dennyc

Linfield quoting a capacity of 1000, all seated. And as for numbers, they are having a ballot as way more than 200 members had registered as wanting to go. And that's from an official statement so tends to ring true.

TNS at home to Linfield at that stadium in Oswestry. Linfield are getting 200 tickets per their official club site. Hopefully if we end up playing Bala, the game is in Rhyl which MIGHT end up with us getting a few more than 200 tickets. But it wont be enough though. If Bala wanted to cash in, they should approach Wrexham now just in case.

Best draw we could have gotten from a playing sense. Minimal travel for the players, British style of play so no surprises, home leg first and and with the proper preparation one we should win. Plus an easier away trip for the fans than the likes of Bosnia. Hopefully a great turnout. The fans can get the more glamorous away trips in the third and play off rounds. If we are lucky the third round could even be against a team lower seeded than us, if there are are a few surprises in the second round. Fingers crossed.

Clarke was likely seen as a safe pair of hands to take over what had become a shambles. And he did steady the ship. Credit to him for that. But now he is a barrier to progress. More intent on not losing than trying to win. And how's that working out? How to stiffle our opponents appears to be his game plan. Then of course he plays favourites and the likes of Christie, McTominey, Armstrong, Hanley, Hendry get undeserved game time ahead of apparent squad fillers such as Turnbull, Ferguson, Campbell, SOD and Souttar..... who was a revelation when he was brought in. Others have not even had the chance to show what they can do in squad get togethers. Jason Kerr and Ryan Hardie spring to mind. Where on earth did Jason Brown come from? Certain players appear undroppable no matter how many poor games in a row they have, McGinn and MacGregor as prime examples. In my opinion he is also influenced by the media, so players such as Hickey, Patterson, Ralston, Stewart are fast tracked at the expense of others. And where is his forward planning? Who has been blooded in case Gordon gets injured? Inexperienced strikers left on the bench against Ukraine where he preferred to move Hanley forward rather than take a risk on two strikers with less than 90 minutes of game time between them. Despite a couple of meaningless games where Clarke could have have given them a proper run out, just in case.. But in my opinion the issue goes a lot deeper than Stevie Clarke. Anybody who has watched the U21s will witness a mirror image of the senior team. Gemmill has failed miserably and the latest performance against Denmark was just as worrying as we witnessed yesterday. The entire set up needs overhauled and braver/ innovative Management put in place. We likely have four meaningless Nations Cup games coming up. It would be encouraging to think Clarke might give others a chance, with a view to the future. But I wont hold my breath on that one.

Clarke might as well just stick to a squad of 16 players. A good number of the current squad must wonder why they gave up their holidays just to carry the kit. The regulars have played an excessive number of games this season and it showed today and against Armenia and Ukraine. I get that these are tournament matches, but even when it's meaningless games Clarke trots out his favourites. Refuses to give bench players meaningful game time to see what they can contribute. And the result? Against Ukraine when needing a goal and the usual strikers running on empty, he moves Hanley to centre forward and ignores the strikers left sitting on the bench as they have no international experience under their belts. Total and utter mismanagement. No doubt Clarke will trot out the usual excuses. His post match interviews are an insult to fans who make the effort to go along. Ask them if they thought Scotland did well against the mighty Armenia, as Clarke and his media buddies reported.

Goodwin had an excellent track record at Alloa and St Mirren. Respected for developing players and discovering decent players from the likes of Ireland. Tactically he often outwitted both Robinson and Alexander. Not worked out yet at Aberdeen but it will. He inherited a shambles from Glass who in fairness had been thrown in at the deep end. And if it does not work out at Aberdeen, I hope he ends up at Fir Park some day. If Goodwin believes Dunne can help him to sort out that defence then he clearly has more faith in Dunne than some on here. Having managed Dunne at St Mirren I suggest he is in a far better position to judge than we are. He will also have taken Dunne's injury record into account and must have information that suggests those problems have been overcome. But it is a risk. Then again all transfers are. As with quite a few players, Dunne was never as poor as some on here would have you believe. Maybe not a superstar on the field but a decent player. One of those whose good performances were ignored by his critics but whose every mistake was met with glee by those same critics. And he was an integral part of the most successful team we have had in recent times. A player who always gave his all. I believe if he had not picked up that terrible injury in an early season League Cup match (at Stranraer?) he would have been a key player that season and beyond. The Club clearly thought so as well given the number of times he was given a short term contract in the hope he would fully recover. St Mirren and Goodwin took a gamble and offered him a two year contract when we were not prepared to do so. And that worked out fine. So if he ends up at Aberdeen, good luck to him. He has earned that reward. And if St Mirren benefit to the tune of £350k, well done them.

