Morton vs Stenny Scottish Cup

[DaftTon74]

Worst thing of it all, I don’t actually think Stenny played well? They work incredibly hard (summed up in the 85th min at 4 nil up when their striker easily swept aside Ballantyne to win the ball in the corner), win second balls, and have a bit of grit. All things that we completely lack. We are toothless. 
 

[SpoonTon]

Moore looked like he was limping off with an injury. 

We then went to an attacking back 3 at the next change, with Wilson moving into midfield. 

[SpoonTon]

Longridge looked like a competition winner today, but with 3 goals he's still outscored Garrity (2), O'Halloran (1), Moffat (1), and Shaw (2) this season. 

There's a severe lack of goalscorers in the squad, and our supporting forwards (wingers) have offered very little in the final third. I've defended Moffat in the past, but his last goal came against Stenny in July. 

[Cat10]

In general we lack urgency. Everything is done is slow motion and we allow teams to get back behind the ball and regroup. There was no pride today and too many accepted defeat when we lost the first goal.

 

 

[HamCam]

Fair play to Morton - we have burst the myth about a new manager bounce. Another Groundhog Saturday where we look mildly competent for parts of a game before reverting to type as a home for spineless sand-dancing duds. While I can accept Imrie deserves some credit for getting the odd tune out of these chancers, the man also rightly deserves to be called out for the bloated unbalanced squad he assembled this season. Today was another painful watch. We never looked like we had the belief to score and at the other end of the park we showed no desire to defend. It really is difficult to see a positive moving forward. As for Moore he limped off leaving us even barer in the centre back cupboard while Crawford just after coming on looked to pull up holding his hamstring. If Murray manages to keep us up this season it will be a massive achievement.

[dunning1874]

"We need help"

Nah, fuck off. Help yourself. The squad is shite and should be better, yes, but your predecessor who built that flawed squad was getting more out of them because he's a good manager. Three of the four goals were set-pieces, that's on your lack of organisation. It's an abject failure of management.

[John369]

Despite the 4–0 scoreline, I thought we actually played well for large spells of the game. Our shape was good, we moved the ball with intent, and we pressed aggressively, especially in the middle third. We competed physically, created a few decent chances, and showed real discipline out of possession. Ultimately, it came down to fine margins and a lack of clinical finishing, while they punished us on the transition. There are definitely positives to take, and if we maintain that intensity and game management, results will follow.

[dunning1874]

2 minutes ago, John369 said:

Despite the 4–0 scoreline, I thought we actually played well for large spells of the game. Our shape was good, we moved the ball with intent, and we pressed aggressively, especially in the middle third. We competed physically, created a few decent chances, and showed real discipline out of possession. Ultimately, it came down to fine margins and a lack of clinical finishing, while they punished us on the transition. There are definitely positives to take, and if we maintain that intensity and game management, results will follow.

If we wanted to hear from ChatGPT and boil dolphins alive in the process of being served meaningless nonsense, we could ask it ourselves.

[Mr.Blue]

Gregor Buchanan hates us going by his reactions towards the fans at half time and when he scored his goal. What's that all about?

11 minutes ago, John369 said:

Despite the 4–0 scoreline, I thought we actually played well for large spells of the game. Our shape was good, we moved the ball with intent, and we pressed aggressively, especially in the middle third. We competed physically, created a few decent chances, and showed real discipline out of possession. Ultimately, it came down to fine margins and a lack of clinical finishing, while they punished us on the transition. There are definitely positives to take, and if we maintain that intensity and game management, results will follow.

Is this cunt at the wind up?

[Cappiecat 1.2]

21 minutes ago, John369 said:

if we maintain that intensity and game management, results will follow.

Proverbs 19:9

A false witness will not go unpunished,and he who breathes out lies will perish.

[TonFan]

38 minutes ago, dunning1874 said:

"We need help"

Nah, fuck off. Help yourself. The squad is shite and should be better, yes, but your predecessor who built that flawed squad was getting more out of them because he's a good manager. Three of the four goals were set-pieces, that's on your lack of organisation. It's an abject failure of management.

Probably need to calm down a bit. Yes, it's criminal losing 3 goals to set pieces, but he's not wrong that he needs help with new players this window ASAP. 

Remember Imrie had 1 win in his first 13 league games, including an absolutely dreadful display at home to St. Johnstone.

We didn't concede as many goals when Imrie here, but the results and especially performances weren't great.

[tolmie perms r bak]

1 hour ago, dunning1874 said:

"We need help"

Nah, fuck off. Help yourself. The squad is shite and should be better, yes, but your predecessor who built that flawed squad was getting more out of them because he's a good manager. Three of the four goals were set-pieces, that's on your lack of organisation. It's an abject failure of management.

