Livi v Alloa

Lolingston

I usually wait a wee while before posting comments on the game but tonight I know that I will feel the same tomorrow.

There was only one team there who looked as if they wanted to win and it sure as hell was not Livi. We are the better side but effort beats skill every time in my opinion. That's why we got the point against Rangers. The manner of the lost goal epitomised us today - carelessness, indecision and a lackadaisical approach. We might have sneaked a draw if it had not been for that early Christmas present to the bottom team but in all truth we did not deserve anything.

As well as all that the ball just didn't land well for us and the referee tended to give every 50/50 ball to Alloa. However neither of those two facts had a bearing on the result.

Re Gary Glen I don't agree with giving individual players abuse but I can see why it happened. I am failing to see why he walks into the team every week. At times today he seemed to be somewhere else and almost looked surprised when the ball came his way. I could see that and it would appear that a lot of other fans did too so why on earth did he stay on for 90 minutes. Faria at least looked busy and tried to break up play yet he was the one taken off. Poor decision.

Another huge game next week. I expect the team to put in enough effort to make up for that display today.

Wasn't at the game today, btw so can't really give my views. What I will say is "We're going to finish mid-table" and "Lets go for an unbeaten December" I like a bit of WUM tactics from the manager more than anyone else, but it won't look too clever when we're relegated.

Mate tells me Gary Glen told the Livi fans to get to fuck. He's always been an absolute arsehole here, didn't stay behind to applaud at Cowdenbeath, fucked off after 5 mins at the CC final, always the first one off the pitch and never looks interested. Maybe if the fat c*** wasn't stuffing his face with McDonalds everyday and put some effort in he wouldn't be getting abuse. Deserves every bit of it, telling your own fans to GTF. What a prick.

Probably sitting in his house the now stuffing his fat face full of food

WTF was that? I'm sick of this Livi team raising their game when playing "bigger" teams and failing miserably against teams around us. Absolute rank rotten today.
Frustration boiled over with Glen at the end but let's be fair he was poor and maybe that's why he wanted to exchange words with the support. However once that happens it's only him that will lose.

This season is starting to mirror last

AAAGHHH!!!! .What the f*** was that all about today. Absolutely horrendous.

Did these guys walk on to the pitch straight from all night bender? That's how it looked.

Lets be honest Alloa were pure rank but lets equally honest about Livi, they were even more rank.

That level of performance is just not acceptable. Getting beaten by a team that had something like 1 victory in 17 games is just pure dead embarrassing.

Another few games like that and questions about MB's future will become an avalanche.

I didn't hear the abuse given to Gary Glen. I don't condone it but after what the fans had to endure today I can understand it. Look's like Glen was taking one for the team.

Alloa scored 1 goal in 8 league games before today.

That was a terrible performance today and the responsibility must rest with the management.
Most of the game time wasted going nowhere, slowly across the back, backwards, midfielders with the ball and nobody near them, pass back rather than drive forward.
I don't blame the players and I don't blame Gary Glen, he possibily should not have started, needed to get the ball quicker in space if he was to do anything and should definately been subbed when it wasn't working, rather than waiting until it all went wrong.
It was chaos at the end with no management input whatsoever.
We had dreadful results against the teams around us last season and only managed the great escape when the management sent out a team playing to win.
At the moment I don't know if I'll bother going back, such a complete waste of a Saturday afternoon with a management team who looked clueless.

Our first "fuck up" was Burchill saying he wanted an unbeaten December. I'm sorry but that is the completely wrong attitude to have as a manager. You always hear managers saying "we will take 1 game at a time" and for good reason. Showed his arrogance and it paid today. Alloa looked 10% interested, we looked as if it was too fucking cold.

I'm really getting sick of Livingston just now. What's the fucking point in playing well against hibs and matching Rangers, then suffer an embarrassing defeat against by far the worst team in the league.

Almost done at Livingston, everything from top to bottom is wrong, the way the club has been run, to the management, to the players. Glens antics at the end show this.

We NEED to win on Saturday against Dumbarton. I hope this is the kick up the arse the whole club needs.

Dumbarton the manager slayers, that's both Alloa and St Mirren managers resigned after losing to them, Burchill better get a rocket up their arses in training this week.

The fortnight without a game didn't work out well for us, half the team were in first gear and the midfield may as well have stayed in the dressing room for all the good they did. Everything was played from our defence straight up to the front two, no link up play at all from midfield.

I like Glen, he's been playing well recently but today he was a passenger, couldn't believe Gibbons was subbed and Glen stayed on the pitch, may well have been a big factor in the Alloa goal too as it left us with only one holding midfielder. All this playing it back nonsense was getting on my wick too, it was always going to get us into trouble at some point continually playing it back to McCallum, a half decent team would've put 5 past us today playing like that.

I am totally scunnered after that performance, I can take losing, and admittedly I would've found it hard not to have been scunnered even drawing with Alloa, but the manner in which we lost is unacceptable, no effort or desire being shown from too many players, it's just not on.

Wow didn't see that coming today to be honest, LF and myself have been pretty positive in our approaches to games predicting wins ,well that was a boot in the haw maws today.

