Kmcalpin

X2 Maybe also worth contacting MFC to pursue this issue through club channels. This very point needs emphasising.

I think you need to publicise this in the media lads. Keep up the good work BTW. A breath of fresh air.

A great away and thoroughly merited win. We played some good football and took our chances. The ref was poor though and although United had a strong shout for a penalty so did we when Gunning used two hands to clearly push Higdon in the back at a corner. United can have no complaints despite their fans constant moaning.

You've got in one. To answer the original question in 3 words - wide left midfield.

Just watched the TV highlights and picked up 2 incidents. In the first half just before Chris Humphrey hit the bar, Considine could and should have been red carded. As the ball approaches the penalty box Considine clearly veers away from it to run across Humphrey's path and impede him. Its really only clear from the rear. Second half, Tim Clancy is clearly impeded/brought down by the goalie's arm/hand. Still its academic now but it could have been costly. Great goal by Bob.

How did the evening go?

Its possible that our set up with one striker is more suited to playing away from home on the counter attack. We'll see.

Good effort agin yesterday lads. Not an easy game in which to generate an atmosphere - as Aberdeen tried their damndest to stifle the game by parking their bus. Good on you.

I've not been overly impressed so far but credit to young Mchugh he made a great impact yetserday to score an important goal fit to win any match. He's strong and has a low centre of gravity. He's earned another chance andf good luck to him.

Just about sums it up for me too. Another disappointing display today against a poor but workmanlike Aberdeen side who almost deserved a point. First things first though - it was great to win the 3 points especially against Brown and Knox. Also a great solo goal by Bob McHugh to seal the victory. Hopefully that'll give him some confidence and earn him a starting slot alongside Michael Higdon. For me though another poor performance with our recurrent failings, minus the horrific individual defensive errors, evident once again. Men of the Match probably Tim Clancy and Keith Lasley. We were unfortunate that the woodwork stopped us from taking a 2 goal lead. However, defensively we were shaky again with Hammell and especially Craigan looking vulnerable. Midfield was a mixed bag with Lasley being the pick of the crop and Jennings and Law looking decidely below par. Jamie Murphy was again played out of position frequently popping up behind our holding midfield players. I really do feel for him. Possibly our most talented player but being asked to play in a role he's totally unsuited for. Michael Higdon had a poor game but again suffered from lack of support and service. Our Plan A struggled against a cautious Aberdeen side who defended in depth when the mood took them. I'm flummoxed as to how we were going to break down a resolute in depth defence with only one striker on the pitch!!! Despite attacking for spells we struggled to put more than one man in the Dons' box. Players queuing up outside the box but only Michael Higdon actually venturing into it. Time for a rethink on tactics and line up methinks. We shouldn't let Bob McHugfh's excellent individual goal mask a below par performance against a poor team.

I've supported Michael Higdon so far and will continue to do so as I think he's being unfairly treated by both fans and management alike. Today he had a poor game but so did Steve Jennings, Jamie Murphy , Steve Hammell and Stephen Craigan. It happens move on.

Met him last weekend - he's a decent lad. Hopefully his injury is progressing well. Good luck to him.

Yes, I think we've been sussed - the SPL is a small league and there won't be much about our team and tactics the opposition don't know now. A plan B? I'll settle for a decent Plan A.

Ah someone else agrees with me. On Tuesday night Chris Humphrey received his first decent pass on the 31 minute mark. The first 6 passes to him were all very poor - the first 10 metres behind him; then 2 hospital passes, and also 3 when he was covered by 2/3 defenders.

It doesn't seem to hold Premiership teams back - probably the physically hardest league in the world. In our last encounters with Rangers at Fir Park Kyle Lafferty gave Stephen Craigan real batterings. The gentleman that he is, our captain asked the referee politely to clamp down on Lafferty and was given short shrift.

