Livi v Killie (the erse cheek destroyers)

As the old chestnut goes, games don't get any easier, Killie will be flying after pumping Celtic, again. Can we bring them back down to earth with a bump

Getting to the stage a win would just get us closer to the teams above us, and it will take 2 or 3 wins on the bounce to get out of the bottom 2. Desperately, desperately need a flucking goal for us to get anything though, so can we just start Anderson and do the same as we did against Hibs, getting balls into the box for him to score a goal. And not hoof balls high in the air towards him, with a CB towering over his shoulders.

Aberdeen and Celtic away after this game, a win here might even give us a lift to get something against both of them, and start us on an undefeated streak.

Guthrie did well on Saturday but no one was feeding off him in the area. Guthrie & Anderson with balls into the box might work but we’ll never know cos he never plays that way even when both are in the pitch.

We fans need to get behind the team as much as we can but we can’t set up or take chances, that’s down to the guys on the park. So they need to get their collective fingers out and start taking those chances. Next games after Killie are Aberdeen and Celtic away so if we don’t win on Saturday we will be stuck on 10 points going until after Christmas. Traditionally the bottom team at Christmas goes down.

He keeps saying we have enough quality in the building to keep us up…the problem is the games are played on the pitch.

I watched the Killie/Celtic game on Sunday. Killie have some big intimidating looking guys. We will need to go into the game ready to match them physically. The weather forecast is for 40mph winds. They always say such weather is a great leveller. Hope home advantage turns it in our favour, for once. Jeez we are due a wee break. Saturday would be a great time to get a bit of luck.
I just want a goal or three. Haven't celebrated us scoring for so long.

On Saturday we were celebrating shots on target!

Don’t forget the other factor going against us… freebies. We never play well in those games.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t do freebies but maybe we should do them more often to get the guys used to the different sound coming from the sidelines… lots of high pitched screaming that isn’t from DM

I think our issue on not scoring is the way we're playing Guthrie, we seem to want him to be the target man for high balls hit his way, as he's excellent at winning headers, problem is not have anyone getting onto those flick ons.

Against St Mirren Anderson got man marked by Gogic, so Guthrie's headers went to a St Mirren player all the time, so they prob worked out he'd win most headers so nullify Anderson and they'd mop up the 2nd balls.

Against Hibs we just didn't have anyone getting onto them, so playing this tactic just isn't working.

Best game i've seen us play, was Hibs away, and the reason for that was us getting Nouble and Penrice working balls down the wing, Guthrie was starting that game too but we didn't play hoof ball tactics, and him & Pitts got themselves in the box for Penrice's crosses. Guthrie is also pretty strong for holding defenders off and laying off balls, that's what i want to see him doing, with Anderson starting, giving Anderson a more mobile role to be free from defenders making runs, not standing with a big CB marking him as a high ball comes up.

So basically we need Nouble having Penrice working overlaps and getting down the wing, because Nouble rarely goes on runs to do it himself now, but is decent at drawing players in and making a pass for Penrice to do it. And to play it on the deck to Guthrie so he can hold off defenders and play in a more mobile Anderson.

Can’t disagree with any of that LF.

If we can blow them away in the first half hour like last time we beat them at our place that would do for me… but they are much better this season than they were last season and we are just so bang average at best most weeks that I can’t see it happening… come on guys it’s time to prove me wrong again.

I feel a bit better about our defence now Obileye is back playing, that was where Killie did us in the last game, scoring from set plays into our box. Just wonder how far away Montano is from being fit, if he was back we'd be up to full strength for our best starting XI.

This losing streak would prob end once we score a goal, but getting that goal is a monkey on our back, we've been so close to scoring but it just wont go in for us. Saturday against Killie with all the kids behind the goal in the South stand would be the perfect time to do it.

Was totally impressed by Killie last week against a poor Celtic team.Regardless that second half performance from them gives me the fear.I genuinely don't think it matters what set up or tactics Davie implements here.Were in a slump that I fear will leave us with too much to do even if Davie pontificates that we have the quality in the building to keep us up.I must be watching a different team.Lady luck has deserted us and I don't see her gracing us any time soon.In the spirit of good will to all men,I just hope we're not to benevolent to Killie even at this trying time..

