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    The next four fixtures

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    Durnford


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    The next four fixtures Empty The next four fixtures

    Post by Durnford Mon Feb 11, 2019 10:07 am

    Sat 16 Feb - Dundee at home
    Sat 23 Feb - Kilmarnock at home
    Wed 27 Feb - St Mirren Away
    Sat 9 Mar - St Johnstone at home

    On the back of a nil / nil draw with Hearts; these four results could be critical in deciding how the rest of the season pans out. We've not really performed against either Killie or St. Johnstone however both teams have been on a wee bit of a downward turn of late; Dundee and St Mirren though SHOULD be playing for their lives although in St Mirren's case I'm not so sure.

    Twelve point could be achievable provided the entire team play as well as we know they can; that being said six points wouldn't be a disaster; at the very least should virtually guarantee Premiership football next season as a mathematical certainty (well possibly one game off but who's counting).

    This Saturday we could feasibly find ourselves back in seventh if we beat an improving Dundee and Motherwell and Hibs were both to lose; however Motherwell are at home to an unreliable Hearts whilst Hibs are at home to Hamilton so not sure I can see any change in league positions this weekend.
    Liviforever
    Liviforever


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    Post by Liviforever Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:05 pm

    Need to start scoring some goals first, much more solid performance against Hearts but still no goals. Even our much lauded set pieces have dried up. 2 goals in our last 8 games and 0 in our last 5, the players should be spending a few hours shooting practice at the end of training sessions till they hit the back of the net in a game.

    St Mirren are rank rotten so there's no danger they're hitting 31 points at the end of the season, Dundee are a bit better but I doubt they'll get above our current points tally either, our game against them this Sat is an absolute not lose game though. Evey game they fail to collect 3 points is another nail in their relegation coffin.


    I'd love us to mount a serious challenge on a top 6 place, and we're by no means out of touch with them, it would only take a wee run of 5 or 6 undefeated games, with a few wins and draws and we'd be right back in the mix, BUT, we seriously need to get our goal scoring boots on, and start winning some games.

    I'll wait till the Dundee game before getting my hopes up and wasting my time with optimistic predictions against Killie and St Johnstone, the St Mirren one is a gimme, if we don't win that one we should be ashamed of ourselves. They'd prob score an OG for us if we still aren't hettting the back of the net, they're that bad.
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    Durnford


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    Post by Durnford Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:52 pm

    Liviforever wrote:Need to start scoring some goals first, much more solid performance against Hearts but still no goals. Even our much lauded set pieces have dried up. 2 goals in our last 8 games and 0 in our last 5, the players should be spending a few hours shooting practice at the end of training sessions till they hit the back of the net in a game.

    St Mirren are rank rotten so there's no danger they're hitting 31 points at the end of the season, Dundee are a bit better but I doubt they'll get above our current points tally either, our game against them this Sat is an absolute not lose game though. Evey game they fail to collect 3 points is another nail in their relegation coffin.


    I'd love us to mount a serious challenge on a top 6 place, and we're by no means out of touch with them, it would only take a wee run of 5 or 6 undefeated games, with a few wins and draws and we'd be right back in the mix, BUT, we seriously need to get our goal scoring boots on, and start winning some games.

    I'll wait till the Dundee game before getting my hopes up and wasting my time with optimistic predictions against Killie and St Johnstone, the St Mirren one is a gimme, if we don't win that one we should be ashamed of ourselves. They'd prob score an OG for us if we still aren't hettting the back of the net, they're that bad.

    Realistically unless Hearts have an absolute melt down; the only side in the top six we're really in with a chance of catching is St Johnstone. To be honest they have a tough series of matches coming up with the rangers away; at home to Aberdeen and Hibs before away again against us.

    As you say scoring has been a real problem; Menga (yes I know he doesn't score a lot but he does successfully stir up defences) has been out or playing with an injury and Erskine hasn't impressed me at all. Robinson has also been missing and we let Hamilton go out on loan. Even Cadden, who played as a make-do number 10 on occasions is also out on loan.

    On the plus side Tiffoney looked useful and De Vita can't be far off a return to top light football.

    Having said all of this we did play a third of a season without any recognised strikers at all and still managed to score plenty of goals from set pieces; we need to tighten that up again.
    Liviforever
    Liviforever


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    Post by Liviforever Mon Feb 11, 2019 3:47 pm

    IMO, what we're lacking from set pieces is just the same as what we're not doing with deliveries from the wing and bye line, it's all about getting yourself into the right position to get on the end of balls into the box, and we're not doing that.

    I noticed it on several occasions a while back that Halkett or Lithgow was a yard or two off getting onto a good ball from a set piece at the back post, someone is analysing these type of things so he should be telling our players to get themselves into the position anticipating the delivery. It is then up to us to get that delivery spot on. From what I saw of Odoffin in the Hearts game, he's going to be putting in great balls across the 6 yard box, so Hardy or Pittman need to make sure they are getting in there.

    We saw Pitts doing that exact thing last season when Mullin was playing, so now we've a player signed in Odoffin that can do the business down the wing we'll hopefully see Pittman the hitman getting some goals again.
    orco
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    Post by orco Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:21 pm

    Our last 6 games have been - Aberdeen, Rangers, Hearts x2, St Johnstone, Motherwell. The only one I was disappointed with was Motherwell where we were shellshocked for 20 minutes. Unfortunately that was the one I had hoped of taking points from. We matched St Johnstone for most of the game and lost to one decent goal. In the other games we have to punch well above our weight given the difference in budgets. Thankfully the team responded at Hearts after the Motherwell debacle. Hopefully we get back soon to the solid unit we have been and find the goals that have been missing.y
    Liviforever
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    Post by Liviforever Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:59 pm

    Yep. we're on a kinder run of games where we could get some points, our home form is where we've gained the majority of those 31 points, and we've 3 home games coming up, and an away game against St Mirren was where we got a rare away win earlier in the season.

    Still, a lot depends on us being able to find the net again.
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    Durnford


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    The next four fixtures Empty Re: The next four fixtures

    Post by Durnford Mon Feb 11, 2019 8:26 pm

    Liviforever wrote:IMO, what we're lacking from set pieces is just the same as what we're not doing with deliveries from the wing and bye line, it's all about getting yourself into the right position to get on the end of balls into the box, and we're not doing that.

    I noticed it on several occasions a while back that Halkett or Lithgow was a yard or two off getting onto a good ball from a set piece at the back post, someone is analysing these type of things so he should be telling our players to get themselves into the position anticipating the delivery. It is then up to us to get that delivery spot on. From what I saw of Odoffin in the Hearts game, he's going to be putting in great balls across the 6 yard box, so Hardy or Pittman need to make sure they are getting in there.

    We saw Pitts doing that exact thing last season when Mullin was playing, so now we've a player signed in Odoffin that can do the business down the wing we'll hopefully see Pittman the hitman getting some goals again.

    Also noticed recently that Lithgow's long throws havent been as successful as Gallagher now normally has at least two men on him limiting his movement and ability to flick on.

    Incidentally I now see that the St Mirren game has been rearranged to Saturday 2nd March.

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