After Falkirk's win last night I thought I'd ask the 2 Bairns fans in the office how they did it, given our appalling record in recent times against the OF. Some surprising answers. As many of you will know Falkirk usually line up 4-4-2 but to everyone's surprise they adopted a 5-4-1 formation with a big mobile guy up front. They had a very young team with quite a few teenagers. However half a dozen of them were over 6 foot and well able to give the likes of McCulloch and Lafferty a good old fashioned battering, which they did with relish. The midfield 4 sat very high up the park to support the lone striker but were able to motor up and down. That left a huge space between them and their 5 man defence. Any time Rangers broke through, their defence rushed out to meet them head on. This negated Rangers central midfield and strikers. The only Rangers threat came down the flanks. So what was their recipe for success. 1) a fair number of big physical lads prepared to get wired in and intimidate their opponents. 2) a very aggressive "in their faces" attitude which gave Rangers little or no space or time anywhere. 3) well thought out tactics. Would this work for us? Who knows. It may have been a one off, but food for thought.

Totally agree. Higdon needs support beside him to play with him. He'll thrive on that and its what St Mirren and Falkirk fans were telling us. He also needs support from the midfield and we have that in the shape of Nicky Law, who is a central midfielder being played out of position on the left. Unlike Lasley and Jennings, Law is quite capable of bursting through at speed to support Higdon. So why don't we play him in that role? Agree too with O'Neil's 40 Yarder that substitutions should have been made a lot earlier and before Hibs scored their second. Several players were injured or knackered and Hibs were pushing us further and further back . Daley could have come on earlier, as could have McHugh or Forbes. Lasley and Jennings simply disappeared when the going got tough.

You've hit the nail on the head but why wasn't this issue addressed months ago? Its hardly rocket science.

Sorry don't agree with you. The squad McGhee had was bigger than the current squad. Last season the squad was thin but this year its even thinner and many warned that we'd gone just too far. I appreciate that its a quality V quantity decision for us but this season we have gone just too far. It should be a calcucated gamble but this year it looks like an uncalculated gamble. Only one recognised first team striker on our books? I ask you. Craigan should have been replaced last year and his wages spent on bringing a new centre back in. Yes, we made errors on the pitch but also many errors of it. Playing one isolated striker up front meant that we did not thave the firepower to finish good moves off. Thats a managerial decision. Failing to make changes midway through the second half - again an off field decision. Playing Jamie Murphy out of position to the extent that he's being wasted - again an off field decision. Who recruited Tim Clancy as an auxilliary centre back? I could go on.

Some change at the back required. Page in for Clancy with the latter replacing Hammell. I'd sacrifice a little offensive capability on the left side for more solid defending and more height. In midfield I'd partner Lasley with Law in the middle and move Murphy to wide left. On the right Humphrey if fit or if not then Daley. Up front it has to be Higdon and McHugh. That formation would see us stiffen the defence, give us more height and provide better support for Higdon both alongside and from the central midfield.

Right again Jim...this is becoming like a mutual admiration club. What is especially galling to me is that we are displaying the same weaknesses week in week out and our manager seems unwilling or unable to do anything to rectify them. Poor off the field decision making is also costing us - a just too thin squad and a decision to renew Stephen Craigan's contract during the close season being but two examples.

Thats the bottom line Jim and we can dress it it up all we like but Stuart McCall's decision to stick with the same 11 simply did not work. In some respects an improved performance compared with last Saturday. Pleased that Darren Randolph pulled off save after save but disappointed he had to do it at all. Defence was an absolute shambles with Craigan and Hammell having games they'd like to forget. Hibs weren't long in sussing out that our left side was weak defensively. Central midfield was bit better than last Saturday but Jennings looks to be off form and whilst Lasley was slightly better he was slow and caught in possession too often for my liking. In the critical second part of the second half our central midfield went missing and that cost us big time. Jamie Murphy was again played out of position and totally non-effective. Chris Humphrey played well when given decent service but I counted 5 shocking passes to him before he finally received his first decent one on the 31 minute mark. Thought Michael Higdon played well but again without any support. Another bad day at the office for Mr McCall. POD Stand punters were none too impressed when he delayed in hooking a clearly injured Humphrey and a clearly knackered Murphy.

Spot on. Once again Jamie Murphy didn't know what he was meant to be doing or where he was meant to be playing. Jennings and Lasley were also incapable of supporting the big man. We created chances by the barrowload but all too often Higdon was our sole presence in the Hibs box. Stuart McCall needs to sort out our striking probelms and quickly.

Excellent stuff lads....keep it up.

A bit harsh Davie. Whilst I agree Jamie Murphy isn't playing well he is only playing to instructions in a role that doesn't match his strengths.