Playoffs Beckoning.

Don't worry guys, still 5 minutes for St Mirren to win and keep us in it

If Hopkin and Martindale had any intelligence about them, they'll rest the key players for when we play Raith. But they won't.

Yep, I'd be fine with guys like Knox and Currie and others getting a run out against Rangers and Raith to try and avoid injuries/suspensions before the play offs.

Still think I'm confident going into these play-off games I think we have a better team than all three other in there. Only thing that will let us down will be Hopkin and Martindale. Hope they rest the players well before the play-offs.

Are play off games counted on the ST or will I have to pay for them?

Think we should lower the prices and try and get more people down. That might actually require people at the club making an effort to let people in West Lothian know there's a football game on, though.

LiviLion wrote:Are play off games counted on the ST or will I have to pay for them?

Think we should lower the prices and try and get more people down. That might actually require people at the club making an effort to let people in West Lothian know there's a football game on, though.

I think they should pay us to attend in compensation for the suffering already endured. If it gets yet more frightful they should give out bandages for our bleeding eyes.

Maybe they should try an innovative idea of gate pricing for the play off games, in for nothing and pay on the way out what you think the team were worth, the players could get a percentage of the takings built into their contracts with a base starting wage. Might just get them to try harder in games. Or in for a fiver and pay what you want on the way out depending on entertainment value and the work ethic of the players.

Any such sort of initiative would require Livingston to employ someone with even a minuscule amount of creative nous, of which there are none.

Play-off games won't be covered by season tickets, I would imagine.

Liviforever wrote:Maybe they should try an innovative idea of gate pricing for the play off games, in for nothing and pay on the way out what you think the team were worth, the players could get a percentage of the takings built into their contracts with a base starting wage. Might just get them to try harder in games. Or in for a fiver and pay what you want on the way out depending on entertainment value and the work ethic of the players.

In for a fiver and a tenner back at the end if we lose... Better not, we'd end up in admin again... Then again maybe not enough folk would turn up to take us into admin again!

Still all to play for in League 1, I'm hoping for Albion Rovers or Airdrie to leapfrog Stranraer as it's closer and we would get better crowds. Unlikely but would prefer it over he large distance would kind of hope for Ayr over Peterhead as well although I think Ayr would be the tougher team.

Just hope our players aren't still under the illusion/delusion that they're better than 9th place and have been unlucky, that ship has sailed and they are where they deserve to be. Because if they do I fear they'll go into the play offs with the same attitude that got them 9th place and we'll get relegated.

They need to regroup and get themselves up for these games like they're going into a cup final, everyone putting in plenty of effort and energy and get the job done.

I think if we played Ayr United in the final, provided we got there, we'd get pumped. Just a feeling, but you would imagine going there on a Wednesday night given the horrific record we have there is bad enough, they'd probably bring a big enough crowd to comfortably outnumber our home support in the home tie.

Afro wrote:I think if we played Ayr United in the final, provided we got there, we'd get pumped. Just a feeling, but you would imagine going there on a Wednesday night given the horrific record we have there is bad enough, they'd probably bring a big enough crowd to comfortably outnumber our home support in the home tie.

Hopefully we get a massive crowd for the home match similar to the way we did against Queens at the end game of last season. Can see them bringing at least 2000 away fans if we get there.

It isn't about who has the biggest support or we'd have lost to Hibs in 2004, it is about attitude and ability, I believe we have the ability with the likes of White, Buchanan, Telfer, Stanton, Halkett, Longridge, Pittman and Gordon, but they need to be focussed and get stuck right in about these teams, and don't just give up if we go behind.

Actually I think Sheerin would be too much for league one teams to handle too so he should prove to be a decent option from the bench in the play offs. Really should get Sheerin, Currie, Mullin, Mullen and Knox playing against Sevco to get them sharp for the play off games as I think they'd be bench players and would make a big difference when coming on.

Liviforever wrote:It isn't about who has the biggest support or we'd have lost to Hibs in 2004, it is about attitude and ability, I believe we have the ability with the likes of White, Buchanan, Telfer, Stanton, Halkett, Longridge, Pittman and Gordon, but they need to be focussed and get stuck right in about these teams, and don't just give up if we go behind.

Actually I think Sheerin would be too much for league one teams to handle too so he should prove to be a decent option from the bench in the play offs. Really should get Sheerin, Currie, Mullin, Mullen and Knox playing against Sevco to get them sharp for the play off games as I think they'd be bench players and would make a big difference when coming on.

Of course it doesn't whittle down to purely crowds, but it would simply compound this shite season if masses of Ayr fans were at Almondvale to put us down. IIRC they developed some kind of "holier-than-thou" attitude when we horsed them to the Second Division title a few seasons back, and that chip probably hasn't went away.

Our biggest problem, as evidenced by the games against Alloa and Dumbarton this season, is that when the onus is on us to attack and dictate play, we come up short. I'm not sure David Hopkin even knows how to effectively this team up to actually try and win a football match, so we're hindered even if we have guys like White etc.

Yeah their windy licking fans were wound up to feck when playing us, really annoyed them when we were promoted Champions. The season they were relegated from this division they had the better of us under Hughes tactics of rolling it out from the keeper, used to hang back and mug our defenders of the ball as they had us sussed.

Can we do it,can we progress through 4 (hopefully) difficult games. We have some good players at livi,no doubt about it. But its those steering the ship that are the main problem!! Devoid of tactical nous springs to mind,the first tie vs Stranraer,Rovers or Airdrie should be straight forward enough but the 2nd tie v Ayr or Peterhead is a different matter. How do you lift and inspire players to keep us in the Championship when we've got Hopkin and Martindale!!! Time will tell.........

Staying up would be classic Livingston taking the piss but I wouldn't fancy us against Ayr at the moment. The only thing that will get us through are the players' quality, which I do believe we have more than, than Ayr. Nothing else going for us at the moment.

A confidence booster tonight,end off,though pleasing all the same.If they can go unbeaten into the play-offs,may give the players the boost they need!!

Stranraer 1-0 against Cowden which puts them in the play offs, and even puts Cowden in the play offs at the other end of the table. Airdrie and Albion leading too so pressure's on Stranraer to keep themselves ahead.

Stranraer it is.

Peterhead 1-2 Ayr HT

McAllister isn't playing but will be back for the return leg so Ayr prob need another goal or 2 to give themselves a big lead in GD for this one.

Looks like Ayr has booked their place in the final, 4-1 up now.

Peterhead packed it in a few weeks ago, not too surprising they're being walked over here.

Liviforever wrote:Looks like Ayr has booked their place in the final, 4-1 up now.

Reading P&B it looks as if they really rate ex Livi Ross Doherty. Seems he was player of the year.