joewarkfanclub

Looking forward to seeing how we fare against an 11 man Dundee United and finding out if Goodwin really has become a convert to The Church of Jens. If he has, we might be able to get some joy up top. But will we be able to keep the door shut at the back? Could be an interesting game. Would shake hands on a draw right now. But back to back wins would be a pretty nice feeling going into the break.

Maybe Alfred needs to do a Jens and go without a recognised striker? Problem with that is he would have to give up going long, unless it is the ball over the top for Maswanhise to chase.

Vigurs was a talented footballer. His problem was the desire to be one. No hunger, no fight. When the going got tough, he went missing. But then, I guess thats why someone with his ability was with us in the first place and not playing at a higher level.

I thought Kanga had a decent second half. He struggled first half with the pace & physicality of the game, slipping a fair few times on a slick pitch. But he grew into the game and was one of the few constantly showing for a pass into midfield. He is young and inexperienced, but I think the raw materials are there.

Another good performance and a point next week at Tannadice, and we can go into the international break feeling good about ourselves. 3 points would be great, but no longer essential.

Pretty much the point I was trying to make. Playing Hodge alongside Priestman and Fadinger should, in theory, allow us to keep better control of the ball and hence the game. But Lowry is our most creative midfielder so you have to play him if fit. That leaves you an issue with formation as it doesnt fit a traditional 4-3-3. Bottom line is you need to get your best players playing in their best positions, so formation needs to be flexible right now. The caveat is that Im not sure Alfred is 100% sure on who his best players are yet.

I think Oscar, Fadinger and Lowry are probably our strongest midfield 3. I think the problem you then have is who plays alongside them and what formation you are going to play. Its going to be interesting to see what Alfred does going forward and who he trusts.

Thought Hodge had a pretty good game until he was subbed. His yellow card was a joke. Said and Manny very good. I voted for Oscar. I know he only got 30 minutes, but he showed in that short period what we have missed. His work rate, dynamism and calmness in possession are different class. Cant wait until he is ready to start again.

Hopefully today buys Alfred some time. The performances over the last couple of weeks have been getting steadily better. The players are clearly working hard for each other, so any talk of the dressing room being gone was clearly off the mark. With Oscar, McGinn and Hendry all back, the squad is starting to look stronger again. If we could get Lowry, Williams and Johnny K back I think we will be in much better shape. No sackings this side of the international break at least!

By miles the better team today. Played some really nice stuff and should have been 3 or 4 up by half time. The longer it went, I was worried it wouldnt go our way, so nice to get the break with the penalty. No idea what the St Mirren boy was thinking. If I have any criticism, the defence are still way too slow/negative with their passing. Hoping that will change as confidence improves, but too many times they dilly dally on the ball when an incisive pass would have opened St Mirren up. Longelo, Palmer -Houlden and Maswanhise were repeatedly ignored when fairly straight forward passes would have had them in. They also have to trust the midfield more with the bounce pass, as the little triangles we relied on last season were there today, but we didnt play them enough. That said, we did defend much better today. St Mirren only had 10 touches in our box and an xG of 0.2, so they did get that bit right. Great to see Oscar, Hendry & McGinn all get minutes. Overall, a good days work and should take a bitnof pressure of the squad and the manager.

The problem with dropping JT is who do you play in his place that will a) work harder than him b) provide more of a goal threat The way we set up with SPH thru the middle, we need goal threat from the wider areas and midfield. Ibbie gives us that from midfield and Kanga is starting to look like he might be the answer on the left. However, our options on the right are JT, Sparrow or Willy Vogt! I know he hasnt been producing the goods goal wise for a long time, and I have been critical of him. But he does his defensive duties in respect of covering the fullback, albeit his tackling is pretty poor. I wouldnt be against playing Sparrow in front of McGhee or Johnnie K, but he isnt going to provide much of a goal threat.

Hendry is a grafter. He will run about and do things, but his composure in front of goal is no better than SPH or Eythor are at the moment. Not quite the same player as Seb, a bit more physical maybe. But deserves a chance to see if he can resurrect himself / find something within. Dont think he solves any of our longer term problems though.

I think this hits the nail on the head. Last season we controlled games. So we always had safe possession, which in turn didnt leave us as open at the back as we have been this season. So we faced less shots and therefore conceded less goals. The trade off for that, was that we always looked like we were trying to score the perfect goal, and for all our nice play and control, we didnt create as many chances as you would imagine. But we weren't open on the transition. This season, we get the ball forward quicker, we throw more balls in the box and generally create more chances. But the trade off is there for all to see when we lose the ball. Its a conundrum, and Im not sure which I prefer. But Alfred clearly favours what we are currently doing, so I guess we just need to get used to it.

I dont see this board calling time early on Alfred. As a club we tend not to do that. Now that the Well Society are wielding more influence in the board room, I think its even less likely. The fans wanted an identity. We got one and the board have tried to be consistent with that and backed a "philosophy". They wont want to row back on that without giving him every chance. We want to be known as a club who give managers time to turn things around. When you cant pay the most money, job security can overcome that barrier. Re fans not liking AJ, I dont think thats the case either. Some fans just have less patience for poor performances than others and worry about our Premiership status.

He can certainly play the SPH role and give him some respite when he us running on fumes. Where that leaves Eythor is anyones guess.