What The Fck Was That?

[cmdc]

Can't comment on 2 and 3. For No 1, I'm not convinced longer training automatically results in better fitness - it might but it might not. And we just don't have the depth of squad for playing two games a week. We don't have any impact players to come off the bench - they're already on the field!

 

Yeah - I don't think less training leads to less fitness, it's more about what is done in that time, surely? For example - part of the reason training was cut down was because players were standing around alot not doing much. That's not really going to get them fit!

 

I wasn't at QOTS, but I don't think yesterday was at all down to fitness. More that at half-time Butcher reacted tactically, plus ICT played (a bit) better on the whole, and we didn't cope with that.

[cmdc]

I thought we were unlucky. Up against the top team in the league and in the first half especially we produced some of our best passing football of the season which is what the fans have been wanting to see more of. It didn't come off in the final third which is the most important part, yes, but I felt we were a bit hard done by to go in behind at half time. One shot on target from ICT; one goal. I really felt that Stewart should have kept the header out though, straight at him and two hands on the ball. He had a nightmare from start to finish really.

 

Second half was less impressive from Morton from Caley were happy enough to sit in and thump a few long balls up on the counter, and that's how the second goal came about (coupled with some comedy defending).

 

That's why they're at the top of the league though, they have excellent forwards scoring lots of goals this year and the 2nd in particular was a fine finish.

 

Can't complain about the result but the performance was heartening.

 

In general, I'd agree - but that seems to have been the case for two consecutive home games which have yielded 1 point. At this stage in the season, we really need to start making these home games count!

 

Edit to add: God only knows what Stewart was up to for that first goal!

[irnbru]

In general, I'd agree - but that seems to have been the case for two consecutive home games which have yielded 1 point. At this stage in the season, we really need to start making these home games count!

 

Edit to add: God only knows what Stewart was up to for that first goal!

 

Parts of the performance were but the second half was rubbish again. I'm not sure its what Grady says or if its just the fact we're one dimetional and easy for the opposition manager to make changes against but its becoming more than just a coincidence.

 

As for the training - time doesnt equate to fitness all of the time but it does matter when doing set pieces and the likes which we clearly cant be. A couple of hours ball work and fitness drills in the morning and another hour or so going into groups and practising defending set pieces or shooting, etc isnt a lot to ask for. We are neither fit nor organised so what is being done?

[Rampage Nu Sport]

Parts of the performance were but the second half was rubbish again. I'm not sure its what Grady says or if its just the fact we're one dimetional and easy for the opposition manager to make changes against but its becoming more than just a coincidence.

 

As for the training - time doesnt equate to fitness all of the time but it does matter when doing set pieces and the likes which we clearly cant be. A couple of hours ball work and fitness drills in the morning and another hour or so going into groups and practising defending set pieces or shooting, etc isnt a lot to ask for. We are neither fit nor organised so what is being done?

 

I'm not going to get into the training - I know nothing about what we do, what "better" teams do, etc.

 

Personally, I think the first half/second half thing is becoming a pattern, and I put it down to:

 

1. Long run of two games per week - not all our players are up to it (and I don't necessarily mean that as a criticism of individuals - eg MacFarlane - who I rate highly - had a good game on Saturday but sounds as if he was too tired last night - perhaps not surprising at this stage of his career)

 

2. No depth of squad - good players have to play regardless of injury, tiredness, form, etc - an added problem with a long run of two games per week

 

3. No depth of squad means limited options avilable from the bench (eg Jenkins as an impact player - for crying out loud)

 

4. Grady's not really got the hang of substitutions, hampered by point 3 above, but generally the opposition gains advantages from subs which we don't

[Mr.Blue]

Carlo Monti as usual disappered from the game after a bright half an hour or so, hope he's getting paid a third of the wages too. Too lightweight and ineffective, like a slow but more technical Kevin Finlayson.

Between Monti and Reid our left hand side is going to the dogs, it's about time Grady bit the ****ing bullet and played a diamond midfield 4. We have 1654 central midfielders and two (ineffective) wide midfielders - it is the only option left in the wake of the last week's injuries.

 

We're dreadfully reliant on Witteveen to be at the forefront of our attacking play, without that threat we look stuffed at this level.

It was his first game in how long?

i thought he done well in the first half. fell away from the game but that may be down to lack of match fitness

[BishopTon]

Well aren't you the big man?? What good is that going to do for anyone?

 

Finlayson was actually ok last night - he closed down everything in ICT's half and hit about half a dozen decent crosses during the game. In fact when he came off that side of the park was a shambles.

 

He gets a bit of a raw deal and it really needs to stop as it wont help him or any of the other player's morale. Its actually at the stage where he could have a great game and make one mistake and get abused and people saying he was rubbbish now just because they dont like him

 

LOL...I am sure many people were happy to see him taken off

 

Finlayson has done one thing in a Morton shirt, score a peach against Thistle. He was rank last night and kept on getting in the way of the proper football players in the first half. He is by far the weakest link and he is consistantly the worst player. He does not get a raw deal..

