Morton v Little Ayr

[Toby]

Really about time this lot got put in their box again, and hopefully them getting the run around at Ibrox last night will work in our favour.

 

No Iredale, but hopefully the return of Millar, who was sorely missed last week. Fingers crossed he goes for a 4-3-3, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

Anyway, based on nothing other than blind faith, Morton 2 (Tidser, Johnstone) Ayr 1 (Shankland).

 

Discuss.

[BishopBrennan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZm7yion1Do

 

This one is going to be tough. Ayr have recovered well from QOTS pumping them and have a much better squad than the usual dross they bring up with them. With Alloa failing to pick up as many points as they perhaps should have, and Grangemouth failing to get a new manager bounce with the snake, Ayr will be quietly confident that they can get themselves into a decent position in the table in the first half of the season. 

 

I'd like us to revive the 4-3-3 that I detailed in the shape thread. It should offer more structure in midfield and allow us to play to our strengths. 

 

Scully 

 

Tumilty Waddell Buchanan McKeown

 

McAlister Millar 

 

Tidser 

 

Oliver                                  MacLean

 

Johnstone

[mcintyre_gmfc]

Teller in from the start if Millar isn’t fit. Really hope JJ learned from the past two weeks and plays our best formation and gets the best out of Tidser. I’d start Oliver over McHugh as well.

[The Bewilderedbeast]

Teller in from the start if Millar isn’t fit. Really hope JJ learned from the past two weeks and plays our best formation and gets the best out of Tidser. I’d start Oliver over McHugh as well.

Maybe he’ll work some of his magic😎

[EanieMeany]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZm7yion1Do

 

This one is going to be tough. Ayr have recovered well from QOTS pumping them and have a much better squad than the usual dross they bring up with them. With Alloa failing to pick up as many points as they perhaps should have, and Grangemouth failing to get a new manager bounce with the snake, Ayr will be quietly confident that they can get themselves into a decent position in the table in the first half of the season. 

 

I'd like us to revive the 4-3-3 that I detailed in the shape thread. It should offer more structure in midfield and allow us to play to our strengths. 

 

Scully 

 

Tumilty Waddell Buchanan McKeown

 

McAlister Millar 

 

Tidser 

 

Oliver                                  MacLean

 

Johnstone

 

On the plus side, that does show that they're very beatable. If we play our best 11, i.e. the one you've posted, then I'm entirely confident we'll win.

ETA: Whilst it doesn't necessarily count for much and could be rendered meaningless tomorrow if it goes the same as last week, it's encouraging to listen to the way Johansson assesses things and thinks about them. You can't really bluff your way through that kind of insight, so with that paired with his own experience and Houston's, it reinforces the notion that it's a pairing that could work extremely well. 

[dundeeton]

Was chatting to a mate of mine yesterday that had spoken to McAlister earlier in the week. Seems to think JJ is determined to stick with 2 up top. Hopefully he'll see that 4 in the middle doesn't suit us though, and maybe try a 352/532 formation with wing backs if that's the case? Something like this?

Scully

Kilday Waddell Buchanan

Tumilty Millar McAlister Tidser McKeown

Maclean Johnstone

[LargsTON]

From what I've seen I'm not convinced either Tumilty or McKeown have the pace or energy to be effective at wing back.

[TONofmemories]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZm7yion1Do

 

This one is going to be tough. Ayr have recovered well from QOTS pumping them and have a much better squad than the usual dross they bring up with them. With Alloa failing to pick up as many points as they perhaps should have, and Grangemouth failing to get a new manager bounce with the snake, Ayr will be quietly confident that they can get themselves into a decent position in the table in the first half of the season.

 

I'd like us to revive the 4-3-3 that I detailed in the shape thread. It should offer more structure in midfield and allow us to play to our strengths.

 

 

Scully

Tumilty Waddell Buchanan McKeown

McAlister Millar

Tidser

Oliver MacLean

Johnstone

Without doubt our best team

[TONofmemories]

Hopefully a decent atmosphere as well. Ayr seem to be taking good supports most places atm. A wee bit of edge might spur the players on further.

[EanieMeany]

Was chatting to a mate of mine yesterday that had spoken to McAlister earlier in the week. Seems to think JJ is determined to stick with 2 up top. Hopefully he'll see that 4 in the middle doesn't suit us though, and maybe try a 352/532 formation with wing backs if that's the case? Something like this?

Scully

Kilday Waddell Buchanan

Tumilty Millar McAlister Tidser McKeown

Maclean Johnstone

 

As I said, the good vibes from the interview could be rendered meaningless tomorrow.

[port-ton]

Three of our most influential players are central midfielders. It literally won't make sense if he plays four in there again tomorrow. You're basically taking away from Michael Tidser's game to give to Bob McHugh's game, which is preposterous. 

[dunning1874]

There is literally no justification for playing a four man midfield with the players at our disposal. Having seen how poor we were against Dunfermline, not been shy in saying how bad a performance it was and explicitly saying himself the shape was a problem, Johansson surely sees that.

 

No one expects him to have the team playing exactly as he wants them to this early and he's still getting to know the squad, but if he persists with 4-4-2 when we blatantly don't have the players for it then it'd be concerning.

 

He's shown the insight into what went wrong and his analysis of games has been excellent - there's no reason to believe he'll cut his nose off to spite his face with slavish devotion to a formation which is the source of those problems he's correctly identified.

[TONofmemories]

He will 100% play the 4

[port-ton]

From  his interviews he seemed to think the problem was with positioning rather than the formation, so i wouldn't be surprised if he does play the four in midfield.

 

The problem is we have watched Tidser in a midfield four enough times to know that he is seriously depleted in that role and isn't going to suddenly turn in to someone who can play that role effectively with two weeks of training.

[TRVMP]

I wonder if he's also looking at our lack of goals from open play and thinking two-up will solev that naturally.

[EanieMeany]

As I said in the Dunfermline match thread, the necessity of playing Tidser in a three isn't some kind of weird subtlety or personal preference or footballing fetish, it's just one of these things that's known to pretty much everybody, especially when you also have McAlister and Millar/Telfer. If Johansson insists on going with a 4-4-2 again tomorrow then there's already serious questions to be asked about him, it's just so fundamentally wrong for the team we have.

[Pedrodelawasp]

Tidser could feasibly work at the front of a midfield diamond but I don't think that suits the other players in the squad either. Crossing fingers for a 3.

[TONofmemories]

Telfer and tiffoney in from start. No Denny whatsoever.

[Pedrodelawasp]

4-5-1 with Tiff and Telfer our wide?

[TheGoon]

Denny injured in training yesterday. Where is Connor Bell?