Livi v Albion Rovers

No rest for the wicked, back into the blood and snotters of a home game against a difficult team on a tattie field of a pitch. Can't see this being anything other than a scrappy game with prob only one goal being scored.

Hopkin said he was going to utilise our squad this week with us having 3 games, so hopefully he gets Todorov on again, he looks a useful big player and would help to bring in Mullen or Buchanan when we're up against a packed defence. Longridge looked pretty good playing opposite Crighton too, with Gallagher, Halkett and Lithgow in the centre, surely we have to stick with that formation at the back, it looks a lot more balanced and allows us to get up both wings.

Hope i'm wrong and we can score in the first half and then finish them off with a 2nd goal in the second half, but i'll go gor 1-0 Livi, FG 68 mins.

Its not going to be a day for silky football that's for sure.

I would be tempted to at least start with Todorov in place of Mullen and Sinclair in place of Pittman.

Those boys could be brought on later on if there's any blades of grass left to roll a ball on.

Ultimately we need to get an early goal or it could be very long evening

I'll predict an optimistic 2-0 win to the lions with the first goal in 16th minute.

As i said at the weekend my only concern for tommorow night is the terrible state of the pitch.That said if Livi can somehow adapt to the conditions albeit difficult then hopefully we will take another huge stride towards the title.Its there for the taking Livi .Grab it!!!

If we can somehow overcome the pitch for the rest of the season I'll be chuffed, agree with above regarding Todorov starting. Would like to see him and Buchanan up front and having two wide men, reckon it could be a very useful system for us. Would be a shame to drop Mullen though, considering he's been very consistent for pretty much the entire season.

1-0 Livi, FG 76 mins.

Desperate to see us win as I've missed the feeling with us having only 1 home win since December and not getting to any of the away games in that period.

Sadly, AR are one of the teams we have struggled to breakdown.

The draw demon has struck twice in the last 3 games, I suspect another.

Liv 1 AR 1
FG 27 mins

The likes of Todorov, Sinclair and maybe Raffa to start to avoid some players playing two games on that pitch in the space of five days.

Livingston 2. Albion Rovers 0. FG 38 mins.

40 mile an hour winds forecast for tonight. The score could end up being a bit of a lottery.

orco wrote:40 mile an hour winds forecast for tonight. The score could end up being a bit of a lottery.

Well at least there won't be heavy rain.... Oh wait!!!!

Pot shots with the wind behind them fired into Kelly!!!!  

Liviforever wrote:Pot shots with the wind behind them fired into Kelly!!!!  

Be afraid!

Glad we're not playing East Fife.

LiviCub wrote:The likes of Todorov, Sinclair and maybe Raffa to start to avoid some players playing two games on that pitch in the space of five days.

Livingston 2. Albion Rovers 0. FG 38 mins.

Thinking about it, would it be much of a problem if we played this team tonight?

That way, we've giving Mullen, Buchanan, Millar and Pittman a rest; and Gallagher has time to recover from the flu.

If that team starts then you deserve a bonus point on the prediction comp.

I read Gallagher was subbed against Airdrie to rest him a bit for the Rovers game, so would think it'll be the usual 4 CB's starting and prob see Gallagher subbed again in the 2nd half with us reverting to a back 4 of Longridge-Lithgow-Halkett-Crighton.

Would like to see both Mullin & Cadden start but it doesn't usually happen, we've rarely seen both them start the same time. This game will be tougher than the Stenny game on Sat too, think we'll need our strongest starting eleven, doubt Hopkin will make that many changes.

Ideal. Thanks Livi, call it off 45 minutes before the game . Totally pissed off at the club now.

Does anyone else think this is suspicious. Its hardly rained all day yet all of a sudden our team are no-longer needing to play three games in a week?

Come-on ... who left the sprinklers turned on?

Yep, I only stay 2 miles away and was nearly heading down as last I checked on the OS (about half an hour earlier) it was on, got a phone call telling me it was off.

The ref would've had to deem the pitch not playable though and i'd think it just got that way pretty late on. Our pitch is just a mess, drainage must be as bad as the surface, prob all compact. It has been like that for years down there, about the only weather that doesn't cause us problems is sunshine, the least bit of anything else and you're always wondering if it will put the game in jeopardy.