I think Spittal has always been a threat when he has played against us, even when coming off the bench. Certainly somebody I am wary of when he is on the pitch. Memory might be playing tricks but I seem to recall him scoring/assisting a few quality goals against us. And he is only in his mid 20s. He is certainly an upgrade on the likes of Roberts so in that sense the squad will be stronger. Worth a try in my opinion. My only worry is that yet again we are faced with " this is a player who can play in a number of positions". At least it was not " this is a player who can play anywhere across the front three". I get that it is beneficial to have some players who can cover a few positions if need be, but I am hoping we sign a few players who excel in a particular position and will be the first names on the team sheet, in that preferred position. Holding Midfielder, Left Back/Wing Back as examples. Like Steelboy I am also hoping to see players signed that suggest a move away from 4-3-3 week in week out, or at least give it a better chance of being effective. Some teams do seem to make that formation work but the quality of players they recruit are way way beyond our budget. Liverpool, Celtic, Spurs as examples. Regards Davis, at his age and with his experience I think he might be looking to move into a player/coach situation where his game time can be managed. More likely a better chance of that in Scotland than England although I think his family still live in the Southampton area. Perhaps a deal can be done and I have no doubt that every one of our midfield players would benefit from his presence off and on the pitch. Again worth a try if we can satisfy his wage demands within our budget.

You mean Goss nowhere to be seen! Don’t tell the BBC or you will ruin their latest work of fiction.

Maybe, but it won’t change anything if players are not played in their natural position and/or are squeezed into a set up that exposes every defect they have.

Exactly this. Especially farcical when a sub comes on for a couple of minutes, touches the ball once and gets a rating of over 8 and is Man of the Match. BBC at its uninformed best.

I agree Ojala and Solholm were certainly poor after they came back from injury. Nobody can deny that. When he first came into the team Ojala formed a decent but short lived partnership with Solholm. Ojala did the no nonsense defending and Solholm looked to be the more cultured of the two. I'm hoping a rest followed by a good pre season might restore both to the players they presented as on first appearing. Worth the try in my opinion unless those injuries are career ending. But at present Lamie is my first choice central defender with Mugabi ahead of both Ojjala and Solholm. Hopefully we stick with three at the back to accommodate wingbacks and then we can judge each of our much criticised defenders in a formation that matched their strengths. By all means upgrade those positions if the opportunity arises, but I would prioritise finding some decent midfielders and and at least one more above average forward. And as many have said, better quality less numbers.

The defensive concerns are not purely down to the players concerned. In fact every one of them at times has shown they are half way decent. Played in their natural positions and not hung out to dry by a formation/tactics that sees midfield and them overrun, I think they can all do a reasonable job. Games at Utd, County and home to Hearts highlighted that. Not saying an upgrade or two would be a bad thing but I don’t agree the defence is as terrible as some are making out.

Thanks guys. I went online Monday to renew and they were asking for £420 for my extra (ex freebie ticket) for my 15 year old. Looks like the system was quoting her as an adult. I'll phone tomorrow to renew for us both. From 5 Minutes ago Miss (005032) Area:Phil O'Donnell Row: Seat: Class:Young Adult 12-17 £420.00*

Where are you seeing that? Genuine question as I discovered the same as purestate at renewal. The £420 amount is quoted on my renewal link online

So if we make Q3 and are really lucky, although we would be unseeded we could end up with another non seed if they knock out their seeded opponent in Q2. At this rate they should just give us a bye into the final qualifying stage and be done with it.

