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Hearts V Motherwell Sat 16 January


Graeme Bremner
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Spare a little thought for the fact that despite McCall and Barraclough in charge, the latter of which had more resources than any other manager since McLeish and who had signed many players, we have not replaced an aging Lasley in the middle of the park. Effectively, since McGee was last in charge we haven't looked at any long term replacement or adequate cover in the middle of the park.

 

Barraclough left us with five first team strikers and unless we can slot in Clarkson, McDonald or now, possibly McFadden, we are drastically short in the middle. New additions like Chalmers, who despite a number of first team games looks way out of his depth, mutch more so than the mutch criticised Law, haven't helped either. Kennedy and Laing have a lot to prove too, if Hall continues to take the starting position.

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It's obviously important for players to buy into their managers strategies and vision so you wonder what the players must be thinking after being asked to go out and perform in that clusterfuck of a line up. Every one of them would've knew that was the wrong set up. No wonder so many of them looked out of sorts!

 

Even at 3-0 after 22 minutes McGhee didn't change it. Or half time! In fact he kept it like that the full 90, tinkering only with the forwards. Surely he had a incline that this starting 11 was a risk and if it wasn't working what plan b was? Apparently not....

 

I gave McGhee a relatively easy time over bringing on Robinson in the Accies game at a crucial stage and you've got to wonder what the thinking behind that was.....

 

What do you think he sees in Chalmers (that no one else can?) to go straight back in the team? But not Watt?

 

Our league position is still extremely precarious and my confidence that McGhee can get us out of it has taken a massive dent.

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If he's arrived at the conclusion that playing Hammell at right back and Josh Law in midfield is a better option than Leitch or Cadden in midfield, then whether he watches them in training all week or not, I'd have to question his judgement and perhaps his sanity...

As far as the young players like Cadden and Leitch are concerned, he will have his own views but you have to think he'll have consulted Stephen Craigan who knows them far better than he does. I think its unlikely in the extreme that Craigan was pushing strongly for their inclusion and he was overruled. As far as Stevie Hammell is concerned surely the player himself will have said something like "I'm really not comfortable at all in that position gaffer". If he didn't then questions have to be asked. If he did and was still overruled then again questions have to be asked.

 

As I wrote earlier Greg, I doubt if he's seen Law play in midfield or Hammell at right back in real action . Playing those positions on the training pitch is a world away from an actual game. Almost certainly he's been given that advice by Stephen Robinson or someone else on the coaching staff. If so he will have learned a valuable lesson about whose judgement he can rely upon. As manager, he must take responsibility, even if the mistakes are made by others on the management/coaching staff.

 

At the Society meeting back in November, only 2 months ago, McGhee stated that he still had a lot to learn about the club and players. He was carrying on the tactics/decisions/policies already in place and was only changing things if he thought the situation merited it or he felt very strongly about something.

 

NB. Hearts supporting mate says thats the best they have played this season - I wonder why.

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Even at 3-0 after 22 minutes McGhee didn't change it. Or half time! In fact he kept it like that the full 90, tinkering only with the forwards. Surely he had a incline that this starting 11 was a risk and if it wasn't working what plan b was? Apparently not....

 

 

What do you think he sees in Chalmers (that no one else can?) to go straight back in the team? But not Watt?

 

Our league position is still extremely precarious and my confidence that McGhee can get us out of it has taken a massive dent.

The Arse fell out our game so quickly yesterday there wasn't a lot of time between them scoring the first and the game being over at 3-0. The only reason I think if Mcghee didn't make changes was, had he taken Chalmers off, it would have highlighted how poor he was and wrecked whatever confidence he has. Unfortunately we may have to rely on him at some time in the future if Hammell gets injured.

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I am 99% sure he didn't change as his ego wouldn't let him. That or he is blind to the fact somehow it completely unsettled the team. Said to my Dad at half time he would change it and was proven right.

 

I am a McGhee fan by the way but yesterday was a selection shambles made even worse by the individual performances of the players who couldn't get settled.

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As far as Stevie Hammell is concerned surely the player himself will have said something like "I'm really not comfortable at all in that position gaffer". If he didn't then questions have to be asked. If he did and was still overruled then again questions have to be asked.

 

Im not sure that's how it works?

 

The manager should maybe ask? But ultimately if the manager asks you to play in goals, you play in goals.

 

Maybe Stevie Hammell thought he was experienced enough to cope?

 

If my boss asks me to do something, I do it, I don't tell him I'm not capable.

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Even if the young players aren't good enough to go on and make a career at this level we've had important contributions from people like Darren Smith, Fitzpartick, Forbes and Kinniburgh just by coming in and being decent in the positions they know.

