Kmcalpin

Its a few years since we've had such a poor midfield.

Aberdeen are harder working and better organised. They are a bit too physical for us. You have to feel for Lang and Watt as they're receiving virtually no ammunition. Our set pieces are appalling.

It would be nice if they could compete better and defend better.

I rate both players, but you're right. For whatever reason, neither Campbell nor Gallagher have been playing well recently.

Pretty much this. He looked good against us because we had no winger to occupy him. Pretty much had a free rein. As you say the appearance of Hastie changed that.

Quote from Stephen Robinson "It’s Christmas now, some people might not have done what we expected and we need to either get more from them or change that. I have got one quite far down the line. We are braced if anyone comes in for one of our players as well". This just goes to underline discussion on this thread that we can expect some movement both in and out next month.

Some truth in that. Not every good player has what it takes to be a leader. That said, the entire team lacks character. There's no fighting spirit this season. Its somewhat ironic that last year we had players like Hartley and Tait with spades of character but they were weak links football wise.

There's scope for quite a bit of movement next month. Not an easy window in which to wheel and deal though. Good discussions on FPC & Pie and Bovril, which is where I've gleaned most of this info. Dunne, O'Donnell, Crawford, Hastie, and Archer are all on short term deals. Of those I'd really only want to retain Archer, and O'Donnell, but the latter may well move on. The jury is still out on Crawford but I've not been overly impressed so far. Possibly scope to move on Seedorf and Long? That then leaves Chapman, Cole, Lamie Mugabi, McGinley (would like to see him in central defence first) and White, who all might be more difficult to shift. We definitely need a pacy winger or two, a central defender, an all round midfielder with plenty in his engine, and a main striker. That of course assumes O'Donnell, Gallagher and Campbell stay and Carson, Donnelly and Carroll return.

Just watched the highlights, if we can call them that. The first goal - our midfield is sitting far too deep and no-one goes to challenge or close down the advancing attacking player - a huge error. He plays the ball out to the wing where there's a Rangers player all on his own - another huge error. He then slings over a cross and picks out his target. Mugabi does the rest. Not really defending him but at that point our central defence is put under totally unnecessary pressure. Second goal - 2 Rangers players unmarked at the far post and thats the root cause of the trouble. Third goal - downright calamitous play from a number of our lads. Taken together our biggest failure was defending far too deep and allowing balls into our box. If you play like that your central defence will more than likely concede. To end on a positive note I thought our goal was very well worked. Big Dec showed some skill in teeing up O'Donnell who then plays a peach of a ball to Lang who finishes well.

Agree with your first point. If Robbo is still in post, I think we'll see a few changes. He knows where we're lacking and will try to unload the deadwood. Not easy in the January window admittedly, but he has proved willing and able to do this in the past. Whatever happens, we'll see changes next month.

Its always a dilemma for our managers about how to set up at Ibrox or Parkhead and maybe its a fine dividing line dependent on what players you have availiable. You can't commit to all out defence nor to open expansive football. If you're going to park the bus in these games you have to have a fit competitive midfield defending no less than 40 yards from goal, with the aim of protecting the defence. You also need an outball. In recent weeks we've seen St Mirren and St Johnstone do exactly this at Fir Park. When they were defending in depth we struggled to get anywhere their defence. Where we usually get it wrong, as we did yesterday, is that we defend far too deeply meaning that any mistake is likely to be punished. In short we just don't have the midfield to make this tactic work, depending on what our objective is ie win a point/three or simply damage limitation.

I've not seen any of the game yet Iain, but was one of our midfielders not caught on the ball and dispossessed in the lead up to a goal?

We lost 3-1 and avoided a humping so its job done. We move on to Aberdeen.

We have no pace or creativity in the midfield to break out of defence and service the strikers. That could be crucial in taking pressure off our defence.

Good luck to our 2 strikers. They'll need it.

I wouldn't touch these loans with a bargepole unless we really, really need the dosh. For those who take the cash there will be a day of reckoning.

Well, like many I was nonplussed at the line up. If we're going to play a passing game we need to have the players to do that and we didn't. Little or creativity in midfield. Polworth has had a poorish season but he made a difference when he came on. Was he fully fit? The alternative to that is to play long high balls to the front men, which we also tried but again we don't have the players to do that either. When under pressure we looked very shaky in defence and in midfield and it was no surprise when Saints scored. After that they sat in and played very defensively to snuff out our ineffective walking football style. Truth be told though they were no great shakes and on pressure we were probably worth a point. We're now going back to the start of the season where the opposition sat in and gave us possession and simply waited until we made the inevitable error. Very few decent performers today although Grimmy did try, but with little end product, and the much maligned Hastie looked the part when he came on. Mugabi doesn't impress me and is too error prone. O'Hara is no midfielder and didn't look clever at the goal either. Barry Maguire also failed to impress, his late shot apart. 4-3-3 isn't working and neither are Robbo's bizarre team selections. To get beaten by the league's bottom team at home, is not acceptable. Where do we go from here?

I don't think he was.

St Mirren look so much more organised and hard working than we do.

This game is still salvageable but Mugabi needs to be hooked. He's causing us problems at the back.

Once again our build up is far too laboured and slow.

4-4-2 We don't have the players for 4-3-3

Once again we're wide open down the wings.

You could drive a bus through our midfield and defence.

I was fully expecting these appeals, as soon as the decisions were announced. There's been a bit of talk in the media about us, and Accies to a lesser extent, benefitting from the decison and other clubs losing out. To some extent thats true but there's been no talk whatsoever of us having been disadvantaged. Disruption to match days and training schedules, additionals costs, and now continuing uncertainty. etc. If any club in the Premiership, outwith the gruesome twosome and Aberdeen, is going to get positive media publicity, its St Mirren. Anyway, I would have no gripe with the decision being reversed, IF the necessary information on player unavailability at Kilmarnock and St Mirren is available to the Appeal body. If thats the case then the game should be played with Saint's having to play with a grossly weakened side ie with the players they had available, more or less, on the day of the cancellation. Presumabty players who breached the guidelines could be suspended. They should not be allowed to play the game with full strength , or near to it, side. In addition they should pay ourselves and Accies a modest and appropriate sum in compensation.