Airdrieonians v Greenock Morton

[vikingTON]

1 hour ago, SpoonTon said:

The problems are deeper than that. We relied largely on Oakley playing well last season, and while Imrie's attempts to change the style (perhaps to navigate around that overreliance) have been a failure, we can't say that the last style worked well without the key players that allowed that to happen. 

I think we failed to build on the likes of Oakley, Muirhead, and Crawford last season (with the likes of Bearne and Boyd being failures) and then we even lost them. Recruitment in attacking positions this season has again been as much of an issue. We're struggling to recruit good enough players, especially in attacking positions. The change in style is an easy target, but that neglects just how bad we were at times last season. Recruitment is as big an issue - and it's not a short term issue now. 

Muirhead was not a key player for our style based on his attributes though, he was made an effective player only by effective development between the coaching staff and himself, not least to get his finger out and press at least half of the time. I see no inherent reason why GMFC couldn't either:

a) recruit effective pressing players at a lower cost than marquee signing sand dancers like Moffat and Lyall (Blues for example has proven more reliable than either player, and almost certainly commanded lower average wages) or 

b) Bench all the current tippy-tappy sand dancers unit for a change and dig out some results with back to basics tactics. 

Our back five + Wilson is actually balanced both defensively and having both full backs offering width. The midfield could be reinforced with Gillespie, Blues and King while nothing of value is lost, and put any of our rotating cast of no.10s off the Serb hitman up front (Garrity would be my current preference). 

This squad could and should be playing more effectively if we weren't wedded to some shan philosophy that is getting its original Poundland proponent relegated ten points beneath us right now.

Edited December 14, 2024 by vikingTON

[dazza]

41 minutes ago, Waverley said:

What's happening with Grimshaw? Is he injured, or asking for too much money, from any team?

His wife is about to give birth. I think he's taken his Dundee Utd payout and is happy to wait until next season for his next club 

[Pedrodelawasp]

2 hours ago, TONofmemories said:

Our issues here are more than just a few players being offloaded. The team is mostly the same every week so its not like the guys mentioned above leaving changes much of the starting 11. The facts are, we moved away from a style of play that got us some relative success because Imrie got upset about the media labeling us hatchet men. 

If we can offload three (a big if) and if we can somehow bring on one or two better players in (an even bigger if) then that would be about the best January scenario we could hope for.

Again, don’t expect we’ll see much beyond a few moving out, but will keep my fingers crossed for the unexpected in the hope our form can be turned around.

[TONofmemories]

15 minutes ago, Pedrodelawasp said:

If we can offload three (a big if) and if we can somehow bring on one or two better players in (an even bigger if) then that would be about the best January scenario we could hope for.

Again, don’t expect we’ll see much beyond a few moving out, but will keep my fingers crossed for the unexpected in the hope our form can be turned around.

Suspect not, given we know that we budgeted for 8th and are now out of all cups with no prospect of a payday. It'll be damage limitation now.

[RossMcC1874]

We are shite and a draw against a team who are utter dug shite missing about 5-6 first team players is nowhere near good enough. 

Imrie comes out with the same pish ever week and it's predictable and shite, injuries all over the club a crap style of football which in reality gets us nowhere and several signings who are nowhere good enough. 

We need to change in January if we don't then we are going to finish 9th and Imrie must acknowledge this rather than keep sticking his head in the sand with, "I thought we played well we could have been a few up but we don't take our chances" 

If he doesn't accept this then the only way we are going is the seaside leagues. 

[Hightide]

According to Imrie in his post-match interview, he said he couldn’t fault anyone in the first half and thought “to a man” we were outstanding. 
 

I wasn’t there today. Can anyone confirm this was the case?

[LargsTON]

1000 fans owning a club like Morton is pure magic.  The only way is up.

Edited December 14, 2024 by LargsTON

[CM48]

Delighted to see Blues score today, hopefully get a few more out him for the rest of the season as he was capable of a couple of seasons ago. Also delighted for Davies, especially if he did get away with what looked to me like a pretty obvious hand ball? Longing for a time where Wilson can stay on the park for a full 90 as I’m really trying not to be negative but McGinn came on, straight away gave up the ball when we were heading into good position. Then got booked, gave away a foul they scored from and then they had all the momentum for the closing stages. I presume King is injured as he is surely a way better option as a replacement?

[vikingTON]

In terms of the specifics of today's performance, by some distance the biggest obstacle to our use of the ball was Baird. He regularly had the ball under little pressure but refused to progress even 5 yards forward before playing a simple sideways pass to Boyes. He might not be comfortable as a passing defender but was hardly being asked to play a Guardiola system today - regardless of our tactics, we really should expect centre backs to progress the ball to the halfway line under no real pressure. 

I haven't focused on this issue regularly to conclude if that's the wider pattern too, but 90% of the egregious pass backs for no reason today rested with Baird.

Edited December 14, 2024 by vikingTON

[vikingTON]

26 minutes ago, LargsTON said:

1000 fans owning a club like Morton is pure magic.  The only way is up.

There wouldn't be a club like Morton left if it weren't for those 1000 fans, after a second encounter with a 'successful businessman' ended up running said club into the ground again.

[LargsTON]

11 minutes ago, vikingTON said:

There wouldn't be a club like Morton left if it weren't for those 1000 fans, after a second encounter with a 'successful businessman' ended up running said club into the ground again.

