Livi v Accies

I was just about to say that we’ll need to play better against Accies if they play as they are playing today, they have been giving Huns a right good game with McGregor having his busiest day of the season & keeping them out... but the ball has somehow found its way into Accies net, so hopefully their physical efforts & disappointment at lack of a result will deflate them.*

It would be good to bounce back with a win though, don’t want to be going into the final at the end of the month on a downer.


Edit
*I wrongly assumed the Huns would see out the win, Accies got a deserved equaliser & I for one wouldn’t mind seeing Callachan at the Vale on a regular basis.

They wont set up as defensively against us as they are against Sevco though. If Guthrie and Mullin are back starting we'd have a big threat from set pieces too. Without them it's like it was under Holt, we get a set piece and you have no excitement sitting forward on your seat thinking we can get a goal. Serrano was also a miss, his bombing runs down the wing and he puts in good crosses.

Perhaps not having 15IAR, going for 16 out of the way, and we're back to just looking to win the game will take a wee bit of added pressure off too, in the same way as when you're on a bad run it's all you can think about going into a game.

On paper this is an easier game than Hibs, Celtic, Aberdeen etc, but Accies are fighting for their survival to stay up, so it'll be a hard fought game, and they tend to pull off random results here and there to stay up each season. We'll need to be on our toes and get the first goal and push on, as well as defending well, they're not a team to give up after going a goal or two down either, as they've just shown against Sevco scoring in the 94th minute to get a point.

Hopefully they'll be on a huge high after their result today, and will come down with a bang on Wed, and we're the opposite, losing our first game in 15 and full of vigour to get a win again.

Appaently John Beaton is the ref for this game. This is the 6th time we've had him this season. My heart always sinks when I see he's the official.

If it's after Martindale took charge he's been ok for us then.

Liviforever wrote:If it's after Martindale took charge he's been ok for us then.

Interesting.

Genuinely cant see this being on.But what do i know.Will save my thoughts in the meantime unless John Beaton fancies getting his tootsies cold and gives this the go ahead..

White out, temps aren't as bad as the last time though, if we can get the snow cleared from the pitch i think it'll be ok. Providing it doesn't keep on snowing anyway. Sure DM said he hired contractors to clear it the last time it snowed, they'll have machinery to clear it off the pitch, rather than just folk with snow shovels.

Yeh,dont think clearing the snow will be a problem.But tonight -4 overnight and tommorrow night around -7.Got to expect a pitch inspection. Il await with baited breath.

Well it didn't stop snowing all night, hell of a snow to shift now. Dunno if it's even worth the effort trying if the temp drops to minus 6 by kick off.
The extra few days off wont do our players any harm anyway, with all the games they've had to play, some haven't even been rotated and must be full of aches and pains.

Game is off.

@LiviFCOfficial
| Livingston FC regretfully announce that tonight’s Premiership clash against Hamilton Academical FC has been postponed due to the heavy snowfall of recent days.

Shockeroony.Eh naw. At least i wont have to ask the gaffer to get away early.Was a no brainer after last night.Ach well hopefully a heatwave in Dundee on Saturday, but I wouldnt bank on the beast mark 2 relenting.Stay warm everybody.
.

Good fortune having this called off, it'll give us a few days more to get players up for the Utd game, it has been a hectic schedule.

May as well bump this thread back up, things have changed quite a bit since this was meant to be played.

We only need a draw to secure top 6, and make our final pre split game against Hibs a bit more relaxing, the way Accies are playing i think we'll need to be scoring a goal to get anything. Ross Callachan is def a danger man for us to watch, he's having a great season scoring goals for them. Odoffin will be dangerous from set plays too, time for us to get back to defending and attacking set pieces well.

Hopefully Robbo will be back fully fit, if not then Poplatnik has to start again, between them we have a good enough front player to cause defenders problems and get us a goal.

Mon Livi, lets get on the front foot from the start and get right in about them, mon the Lions.

Wouldn’t mind Callachan in a Livi shirt. Odofin was outstanding when they beat us here in the early season game. They will be fighting for points for obvious reasons while we know a point is enough. A dangerous combination because teams that play for a draw regularly lose to a sucker punch or a concentration lapse, which brings out the old adage of “the plan would have worked but for.....” - whereas the team desperately trying to win will fight to the end.

Let’s get our best fit starting line up on the pitch & go for it from the off.

Bertie Bassett wrote:Wouldn’t mind Callachan in a Livi shirt. Odofin was outstanding when they beat us here in the early season game. They will be fighting for points for obvious reasons while we know a point is enough. A dangerous combination because teams that play for a draw regularly lose to a sucker punch or a concentration lapse, which brings out the old adage of “the plan would have worked but for.....” - whereas the team desperately trying to win will fight to the end.

Let’s get our best fit starting line up on the pitch & go for it from the off.

As Hearts found out in the last game of the season when they only needed a point to win the league. We aren't playing for a point though, we're playing to win the game.

| Manager David Martindale spoke with the media yesterday ahead of tomorrow's game.

️ "We know what we can do as a squad, we've proven what we can do so we need to get back to doing that & as quickly as possible. We're not going out for a point - we're going out for all 3."

Dare say his tactics may change if we get to the final 5 mins and are level, we've learned from past experience it's dangerous to push all out for a goal late on in games against Accies, the amount of times they've hit us on the counter attack with a sucker punch last minute winner. By that stage it's better to be a bit cautious in defence, and maybe settle for the point. Which also doesn't mean sit back and invite pressure onto ourselves, that's also a dangerous game to play.

