Our Next 4 Matches

[Hoppy]

On 11/14/2024 at 1:50 PM, BaaBaaRedSheep said:

Our next four matches are St Mirren away, Hibernian away, Hearts away and Tims at home.

Our 10 match records at the various venues is 1 win, 3 wins, 0 wins and 0 wins respectively. 

In other words a very poor 10 match record for each fixture. 

Fortunately that is in the past and we have a very good manager for the first time in quite some time.

Whilst all matches are clearly winnable the first two matches in Paisley and Leith appear to be the easier fixtures and, on current form, we should be looking to win both.

Tynecastle is a horrible place to visit and, whilst a victory would be great, a draw would be acceptable in my book.

That leaves the Tims at home, and the match I really hope we are ready for. Again a victory would be great but avoiding defeat would be acceptable at this time in Jimmy's tenure. 

So 8 points from 12 is my target, despite history not being on our side.

Hopefully I'm right, or better, and that history doesn't repeat itself.

Trainings by trainings

[BaaBaaRedSheep]

On 11/14/2024 at 1:50 PM, BaaBaaRedSheep said:

Our next four matches are St Mirren away, Hibernian away, Hearts away and Tims at home.

Our 10 match records at the various venues is 1 win, 3 wins, 0 wins and 0 wins respectively. 

In other words a very poor 10 match record for each fixture. 

Fortunately that is in the past and we have a very good manager for the first time in quite some time.

Whilst all matches are clearly winnable the first two matches in Paisley and Leith appear to be the easier fixtures and, on current form, we should be looking to win both.

Tynecastle is a horrible place to visit and, whilst a victory would be great, a draw would be acceptable in my book.

That leaves the Tims at home, and the match I really hope we are ready for. Again a victory would be great but avoiding defeat would be acceptable at this time in Jimmy's tenure. 

So 8 points from 12 is my target, despite history not being on our side.

Hopefully I'm right, or better, and that history doesn't repeat itself.

As suspected this was going to be the start of a tricky run.

I really thought we'd do better at Paisley, was totally wrong. 

Hibernian are really there for the taking, so 3 points are expected on Tuesday night.

Hearts are away in Europe on Thursday night so we have to go after them on Sunday and hope that we can take advantage of any hangover. 

As per usual Tims anywhere is a concern, especially if they can rest players against County on the Saturday. We'll really need a strong home support on the evening and hope that "the twelfth man" will give us extra energy.

Given that I was wrong about yesterday's result if we earn 5 points from the next 3 matches we'll be doing well. I'm not too confident though. 

However if anyone can confound my pessimism it's JT.

[RUL]

It's always difficult after a loss to be optimistic but the next few games will suit us more style wise I think. Less possession will help us and more counter attacking 

[Tord31]

These four games were and still are our toughest run pre-split.

It is a gut wrencher to lose the first but we can fix it.

We need to stick in and get sorted for Tuesday.
 

[DandyWarhol]

We've failed to win our last 3 games away from Pittodrie in all competitions - though admittedly 2 of those were against Celtic.  

Our 3 away wins in the league were all by a single goal - we were hanging on for dear life at the end at McDiarmid Park and Dens Park, and in Dingwall we relied on a penalty save and an injury time winner.

Regardless of Hibs & Hearts league positions these matches are going to be very tough and we're going to have to approach them with significantly more determination and resilience than we showed yesterday.

[Tord31]

9 minutes ago, DandyWarhol said:

We've failed to win our last 3 games away from Pittodrie in all competitions - though admittedly 2 of those were against Celtic.  

Our 3 away wins in the league were all by a single goal - we were hanging on for dear life at the end at McDiarmid Park and Dens Park, and in Dingwall we relied on a penalty save and an injury time winner.

Regardless of Hibs & Hearts league positions these matches are going to be very tough and we're going to have to approach them with significantly more determination and resilience than we showed yesterday.