Sitting watching the game with my pal and after about half an hour said to him ,who is getting pass marks today as I couldn't pick anyone. He said to me Ben Gordon and at that point maybe agreed with him, however Gordon went downhill after that comment too.

Strange sub at half time would have taken Pitman /Glen off gone 442 because Gibbonns can play with Hugo in the centre better than Pitman And is better with more space. We then throw Sheerin on and formation goes right out the window. Why was Glen not taken off and replaced with someone like Millen who can put a decent ball into the box.

Players didn't perform but the management have to look at themselves too as its a joint effort.

Good to see a couple of players apologising on social media, hopefully they make amends next week because that was terrible today.

My match forecast for Dumbarton is a Dumbarton win as I'm definitely in Bertie Bassets camp now.

Lexi Collector wrote:Mate tells me Gary Glen told the Livi fans to get to fuck. He's always been an absolute arsehole here, didn't stay behind to applaud at Cowdenbeath, fucked off after 5 mins at the CC final, always the first one off the pitch and never looks interested. Maybe if the fat c*** wasn't stuffing his face with McDonalds everyday and put some effort in he wouldn't be getting abuse. Deserves every bit of it, telling your own fans to GTF. What a prick.

I think it was in response to them, which granted he should have just walked away rather than respond but as EL said, he'll know he had a stinker of a game and would have been "hurting" so when some targeted him directly for abuse rather than the team as a whole I can understand him responding- as i said he was the unfortunate player who was closest to the fans at the end when he cleared the ball with the last kick of the game.

Agree with folk highlighting Burchy's poor use of subs. Gibbons wasn't as good as usual but was one of our better players 1st half, Glen couldn't get into the match at all, if a HT sub was happening then Hippo for Glen would have made more sense. To then take off the only other holding midfielder was naive at best. Then with absolutely nothing happening in a creative sense he stopped at 2 subs... He could have put Currie or Georgiev on in place of Glen (like everyone else I'm puzzled how he played the full game... I like him, I think he usually tries hard but today, like the rest of them he wasn't in the game). Truly woeful performance from everyone inc the management team today.

Oi, Smithy...who you calling camp????

Everyone needs to take responsibility for that clusterfuck today. I can't blame the management for the starting XI and formation, because it's served us very well in recent weeks. The attitude from the players was fucking honking throughout, at a push I'd maybe let Shagz off because he was bursting his baws trying to get us going throughout. Tactics after the game started though were verging on shambolic - wrong player hooked at half time, should've been Faria who went off if we were going two in the centre of midfield, I'd personally have had a diamond with Pittman in behind the front two; I reckon that's his best position. As it was, he ended up being the only CM in the team come the end, fucking laughable really. What goes through Burchill's head in this instance? Humping long balls into the box from deep seemed to be our only attacking tactic all afternoon, with no variation. No formation or gameplan come the end of the game except hump it into the box. Rinse and repeat. Absolutely shite, and it won't get anyone to come back. A few points:

- Gary Glen is never a RWB, I really hope this Esposito boy is like Cafu because our right hand side is utterly rancid. The alternatives to GG being Ross Millen and Morgyn Neill - Jesus.
- Morgyn Neill - touch of an elephant and that's being generous. Never a full back in a million years, I'm not sure he was much of a defender full stop given the quivering mess he descended into in the second half.
- Ben Gordon - fuck me, man. On paper the most experienced defender in the squad, commits a monumental error that's probably up there with Simon Mensing's hilarious OG against Cowden last season. Sad thing is Alloa never looked like scoring up until then save for Longridge's goal-line clearance. Can't say I've been impressed with him yet, looked solid recently when I saw him against Raith and Sevco but a total shadow of those performances today, especially after Alloa's goal. Expected more from him.
- Mark Burchill really needs a competent assistant to help him make genuine, game-altering decisions. No variation in our changes, they're predictable and bog standard, the style of play today was also very McGlynn-esque. I think he needs to shoulder some blame for the squad management, seeing as we have no pacy players whatsoever. It is absolutely killing us. Deadwood like Duckrell and Georgiev should be getting the heave-ho in January and at least try bring in a pacy winger. For a great example how we should be performing and setting up as a team at this level, see Greenock Morton.
- The players reaction at FT; didn't hear any of the specific abuse for Glen, but he looked pretty fucked off anyhow (he was total shite and God knows how he lasted the 90). I don't think the players can expect to put in that level of shitebaggery, and not expect a verbal backlash. All week, it was the talk of going unbeaten in December, how they'd approach this game in a professional manner. Well, Hugo Faria, sorry mate, but you and the other useless fuckers masquerading as football players made rip-roaring tits of yourselves today.

Crowd must've been about 500 as well, that is depressing. Lose to Dumbarton and it's panic stations tbh.

Also, as far as I can see, White and McCallum are the only ones who've come out and said that that was total pish today. Fair play to them, although it's quite galling that only one Livingston player has actually came out and shown some professional pride.

Players can apologise all they like but they don't turn up unless it's The Rangers or Hibs. If they're beaten and put a shift in fair enough but yesterday wasnt acceptable.
Let's not forget Alloa's second goal which looked about a foot over the line after Mccallum howler.