Lions to the slaughter. My expectations have descended this week to the level of jist gie us a goal.

What a painful watch that was. Neither side deserved anything from that game. Killie are diving cheats but at least made George save/catch the ball more than once.

After getting a shot on target in the first minute I was hoping it would be the start of something good; Nouble looked like his old self as he dribbled into the box and although the ball wasn’t fired on target until Obileye hit it at the keeper, I was optimistic of a decent game. Didn’t last long though, and that dribble was Nouble’s only worthwhile contribution until he made a defensive clearance in the second half.
Anderson did himself no favours by missing yet another penalty.

Tactically we were largely inept. Why use the high ball in the wind? Get it on the deck, against the wind carry it and pass it and cut it back from the by-line, with the wind get shots on target and follow them in.

The only positives from this game were a clean sheet and a point to stop the run of defeats; but draws are no use to us at the moment, we need a couple of wins to get back to the pack above us.

George - largely untroubled after beating out Vassel’s strike
Nottingham - has the pace to overlap but unable to do so due as Nouble didn’t give him that option
Obileye - pretty secure all game and had the best effort on goal
Devlin - constantly holding his opponent and totally the wrong player to be marking Vassel, too slow.
Nouble - excellent dribble in the first minute, passenger thereafter
Holt - what has happened to his attacking vision, too many time he would go forward and then turn back
SeKelly - game seemed to pass him by but boy do I wish he’d been on the pitch for the pen
Shinnie - one of his quieter performances
Penrice - quickly becoming my player of the season, pick of a poor bunch by some distance
Pittman - not the player he once was but still gives everything
Guthrie - not as effective as last week thanks to the wind
Anderson - tried hard but no real service but what a poor pen
Montano & StKelly - didn’t really do much

Quick word about the officials- bog standard ineptitude

First half Killie used the wind to their advantage and cleared balls out of defence straight up the pitch to the right channel, bit like we did when we first came up, not allowing us to press them and win the ball in their final 3rd.
As you say Nick, only time we had any joy attacking them was keeping on the deck and passing the ball through our midfield, the wind just held up the ball trying to hit high balls. Pitts was playing the Anderson role, but not as good, really not seeing the logic of this. Kelly was prob on to help deal with Killie's balls into our box, esp from set plays, but he was subbed off at HT and we dealt with them fine without him, so just start Anderson and stop being so defensively set up, part of a good defence is having a good attack to take the pressure of the defenders, constantly being put under pressure is going to see us concede goals, fortunately we didn't though and made a big change at HT.

The difference of having Anderson on was seeing him running putting pressure on their defenders, and forcing them to hit the ball out of play, rather that having time to pick a pass up the pitch. The irony isn't lost on me though, the player we all wanted on missed our penalty, and the useless haddie we all wanted subbed off, is the last player to score a goal for us, from the penalty spot. I saw Ayo with the ball and thought aw no, then Anderson took it and i still wasn't feeling confident, last pen he took was really weak and he missed it, i'd have subbed St Kelly on to take it, he at least scored one in a cup game. We are just so bad at taking pens.

Any other time a draw would've been a decent rsult, esp against a team that is above us and had beaten Celtic in their last game, but we're desperate for wins, and missing a penalty to take all 3pts is a sore one.

St Johnstone winning and Motherwell drawing means we're a game further into the season and have made no ground on the closest teams to us, and one of them has moved another 2 pts away.

Defensively we're looking more solid, but we really need to improve in attack and start scoring goals, if we stop lining up so defense minded we might just do that, persisting with Se Kelly at the expense of Anderson isn't going to help improve our situation though.

Acht, ye ken it's just no yer season when ye cannae even win the toss in a game played in 40mph winds. That defined the game for me.

Works night out last night,hence the late post.Cant add much that has already been said. Shame about Bruce's pen miss.Killie were the better team imo but was an opportunity lost in the end.Tough day at the office but we've just got to get on with it.