 

I don't know him from Adam so not sure why you say people don't like him, i just think he is crap at football, he might be a really nice guy, i just dont want him near a Morton first team.

[Alibi]

Can you explain to me then why a player can be red carded for a foul in the box denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, when the opposing team are then awarded a penalty which is A CLEAR GOALSCORING OPPORTUNITY. The offending player has surely given (rather than denied) the opposing team a clear goalscoring opportunity by conceding a penalty!

 

OK, let's change the rules so that the player gets sent off and we restart with a bounce-up instead of a penalty.

[Tonsilitis]

Carlo Monti as usual disappered from the game after a bright half an hour or so, hope he's getting paid a third of the wages too. Too lightweight and ineffective, like a slow but more technical Kevin Finlayson.

Between Monti and Reid our left hand side is going to the dogs, it's about time Grady bit the ****ing bullet and played a diamond midfield 4. We have 1654 central midfielders and two (ineffective) wide midfielders - it is the only option left in the wake of the last week's injuries.

 

We're dreadfully reliant on Witteveen to be at the forefront of our attacking play, without that threat we look stuffed at this level.

 

I think Monti's slip in anonimity coincided with Tidser running out of puff and therefore passes. He looked quite good when he was getting the service.

 

I agree though that we are running out of players and therefore options.

 

One final point is that Caley just looked fitter than our lot and thats not the first team to look that way this season!

 

PS: Putting aside the arguments about last man tackles, etc, I cannot see how Morton were not denied a clear goalscoring opportunity by that tackle. Our main striker was through on goal at the edge of the box with only the goallie to beat and was brought down from behind. The game turned on that decision as if that man (Golabek?) had walked I am confident we would have got at least a draw.

[Alibi]

Physical fitness should not be an issue. If they are not fit enough, then the coaching staff are not doing their jobs properly. Jimbo is probably the fittest player in the league (when not injured of course), so it's not impossible to achieve the standard required. Maybe we need a manager who is a bit tougher on the players - a sort of David Irons figure perhaps.

 

If they are not training for long enough each day, what is the point of being full-time? Probably be fitter training twice a week and doing a full time job elsewhere. Never seemed to harm Sugar Osborne.

[Tonosaurus]

In fairness, with regards to the fitness aspect, we put a helluva lot of effort into the first 45 minutes which was not rewarded by goals and was thwarted by incompetent refereeing. For those however who moan about Grady subbing Tidser after 65-70 minutes, now you can see why: he is not yet fully fit enough to last the 90 minutes.

[theoceanfloor]

Having a poorer second half seems to have become a fairly regular occurrence under Grady. I'd be interested to see the First half v Second half score stats for his time in charge (if anyone can be bothered...).

[TaunTon]

 

1st Half

 

Team Pld W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts

1 Inverness C T (1) 32 15 11 6 29 17 12 0.90 0.53 1.75 56

2 Dundee (2) 31 11 14 6 21 16 5 0.67 0.51 1.51 47

3 Partick Thistle (6) 31 8 15 8 19 14 5 0.61 0.45 1.25 39

4 Ross County (4) 29 9 12 8 17 17 0 0.58 0.58 1.34 39

5 Dunfermline Athletic (3) 32 9 12 11 19 20 -1 0.59 0.62 1.21 39

6 Morton (8) 31 8 15 8 15 16 -1 0.48 0.51 1.25 39

 

2nd Half

 

Team Pld W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts

1 Inverness C T (1) 32 17 10 5 30 14 16 0.93 0.43 1.90 61

2 Queen of the South (5) 29 16 8 5 26 15 11 0.89 0.51 1.93 56

3 Dundee (2) 31 12 14 5 22 14 8 0.70 0.45 1.61 50

4 Dunfermline Athletic (3) 32 12 11 9 28 20 8 0.87 0.62 1.46 47

5 Ross County (4) 29 10 11 8 22 17 5 0.75 0.58 1.41 41

6 Partick Thistle (6) 31 9 10 12 21 23 -2 0.67 0.74 1.19 37

7 Raith Rovers (7) 28 7 12 9 17 24 -7 0.60 0.85 1.17 33

8 Ayr United (9) 30 7 11 12 12 20 -8 0.40 0.66 1.06 32

9 Airdrie United (10) 29 5 10 14 16 26 -10 0.55 0.89 0.86 25

10 Morton (8) 31 6 3 22 18 39 -21 0.58 1.25 0.67 21

 

Not the easiest to read but its in there

[LargsTON]

I think Monti's slip in anonimity coincided with Tidser running out of puff and therefore passes. He looked quite good when he was getting the service.

 

I agree though that we are running out of players and therefore options.

 

One final point is that Caley just looked fitter than our lot and thats not the first team to look that way this season!

 

PS: Putting aside the arguments about last man tackles, etc, I cannot see how Morton were not denied a clear goalscoring opportunity by that tackle. Our main striker was through on goal at the edge of the box with only the goallie to beat and was brought down from behind. The game turned on that decision as if that man (Golabek?) had walked I am confident we would have got at least a draw.