Stay strong, VT.

[irnbru]

4 hours ago, TONofmemories said:

Because Imrie's ego got hurt by  the constant labelling of his side as hammer throwers and hatchet men. 

Or the chairman saying Imrie needs to use his coaching badges properly and implying he was doing something wrong. 

[vikingTON]

25 minutes ago, irnbru said:

Or the chairman saying Imrie needs to use his coaching badges properly and implying he was doing something wrong. 

How would implying something at chairman level produce a total reversal in tactical approach? Is the manager in question such a jellyfish with no possible means of ignoring and/or rejecting messages from above in an organisation?

That really doesn't add up, not least given that the person with most leverage last summer was Imrie rather than anyone else involved at the club. 

[dunning1874]

9 hours ago, LargsTON said:

1000 fans owning a club like Morton is pure magic.  The only way is up.

There's a difference between having a healthy scepticism about the people running the club that means you scrutinise them closely and actively wanting the club to fail because you've decided you don't like it. You are firmly in the latter camp, shoehorning things that have absolutely nothing to do with the ownership model into your complaints and probably being happier to see us lose than win because you can use defeats as ammunition for your obsession. It's not like you actually bother going to games to be affected by bad results or performances in person anyway.

[Mr.Blue]

9 hours ago, LargsTON said:

1000 fans owning a club like Morton is pure magic.  The only way is up.

What's the alternative?

[dunning1874]

I know I'm someone who can go over the top with criticism of players I dislike, but I'm not sure I can describe how much Niall McGinn stealing a wage from this club infuriates me. The only redemption possible for him at this point is to announce his retirement today and in that announcement apologise for forcing us to watch him then personally reimburse every Morton fan who was there yesterday out of his own pocket. If that leaves him breaking even from his time with the club then he's made too much from us. He may just about not make the worst XI of the last 30 years, but he's rapidly putting himself in contention for the most hated XI alongside the likes of Fitzpatrick, McGinty and Grady. Being finished and shite is one thing, his arrogance and laziness is another.

The second half performance yesterday was abysmal from the start but the subs were wild and made a bad situation far worse. Wilson wasn't having a good game so I've no issue with subbing him, although personally I'd have been getting Lyall off first who was his usual anonymous self, but if you're taking Wilson off when we're a goal up and already being overrun in midfield you simply have to put Gillespie on.

The equaliser had been coming since the second half started but that wage thief McGinn being on the park made it inevitable. It was the exact same thing as the 3-0 defeat at Hamilton where having him on the park made it even harder for the ball to stick in a game where we were already consistently playing ourselves into trouble, as he gave it away literally every single time he touched it and left even more gigantic gaps for their midfield to waltz through because he doesn't think he has to lower himself to bothering his arse to defend.

We were up against a team who hadn't scored in six league games and we robbed a point as they ran over the top of us. Hamilton, Raith and Dunfermline are all capable of smash and grabbing wins against top half teams, meanwhile on yesterday's evidence we aren't capable of avoiding being outclassed by a team who haven't won since the first day of the season. We are in massive trouble here.

[LargsTON]

1 hour ago, dunning1874 said:

There's a difference between having a healthy scepticism about the people running the club that means you scrutinise them closely and actively wanting the club to fail because you've decided you don't like it. You are firmly in the latter camp, shoehorning things that have absolutely nothing to do with the ownership model into your complaints and probably being happier to see us lose than win because you can use defeats as ammunition for your obsession. It's not like you actually bother going to games to be affected by bad results or performances in person anyway.

You and all your wee chums can keep championing this whole failing model til your hearts content, it makes no difference to me.  I'd be there every week were it not for my shift patterns preventing me.  My absence is fuck all to do with me detesting fan ownership.  I never want to see the club I love lose, never.  Dalrada are all that's keeping us afloat.  Fan ownership has failed already.  If we don't find new owners we're done for, simple as that.  

[bob_the_builder]

11 hours ago, LargsTON said:

1000 fans owning a club like Morton is pure magic.  The only way is up.

Yep let’s get back to the days of a sole owner deciding to turn the taps all the way down when a promotion push doesn’t come through and the cost cutting sends us hurtling down to league 1 ahead of part time opposition. Halcyon days!

Lets also try it with someone who’d actually want their cash back and we can start playing our games out of Parklea after we have to sell off Cappielow to Asda/Sainsburys/any interested property developers 

[LargsTON]

3 minutes ago, bob_the_builder said:

Yep let’s get back to the days of a sole owner deciding to turn the taps all the way down when a promotion push doesn’t come through and the cost cutting sends us hurtling down to league 1 ahead of part time opposition. Halcyon days!

Lets also try it with someone who’d actually want their cash back and we can start playing our games out of Parklea after we have to sell off Cappielow to Asda/Sainsburys/any interested property developers 

Ah the legacy of Rae.  Fans conditioned to think this is the way it has to be.

[bob_the_builder]

4 minutes ago, LargsTON said:

Ah the legacy of Rae.  Fans conditioned to think this is the way it has to be.

It can really only be one of two ways.

1. The club is run at a profit/even keel/manageable loss, which we’re currently doing with no need for a single majority shareholder.

2. It’s run like Rae years, massive overspending every year with very little to show for it in the hope that the owner won’t look to rake any money back by any means.

I know which I prefer.