Greenock Morton vs Victim FC

[TRVMP]

1 minute ago, HamCam said:

Solution to what? I am not sure Morton can do much more. I was just pointing out the lad is likely to seek pastures new at the end of the season.  I have no idea if more game time would encourage Keay to stay (I suspect it is unlikely) but I would just like to see young talent viewing Morton as a club who puts them in the shop window.

The solution to what you call questionable behavior which at least one shareholder isn't happy about.

[vikingTON]

22 hours ago, vikingTON said:

Hopefully those tramps will both be placed in the WDE and obliged to stay there for a change, by the police presence that we're paying for due to some maw. 

Would like to highlight that today's game demonstrated yet again that the current stewarding company are not fit for purpose, given that all their ludicrously inflated resources present today were used to, err, turn a blind eye to an away fanbase breaching their designated sections yet again and hoping for the polis to give them hauners. Get shot of them ASAP.

Edited March 30 by vikingTON

[RossMcC1874]

Poor performance for what was our biggest game of the season. 

Had a few chances but far too passive seemed like we were happy with a draw, Adeloye was useless and barely won a header all day. 

Mullen has been good for the majority of the season but is in no mans land and gifted them a goal poor decision. 

Overall it has been a good season and we have done well to be where we are but it's always just a sense of frustration after a game like that. 

[Mr.Blue]

13 hours ago, vikingTON said:

Would like to highlight that today's game demonstrated yet again that the current stewarding company are not fit for purpose, given that all their ludicrously inflated resources prrsent today were used to, err, turn a blind eye to an away fanbase breaching their designated sections yet again and hoping for the polis to give them hauners. Get shot of them ASAP.

But but but they're excellent at telling kids to stop jumping about or to move when standing half an inch on the stairs. 

We also have the pleasure of having some of the most torn faced stewards on the planet who are permanently raging and on a power trip. 

Edited March 30 by Mr.Blue

[Scott]

Interesting comments from Imrie. “If we can’t get it (playoffs), I’m gonna need to go and find it… I don’t want to be the nearly guy”. If we hadn’t spent the first quarter of the season trying to play Guardiola ball we’d probably be there or thereabouts already. 

[Cappiecat 1.2]

1 hour ago, Scott said:

“If we can’t get it (playoffs), I’m gonna need to go and find it…

What does he mean by this?

[Scott]

6 minutes ago, Cappiecat 1.2 said:

What does he mean by this?

To me it sounds like he’s wanting to move on to another club who can compete for the playoffs. Perhaps he’s just hurting after the game but it’s a very unprofessional comment. 

[Toby]

6 minutes ago, Cappiecat 1.2 said:

What does he mean by this?

Think it should be taken in context, and he did mention the fact he was speaking in the heat of the moment.

It did however come across that he feels he’s hitting his head against a brick wall and no matter how hard he tries, the limitations he’s working with make it impossible to progress Morton any further than he has.

His interview on Friday will probably be markedly different, but at present, there are two significantly bigger Championship clubs who will likely be looking to appoint a new manager in the summer in the shape of Partick and Dunfermline, and one who have been willing to throw money around in Queen's Park.

I think it’s clear he’s not getting a job higher up the food chain, probably because Morton are an unfashionable club, and because he’ll struggle to shake of the reputation about his style of play, so bigger or richer Championship clubs are his best option.

I spotted that hideous Transfers Scotland tweet that misquoted him to give the impression he’ll be shipping out his failing players- he said nothing of the sort.

I would say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, particularly with Queen’s Park, who I see significantly downsizing, but Partick and Dunfermline will tempt him, assuming both remain in the Championship.

Looking at the new ownership and spending policy at Dunfermline, it looks like a complete bin fire, that will lead to administration, while Partick also keep losing money. But in the short to medium term, both are probably more attractive to a manager than us just plodding along breaking even. Moderate success could get him a Ross County, St. Johnstone, Dundee or Kilmarnock.

Until Partick make their appointment and Lennon’s future is confirmed, I’d be gravely concerned. He’s entering the last year of his contract, and if Morton are struggling to cash in on players, now might just be the time to pocket a few quid on a relatively successful manager.

Sadly, I don’t expect to see him in the dugout in July.

[Chicken_Soup]

1 hour ago, Scott said:

Interesting comments from Imrie. “If we can’t get it (playoffs), I’m gonna need to go and find it… I don’t want to be the nearly guy”. If we hadn’t spent the first quarter of the season trying to play Guardiola ball we’d probably be there or thereabouts already. 

And why was this the case? Because we lost Muirhead, Oakley and Crawford and not through choice. It wasn’t like we released our best target man and presser because we no longer wanted to play direct football.

[Chicken_Soup]

If Imrie does go, potentially after another 5th placed finish, it should be with everyone’s best wishes. My best hope for next season is there’s nothing suitable out there for him and he gives it one last push with us. With a less significant rebuild (TBC) and a better start to the season, maybe next year we could go that step further and make the playoffs.

