Lobey_Dosser

One of the few drawbacks since moving to a more expansive style of play in Jan has been our naivety against the better teams. Hopefully we’ve learned a few lessons and go to Ibrox with a more robust approach. I’d sacrifice one of our front three for a runner in midfield. Tynecastle aside, Rangers have been excellent from what I’ve seen recently and obviously have strength in depth, which unfortunately reduces the chances of a Porto hangover. I suspect we’ll be doing well to keep this respectable.

I’d echo much of what’s been said, we were a joy to watch for most of the first half before St Mirren picked up their game and put the pressure on. Polworth and Campbell are just lovely to watch, hopefully their partnership can continue to prosper for some considerable time. Completing the midfield, I was very impressed by Maguire. Yes he gave the ball away and failed to track his runner on occasion but the way he carries himself and lets the ball move across his body suggests he could be a proper talent. Another positive was the goal for Long, I’m not sure why he lost his place to Cole but I think he oozes quality. Steven Naismith was very complimentary of him on the radio this week, suggesting Everton had high hopes for him. Plenty goals to come hopefully. 16 points from 8 games. We are heading into the international break in great shape.

Polworth always caught the eye at Inverness but I didn’t envisage him developing into a playmaker with us so quickly. Him and Campbell together are a joy to watch and the motm award could go to either today while Hartley also make a significant contribution. Polworth just edges it for me though.

Injuries are playing their part but our defensive options are horrible. Gallagher is probably best staying out the firing line for now.

Ideal response to last week’s disappointment. Ticking along nicely.

Decent enough game to watch in fine weather but it did feel like a preseason game. Plenty of tidy football but no real drive, energy or will to win. Great move to get us 1-0 but the tide inevitably turned as soon as Graham entered the pitch, he must love playing against us. The substitutions were questionable but I wouldn’t lie too much blame at Robinson’s door today. The team are naturally naive at times and it will take time to learn our lessons. However, we appear to be heading in a positive direction and it’s good to see so many fans turn up. Having thrown away the points today, hopefully we head to Perth ultra determined to win.

Just watching the highlights we looked absolutely electric, a fine turnaround from the cup loss. Looked like a great day out for those that made the trip. Delighted to see Declan find the net, he’s bulleted a number of such opportunities inches over the bar. Robinson touting him for a Scotland call-up.

With Sloth an unknown and no youngsters currently knocking on the door, I felt we lacked a little depth in midfield. Bringing in a player of O’Hara’s calibre and versatility is therefore a very welcome addition. I’m also content we haven’t brought in a striker. Unless a quality player like Lafferty could be enticed, we are best to go with what we have. Long is settling in well, Scott has immense potential and Cole started to look the part on Sat. Given that we should comfortably avoid relegation, there is no need to invest in reinforcements.

Welcome 3 points yesterday to settle the early season nerves. Watching the highlights that’s another good goal from Long. In the last three games there have been snippets of play to suggest he has something to offer. Thought it made sense to play only 1 of Seedorf/Hylton. It’s too much of a risk to play both while they develop their fitness and awareness. Outwith the top two, there appears to be a real drop off in quality this season. Interested to see how he compare to Hibs next week.

The media team have rightly received great credit in recent years but fan engagement doesn’t appear to be at the centre of the current model. I appreciate I’ll be in the minority but I’ve enjoyed watching the coverage of the u20s since Erwin and Moore were banging them in. Highlights supplemented with interviews from JJ and Craigan offered an insight into the progress of likely prospects waiting to come through. Such was the engagement, it prompted me to head along to the odd game if it fell on a day off. Erwin, Moore, Cadden, Thomas, Campbell and Turnbull were much talked about before breaking into the 1st team. Now beyond Semple (primarily due to the hype at u16 level) and possibly Cornelius through word of mouth, I’m very much in the dark about who’s next in line to make an impression in the first team. The greatest insight on youth development this year was courtesy of the mfc podcast interview with Mo Ross.

At the start of the summer I suspected we’d do all we can to get Hartley and Johnson out the door. One down, one to go.

