Ton v County 27th September 2025

[vikingTON]

20 minutes ago, Mr.Blue said:

Adeloye being relatively switched on in the box is doing wonders for us isn't it.

Brophy should never have been taken off. Id go as far as saying of he stays on the pitch we win the game.

I'd have kept Brophy on to play alongside Adeloye given the game situation, but there's only one of those two centre forwards that posed a serious threat today and it wasn't Brophy. Who offered nothing last week too. 

 

[dunning1874]

Everything to be said about the improvement in the second half has to be caveated with Ross County sitting off and letting us have the ball to try to hold onto 1-0, but it was nevertheless amazing to see how we turned into a football team immediately from the start of the second half with Blues on the park.

He was our best player there by a mile and offered everything that MacPherson and Wilson hadn't - making runs, getting in faces, having the incredible idea to pass the ball forwards sometimes. Obviously that doesn't happen in a vacuum and other players need to do things right too, but so much stemmed from what Blues was doing.

The interminable triangle of full back to centre back to winger and round again had somewhere else to go other than to a central midfielder dropping in beside the centre backs or the keeper, because there was a central midfielder making forward runs who could offer another option to all three of them. That in turn allowed room for Longridge to step out with the ball, as midfielders having to track Blues stretched them more and left space for Longridge, stretching them further and finally allowing players room in the final third when the ball made it there; Garrity finally found room to get crosses in (we nearly had the winner from that) rather than just carrying us up the park because he couldn't have three men on him every time he got it.

Entirely agree that Adeloye offered more than Brophy today, but nevertheless I would only be picking one of them at a time. Flood the middle of the park with central midfielders (Wilson, Blues, Lyall and Crawford the first choices) and then someone off a real striker. Garrity is the obvious choice over any of the other wingers just now, although you could push Crawford or Lyall up to do this and slot another central midfielder in instead.

[Mr.Blue]

2 hours ago, vikingTON said:

I'd have kept Brophy on to play alongside Adeloye given the game situation, but there's only one of those two centre forwards that posed a serious threat today and it wasn't Brophy. Who offered nothing last week too. 

 

Would have liked to see brophy and Adeloye on the pitch at the same time as individually they need help. 

As you've said recently I'd like to see a midfield 4 of Blues Wilson Lyall Crawford with 2 up top. Can't see Dougie going with that.

[so72]

Didn't get to the game today, any footage of the disallowed goal kicking about?

 

Lucky there's enough other teams in the division that are shite to mean this run doesn't have to derail our season. However, will be worried if we don't beat Airdrie.

[vikingTON]

7 minutes ago, so72 said:

Didn't get to the game today, any footage of the disallowed goal kicking about?

 

Lucky there's enough other teams in the division that are shite to mean this run doesn't have to derail our season. However, will be worried if we don't beat Airdrie.

I think you'll find our Dalrada overlords (via Laird's semi-detached, mouthpiece presence) are now setting a promotion play-off as the target. This is not a 'run' in that context - we are just not good enough across several areas of the starting lineup (central defence, left back, gubbins wingers) to acheive that goal, unless fully three other clubs implode between now and May. 

IMO we are nailed-on certainties to finish 7th as usual, and are relying on drawing Wick away in the Scottish Cup to avoid a beyond tedious campaign. We're not an objectively bad or poorly organised team, but we're objectively boring and the 1400 crowd today (albeit on a rancid day) bears that out. 

[Deego]

Watched the ‘goal’ back about 10 times and can’t understand why it’s been disallowed.

[Deego]

Also if someone could post a link to any pictures of Super Alex at half time when they’re up from Tontastic/GBR that would be good. I’ve got the frames ready to get them up on the living room wall.

[vikingTON]

4 hours ago, dunning1874 said:

Entirely agree that Adeloye offered more than Brophy today, but nevertheless I would only be picking one of them at a time. Flood the middle of the park with central midfielders (Wilson, Blues, Lyall and Crawford the first choices) and then someone off a real striker. Garrity is the obvious choice over any of the other wingers just now, although you could push Crawford or Lyall up to do this and slot another central midfielder in instead.

Unless you're at McDairmid Park and just looking for another point - no you couldn't. Five central midfielders and a lone striker is mental. And you can play Adeloye and Brophy together against all of Queens' Park, Airdrie and Arbroath at home in the second quarter.

Our run of draws has in part been brought about by a weirdo fixture list where none of those home games to beat similarly weak opponents have actually happened yet. And there are a couple of further stings from the fixture list to come (October - very difficult after Airdrie next week; November - 3 away games from 4) that will likely pile on further pressure before we finally get a straightforward run of games. 

[vikingTON]

NB: It should be stressed how randomly distorted the fixture list we're dealing with actually is:

In 16 league games through November, we play everyone (9) away, with only Arbroath on November 8 being an on-paper, home favourite match from the Cappielow games (7). Then we get the two best possible chances to win back to back at Cappielow in early December. Our final 3 home games in March-May 2026 are identically at home to Arbroath, Queens Park and Airdrie.

