Livi v TWD

Feel we've been hard done to the last twice we've played them, refereeing decisions played heavily in both defeats (story of our season so far), and even then we held our own and looked the better side in the home game. Dykes playing would be massive, he gave their defenders a torrid time, and we don't have another player like him up front, that gives big CB's a physical battle. However i'll just take it that he wont be back yet, and not be so disappointed when the team sheet comes out on Sunday before the game.

Tiffoney or Robinson look likely to be our options here, prob Robbo if fit, don't think he was for the Well game but in a week's time he should be. Despite Sarkic's howler for Motherwell's first goal i'd still start him here, he had superb games against Sevco, Celtic, and Hibs, and Kelly was also guilty of those type of howlers now and again, but rightfully never got dropped.

I'd go with:

.. . .                     Sarkic

McMillan      Guthrie    Lithgow    Lamie

.. .          Bartley    Crawford

…    Lawless    Pittman   Lawson

….                Robinson    
     
Think we have a chance of a result here, Sevco have a European game on Thurs too, so hopefully that will have taken a bit out of them, and they wont fancy having to play us on our plastic pitch 3 days later, guaranteed they'll be moaning about it pre and post match.

Rumour is Dykes will be playing on Sunday. Be still my beating heart.

Honestly don’t think it matters, I suspect they will have learned from the last 2 games which they won despite us being at least as good as them.

They saw how played last season but nobody has really learnt from it, we still give them a tough game, and have won against Celtic after drawing with them twice. As Levein said, knowing how Livingston play and doing something about it, is two different things.

Anyway, hopefully we bring Sevco back down to earth with a bump after their win against Porto last night. Morelos was hobbling about post match, they'll maybe have to play their 90K a week loan striker instead, it's tough having to struggle with their limited budget.

I have no doubt we will battle them hard & may outplay them during the game but I fear we will be on the wrong end of the scoreline

I see Steven Gerrard is up to his usual trick of warning the referees to be hard on Livi. His players have been fine since our game with them while Lyndon Dykes has hardly kicked a ball after the unpunished last man challenge by Helander.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/18025051.steven-gerrard-calls-protection-officials-ahead-rangers-return-livingston

Expecting Hee Haw from this game with the exception of a load of dosh from the unwashed.Gerrard will no doubt remind them of previous encounters recently and will have them up for this.Just a pity that once again we wont be at full streangth for this and will be interesting to see what line up Gary goes with.They dont like coming here and as usual any small advantage we can get we will surely have to take,but its gonna be a tough shift for the lads i feel.Iknow the boys will do their best but on this occasion i dont think they will prove me wrong.On the other hand ive got my face ready for a load of eggs hitting my coupon with great plesure should they do the unthinkable.In that respect i as usual wish them all the luck in the world,we may need it.

orco wrote:I see Steven Gerrard is up to his usual trick of warning the referees to be hard on Livi. His players have been fine since our game with them while Lyndon Dykes has hardly kicked a ball after the unpunished last man challenge by Helander.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/18025051.steven-gerrard-calls-protection-officials-ahead-rangers-return-livingston

Still smarting from Holt telling him they got away with one when Helander didn't get sent off, the twat. I agree with him though, the ref needs to protect players from thugs, Helander needs watching on Sunday, esp if Dykes is playing, our players need protecting from Sevco hammer throwers.

I think Morelos has had more red cards than all our players put together.

Troy wrote:Expecting Hee Haw from this game with the exception of a load of dosh from the unwashed.Gerrard will no doubt remind them of previous encounters recently and will have them up for this.Just a pity that once again we wont be at full streangth for this and will be interesting to see what line up Gary goes with.They dont like coming here and as usual any small advantage we can get we will surely have to take,but its gonna be a tough shift for the lads i feel.Iknow the boys will do their best but on this occasion i dont think they will prove me wrong.On the other hand ive got my face ready for a load of eggs hitting my coupon with great plesure should they do the unthinkable.In that respect i as usual wish them all the luck in the world,we may need it.

Beating Sevco has no novelty value though, we do it every season when we're playing in the same league as them, I really do think we will win on Sunday. Nick Walsh also owes us one for getting the pen decision against Aberdeen wrong, so lets start evening those dodgy refereeing decisions, we're owed quite a few.

A comment like that should be investigated by the SFA as it brings the game into disrepute by putting additional pressure on a referee and showing a total disrepect for fellow professional players.

The club should report it but it won't and even if it did the SFA would do heehaw because they run scared of the OF more often than not. Lets simply respond by doing our business on the park and denying them a win.

Gerrard needs to shut up; he was no shrinking violet himself as a player.... just a bit of a lady slipper now & then.