Hoping the Lions are on it right from the off and by the end of the 90 minutes its top 6 secured.
Would be a shame to miss out on the top 6 after a good middle part of the season,plus financially in the current climate for a club like Livi it's a must.
Tommorow is a massive game,c'mon the Lions!!

Liviforever wrote:

Bertie Bassett wrote:Wouldn’t mind Callachan in a Livi shirt. Odofin was outstanding when they beat us here in the early season game. They will be fighting for points for obvious reasons while we know a point is enough. A dangerous combination because teams that play for a draw regularly lose to a sucker punch or a concentration lapse, which brings out the old adage of “the plan would have worked but for.....” - whereas the team desperately trying to win will fight to the end.

Let’s get our best fit starting line up on the pitch & go for it from the off.

As Hearts found out in the last game of the season when they only needed a point to win the league. We aren't playing for a point though, we're playing to win the game.

| Manager David Martindale spoke with the media yesterday ahead of tomorrow's game.

️ "We know what we can do as a squad, we've proven what we can do so we need to get back to doing that & as quickly as possible. We're not going out for a point - we're going out for all 3."

Dare say his tactics may change if we get to the final 5 mins and are level, we've learned from past experience it's dangerous to push all out for a goal late on in games against Accies, the amount of times they've hit us on the counter attack with a sucker punch last minute winner. By that stage it's better to be a bit cautious in defence, and maybe settle for the point. Which also doesn't mean sit back and invite pressure onto ourselves, that's also a dangerous game to play.

He’s got to say that though - the problem is that at the back of everyone’s mind is “a point is all we need”

I honestly think tommorrows game will be tougher than the Hibs game next week,albeit by that time our objective could have been acheived. Yous have covered those points i was going to comment on.ie One point,Accies fighting for their perenial lives etc etc.Think the point made for playing for a draw is such a valid one.History does indeed show its a dangerous ploy, especially against tommorows opponents. Having said that,its time for the players to take responsability on themselves, god knows its been missed.Once again the starting 11 will be interesting. We know what Accies are all about,so no homework required though i suspect Davie will have a plan in mind.Were so close and yet so Far.Hopefully we can finnally raise our game to get us over the line.Strap yourselves in.Wont be pretty but the Lions can do it.Cmon Livi .

Think it was on P&B someone mentioned it, that recently it looks like Martindale started making tactical changes to counter the threat of the opposition, rather than playing to our own strengths, trying to make sure we didn't lose the game. Certainly did so against St Johnstone in the final.

Think he needs to get back to looking at his own players strengths, and setting out a team best suited to winning the game, rather than one that wont lose it. Playing both Forrest and Mullin would be a start.

After the hectic schedule of playing twice a week the last couple of months, this game seems to have taken an age coming round, prob why i'm just bursting with enthusiasm again, thinking we'll win it.

Call me crazy, but i think we'll fly out the traps scoring an early goal and win this by a couple of goals or three.

Ahm no confident with this one.

Liviforever wrote:Think it was on P&B someone mentioned it, that recently it looks like Martindale started making tactical changes to counter the threat of the opposition, rather than playing to our own strengths, trying to make sure we didn't lose the game. Certainly did so against St Johnstone in the final.

Think he needs to get back to looking at his own players strengths, and setting out a team best suited to winning the game, rather than one that wont lose it. Playing both Forrest and Mullin would be a start.

After the hectic schedule of playing twice a week the last couple of months, this game seems to have taken an age coming round, prob why i'm just bursting with enthusiasm again, thinking we'll win it.  

Call me crazy, but i think we'll fly out the traps scoring an early goal and win this by a couple of goals or three.

I think if you have a look back I’ve said that somewhere on these boards. I said it when we played Aberdeen at home*, 0-0 draw ended the successive wins if I remember correctly. In the case of Aberdeen you could understand it as we’d never beaten them since 2004. Not sure if we played our own game the next match when we won at their place, but with the unbeaten run intact at that point & the Aberdeen monkey off our backs, most of us let it slide... and it’s been a slide ever since.

I heard that someone had posted somewhere that it’s been all downhill since he was confirmed as “fit & proper”.

Whatever it is, get back to playing to our strengths as he did when he first took over.

*I suggested he had done it at in a post after the 0-0 with Aberdeen.... I said almost exactly what LF has quoted above in one of my posts after the cup final defeat & said it wasn’t the first time I’d said it since the unbeaten run ended...although those other occasions may literally have been spoken rather than as a post.

I kinda get Orcos concerns on this one.As i said, We're so close on this one and would be so dissapointed if we were to balls this up.Im reasonbly confident but share Orcos sentiments. Trying not to think about the unthinkable. Surely not.Got to go for it from the off..

Anyone else seen the betting for this game.4/7 Livi 5/1 Accies.Utterly Ridicoulos imo.Mind you the bookies rarely lose.Sincerely hope their correct here.Mon the Lions..

| McCrorie, Devlin, Fitzwater, Guthrie, Longridge, Bartley️, Holt, Sibbald, Pittman, Forrest & Emmanuel-Thomas.

Subs - Maley, Ambrose, McMillan, Serrano, Lawson, Mullin, Kabia, Tiffoney & Poplatnik. #LFCLive
 

GULP!!!!

Thought Poplatnik or Robbo would be starting, looks like Robbo and Stryjek is injured, Gary Maley is our back up keeper, fecking hell, we must have a few injuries.

Oh well back to JET up front, and Mullin dropped to the bench, cause that worked out so well for Holt when he kept doing it. Best position for JET is on the wing for Mullin coming off later in the game, haven't seen him have a decent game as a striker.

Good to see Forrest starting though, finishing with something positive to say.

Wish i was positive with that lineup. Im not.Dreading this now.