Livi v Utd

Irrespective of the result we'll finish the first quarter in the top 4, which is an excellent start to our league campaign. Would be good to keep the momentum going though and end with a positive result, I think we'd all take a draw here, but also think we're capable of sneaking a win.

Hopefully the 2 week break hasn't interrupted our good form of 3 wins on the bounce, equally Utd have hit a good run so should be a really tough game.

Gallagher is still suspended so prob be Toddy in defence again, unless Hoppy sticks McMillan into our back 3, would prefer that and have Toddy up front with Mullen for an out ball in behind them.

As Del boy Trotter once said, he who dares wins, 2-1 Livi, fg 12 mins. Mon the Lions.

My Pars supporting workmate thought United were no better than average at East End Park; he also was honest enough to say we should have won the season opener. That said I think United will probably end up as one of the top two by season's end.

Liv 1 Utd 2

FG 26 mins

Read on P&B that Cadden and Rafa should be fit for this game, if so i'd start Cadden up front with Mullen again, he was doing well there before going off injured against Dumbarton.

Can't wait for this game now, feels like an eternity since our last game. If we could take 5 point or more from our next 3 games (Utd, Pars, Brechin) it would really show we mean business this season.

Not changing your prediction following the dreaded manager of the month award?

1-1, FG 27 mins.

Bertie Bassett wrote:Not changing your prediction following the dreaded manager of the month award?

Nut, we're still going to beat them.

Livingston 0. Dundee United 2. FG 78 mins.

United have been widely inconsistent so far; I certainly don't believe its going to be a one-way affair.

I'm going for a lively 2-2
FG 22 mins

Yep and we're the in form team just now too, with 4 wins and a draw in our last 5 games. Just have to hope the 2 week break between games hasn't affected our form.

So who is going to score the goal(s) from a set piece this week, Mullin from a direct shot at goal, or Halkett/Lithgow/Toddy with a header from a ball into the box?

Also fancy Danny Mullen to either score or get us a penalty for Josh to score. Esp if the Edge is playing, he's all over opposition players holding onto them and looks rather clumsy too, Mullen will give him a hard time for sure.

Yep would agree l/f.I also hope that the international break doesnt have a detrimental effect on the momentum we have most certainly been carrying for the last few weeks.Utd are probably where most people would have expected them to be after the first quarter,whereas we have surely surprised a few people with our welcome lofty position.My works manager is a Falkirk diehard and said United were rubbish against them a couple of weeks ago but its Falkirk we are talking about here,know what i mean? so not getting sucked into that.Anything other than a defeat would do for me,even a share of the spoils wouldnt be to dissapointing if just to keep the afore mentioned momentum going.Rise to the occation Livi and do it!!!

Manager of the Month curse to knock us off our stride.

1-3. FG 7 mins.

Brilliant ball and lovely finish from Mullen for the first, defence should have done a lot better though IMO.

I think I'm in love with Nikolay Todorov.

That was solid.

Piece of pish, was never in doubt.

Brilliant display from the team, they worked their socks off all game and never let Utd settle into their stride, and what a goal by Mullen, top notch.
Hoppy has got our game management to a tee, taking off Carrick and moving Toddy up front got us the 2nd goal to make it a comfortable afternoon. A lovely wee flick over Utd players heads by Byrne for Mullin to run onto and cracking ball in from Josh too, and well tucked away by the big fella.

I cannot believe that not a single one of the united hammer throwers ended up in the book.

Shocking refereeing

Only dampener is Mullen's booking, I think that puts him on a suspension, so will prob miss the Pars game next week.

*edit. Have been informed that suspensions have two weeks before they kick in, so Mullen will be available for the Pars game, works out well for us then as it'll be the Brechin game he'll miss. We should be able to cope without him for that game.

I think he got it for dissent too which is frustrating. Ref was rank as usual, agree with Durnford, United should have had at least as many bookings as us.

I was looking down when the ball to Mullen was played but it was a terrific finish, although if I was an Arab I'd have expected the keeper to save it. Second goal came at the perfect time too as they were strating to put us under pressure. I kept expecting MacDonald to fall over in the box & con the ref into giving them a pen. Terrific ball from McMillan to Mullin & his best cross of the game, albeit a low one was nicely finished off by Toddy. The big fella ran himself into the ground today, excellent shift from him at both ends, some of his passing was off but he defended like a bear & was a real handful up top as well.

Halkett is turning into one of the best centre backs we have had at this club, another imperious display from him. Pittman covered every blade of grass again, what a player, Mullin put in a decent shift defensively but his attacking play suffered a little (cross for goal excepted) - Byrne has played better but probably not worked harder, Mullen has really grown up & works unselfishly for the team. Lithgow was solid as ever, Longridge was up & down the left constantly. Cadden looked in the mood but that shoulder is obviously a major issue. Carrick worked very hard after replacing him & shouldn't take it as anything other than tactical decision when he was later subbed himself. All the subs did well. If only Rafa's shot had gone in to put the icing on.