However he does deserve to progress based on the job he’s done here.
The post Imrie era gives me the fear. 

[RossMcC1874]

34 minutes ago, Chicken_Soup said:

If Imrie does go, potentially after another 5th placed finish, it should be with everyone’s best wishes. My best hope for next season is there’s nothing suitable out there for him and he gives it one last push with us. With a less significant rebuild (TBC) and a better start to the season, maybe next year we could go that step further and make the playoffs.

However he does deserve to progress based on the job he’s done here.
The post Imrie era gives me the fear. 

This is what I keep thinking. 

I do have the fear that he may get the Partick job and that really would be sickening, I get the whole bigger club and maybe he has hit the ceiling with us but leaving to anyone in this league will be difficult to take even though he does deserve it. 

Who we would get in I don't know and I don't really want to think about it but sooner rather than later it will happen. 

[Mr.Blue]

If Imrie does decide to go I wonder who wed have in mind for the job. Tidser would have been up there for me but after his short stint at Dunfermline I'm not as convinced although i do think he'll have a decent career in coaching/ management.

Looking within would Grant Gillespie be interested? He has a great football brain, is an experienced pro and must have a few contacts in the game. He also speaks very well in any interviews he does. No idea if he's even looking at that side of the game yet.

[vikingTON]

1 hour ago, Chicken_Soup said:

And why was this the case? Because we lost Muirhead, Oakley and Crawford and not through choice. It wasn’t like we released our best target man and presser because we no longer wanted to play direct football.

1) We chose however to replace them with a string of 'skill players' (doubtful), despite already knowing from January the similar profiles of Davies and Reynolds who were arriving.

We also chose to integrate Lyall immediately rather than having a more 'pragmatic' midfield combination (e.g. Gillespie, Wilson and Blues) to balance any problems in the attacking area. 

As the last couple of months have shown, we don't need a target man to be effective - we do however need pressing from the front which was missing and/or ineffective for too long in the campaign. 

2) And let's not forget that the total waste of space pre-season - in our supposed 150th anniversary year - was touted as a 'minerals' based strategy to ensure that the new squad would be up to the task. Instead we got bodied by a League Two team straight away and were out of one cup before the Glasgow Fair was over - limiting our financial scope to strengthen the team. 

It has been a transition season for sure and we got there with a surprising degree of comfort due to the inherent strengths of our coaching. But the first team and club level management made their own errors of judgment that explain why a play-off run was never seriously in the cards. 

[Chicken_Soup]

39 minutes ago, vikingTON said:

1) We chose however to replace them with a string of 'skill players' (doubtful), despite already knowing from January the similar profiles of Davies and Reynolds who were arriving.

We also chose to integrate Lyall immediately rather than having a more 'pragmatic' midfield combination (e.g. Gillespie, Wilson and Blues) to balance any problems in the attacking area. 

As the last couple of months have shown, we don't need a target man to be effective - we do however need pressing from the front which was missing and/or ineffective for too long in the campaign. 

2) And let's not forget that the total waste of space pre-season - in our supposed 150th anniversary year - was touted as a 'minerals' based strategy to ensure that the new squad would be up to the task. Instead we got bodied by a League Two team straight away and were out of one cup before the Glasgow Fair was over - limiting our financial scope to strengthen the team. 

It has been a transition season for sure and we got there with a surprising degree of comfort due to the inherent strengths of our coaching. But the first team and club level management made their own errors of judgment that explain why a play-off run was never seriously in the cards. 

The post I was responding to was a complaint that we started the season trying to play “Guardiola ball”. So it sounds like you’re also in disagreement with this, as “Guardiola ball” is famously based on the effectiveness of the press (and counter press). 

There’s no way of knowing whether we adopted the style to fit the players available or whether we sought out these players to fit the style we had in mind. 

And we were never signing Lyall to sit on the bench while Gillespie started, that just isn’t realistic. 

Agreed though, that there are lessons to be learned and we need to reflect in order to make sure we don’t give ourselves another poor start to the campaign. Personally I’m hoping a reduction in player turnover contributes to this and we see contract extensions for the majority of those out of contract. 

[vikingTON]

48 minutes ago, Chicken_Soup said:

There’s no way of knowing whether we adopted the style to fit the players available or whether we sought out these players to fit the style we had in mind. 

And we were never signing Lyall to sit on the bench while Gillespie started, that just isn’t realistic. 

Whereas playing 4-1-4-1 with Wilson tasked with covering the entire defensive midfield area by himself - and magically staying fit - was a realistic approach? 

It was only after reverting to a more back to basics approach - in the manager's own description - after the Falkirk debacle that the issues were solved. We have developed our playing style to some degree this season - Boyes in particular offers a more effective way of moving the ball forward - but the decision to embark on wholesale change at the beginning was not just imposed by squad departures. 

[Deego]

3 hours ago, Toby said:

Think it should be taken in context, and he did mention the fact he was speaking in the heat of the moment.