I think you have hit the nail on the head. I tend to think Alexander will revert back to his favoured 4-3-3 despite the recent change of formation rescuing our European hopes. If he does, players like Carroll, SOD, McGinley and Mugabi will be asked to play in situations that will continue to expose their weaknesses and ignore their strengths. Add to that list Tierney who when he was signed was described by Alexander as a player who could play anywhere across the front three, when in truth he played behind a striker for his former club. And has shown up well for us when he reverts to his natural position. In Ireland he was that player that arrived late in the box to feed off the main striker. Given that all of those players will still be with us, I live in hope that Alexander will bring in players to build on the formation that he used at Utd, County and at home to Hearts. In short. look to the quality players we have ( Kelly, SOD, Slattery, Tierney and Van Veen) play to their strengths and bring in more quality players to improve the team all round. Do that and a few top signings could make a huge difference. Also we can live in hope that Sol and Ojala will revert back to the players we signed with injuries cleared up and a proper pre season under their belts. I've not given up on either just yet, or Mugabi. Would not object to Lamie staying either, but I suppose that ship has sailed.

I think it is even more difficult to get a Q3 seeding. Last time I am sure the Q3 draw was made before Q2 was completed. And if a non seed beat a seed in Q2, they took their seeding in Q3. So it was not a case of clubs sitting just below a seeded position moving up if an expected seed in Q3 got knocked out in Q2.

After four months of torture and poor results Alexander finally changed the set up and the performances over those three games have been well worth the watch. Even at Utd where we were so unlucky to come away with nothing. So credit to the Manager, the Team, the Fans and everybody else who contributed to the turn around and the reward of a European adventure. Listening to his recent interviews it was encouraging to hear Alexander accept that mistakes had been made and that included by him. Hopefully that acceptance will see a more flexible/proactive approach next season. I think that is what most of Alexander's detractors are looking for. Time will tell if that hope is well placed.

I thought the set up on Saturday worked well and we saw a much improved performance. Mugabi looked much more at ease, Carroll pushed forward enough to put some telling crosses into the box. Also thought O'Hara played the SOD role pretty well. Might need to find another Centre Back though as Ojala looked goosed when he came off. So for me something like this. Trying to provide options to cover for Ojala and SOD probably missing out. Kelly Mugabi Ojala (Donnelly/O'Hara) Lamie SOD (O'Hara) Carroll Woolery Slattery Goss (Cornelius/O'Hara/Donnelly) Tierney VVD Goss by default because I'm far from convinced by him. Shields off the bench to best use his strength and pace later on if need be, Formation allows us to defend in numbers when required providing a challenge in wide areas , but also to have numbers in midfield/out wide providing decent ammunition for Tierney and VVD. Would also restrict the space that Charles-Cook thrives on to do his thing. Might also allow our strikers to play further upfield rather than coming back deep in search of the ball in open play.

We can't retain the ball because we are usually out numbered in midfield and our defenders and goalkeeper are instructed to hoof the ball long in the hope we get a break. Or for Woolery to try to get his head to. Reminds me of the Fraser Kerr days. When VVD is not suspended that sometimes works because he can hold the ball up every bit as well as Watt did. Decent midfielders like Slattery and O'Hara were sidelined by Alexander because he had no use for them. Much better to play headless chickens like Efford who will chase after those punts upfield.

Merely pointed out you were incorrect in suggesting our downturn was due to losing our top scorer in January. Or am I misreading the above comment. We have scored as many goals in the games since Watt left as we did in that same number of games immediately before he left. And created as many chances. You failed to respond to that fact and instead seem to be yet again using Watt's departure to deflect from how poor Alexander has been in the past four months, if not before when points gained offset some awful outings. Teams, even poor teams, worked out how to negate our one dimensional approach and until Saturday Alexander showed no willingness or ability to try anything different. He did adapt on Saturday and in my opinion it was our best performance in months. Still a defeat, but this time a defeat that was not deserved. Oh and just to emphasise why top six should be a minimum expectation and not the Holy Grail, the last time your projected top 6 worked out as you suggested, in any order, looks to have been 1991-92. So history does not support that reasoning either. Watt's departure is not the major reason we have failed to turn up for most matches since he left.