The players need to take responsibility, where is the leaders on the park surely they should be organising at set-pieces, the taller players picking up the stenny taller players its pretty simple

[Rossco]

3 hours ago, AyrshireTon said:

Well, the tl;dr version is that today's result is the worst since the war, unless losing to a side who are two tiers below us or non-league is considered worse. The Scottish Cup shame games are - 

1949 Clyde (N) 0-2 (this was a replay which was moved to Ibrox)

1970 East Fife (a) 0-1

1993 Arbroath (a) 0-3

1996 Montrose (a) 2-3 (replay played the day after the original tie. Wylie was sent off)

2001 Peterhead (a) 1-4 (two leagues below us)

2008 Peterhead (a) 1-2

2014 Spartans (a) 1-2 (our only cup defeat to a non-league side)

2019 East Fife (a) 1-2

 

Four fecking nil - Murray has really got his work cut out with this squad. Sounded drained on the radio there.

 

Worst for me was 3:0 away to Ross county in challenge cup I think under billy stark. Game was so bad Nicky walker took pelters whole game for wearing hi-tec football boots and gloves

[vikingTON]

59 minutes ago, TonFan said:

Probably need to calm down a bit. Yes, it's criminal losing 3 goals to set pieces, but he's not wrong that he needs help with new players this window ASAP.

No, he doesn't need 'help' to do the basics of the job. 

a) He put the team out 5 minutes early before the second half - before then conceding a third set piece goal out of 3 serious tests in the first hour. Any chance you could spend that time adjusting the incompetent marking and approach - something identifiable as coaching? 

Or at very least, a good old fashioned 'management' bollocking to make sure that anyone who lets Gregor fucking Buchanan beat them to the next penalty box set piece will be eviscerated in the dressing room and then sacked on the spot. 

b) Last time I checked, Ian Murray just signed a deal until June 2027 to manage the existing football club and the existing squad of players. The January transfer window was an already known factor. So don't start giving off pish about 'needing help' just two weeks into the job. If you didn't think you could avoid being fucking horsed by Stenhousemuir with the squad and resources available, then you have no right applying for the job.

If Murray believes that new players are urgently needed, then that's a message that should have been given privately to the board before signing a contract, rather than being used as an excuse for incompetence in public. He's throwing the club under the bus, Gus McPherson style, for a result that is categorically not the outcome of some hopelessly weak and callow squad compared to the Galacticos of, erm, Stenhousemuir.

I was quite optimistic about the Murray appointment until earlier today - but between the team performance and his subsequent interview he has laid two massive turds. The latter was avoidable. 

[centralTON]

Among the worst 70 mins I've watched as a Ton fan and that's been 60 years. I say 70 mins as I left before the 4th goal. Awful defending and despite all of the possession, we created nothing.

[DumfriesTon]

That result was on the players. An abject bunch of charlatans who have been getting away with it all season. Has there been a good performance all season? We’ve won 4 games since August ffs. 
 

We are in serious trouble of relegation with this squad. County will improve, Airdrie have and will continue to improve. Any talk of 4th can get in the bin - 8th will be a major success this season. The only positive is that this result is in January and it fully shows we need reinforcements. 

[vikingTON]

20 minutes ago, tolmie perms r bak said:

The players need to take responsibility, where is the leaders on the park surely they should be organising at set-pieces, the taller players picking up the stenny taller players its pretty simple

They all need to take responsibility, but the buck ultimately stops with the coaching staff if you cannot adjust to that basic issue - not least with a 15 minute break to do so. 

That's the job of a coaching staff. See the obvious problem and sort it out FFS.

Yet the Morton team traipsed out 5 minutes in advance, and then contrived to chuck in another goal from literally the next set piece cross. That is an outrageous failure of coaching as much as player responsibility. If the players aren't doing their job, sub them. 

Edited January 17 by vikingTON

[John369]

One of those afternoons was it where the scoreline saying things but the performance maybe wasn’t entirely the same picture. Shape at times was there looking, energy middle in, and then suddenly goals happen and the game sort of goes.

 

Not all bad it was, because the effort still kept being, legs running and pressing kind of half, and the ball moving without really anywhere moving to. Moments nearly almost came, which on days other become something, but today didn’t football like that.

 

Credit must to Stenhousemuir go, taking chances when there, but for Morton it wasn’t a folding, more a drifting around. Positives you can find if looking — minutes in players, togetherness of group, ideas trying but not quite landing.

 

Hard is to explain it fully, one of those games you take things from, even if what things are you’re not sure.

[Cappiecat 1.2]

7 minutes ago, John369 said:

Hard is to explain it fully

It's either AI, or you've had a stroke.

[vikingTON]

2 hours ago, TonFan said:

Remember Imrie had 1 win in his first 13 league games, including an absolutely dreadful display at home to St. Johnstone.

You are absolutely correct to highlight the problem in this league season - our fixture list is ludicrously front loaded in terms of opposition. We have cleared the worst of our schedule now - but we still won't see any benefit until April or May.