Hoppy has won me over, he now seems to have a team/squad that is made up of the type of players he wants & plays the way he wants. Esp after reading his comments on the Scotland situation earlier in the week. 2nd in the league with the fewest number of defeats and the only team that has beaten us is the only team above us. Superb opening quarter, there is a long way to go & I expect we will hit a slump at some point but so far so very good. Well done lads, keep it up.

https://vimeo.com/238209758

Good long delivery from Lithgow for our first, still don't know how Danny scored from that angle.

Mullin put in great deliveries from several free kicks, we should've had another couple of goals from those free headers.

Some wee dink by Byrne setting up Mullin for his whipped in ball to Toddy, lovely bit of football.

Rafa deserved a goal for his shot near the end, good to see him back again, I think we'd have won against Hibs if he hadn't got injured.

Amazing performance from Livi yesterday.Got to be one of the best defensive displays ive seen at the vale for many a year.Yes United were poor but i felt we bossed that game for the whole 90 mins.The workrate and desire to win evident all over the pitch.Also masterstroke from Hoppy to push big Toddy up front for the latter part of the game,absolute class from the gaffer.Dont know what more this team can do to attract more bodies down to the stadium.West Lothian doesnt know what its missing and this current team deserves a helluva lot more backing than its getting at the moment.Nevertheless from us that are privelaged to watch these guys a very well tone to Hoppy and all the boys for the magnificent effort your putting in this season thus far.Lets keep it going for as long as possible and see where it takes us.

A great performance from the team yesterday. In the second half when it was time for substitutions to re-energise a bit, I thought but who to take off because they were all giving it their best. We have solid defending and a midfield that never stops running and closing down. It was good too to see our strikers getting the goals yesterday though there are goals coming from throughout the team.
So we won the game comfortably in spite of a shocking display from the referee. United were battering our guys physically all over the pitch yet you just knew it would be a Livi name first in the book. And so it turned out. I'm getting sick of the one sided refereeing this season. The fact that it's happening nearly every week only tends to flame my belief in conspiracy theories!

Yeah Orco I thought Hoppy needed to bring on Keaghan to give a bit of energy to our midfield as they were working so hard, but that was far too simplistic a solution, nope, Hoppy takes off Carrick and brings on McMillan, and at first I thought he was shoring up our defence and going to try and hold out for the rest of the game, but alas Hoppy's masterstroke of moving Toddy into attack and getting another goal to give us a 2 goal cushion. Changing Longridge for Rafa almost got us a 3rd goal too, what a manager Hoppy is.

Not trying to get at Mackin but glad Hoppy brought on Carrick for Cadden when he went off injured, as I have mentioned numerous times, we need the same energy chasing down defenders to make them play early balls up the pitch, and Mackin just doesn't have it in him to do that, and that caused us problems against Dumbarton.
Didn't yesterday though, Carrick's energy meant we didn't skip a beat when forced to make a change, saw him running from the opposition box back the halfway byeline forcing their player into giving us a throw in, that's exactly what is needed from our strikers.

Yeh, I feel bad about criticising Mackin because he has shown that he is probably capable of getting goals in the penalty area. But he doesn't really fit into this live wire of a team where everyone plays with energy and rely on their teammates to do the same. He's a bit of a luxury that often doesn't pay off when he is on.
I wonder who Hopkins would have picked to come on for Cadden if Mackin had been on the bench. I'd like to think it would still have been Carrick.

Liviforever wrote:https://vimeo.com/238209758

Good long delivery from Lithgow for our first, still don't know how Danny scored from that angle.

Mullin put in great deliveries from several free kicks, we should've had another couple of goals from those free headers.

Some wee dink by Byrne setting up Mullin for his whipped in ball to Toddy, lovely bit of football.

Rafa deserved a goal for his shot near the end, good to see him back again, I think we'd have won against Hibs if he hadn't got injured.

I had thought the wee dink was by McMillan but it does look like Byrne in the footage. It's also a superb pass to Rafa when he hits the post and how that doesn't go in off the post seems to defy the laws of physics.

McKinnon's lost the plot, even the Utd fans said we were by far the better team but according to McKinnon they dominated us: https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/briels-injury-adds-dundee-uniteds-woes/

“In the second half we were really dominant and we just needed to score a goal.
“We didn’t do it and we got caught with a sucker punch for the second goal.
“Both goals came on the counter and we should have dealt with the situations.”

“We were on top for most of the game and didn’t make the most of it.

The boy's a comedian, should try stand up.

Liviforever wrote:McKinnon's lost the plot, even the Utd fans said we were by far the better team but according to McKinnon they dominated us: https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/briels-injury-adds-dundee-uniteds-woes/

“In the second half we were really dominant and we just needed to score a goal.
“We didn’t do it and we got caught with a sucker punch for the second goal.
“Both goals came on the counter and we should have dealt with the situations.”

“We were on top for most of the game and didn’t make the most of it.

The boy's a comedian, should try stand up.

It beggers belief doesn't it - but if he wants to believe that then all the better for us.

Unfortunately we don't play them again until 23rd December - I doubt he'll still be in a job by then.

Incidentally did anyone see his reaction when our second goal went in? He clenched his right fist and turned back on the dugout - I thought he was going to punch someone's lights out. Don't think I've ever seen someone so angry about their team conceding a goal.