Not saying we were not a better team when Watt was with us........he showed us on Saturday how good his hold up play is.... but to highlight his departure as the major reason we have struggled to score does not really stand up. Which truthfully did surprise me. Someone can maybe check my arithmetic but your post got me looking over the results post and pre Watt. In the 15 League games since Watt left Motherwell the team has scored 14 goals. So less than a goal a game which is just not good enough. By comparison, in the 15 League games before he left we scored a grand total of 14 goals. The exact same. Not looked up how many of those he scored but he had gone off the boil following his excellent start to the season. And his scoring record has not returned at Utd. Certainly no more talk of a Scotland call up. In summary I think the decline is down to much more than letting Watt leave. Add to that the fact that our opponents have sussed out our tactics/set up and our paltry goal return is no longer good enough to scrape wins. Our determination to stick with certain players and an undermanned midfield became predictable and hurt us. Unsurprisingly our improved performance on Saturday coincided with a long overdue change of set up. For the first time in ages I thought we deserved something from the game. VVD also deserves his arse kicked for picking up needless yellow cards which meant he missed two winnable games where we created chances but took zero points. To me VVD had taken over as our major goal threat even before Watt left. Regards "supposed" targets. Top 6. Achieved so well done for that. But let's not go overboard. We are in a poor League. Europe and 4th/5th was entirely possible given our league position pre break. Might still be secured but it will be a disappointment if that does not work out and our points gathering earlier in the season is not properly reflected in the table. Cup Results. Not really much of a target or achievement reaching a Quarter Final. League cup we were rotten and were lucky to qualify from the Group. We then went out to the first Premiership team we faced. And that team are about to be relegated. Scottish Cup we struggled to beat a mid table championship team at Fir Park, played well to defeat a bottom six Premiership team at Fir Park and then blew it at Fir Park against another bottom six Premiership team in the Quarter Final. So despite the hype, our Cup Results were poor and in both cases a great chance to make a financially rewarding trip to Hampden was missed. Targets need to set a real challenge. Not so sure ours did.

Hopefully we set up like at Utd as that was a definite improvement despite the result. Even Alexander suggested that much in his post match "analysis". Mugabi looked much more comfortable moved in a place. And O'Hara did fine in right defence. Strangely Carroll also looked more secure in a set up that actually suited the players. VVD hopefully adds the killer touch and Tierney deserves a run out just in behind him. And please, no Efford or imposter Goss. So in all probability Mugabi will start at right back, Goss will be the main man in midfield and Tierney will be dropped for VVD with Efford also starting. Under Alexander would that really surprise anyone?

4th was a realistic if challenging target given our position pre winter break. So to miss out on that is disappointing and highlights repeated failures since then. And missing out on European qualification (given that 5th position now qualifies) would be an even bigger disappointment. If you are suggesting that our Board and Alexander did not reassess our target in light of our position after 21 games then that lack of ambition is even more disappointing. Perhaps having the original target of avoiding relegation in the bag so early is one reason for the downturn. But if some fans wish to ignore our form over the past four months then fair enough. We will just agree to have different expectations..

For the sake of clarity that will be a resounding resounding YES, if not before. I thought I hade made that perfectly clear in this and the Rangers thread. And in case you suggest I am desperate for his terrible run to continue to add to the debate, I do hope we can win on Saturday and beyond even with him steering the ship. We are now at the “win at all costs stage” as far as Europe and climbing the league is concerned. We cannot keep relying on others. A situation brought about by his and his team’s performance in the past four months. But unless he is prepared to change his approach and player management I dread to think how hard to bear next season will be. It is easy to avoid his pre and post match drivel but not so much the on field offerings. We will find out soon enough though as he is going nowhere. Perhaps your faith will be justified and my lack of faith shown to be misplaced. As I said, time will tell. You have your opinion. I have mine. So be it.