting better, amazing!!

What a day, what a team, what a performance. Absolutely fantastic.

It might fall apart at the seems as the season progresses but for now, this is Roy of the Rovers stuff.

Will miss the Dundee game as we are away to the country that must not be named this Saturday for 3 weekends (and the weeks in between obviously). So hopefully they keep it up in our absence.

Kelly looked comfortable all game, making 1 excellent save & a few routine saves as well as looking very secure in dealing with crosses.
Gallagher - immense, brilliant exchange with Robbo to set up the goal
Halkett - Captain Marvel, I honestly believe he should be in the Scotland squad.
Lithgow - had a couple of less secure moments but grew into the game to his normal level
Lamie - superb first half, bit quieter 2nd half but more defensive too
Lawless - proving to be an astute signing, gives his all
Byrne - Not reached the heights of his Hibs performance but still put in a good shift
Pittman - shows no fear, some brilliant tackles, should have done better with his chance but credit to McGregor for a good save.
Jacobs - tremendous performance
Robinson - worked his wee legs off again & linked with with Dec & Dolly superbly for the goal
Menga - would have liked to see him take on their defence the way he took on Hibs defence but he showed great composure to score what was a brilliant goal
Subs
Lawson - not sure about him yet but he didn’t let anyone down
Burns - did well in his short time on the pitch
Sibbald - same as Burns, albeit even shorter time

Got home in time for the last 15 minutes of Sky coverage... greatly disappointed that they devoted 10 of those minutes to the Celtic crisis rather than devoting the programme to the Livi win; they did have time however for Hayley McQueen to raise the pitch issue from a viewers question... I have to congratulate both Boyd & Commons for their answers, especially Boyd.

Both made it clear that it wasn’t the pitch that beat Rangers, it was the better team on the day that beat them. Boyd also made a very valid point, after Hayley mentioned that Killie also have a fake grass pitch but implied Killie’s was better, Boyd laughed & said that if/when the “big” teams come to places like Killie, Accies & Livi & win the pitch is never an issue, it only becomes an issue when they lose.

First goal in 5 years for Menga, hopefully our coaching helps him improve on that and he gets a few more. Cracking effort by him today, had to play the lone striker for most of the game when we switched to a back 4, and had a hard shift running about daft giving us an out ball, some goal too. Took a good first touch to get it out his feet and drilled it into the net.


That's 1 goal conceded this month playing Hibs, Accies, Hearts and Sevco, if we don't get a defensive player or keeper for PoTM they can stick their award where the sun don't shine. Holt should be getting MoTM too.

Just read through Sevco media Livi v Sevco match thread for the LOLS, hilarious reading.

They started out so confident and full of themselves thinking it would be a walk in the park, 4,5 and 6 nil, by the 60th minute they were desperate just to draw the game for a point, and by FT they were totally deflated, fair gave me a laugh reading it.

Oh and about 500 mentions of how much a disgrace our pitch is.

The common theme from opposition fans is them being bewildered at how all their players have suddenly had a bad game when they've been flying in the games leading up to playing Livi, bloody amazes me that none of them can figure out it is down to our players making them play badly, pressing them and giving them no opportunities to score. They really just can't see it.

Over heard some blue noses after the game, some were clearly not at the same game as me.

There were a few sensible comments, saying they don’t like the pitch but that is no excuse for losing, but on the whole they were just bitter blues.

Good positive comments from Sportscene guys again this week, I think they are finally beginning to see that there is more to Livi than the reputation.

Still coming down from the high that was yesterday hense the late post.Utterly magnificent display from the Lions and thoughraly deserved those three points.Hard to pick out standouts but i thought Jacobs and Pitts absolutly stolled this and the defence were superb doing what we know that they can.Yeh decent comment from the Sportscene guys as well and maybe their finnally coming round to the fact we are a decent wee outfit.Was great to see the stadium full again and the Gers supporters i spoke to after the game were magnanimous in defeat saying we desrved the win although they were understandably dissapointrd in their own teams performance without taking anything away from Livingston.The least said about the coin throwing incident and Hallidays shenanigans at the end the better.On both occasions they embarresed themselves and their club nuff said.Any way well done once again to Gary Davie and the lads for putting that shift in and we move on.This team never ceases to amaze me.Brillaint.