Gone_Shrimping wrote:I couldn't understand O'Connor being an unused substitute. He has been playing well and scored a good goal in the previous game at Plymouth. I think the explanation could be that Nixon was right and he is off to join Judas at St Mirren in January and that there may be a small fee involved.
Also how on earth did Love get selected ahead of Cooney.
Is it 4 out of our next 5 games at home ? I think Derek has to take a minimum of 10 points from those to give us any chance and for him to continue.
I would love to think we can get a couple of players in soon who could improve things but it's harder to persuade players to sign for a club at the bottom.
I was chatting to a neutral post-Plymouth who that O'Connor was poor aside from the goal - thought it was a bit harsh but worth listening to neutrals sometimes. I'm not a fan of Rawson at RCB though - don't think it suits him being in a role that requires him to step out into wide areas and face up to tricky wingers 1v1. Better off keeping him in the box to attack crosses etc.
Cooney gets a bit of a free pass. I like him a lot, but he had an absolute stinker against Plymouth and was rightly hooked at HT. Love came on and did a decent job against Mumba, so much so that he switched wings. Thought Love did ok yesterday until the final 10 mins when he lost his head. Imo this is Love's problem though - I think he's got the ability to be a good player but just has frequent really daft moments, whether that's switching off defensively, panicking in possession, or losing his head like yesterday. Looked like his dropping post Burton had gotten his head in the game a bit more which had given me hope as I think he's done alright since being back in the side, but those final 10 mins were a big step back.
I think the big thing we are missing as well is a proper DM. Adams doesn't trust Fane there, which I get, and I don't think Shaw really is a DM. Handles the ball well and does a decent job there, but hasn't really got that defensive nous you need, especially in an Adams side. Someone in there to properly release the likes of Weir and Shaw to get forward a bit more would be very beneficial in January. Also think it would stop Adams feeling like he has to play with a back three as much.
Against Accy though:
Ripley
Cooney-Rawson-Bedeau-Melbourne
Shaw-O'Connor/Gibson-Weir
Mayor-Stockton-Watts
Against the aerial bombardment of Accy, we'll need a Gibson or O'Connor in midfield I reckon. Hope we can start to get that balance right. We've played our best football under Adams when there's been a DM with a very simplified job of mopping up and allowing the 8s to push on. Hopefully we can rectify this properly in January but short term, I think Gibson/AOC are the best options.
Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2022 3:08 am
