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Scottish Premiership Motherwell V St Johnstone Sat 18 Mar 15:00


Yabba's Turd
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A decent keeper (not an outstanding or a great one, just decent), would be looking to come and collect the cross at the 1st goal and for the second one, he's got to be speaking to Ferguson giving him an instruction of what to do.

 

I agree with most of your post but not this bit. The cross was outswinging, the absolutely best Samson could have done if he came out was leap and put a finger on the cross. He would then have been lying on the turf whilst the incoming guy placed the shot in either corner. I think he was quite right to trust that the defenders would do their job in winning the header and if not, trust that Craig wouldn't head it right into either corner because we put some pressure on them. Sadly none of the above happened.

 

Your general point I agree with but I think the example on Saturday is just not true.

Coincidentally I spoke with an Aberdeen fan today who said that Samson's display in the two games at Pittodrie this season were the best two they've seen from a visiting keeper. Now I wasn't at either game, but this guy is one whose judgement is usually sound.

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I had the opposite view to many on Saturday as I left Fir Park appalled by our performance and lack of urgency (apart from final 5 mins)

 

 

Genuine question - How many times have you seen us this season? Your post reads like someone who hasn't been in a while. If that's the case then trust me - Saturday was decent compared to what has been getting served up.

 

Maybe that says it all.

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Saturday saw me relatively pleased with how we played generally, but obviously two collective defensive headers have cost us. Young Ferguson has made a mistake for either goal which in all honesty, you see young defenders make all the time. I remain to be convinced by Jules and I'm not sure if a relegation battle can carry two inexperienced defenders but with the way things are, we can only play with the hand we've got. It's funny how different managers rate different youngsters (Brown rating Page over Hutchinson, but McCall rating Cummins over Page springs to mind) but I do find it strange that we've played McMillan out of position at left back so often this season, yet when Tait is out and this gives us a chance to play him on his preferred side, we don't do it.

 

Cadden probably is a bit burnt out and as said further up, he may have had more respite if MacLean had been fit. A new manager may have been another new start for Ainsworth I thought, but as a mate pointed out to me on Saturday, perhaps not the case as it was allegedly Robinson and Ainsworth who had "words" after the Morton defeat last season.

 

I was very impressed with Frear and if I'm honest the only area that I think let us down was centre midfield. Don't know if Pearson has finally succumbed to age or isn't match fit, but his trademark lung busting runs into the box have been absent since his return, on Saturday he barely seemed to break stride. Clay has a good attitude and gives 100% every week but his lacking in quality is so evident. I don't like criticising him because he has such a good work-ethos but every attribute seems lacking for me. He often spends too long on the ball and then picks the wrong option at the end. Lucas seems to have gone AWOL and if we are having to play McHugh at the back, you don't know if a relegation battle is the right time to throw a youngster in Campbell in. However, on the flip side from that, based on what I've seen from Campbell he doesn't seem like a player who would be fazed by such a situation and might relish a battle.

 

The goals themselves were definitely a collective error. For the first, I feel Hammell should have been more proactive in stopping the cross, but I wouldn't blame McHugh much, I think his starting position was decent enough and it was just a good cross. I think Ferguson gets caught flat footed gambling that McHugh would have won the header. Unfortunately for the second he almost reversed this, when he got too drawn to the ball when perhaps should have kept more positional discipline. No doubt what happened on the first would have been on his mind at the second and I guess that's just an unfortunate element of a youngster learning the game.

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To be fair Samsons second half of the season hasn't contained the outright errors of the first but commanding he is not

He’s not that commanding, however, he has made some outstanding saves in a few games. Although, sadly a few great saves doesn’t make a goalkeeper. Unless this new coach can work miracles I personally would let Samson go.

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I do find it strange that we've played McMillan out of position at left back so often this season, yet when Tait is out and this gives us a chance to play him on his preferred side, we don't do it.

 

I thought exactly the same Joe. Very strange. So, it would appear that we don't have an out and out replacement right back.

 

To be honest I rate Tait as decent back up but not a first pick. Right back has been a problem position for us for a number of years now.

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When Tait has been playing he gives 110%, tough in tackle and pretty fast as well. When fit he would be a first pick every week. I wish more around him had his attitude and we may not be in the shite we are in now.

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When Tait has been playing he gives 110%, tough in tackle and pretty fast as well. When fit he would be a first pick every week. I wish more around him had his attitude and we may not be in the shite we are in now.

I really like Tait and he would be one of the first names on the team sheet for me but fast is one thing he isn't. Every time he's come up against a quick winger this season he has struggled. Even Connor Sammon ran past him at Killie the other week, although that may have been more to do with his injury.

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I really like Tait and he would be one of the first names on the team sheet for me but fast is one thing he isn't. Every time he's come up against a quick winger this season he has struggled. Even Connor Sammon ran past him at Killie the other week, although that may have been more to do with his injury.

He's an honest trier and will always give 100%. Although not the fastest, he's good going forward. However his positional sense isn't the best and defensively he's weak.

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He's an honest trier and will always give 100%. Although not the fastest, he's good going forward. However his positional sense isn't the best and defensively he's weak.

Totally agree. His effort can't be faulted and his deliveries both with his right, and cutting in on his left are usually very good. He must be close to the top, if not top, of our assist chart this season?

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perhaps he was better than a lot of people gave him credit for?

 

Well considering he played in a defence which made multiple clean sheet records that pretty obvious.

 

The main problem some particularly vocal individuals had with Hateley is that they couldn't keep themselves from reading him and his birds twitter and getting wound up.

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Well considering he played in a defence which made multiple clean sheet records that pretty obvious.

 

The main problem some particularly vocal individuals had with Hateley is that they couldn't keep themselves from reading him and his birds twitter and getting wound up.

I think the clean sheet records would have been more to who was in goals at the time. Saying that I would have Hateley ahead of Tait.

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Hateley was a reasonable full back, no more no less. Compared to who we've had since he was a lot better. He was not as good as a few in the recent past though.

 

Hateley was a very good full back in my opinion. Was virtually an ever present in one of our most successful eras of recent times and as well as a few vital goals, got thirty assists over four seasons.

 

What annoyed me more was his demeanour at times. I remember we got beaten 4-0 by Hibs on a Friday night once and he lost the ball up the park and stood with his hands on his hips and sighed instead of getting back, a few folk shouted at him to get back from my area of the East Stand at the time and he turned and made a shut up gesture to the fans - all instead of trying to get back and continue with the game.

 

Having his dad write a paper column about why he should be playing centre mid and not right back and having his family members constantly tweeting saying they'd like to see him play for Rangers didn't endear him to me, but being honest you can't really blame young sportsmen for having bad influences in their family.

 

I also wasn't a fan of him having the arrogance to shoot at just about every corner for a couple of years. Fair enough, he scored two of them but it got on my wick how many times we surrendered the chance to score a header for him to potentially nurse his ego.

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Name one full back in the league that's not been given the runaround half a dozen times a season? That's what happens if you are full back. You don't get 100% consistency even at the hundred million pound elite level never mind at the 50 grand level.

 

Reminds me of folk hurling abuse at Humphrey because he couldn't cross a ball. If you're that quick and can cross a ball like Beckham you're unlikely to be playing in the SPFL.

 

I'm a big Tait fan. I think he's fucking great.

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