It did however come across that he feels he’s hitting his head against a brick wall and no matter how hard he tries, the limitations he’s working with make it impossible to progress Morton any further than he has.

His interview on Friday will probably be markedly different, but at present, there are two significantly bigger Championship clubs who will likely be looking to appoint a new manager in the summer in the shape of Partick and Dunfermline, and one who have been willing to throw money around in Queen's Park.

I think it’s clear he’s not getting a job higher up the food chain, probably because Morton are an unfashionable club, and because he’ll struggle to shake of the reputation about his style of play, so bigger or richer Championship clubs are his best option.

I spotted that hideous Transfers Scotland tweet that misquoted him to give the impression he’ll be shipping out his failing players- he said nothing of the sort.

I would say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, particularly with Queen’s Park, who I see significantly downsizing, but Partick and Dunfermline will tempt him, assuming both remain in the Championship.

Looking at the new ownership and spending policy at Dunfermline, it looks like a complete bin fire, that will lead to administration, while Partick also keep losing money. But in the short to medium term, both are probably more attractive to a manager than us just plodding along breaking even. Moderate success could get him a Ross County, St. Johnstone, Dundee or Kilmarnock.

Until Partick make their appointment and Lennon’s future is confirmed, I’d be gravely concerned. He’s entering the last year of his contract, and if Morton are struggling to cash in on players, now might just be the time to pocket a few quid on a relatively successful manager.

Sadly, I don’t expect to see him in the dugout in July.

His interview in the paper did say:

 

"I'm a passionate guy. I want to be better every day. I want to take this club forward and not just be, oh, he finishes fifth again. 

"I want to be getting great players, like I say, if I can't do that with the group I've got, then unfortunately I'm going to need to go and find another group that will get us there.”

 

[Toby]

Just now, Deego said:

His interview in the paper did say:

 

"I'm a passionate guy. I want to be better every day. I want to take this club forward and not just be, oh, he finishes fifth again. 

"I want to be getting great players, like I say, if I can't do that with the group I've got, then unfortunately I'm going to need to go and find another group that will get us there.”

 

Fair enough. Given that that weirdo just lifts his content from other sites I’d assumed he was going with the club’s interview.

Seems he’s lifted the Tele’s content this time around.

[dunning1874]

2 hours ago, Chicken_Soup said:

The post I was responding to was a complaint that we started the season trying to play “Guardiola ball”. So it sounds like you’re also in disagreement with this, as “Guardiola ball” is famously based on the effectiveness of the press (and counter press). 

There’s no way of knowing whether we adopted the style to fit the players available or whether we sought out these players to fit the style we had in mind. 

And we were never signing Lyall to sit on the bench while Gillespie started, that just isn’t realistic. 

Agreed though, that there are lessons to be learned and we need to reflect in order to make sure we don’t give ourselves another poor start to the campaign. Personally I’m hoping a reduction in player turnover contributes to this and we see contract extensions for the majority of those out of contract. 

Lyall has been excellent since Christmas and that's vindicated Imrie’s decision to persist with him prior to that when he had about two good games in half a season, but it's not like he was some massive coup of a signing who could demand games. His prior first team experience was 18 games for Airdrie and 9 of them were as a sub.

[Chicken_Soup]

2 hours ago, vikingTON said:

Whereas playing 4-1-4-1 with Wilson tasked with covering the entire defensive midfield area by himself - and magically staying fit - was a realistic approach? 

It was only after reverting to a more back to basics approach - in the manager's own description - after the Falkirk debacle that the issues were solved. We have developed our playing style to some degree this season - Boyes in particular offers a more effective way of moving the ball forward - but the decision to embark on wholesale change at the beginning was not just imposed by squad departures. 

Well it was obviously more realistic, because it literally happened. Lyall didn’t come here to sit on the bench behind an ageing midfielder who had been a backup player the previous season. So that was never realistic. 

 

35 minutes ago, dunning1874 said:

Lyall has been excellent since Christmas and that's vindicated Imrie’s decision to persist with him prior to that when he had about two good games in half a season, but it's not like he was some massive coup of a signing who could demand games. His prior first team experience was 18 games for Airdrie and 9 of them were as a sub.

Not quite a massive coup, but certainly someone who was sold on the idea of coming to us as a starter. Gillespie didn’t have his contract extended with that as an expectation. 

[vikingTON]

3 hours ago, Chicken_Soup said:

Well it was obviously more realistic, because it literally happened. Lyall didn’t come here to sit on the bench behind an ageing midfielder who had been a backup player the previous season. So that was never realistic. 

It happened, and it was utter shite for weeks on end. Was this part of the plan? So if we're having an inquest as to why we won't finish in the top 4, that decision is a major part of the answer. 

Signing a contract in the summer does not give you a divine right to start from the beginning of a season. If you need to adjust because of player departures further forward in the team, then you need the spine of the team to do the basics right. Imrie tried to enact too much change at once - he's a young manager, it happens. That he learned and avoided just stubbornly insisting on the same failing setup explains why we ended up doing fine.