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2018/19 Game 22: Hibernian (H) Wednesday 23rd January


MelvinBragg
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Normally after a bad result, I take the approach of 'another game as soon as we can to make amends' but given quite how badly we played on Saturday, not sure this applies here. Hibs will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of facing us. Saturday at Dens is the big one but given the fixtures the three teams below us in the table have on Wednesday night, even a point would be a fantastic result. 

Line-up wise, Tait and McCormack being nowhere near fit, I'd be going with

Gillespie 

Grimshaw Aldred Dunne Livingstone 

Campbell McHugh Turnbull

Hastie Scott Frear

I realise there's more chance of me playing centre half for Motherwell on Wednesday night than that being our line-up but that would be my choice. Bodies in midfield and two wingers with a striker who might have half a chance of winning a cross. Some pace in the centre of defence and a left back at left back. 

Like I say, chance would be a fine thing. Half fit players and two or three playing in roles that don't suit them is what I expect...

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I’d love to see livingstone, Campbell, Turnbull, hastie and Scott all in the team, but it’s not happening. To be fair,  I’d be all for putting their names down first for every game that’s left and seeing how it goes.

Based on the managers comments, Scott might not be a long shot though.

What I expect to see:

Gillespie

Tait Aldred Hartley Dunne 

McHugh Campbell

Ariyibi Turnbull  Frear

Main

However, I’d like McCormack to get a fair bit of time in this one so he can lob the keeper.

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5 minutes ago, fizoxy said:

I’d love to see livingstone, Campbell, Turnbull, hastie and Scott all in the team, but it’s not happening. To be fair,  I’d be all for putting their names down first for every game that’s left and seeing how it goes.

Based on the managers comments, Scott might not be a long shot though.

What I expect to see:

Gillespie

Tait Aldred Hartley Dunne 

McHugh Campbell

Ariyibi Turnbull  Frear

Main

However, I’d like McCormack to get a fair bit of time in this one so he can lob the keeper.

I'm only too aware that it won't happen. Could probably stick money on your line-up being 100% correct for Wednesday although two changes after that car crash on Saturday would seem like dismissing how bad it actually was..

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We currently don't have a striker capable of playing as a target man on the books so a single striker up front is a non starter for me.  Its never worked for us in the past.  You also need a very mobile central midfielder to play off him - only person who could possibly, and I mean possibly, fit that bill is Hastie.   

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Robinson was pretty clear that he was going to persevere with the new system, and many of his comments alluded to it being a mistake that he played Johnson over main.

However, if the he is truly unhappy with the forwards, and if the position is genuinely “up for grabs” then it is possible we could see either Sammon or Scott in there. We’d all prefer to see what Scott can do.

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14 minutes ago, Yorkyred said:

We simply can’t play a single striker up front. If he refuses to play any other formation he might as well just put Sammon there to try and hold it up. However we still won’t score.

Robbo himself has admitted that we don't have a target man and presumably we'll try to sign one before the window closes. 

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47 minutes ago, GazzyB said:

                          Gillespie

Tait     Aldred      Hartley     Dunne

            McHugh   Campbell

  Ariyibi        Turnbull      Frear

                            Main

 

3-1 to us.

 

Id go with something similar.

We need the extra body in midfield and Turnbull is our most creative player so he needs a little freedom further forward.

If Tait isnt fit Id play Grimshaw in there. 

Main up front on his own isnt ideal but at least he can run the channels and try stretch them in behind.

Id be tempted to give Scott a run out as he seems best suited to playing loan striker but I dont see Robbo risking that.

Id also like to see Frear and Gboly continue to swap wings like they did briefly on Saturday. It unsettles full backs and might help them get closer to whoever the loan sttiker is if they are coming inside onto their good foot.

Probably end up nothing like that though.

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1 hour ago, Kmcalpin said:

Robbo himself has admitted that we don't have a target man and presumably we'll try to sign one before the window closes. 

Problem is what does he do until he gets one and they then have time to train with the team ?

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McHugh needs to be played in defence. He is has played far better in that position this season. 

Id have him in the back 3 with Tait and Dunne further up supporting Frear and the new boy Ariybi.

I’d stick Scott up front as it looks like all our young players are far better than the shite we have been hauling up the motorway.

 

 

 

 

 

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If we're going to play Frear,  Ariybi, McCormack etc. the first thing we need at the back is to find players who can make simple pass to them instead of hoofing it over their heads. McHugh is probably better than Hartley and Aldred in that regard (although it's not a high bar). 

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7 minutes ago, David said:

Just as important as the Hibs result for us is how Accies do at home against Aberdeen, how St Mirren do away to Celtic, and how Dundee do away to Hearts.

If all three lose their games then this result won't really matter for us in the grand scheme of things.

Well, yes and no. The grand scheme of things is that we find ourselves in the relegation mix with the three aforementioned teams. If we all lose then our positions stay the same. I would suggest though, that anything that increases the current gap between us and them could be extremely advantageous to us in the medium term that is the rest of this season, so these fixtures do matter. Given the nature of all four matches, this looks like a decent opportunity to build up our lead over the rest of the genuine strugglers. Given our recent, and not so recent, propensity forfailing to grasp such opportunities, I predict an away win with some confidence. Still, COYW!

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4 hours ago, David said:

Just as important as the Hibs result for us is how Accies do at home against Aberdeen, how St Mirren do away to Celtic, and how Dundee do away to Hearts.

If all three lose their games then this result won't really matter for us in the grand scheme of things.

Don’t really agree with that.

We have a winnable home game against an erratic side. The other 3 have tough games, but there will be a week we have a tough away game and they all have a good chance of picking up points...

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19 minutes ago, sbcmfc said:

Don’t really agree with that.

We have a winnable home game against an erratic side. The other 3 have tough games, but there will be a week we have a tough away game and they all have a good chance of picking up points...

Every game we play at home, with the possible exception of Rangers and Celtic, is winnable though, isn't it? 

My main point is that a loss to Hibs, which is a real possibility considering our current form, won't be all that bad if the three teams below us don't make up any ground on us.

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One of the most interesting elemenys of following Motherwell this season is making sense of the starting lineup.

There will no doubt be a few changes. Robinson will hopefully realise that Dunne isn’t a left back, Johnson is largely useless outside the box, Turnbull isn’t ready to play deep, Hartley looks done, McCormack is nowhere near ready and we need to play a midfield three. 

I don’t think we’ve beaten Hibs since their return to the top flight and it’s hard to see it changing tomorrow. Odds of 7/5 for an away win are tempting. Having said that, if Campbell and Grimshaw, it would at least provide a little hope. 

Will be interesting to see if Ryan Gauld still has a knack for ripping us apart. 

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