Very tough! I had yesterday down as the "easiest" of the four games so that doesn't bode well

[DandyWarhol]

1 minute ago, Tord31 said:

Very tough! I had yesterday down as the "easiest" of the four games so that doesn't bode well

My heart sank when I saw the starting 11 yesterday - in difficult weather conditions against tough motivated opponents at a ground where we've struggled in recent years we really needed a tougher more battle hardened selection.  Maybe that's wishful thinking and we would've struggled either way, but losing yesterday has really put us on the back foot for this difficult run of games.

[DelMonte]

Win our home games for the rest of the season and the odd away game and we will be alright. 

Worst thing Jimmy has done is start like he has because a lot of the support got carried away. 

[Tord31]

10 minutes ago, DandyWarhol said:

My heart sank when I saw the starting 11 yesterday - in difficult weather conditions against tough motivated opponents at a ground where we've struggled in recent years we really needed a tougher more battle hardened selection.  Maybe that's wishful thinking and we would've struggled either way, but losing yesterday has really put us on the back foot for this difficult run of games.

I fully expected Duk to start and wondered if Keskinen would start too. Clearly a bit more physical than Morris and although he'd be subbed early he could have started the game

8 minutes ago, DelMonte said:

Win our home games for the rest of the season and the odd away game and we will be alright. 

Worst thing Jimmy has done is start like he has because a lot of the support got carried away. 

We are allowed to dream and anyways for the absolute realists we need to be dreaming of the title and pushing which can carry us to second place.

For second place we need to keep plugging away and hang in there. In the Christmas holiday bang bang bang fixtures the huns are away four times and at home to Celtic the way it has worked out. That will be a good chunk of dropped points.

For first place well all we can do is try to win the next game every time. It is not impossible and Celtic will drop points soon. 

[NEM]

29 minutes ago, DelMonte said:

 

Worst thing Jimmy has done is start like he has because a lot of the support got carried away. 

So it’d have been better to lose a few games before now? Not sure I agree with that logic min.

Tuesday a huge game now - really need a result to nip any slump in the bud.

[DelMonte]

30 minutes ago, NEM said:

So it’d have been better to lose a few games before now? Not sure I agree with that logic min.

Tuesday a huge game now - really need a result to nip any slump in the bud.

A loss in there somewhere might have stopped people thinking we could challenge Celtic and ending up disappointed. We have been lucky in a few games this season, it’s early days. 

The expectations have went too high. 

[DelMonte]

46 minutes ago, Tord31 said:

I fully expected Duk to start and wondered if Keskinen would start too. Clearly a bit more physical than Morris and although he'd be subbed early he could have started the game

We are allowed to dream and anyways for the absolute realists we need to be dreaming of the title and pushing which can carry us to second place.

For second place we need to keep plugging away and hang in there. In the Christmas holiday bang bang bang fixtures the huns are away four times and at home to Celtic the way it has worked out. That will be a good chunk of dropped points.

For first place well all we can do is try to win the next game every time. It is not impossible and Celtic will drop points soon. 

It’s impossible and won’t happen.

[Dynamo]

Still one game at a time. Hibs are bottom of the league for a reason, but they'll still be a hard match especially away from home. We need to be more assertive than yesterday and win the battle in the middle. 

[Tord31]

1 hour ago, DelMonte said:

It’s impossible and won’t happen.

Plane crash required and its a long shot

[DD1903]

2 hours ago, Tord31 said:

I fully expected Duk to start and wondered if Keskinen would start too. Clearly a bit more physical than Morris and although he'd be subbed early he could have started the game

We are allowed to dream and anyways for the absolute realists we need to be dreaming of the title and pushing which can carry us to second place.

For second place we need to keep plugging away and hang in there. In the Christmas holiday bang bang bang fixtures the huns are away four times and at home to Celtic the way it has worked out. That will be a good chunk of dropped points.

For first place well all we can do is try to win the next game every time. It is not impossible and Celtic will drop points soon. 