OMG.FFS.What the hell was that,typpicle Livi two steps forward one step back.Some of these players should be taking a long hard look at themselves in the mirror this morning and asking could i have done better.Simple answer to that YES.Taking nothing away from Alloa they probably just about deserved the win more so due to their defensive display and our dissapointing efforts up front.Will need a massive improvment for next week because Dumbarton will come sniffing for blood.Get a feckin grip Livi.

AMF wrote:Players can apologise all they like but they don't turn up unless it's The Rangers or Hibs. If they're beaten and put a shift in fair enough but yesterday wasnt acceptable.
Let's not forget Alloa's second goal which looked about a foot over the line after Mccallum howler.

I think your anger over that piss poor performance is clouding your reasoning, they've turned up against all the other teams except earlier against Falkirk at home, but yesterday was the worst game of the season and no arguments about them not turning up for it. We gubbed QoS & Raith on the bounce before also playing well against Hibs & Sevco.

Makes yesterday even more annoying because we've been playing well for a while now and expectation level was pretty high, what a huge let down, and the lack of effort on show made it even worse for the paying fans to stomach.

Even against Morton we dominated most of the game but just couldn't find a way through, we seem to struggle to break teams down when they set up to frustrate us. I expected us to still win against Alloa when they played so defensively but it looks like it is more about our inability to play against a defensive set up than the quality of the team we're playing against. Like I said though, the lack of desire and effort is what angers me more than their inability to break down a defensive set up.

Hopefully we see a reaction against Dumbarton because quite frankly a win against them AND St Mirren is all that's going to quell the anger over that piss poor excuse for a game yesterday. It will build up to boiling point if we lose next week and although I was joking about Dumbarton being the manager slayers, it could actually put a lot of pressure on Burchill's job if we lose to them and get detached from the rest of the league along with Alloa. There are fans on the other forum that just post when we lose so they can call for Burchill to be sacked, this is only strengthening their case.

Maybe it is my anger and they have turned up but 11 points in 16 games tells me they're not doing it enough.
Livi were beaten by a team they should have scored 5 past yet it's them that licking their wounds and issuing apologies to supporters this morning.

Yeah we can debate the finer points of our games this season, bad luck, refereeing decisions going against us etc, but as you say, 11 points from 16 games just isn't good enough.

I was really optimistic that we were getting things going now though and with the run of games coming up we'd be sitting 7th come Jan, now I'm feeling this is just going to be another season like the last one and we'll be scrapping with Alloa to stay in the league. Dumbarton & St Mirren are must wins or they'll pull right away from us, leaving us down at the bottom with Alloa.

Have to say it's a bit harsh from AMF, we can't have it both ways as fans,having a go at a player who tells us to Feck off and also not accepting an apology from another player.

Yes we are all annoyed and we were all expecting to beat Alloa. However where I agree with AMF is that the points total is not good enough and that's where the management need to take responsibility.

We can't argue with the starting line up yesterday but the changes and the fact that only two were made was bizarre and showed a lack of capability from Burchill.

I'm sure the team can redeem themselves next week,but I'm predicting we will lose.

To say I'm disappointed about yesterday is an understatement as from the manager down to every last player, yesterday wasn't good enough.

Any side who lose to that pub team should automatically be put in the relegation play-offs and with the likes of Airdrie, Albion, Ayr and Dunfermline in the mix, I'd say they would soundly beat us over two or four games.

Lazy performance from the players and shows tactical incompetence from the management team for when it comes to playing against a team who stick men behind the ball. Only time we've shown any sense of being savvy was a one-off cup final and that was only because they gambled playing an overweight striker who has never fitted in their system, otherwise it's one win, two draws and a defeat in the league during Burchill's reign against Alloa.

We're now coming up against a team who we haven't beaten at home since 2012 (five defeats) who are a bunch of hammer throwers and get in our faces for 90 mins, something we rarely show against these sort of teams. Can't see us getting three points.

FYI - I booed like the majority and in the heat of the moment, shouted close to the tunnel to tell them to get back to training on Sunday morning. Hugo Faria gave me the dirtiest look, to me that explains it all.

Erm...did we not beat Alloa 3-0 at their place last time?

Bertie Bassett wrote:Erm...did we not beat Alloa 3-0 at their place last time?

So we did...I knew that

That was probably one of the worst Livi performances that I've seen (and I include the 6-1 drubbing we took off of Murderwell in the League Cup)

Alloa never looked like scoring until Ben Dover gifted them with the goal.

You could see it coming because we had a couple of attempts at a poor back pass not long before the goal.

There was no passion or effort. The players looked like they were going through the motions. Monopoly (new nickname for Gallagher) looked as if he was thinking about porridge and not the Alloa team and the amount of times that (insert player name here) passed the ball to an Alloa player was frightening.

What was even more scary was that Burchill never used the 3rd sub. Ok, it may have been Spas or Millen but they couldn't have been any worse than (insert player name here).

Utterly woeful, its games like this we should be up for and getting the 3 points. This was a team that got gubbed off Dumbarton during the week.