All in all I can’t really complain at the loss today, I thought they were the better side. That said they were also very physical & got away with it.

Also, I’ve not seen the footage but I am told Morelos was offside in the build up to his goal & Dykes was fouled in the box at a corner late on.

However, I didn’t think we played well enough to merit a point today.

Yep we were well off our usual form against them, sat far too deep and never pressed them enough to get attacks going. Dykes was pissing against the wind trying to chase down balls up front, there was always a spare defender to get the ball out making it far too easy for them. Saying that, he came close a few times sprinting on to defenders whenever they gave him the slightest whiff of a chance to rob them, tough shift for him though.

Dunno why we didn't press them more, was frustrating to watch, allowing them so much time and space to come at us. We went straight up at their goal from the kick off after their goal and had a go, that would've shaken them up if we'd scored, but after that the game settled down to a routine win for them.

Not watched the highlights yet to see if Morelos was offside, at the time I was more annoyed that Odoffin gave him the chance to shoot, he got turned one way then the other to give him the shot at our goal, that should never have happened, good clinical finish though, the wee shite did feckall all game apart from tripping and kicking out at our players (one of them was off the ball right in front of the linesman and 4th official too), but he is clinical at scoring goals.

Dunno why Souda came on and Robinson was left on the bench, unless he's not fully fit, i'd have stuck Robbo up front with Dykes to have a go at them and give Dykes some help chasing and pressing their defenders.

No great shock to lose to Sevco, just a bit disappointing we went down to meekly.

Yeh dissapoiting day for the Lions on a freezing unpleasant day for football.Sevco thoughrally deserved their win.The difference in quality especially up front was there for all to see.And Morellos goal was offside but in any case i dont think it would have made a difference on a day to forget for the Lions.Dont want to go into the crowd control problems to much as its happened before and will surely happen again.Only highlight for me was meeting Andy Goram in the bar after the game.Absolute gentleman and a credit to his club the way he accomodated us.As ive said before i cant wait to see the back of these old firm games and then we can really concentrate on the job at hand.We move on!

Watched Sportscene last night and on the whole Nick Walsh had a decent game, better than a lot of referees we've had this season anyway. Great decision for McMillan's 'dangerous' studs showing tackle, yellow was the correct call but we've seen refs that would've been sprinting over there brandishing a red card for that.

Lamie's tackle on Morelos looked dodgy, though at first showing the commentator thought he timed it to perfection, but the 'trial by Sportscene' showed Morelos got the ball and Lamie fouled him, but then Morelos fouled our defender when he pushed Guthrie with both hands to make him miss the header. So in the end two wrongs did make a right.

I'd blame the linesman for not spotting Morelos was offside, he was right in line with play so should've seen it, Odoffin still should've stopped him from shooting, or at least blocked his shot.

We look vulnerable with Odoffin playing, he was posted missing for their first goal, leaving the space for Aribo to stroll into for his goal, and was again at fault for Morelos getting his shot on goal (even though it was offside). Lithgow had his appendix out last week though so I think we're stuck with him till Lithgow is back, or perhaps the new guy, Taylor-Sinclair could play and McMillan go over to the right hand side.
Taylor-Sinclair didn't look too clever either right enough, getting caught on the ball and dispossessed, but hopefully that's down to just being new and not up to speed.

Did they show the possible rugby tackle on Dykes towards the end of the game that could have been a pen?
There is certainly an incident on the club highlights but no close up to judge what happened.

Bertie Bassett wrote:Did they show the possible rugby tackle on Dykes towards the end of the game that could have been a pen?
There is certainly an incident on the club highlights but no close up to judge what happened.

They didn't mention that one nope, hardly showed Livi attacking, admittedly we didn't attack much but we had a couple of shots at goal. I remember that one at the game, it was at a corner and the Sevco player had his arms right around Dykes dragging him to the ground when the ball is coming over, so how the feck is that not a foul, it gives the attacking players absolutely no chance of going for the ball. They all do it but that one was ridiculous.

If you are in open play outside of the box and a defender does that to you it is a clear foul, inside the box seems to be ignored, or when any sort of stramash happens it automatically gets given a foul to the defending team, just for an easy decision for the ref. I mean if Dykes had his arms wrapped around their keeper and did that the ref would've had no hesitation in blowing for a foul on the keeper.

Yeah, that’s what it looked like on the highlights. And you are right, it rarely gets called.
I remember a year or 3 back a pen was given on the opening weekend down south for exactly that & the ref was praised for it. It never happened again that season.

A foul should be called every time regardless of where it is on the pitch, it would soon stop all the grappling if the refs had the sense to give pens for it.