Jeeso tord. Let's be realistic here

[fine-n-dandy]

3 hours ago, BaaBaaRedSheep said:

As suspected this was going to be the start of a tricky run.

I really thought we'd do better at Paisley, was totally wrong. 

Hibernian are really there for the taking, so 3 points are expected on Tuesday night.

Hearts are away in Europe on Thursday night so we have to go after them on Sunday and hope that we can take advantage of any hangover. 

As per usual Tims anywhere is a concern, especially if they can rest players against County on the Saturday. We'll really need a strong home support on the evening and hope that "the twelfth man" will give us extra energy.

Given that I was wrong about yesterday's result if we earn 5 points from the next 3 matches we'll be doing well. I'm not too confident though. 

However if anyone can confound my pessimism it's JT.

Celtic rested half a dozen players v county last round in prior to us & it very nearly cost them points. So maybe they will think twice about it this time 

[Tord31]

5 minutes ago, DD1903 said:

Jeeso tord. Let's be realistic here

If we accept we wont finish 1st and are only competing with Huns, United and Motherwell then standards will drop from staff, players and fans. 

They are all shit and we can be utterly half arsed ensure we beat the Huns a Pittodrie and finish 2nd.

Lets aim for better than that and targeting top spot is what can drag us along

[aberdeen1970]

We need to focus on the here and now which is trying to pick up points in the next 3 tricky fixtures. 

Getting caught up in any title talk will only lead to disappointment and we risk not enjoying the good period we are having if we obsessively compare our results to Celtic's.  People are already talking about games being 'must win'. 

Let's see where we are after 2 rounds of fixtures have been completed. That will give us a pretty good idea what we are playing for this season. 

[fine-n-dandy]

1 hour ago, DelMonte said:

A loss in there somewhere might have stopped people thinking we could challenge Celtic and ending up disappointed. We have been lucky in a few games this season, it’s early days. 

The expectations have went too high. 

I doubt many (if any) really thought we could challenge Celtic ffs 🤣

plenty (including myself) definitely feel we can challenge Huns for second with state they are & I still maintain that 3rd place this season would be a disappointment from where we are now. Regardless of how I felt at end of last season.

 

JT has raised the bar for sure so dropping below it would of course disappointing. Pre JT (& even when first appointed) the bar was very low & we are way over that bar height currently 

[DD1903]

10 minutes ago, Tord31 said:

If we accept we wont finish 1st and are only competing with Huns, United and Motherwell then standards will drop from staff, players and fans. 

They are all shit and we can be utterly half arsed ensure we beat the Huns a Pittodrie and finish 2nd.

Lets aim for better than that and targeting top spot is what can drag us along

Yeah that's how it works, tord. 
 

(you're in for great disappointment)

[Tord31]

17 minutes ago, DD1903 said:

Yeah that's how it works, tord. 
 

(you're in for great disappointment)

The Huns will cheer me up. Dog shit under Clement

[northernlights]

3 hours ago, DandyWarhol said:

My heart sank when I saw the starting 11 yesterday - in difficult weather conditions against tough motivated opponents at a ground where we've struggled in recent years we really needed a tougher more battle hardened selection.  Maybe that's wishful thinking and we would've struggled either way, but losing yesterday has really put us on the back foot for this difficult run 

The commitment to our playing style and identity, detracts from our tactical potential and makes us predictable, easy to be tactical against.

Will Hibs copy St Mirren's tactics and if so what can we do about?

A fixed formation also means selection is based on the merit of the system rather than the form of the players.  Did Clarkson deserve a start over Palaversa?  

There will be those that say its better to have a firm and familiar structure.  Celtic though can be a freak fixture.  At hampden we had no choice but to adapt, the game passing us by.

I'm not suggesting demoting our game to stifling strategies or spoiling tactics, but an alternate mode which might favour different players, would help remedy games like yesterday's, in which our routine efforts didn't match the occasion.