I’m generally not a fan of 352 but I think that’s a fair shout given the players we currently have at our disposal. It would be a bold move for Robinson to make and admission that he’s got it terribly wrong with his transfer policy for the 2nd summer in a row.

Since watching him get put through his paces at QoS, my hunch with Sloth is that we won’t see him play for months. Robinson has a wee dig on the radio last night saying he has 5/6 players that either can’t get fit, adjust to pace of the game or cope with training. Sloth will be one on them. Regarding Tait, I like the guy but playing at left back is no excuse for constantly pulling out of 50/50s. From what I’ve seen, he was dreadful at right back against QoS and Livi. Couple of bright spots from last night - lovely play from Long for the goal last which follows on from a couple of bright moments early in the Celtic game. I l like his movement but he needs support. Secondly, another bad mistake from Gillespie, that’s him had significant lapses in concentration in the last three games. The case for Carson strengthens.

Appears to be all quiet on the Hastie front, I wonder if a loan back option and/or loan for Murphy may be on the table just now? Wouldn’t be popular with everyone but it offers a possible escape route from the mess we’ve seemingly made of this transfer window.

From all our new wingers being miles out their depth, to a dysfunctional midfield that results in Dunne being our playmaker, there is plenty to be worried about. A further concern for me however is the form of Campbell and Tait, when they are underperforming we are always going to be in trouble.

If Carson is fit, he deserves a chance. He is the better keeper of the two and is far more comfortable with the ball at his feet, which is a key attribute the way we are playing at present. I’d also tweak the shape and bring in Semple for Seedorf. Until the wingers reach the required level of fitness, we should start while one and the other can be an impact sub.

If we are going to stick to our adventurous 433, a proven winger would be most welcome unless Seedorf and Ilic improve dramatically in the next few weeks. If Murphy is relatively fit I wouldn’t be averse to him returning but the way Gerrard is talking, he sounds miles off it. Think I’d rather have Hastie or Ariyibi.

Lafferty has stated his desire to return to Hearts, should he stay in Scotland. Im assuming we have a few irons in the fire and have held back a few quid to bring in an experienced striker at the end of the month. Having said that, Robinson has yet to show he has an eye for a striker and goalscoring forwards that can play upfront alone are difficult to find at this level. Another issue for me at the moment is the wingers. We have invested in Hylton, Seedorf and Illic who all caught the eye in spells against lower league opposition. All exciting prospects, however none of them look ready for this level yet and we are relying on these players to create chances. Hopefully at least one of them can get up to speed soon enough.

I’m not convinced by the balance of our midfield but I thought Polworth was the standout performer today. Gallagher continues to impress but he gave away a stupid foul for the pivotal Griffiths goal.

Will the shape ever tighten up though? We were guilty of the same mistakes at home to Rangers towards the end of last season. I’m all for attractive football but it’s quite striking how far Robinson has stepped away from his defensive roots.

They are just too flipping good. We’ve done well to go almost 6 years without losing heavily to them at Fir Park. Onto Hearts on Friday night, another big test awaits.

I admire the way we are trying to play but we are incredibly naive at times, leaving ourselves wide open at the back. Gillespie poor so far, he had a few moments at Livi too despite pulling off some cracking saves.

Will be interesting to see how Celtic get on in Romania. Regardless of result, a Saturday lunchtime kickoff at Fir Park should play into our hands. I’d expect to see Robinson tweak the shape and personnel on Saturday with a view to our centre forward being less isolated. One other change I’d like is the inclusion of Grimshaw, either to add some steel and mobility to the midfield, or replace Tait who looks well below par to me.

Similar happened in Dumfries. Although he had Johnson, Livingstone and Devine for company that day.

Despite the relatively flat performance and lack of quality in possession, I remain optimistic for the season ahead. Our fortunes however are likely to depend on finding the right mix in midfield. Livi were much better in that department yesterday. At the moment, we don’t have someone that can knit the play together. Presumably Sloth was identified for this role but we’ve yet to see much of him...