 

Carswell made his debut at Tynecastle and we took a good point.

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For those of you who weren't at Tynecastle, the biggest factor that contributed to the scoreline was Hearts. This was the wrong time to go to Tynecastle. OK, our team selection didn't help and we are short in midfield. But in all honesty, if we had kept Grimshaw, and Lasley hadn't been suspended, we would still have lost.

 

I'm not too downhearted about losing 6-0. From Saint Johnstone downwards, I think we have enough talent to compete.

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I was gutted at the result, but not being at the game, it's surprising how quickly I've got over it - like others, the loss of Las and Grimshaw concerned me, and I've no doubt the Boss got his team selection wrong, but hey ho !

 

It's how we respond next week that will tell a bigger story - psychotic maybe, but looking forward to it.

 

 

MON RA DOSSERS

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I'm not overly bothered if our manager jumps up and down and starts roaring and bawling at players; in fact I'd rather they didn't. Mark McGhee has said himself he's not that kind of manager. I'd far rather they kept cool and calm and focused on how the team played, learnt lessons and remained cold and calculating. He is perfectly well aware that the central midfield needs strengthened and said as much last year.

 

Its also sobering that we lost 3 goals against Accies when both Grimshaw and Lasley played. For some years now our midfield simply hasn't been right defensively and its high time that was rectified.

 

If we could cut out giving away penalties that'd be 33% of the goals conceeded.

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McGhee went on all week,banging on about how physical that Hertz are..........his master stroke is to play our two renowned hard men Marvin "Handbags" Johnson and Lionel "Blair" Ainsworth together in midfield to combat the physical threat !!!!!

 

Unfortunately the two aforementioned had two reasonable chances to keep us in the game in the first half

 

As soon as I saw the team selection thought,we are going to struggle,which was then impacted with the bizarre switching of the defence !!!

 

Our lack of options in midfield needs to be adressed as a matter of urgency,especially when we are relying on a player approaching his 37 birthday to run our midfield

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The Arse fell out our game so quickly yesterday there wasn't a lot of time between them scoring the first and the game being over at 3-0. The only reason I think if Mcghee didn't make changes was, had he taken Chalmers off, it would have highlighted how poor he was and wrecked whatever confidence he has. Unfortunately we may have to rely on him at some time in the future if Hammell gets injured.

He didn't need to take Chalmers off, his first move could have been to reinstate the fullbacks and put Chalmers into left side of midfield. That could have got us through to half time and then further changes could be made.

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Im not sure that's how it works?

 

The manager should maybe ask? But ultimately if the manager asks you to play in goals, you play in goals.

 

Maybe Stevie Hammell thought he was experienced enough to cope?

 

If my boss asks me to do something, I do it, I don't tell him I'm not capable.

The boss's decision is final agreed but surely a senior pro has a duty to offer advice, in a respectful way. I had a good few bosses who told me that what they say went but expected me to offer constructive suggestions. For example, if a boss asked a joiner to fix a burst pipe most joiners would feel duty bound to point out that that wasn't their area of expertise.

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McGhee has always said he needs to assess the squad. Yesterday he played Chalmers I think for the first time. Now he knows about him. I also wonder if he was making a point to the money men at the club. He played Law in midfield where he is not very good. So now he can go to them and say look I need two midfielders because Law is no use there Cadden and Leitch are not ready and we could be in trouble again this season if we do not get people in.

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McGhee has always said he needs to assess the squad. Yesterday he played Chalmers I think for the first time. Now he knows about him. I also wonder if he was making a point to the money men at the club. He played Law in midfield where he is not very good. So now he can go to them and say look I need two midfielders because Law is no use there Cadden and Leitch are not ready and we could be in trouble again this season if we do not get people in.

Making a point to the money men at the club? Maybe he should have made it clear at the pre match press conference that he was going to be making a point. Maybe then fans could have saved their money and not had to watch a lamentable performance.

 

He didn't prepare well enough for Saturday. He knew Lasley was suspended and he was banking on Grimshaw being here. If the lineup he produced was his plan B, then it looked like it was written on the back of a fag packet five minutes before we got to Tynecastle...

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McGhee has always said he needs to assess the squad. Yesterday he played Chalmers I think for the first time. Now he knows about him. I also wonder if he was making a point to the money men at the club. He played Law in midfield where he is not very good. So now he can go to them and say look I need two midfielders because Law is no use there Cadden and Leitch are not ready and we could be in trouble again this season if we do not get people in.

I did wonder about his reasons for the team selection.Mark McGhee is an intelligent man and knows football inside out - so why make seemingly bizarre and disastrous decisions and stick with them?

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