[torry_battery_ram]

3 hours ago, Tord31 said:

I fully expected Duk to start and wondered if Keskinen would start too. Clearly a bit more physical than Morris and although he'd be subbed early he could have started the game

We are allowed to dream and anyways for the absolute realists we need to be dreaming of the title and pushing which can carry us to second place.

For second place we need to keep plugging away and hang in there. In the Christmas holiday bang bang bang fixtures the huns are away four times and at home to Celtic the way it has worked out. That will be a good chunk of dropped points.

For first place well all we can do is try to win the next game every time. It is not impossible and Celtic will drop points soon. 

I can't see Celtic dropping points anytime soon, their reserve team would probably win the title such is their strength in depth. As for ourselves our start has pushed people into unrealistic expectations of fighting for the title, we are a mile away from that. No wins in our last 8 visits to Paisley is shockingly bad.

I'd have happily taken being 8 points ahead of 3rd if it had been offered back in July though.

[dj_bollocks]

I think any talk of winning the league ended yesterday (if anyone actually believed it). What would be disappointing is not to go on to finish 2nd after the start we've had. Given how busy the next 6 weeks are (and if we had to) I'd rest as many folk as possible against Celtic - it doesn't matter if we don't win that one but it does matter that we're taking 3 points from other teams. No point in busting a gut against a team that are leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else when securing 3 points against everyone else has to be the priority. I'm not suggesting rolling over and tickling their bellies but prioritise the other games.

[aberdeen1970]

Folk are looking too far ahead. Just enjoy the games for now 

[Tord31]

10 minutes ago, torry_battery_ram said:

I can't see Celtic dropping points anytime soon, their reserve team would probably win the title such is their strength in depth. As for ourselves our start has pushed people into unrealistic expectations of fighting for the title, we are a mile away from that. No wins in our last 8 visits to Paisley is shockingly bad.

I'd have happily taken being 8 points ahead of 3rd if it had been offered back in July though.

I am not sure expectations is the right word.

Folk can believe if they want or choose not to believe.

I look forward to all the nae sayers shouting told you so when we lose 1 or 2 of our next 3 games. Our next 3 games is our toughest run pre-split. Other games will be along for us to get the points.

[redone]

36 minutes ago, dj_bollocks said:

I think any talk of winning the league ended yesterday (if anyone actually believed it). What would be disappointing is not to go on to finish 2nd after the start we've had. Given how busy the next 6 weeks are (and if we had to) I'd rest as many folk as possible against Celtic - it doesn't matter if we don't win that one but it does matter that we're taking 3 points from other teams. No point in busting a gut against a team that are leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else when securing 3 points against everyone else has to be the priority. I'm not suggesting rolling over and tickling their bellies but prioritise the other games.

GTF wi that.   Should be busting a gut every game.   Yes , they’ll probably beat us but it’s not a given.  They’ve ridden their luck a fair bit lately in their games at Motherwell, Killie and Hearts.  And apart from the 6-nil reality check , we’d drawn the previous three games against them.

 

[dj_bollocks]

16 minutes ago, redone said:

GTF wi that.   Should be busting a gut every game.   Yes , they’ll probably beat us but it’s not a given.  They’ve ridden their luck a fair bit lately in their games at Motherwell, Killie and Hearts.  And apart from the 6-nil reality check , we’d drawn the previous three games against them.

 

Knew someone would take that out of context...  And they've not ridden their luck, their game management is exemplary... They could have been blowing away those teams but they've been saving themselves for Chaps League and doing enough to win the games without *ahem* busting a gut...

[Russell]

4 hours ago, NEM said:

So it’d have been better to lose a few games before now? Not sure I agree with that logic min.

Tuesday a huge game now - really need a result to nip any slump in the bud.

One loss and we're on the verge of a slump. Michty me.

[dave_min]

1 hour ago, Russell said:

One loss and we're on the verge of a slump. Michty me.

Exactly.

Time to sack the board, only going to get worse from here.