While we've been streaky in form under Imrie in previous seasons, this fixture list is almost purpose built to produce such streaks of results. The strong runs of form - if they come - will likely arrive only at the very end of each half of the league campaign though. 

[AyrshireTon]

Do the players realise that the booing at the end of both halves was aimed at the officials? Moffat threw the Cowshed a pretty disgusted look at HT. 

Anyway, second half was the best I've seen us play this season. Subs definitely changed the game. Feel that we ran out of time to win it.

Looking at the disallowed goal - the referee clearly awards it, only to change when he sees the linesman's flag. Why doesn't he overrule him if he he could clearly see that the defender headed the ball? 

[dunning1874]

23 minutes ago, AyrshireTon said:

Do the players realise that the booing at the end of both halves was aimed at the officials? Moffat threw the Cowshed a pretty disgusted look at HT. 

Anyway, second half was the best I've seen us play this season. Subs definitely changed the game. Feel that we ran out of time to win it.

Looking at the disallowed goal - the referee clearly awards it, only to change when he sees the linesman's flag. Why doesn't he overrule him if he he could clearly see that the defender headed the ball? 

I assume the delay in the linesman raising the flag was them having a conversation via their earpieces with the linesman saying Robertson was beyond the last defender but not sure if that made him offside, asking the ref who played it last who then said it was a Morton player, so it was ultimately the referee's mistake.

[Mr.Blue]

11 minutes ago, dunning1874 said:

I assume the delay in the linesman raising the flag was them having a conversation via their earpieces with the linesman saying Robertson was beyond the last defender but not sure if that made him offside, asking the ref who played it last who then said it was a Morton player, so it was ultimately the referee's mistake.

Awful decision all round by the referee and the linesman. Unsure if they have been involved in any games with VAR but I do wonder if the introduction of the system is almost de-skilling officials. There seems to be a real lack of anyone wanting to to take responsibility of decisions like yesterdays and when they eventually do it's a terrible call.

[Chicken_Soup]

Replacing the refereeing teams with groups of local schoolchildren would be an upgrade. 
 

If I was as bad at my job as this lot, I’d just resign and find something else to do at the weekend. A shower of absolute freaks that get their kicks from pissing folk off every Saturday, knowing there’s no consequence for it. 

[Deego]

1 hour ago, AyrshireTon said:

Do the players realise that the booing at the end of both halves was aimed at the officials? Moffat threw the Cowshed a pretty disgusted look at HT. 

Anyway, second half was the best I've seen us play this season. Subs definitely changed the game. Feel that we ran out of time to win it.

Looking at the disallowed goal - the referee clearly awards it, only to change when he sees the linesman's flag. Why doesn't he overrule him if he he could clearly see that the defender headed the ball? 

Doubt it. Why would they?

It does my nut in a bit that. Whatever happened to “the referee’s a wanker”?

[The Bewilderedbeast]

13 hours ago, Deego said:

Watched the ‘goal’ back about 10 times and can’t understand why it’s been disallowed.

How in the name of a million fucks can anyone say that was offside

[Jamie_M]

4 hours ago, AyrshireTon said:

Do the players realise that the booing at the end of both halves was aimed at the officials? Moffat threw the Cowshed a pretty disgusted look at HT. 

Almost never, which makes it a pretty dumb practice.

[The Bewilderedbeast]

4 hours ago, Deego said:

Doubt it. Why would they?

It does my nut in a bit that. Whatever happened to “the referee’s a wanker”?

Cause there will be some woke wanker ready to jump on you 

Edited September 28 by The Bewilderedbeast

[TopCat]

The recent run of refereeing decisions have been ridiculous, but that doesn't change the fact that our last 4 results have been poor.

We underestimated Raith and didnt create anywhere near enough clear-cut chances to convert midfield dominance to wins in the others. 

Airdrie are hard working relegation battle fodder, so any team with aspirations of promotion should be taking 3 points from them. 

[vikingTON]

On 9/28/2025 at 8:46 AM, AyrshireTon said:

Do the players realise that the booing at the end of both halves was aimed at the officials? Moffat threw the Cowshed a pretty disgusted look at HT. 

The booing at the end of the first half (though I wasnt involved) really wasn't about the officials - it was about the combined performance/result. Moffat can be 'disgusted' about that all he wants, but the reality is that any team winless in two months and with barely a single shot on target in open play (1st half) is not going to be given a free pass. 

On 9/28/2025 at 3:21 PM, The Bewilderedbeast said:

Cause there will be some woke wanker ready to jump on you 

Can you explain how that would work exactly in the Cowshed on a Saturday afternoon? 

[HamCam]

No surprise Dougie got another apology for the latest refereeing howler. Three this early in a season is unacceptable. As much as I would like the luck to even out I cannot see that happening.