1 minute before We were told the game was off (from a pal) . The Livi twitter was congratulating the Albion fans for coming through. Amaturush.

Durnford wrote:Does anyone else think this is suspicious. Its hardly rained all day yet all of a sudden our team are no-longer needing to play three games in a week?

Come-on ... who left the sprinklers turned on?

We'll still have to play it midweek at some point, unless we're hoping the league will be won by then and it wont matter what team we put out for it. I was wondering if they just couldn't be arsed putting it on as there wouldn't be that many going down anyway, and didn't think it was worthwhile making an effort to get it on. More likely we just don't have the manpower or finances to get the pitch playable.

Isn't a big deal to locals but anyone having to travel will have already set out before they'd have known it was called off, and would prob be at the ground before they'd find out, not very good for them.

Livingston FC ‏@LiviFCOfficial
Trust us folks, we're just as frustrated as you are. We wanted the game on as much as anyone. Disappointing that the weather has beaten us.

What effin weather - its barely drizzling.

Paid £17.50 for the train from Glasgow. For the club to have such lack of foresight is ridiculous. For anyone to run a business like this is a joke. I was in two minds about going on Saturday as the rugby is on, now I Probably wont bother my arse. Probably wont go again untill the end of season. A Livi home game is a poor enough place to go, without the 75% off it being called off.

Took time off work so i could attend this.Was told at the top of Bubbles by someone to turn back at 7.15pm and in turn i told others approaching the stadium at the same time.Should have sussed it out with the floodlights not being on.I know its only tuesday but Saturdays game must be in serious doubt if this weather doesnt let up.And genuine thoughts go out to the Rovers fans who were already on route to the Vale.Well done for trying to support your team.

Sunderland, stop spouting gibberish, it's not the club that called the game off, it is the ref who made that call. I feel for you shelling out for a train ticket but ranting against the club is misplaced.

I left work just after 5 & I immediately thought the game was at risk due to the rain that had been falling pretty well all day, not particularly heavily for most of the time but it hardly stopped. I checked the club site a few times but it looked like game on, presumably until the match ref arrived.

Durnford, you've seen the state of the pitch, in its current state a day like today was always going to put a game at risk but as LF suggests it probably didn't become unplayable until close to kick off.

Roll on Saturday, hopefully it's playable by then.

Bertie Bassett wrote:Sunderland, stop spouting gibberish, it's not the club that called the game off, it is the ref who made that call. I feel for you shelling out for a train ticket but ranting against the club is misplaced.

I left work just after 5 & I immediately thought the game was at risk due to the rain that had been falling pretty well all day, not particularly heavily for most of the time but it hardly stopped. I checked the club site a few times but it looked like game on, presumably until the match ref arrived.

Durnford, you've seen the state of the pitch, in its current state a day like today was always going to put a game at risk but as LF suggests it probably didn't become unplayable until close to kick off.

Roll on Saturday, hopefully it's playable by then.

I didn't say it was Livi that called the game off, Im saying it was the clubs lack of foresight that caused the game to be called off 45 minutes before kick off.

I would say that you could blame the club for the pitch condition and again blame the club for the lack of communication.

sunderland wrote:Ideal. Thanks Livi, call it off45 minutes before the game . Totally p***** off at the club now.

Beg to differ

It is annoying for anyone travelling from outside Livingston, but we all know how our finances are and that this season in League One will have been a serious hit on director loans. Things are being cut back as much as possible to lessen the blow to Directors pockets and the pitch has been one of the areas affected most. Not much can be done about it now and we're at the mercy of the elements for the rest of the season.

I can see where Sunderland is coming from too though, it is a high risk to his pocket paying for train fares to get to our games, if the weather looks doubtful at all he'd be safer giving it a miss, rather than coming through and the game being postponed, then having to come through again.

I'd hope that Saturday games would give more notice to call offs though, but again if the pitch looks playable at 12 O Clock, or even right up to 2PM, there isn't much you can do if persistent rain then makes it unplayable at 2.30pm.