 

Bang on. Tidser was at the heart of everything so it was no surprise so many players faded when his influence on the match diminished. He'll be a great player for us next season once he gets a full pre-season under his belt.

 

I don't know if our players were less fit than the Caley boys, I think it just seems that way in certain matches as our team suffers from a chronic lack of pace in all areas of the park. Something that must be adressed in the close season as it also severely restricts us when we try to up the tempo of a game.

[jpmil]

Physical fitness should not be an issue. If they are not fit enough, then the coaching staff are not doing their jobs properly. Jimbo is probably the fittest player in the league (when not injured of course), so it's not impossible to achieve the standard required. Maybe we need a manager who is a bit tougher on the players - a sort of David Irons figure perhaps.

 

If they are not training for long enough each day, what is the point of being full-time? Probably be fitter training twice a week and doing a full time job elsewhere. Never seemed to harm Sugar Osborne.

 

Do any of us know how many days/how many hours per week our "full-timers" do actually train?

Somehow I think the answer will surprise the majority of people!

[Colkitto]

Do any of us know how many days/how many hours per week our "full-timers" do actually train?

Somehow I think the answer will surprise the majority of people!

 

 

For a while there the players were in on Sundays....

[theoceanfloor]

1st Half

 

Team Pld W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts

1 Inverness C T (1) 32 15 11 6 29 17 12 0.90 0.53 1.75 56

2 Dundee (2) 31 11 14 6 21 16 5 0.67 0.51 1.51 47

3 Partick Thistle (6) 31 8 15 8 19 14 5 0.61 0.45 1.25 39

4 Ross County (4) 29 9 12 8 17 17 0 0.58 0.58 1.34 39

5 Dunfermline Athletic (3) 32 9 12 11 19 20 -1 0.59 0.62 1.21 39

6 Morton (8) 31 8 15 8 15 16 -1 0.48 0.51 1.25 39

 

2nd Half

 

Team Pld W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts

1 Inverness C T (1) 32 17 10 5 30 14 16 0.93 0.43 1.90 61

2 Queen of the South (5) 29 16 8 5 26 15 11 0.89 0.51 1.93 56

3 Dundee (2) 31 12 14 5 22 14 8 0.70 0.45 1.61 50

4 Dunfermline Athletic (3) 32 12 11 9 28 20 8 0.87 0.62 1.46 47

5 Ross County (4) 29 10 11 8 22 17 5 0.75 0.58 1.41 41

6 Partick Thistle (6) 31 9 10 12 21 23 -2 0.67 0.74 1.19 37

7 Raith Rovers (7) 28 7 12 9 17 24 -7 0.60 0.85 1.17 33

8 Ayr United (9) 30 7 11 12 12 20 -8 0.40 0.66 1.06 32

9 Airdrie United (10) 29 5 10 14 16 26 -10 0.55 0.89 0.86 25

10 Morton (8) 31 6 3 22 18 39 -21 0.58 1.25 0.67 21

 

Not the easiest to read but its in there

Many thanks Taunton

 

Fairly damning stuff , joint 3rd on first half performances - dead last in the second half...

[chris_mceleny]

Read my signature. We had several chances as well, particularly in the 1st half. I thought on the balance of play our performance merited a draw.

Re-read my initial post. I know that the laws of the game refer to "a clear goalscoring opportunity" (which this certainly was) but with some punters still using the whole "he was the last man" argument, he was also that! Anyway, it was a very easy decision (and correct) to send the player off and the referee did not do it. I suppose when you are at the wrong end of the table you simply don't get these decisions, unless you are Airdrie.

 

sorry pat i disagree and forgot they had hit the bar also. Their keeper did not have any saves other than what i would class as howlers if he let them in. they are a better team, they played better, they were more than happy to sit in and let us pass left to right with no cutting edge. We'll agree to disagree pat!

[bigGton]

sorry pat i disagree and forgot they had hit the bar also. Their keeper did not have any saves other than what i would class as howlers if he let them in. they are a better team, they played better, they were more than happy to sit in and let us pass left to right with no cutting edge. We'll agree to disagree pat!

 

so if the shot from witeveen in the first minute went in then their keeper let in a howler? aye very good

 

from dailyrecord.co.uk

 

Butcher said: "It's another step closer and confidence is high.

"Ryan Esson made a cracking save in the opening seconds and then we got to grips with them in the second half.

[maccaboy]

sorry pat i disagree and forgot they had hit the bar also.

 

Their keeper did not have any saves other than what i would class as howlers if he let them in.

 

We'll agree to disagree pat!

 

1. Nonsense re their keeper; we had several good efforts on target in the first half and several more that SHOULD have been on target; they only had one.

 

2. You didn't read his signature, did you?

 

 

[chris_mceleny]

1. Nonsense re their keeper; we had several good efforts on target in the first half and several more that SHOULD have been on target; they only had one.

 

2. You didn't read his signature, did you?

 

1. a goal and the bar is target enough for me. several good efforts? do you think their keeper had a good game? i dont think he broke a sweat!

2. what signature? his name is pat he used to be the morton mascot circa 97